ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper releases his latest Mock Draft

Gamedayr | February 7, 2013 at 4:26 pm | 5 Comments

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. (Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has been at this a long time. However, even he is forced to change his draft predictions constantly due to the volatility involved: Teams’ needs change with injuries, free agency, retirements, you name it. Player grades and evaluations change with workouts, Pro Days, the NFL Combine and interviews with individual teams.

On Thursday, Kiper released his most recent Mock Draft, reflecting those wildly varying and constantly changing teams and needs following the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII victory.

32. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Minter, LB, LSU Tigers

31. San Francisco 49ers — John Jenkins, DT, Georgia Bulldogs

30. Atlanta Falcons — Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

29. New England Patriots — Matt Elam, S, Florida Gators

28. Denver Broncos — Kawann Short, DT, Purdue Boilermakers

27. Houston Texans — Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

26. Green Bay Packers — Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide

25. Seattle Seahawks — Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State Buckeyes

24. Indianapolis Colts — Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State Bulldogs

23. Minnesota Vikings — Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina Tar Heels

22. St. Louis Rams — Keenan Allen, WR, Cal Bears

21. Cincinnati Bengals — Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas Longhorns

20. Chicago Bears — DJ Fluker, OT, Alabama Crimson Tide

19. New York Giants — Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford Cardinal

18. Dallas Cowboys – Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama Crimson Tide

17. Pittsburgh Steelers — Ezekiel Ansah, DE/LB, BYU Cougars

16. St. Louis Rams — Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma Sooners

15. New Orleans Saints — Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida Gators

14. Carolina Panthers — Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri Tigers

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

12. Miami Dolphins — Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee Volunteers

11. San Diego Chargers — Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina Tar Heels

10. Tennessee Titans — Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU Tigers

9. New York Jets — Dion Jordan, LB, Oregon Ducks

8. Buffalo Bills — Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia Bulldogs

7. Arizona Cardinals — Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan Chippewas

6. Cleveland Browns — Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State Seminoles

5. Detroit Lions — Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia Bulldogs

4. Philadelphia Eagles — Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama Crimson Tide

3. Oakland Raiders — Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah Utes

2. Jacksonville Jaguars — Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M Aggies

1. Kansas City Chiefs — Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M Aggies

Obviously, the Aggies are the winners in Kiper’s latest mock, with stars on both sides of the line being taken first and second overall. Both Joeckel and Moore are the types of centerpieces each of these downtrodden franchises can build around. The Chiefs desperately need an elite lineman to keep pass rushers such as Moore off of whomever will be playing quarterback in Kansas City.

Texas A&M’s new conference, the SEC, has dominated the college football landscape for quite some time, and seven consecutive national championships has translated to Kiper’s draft selections. Exactly half of the players selected in Kiper’s first round come out of the nation’s most dominant conference, with 16 elite players selected from the SEC.