This article is part of our NFL Draft series.
As always, comments and questions are appreciated!
First Round
1. Kansas City Chiefs – Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
The Chiefs need a quarterback, and waiting until the second round is a risky proposition. Taking Smith now starts the QB run that much sooner, additionally, pushing talent at other positions downward.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
Lotulelei has All-Pro upside, and there's no reason for Jacksonville to settle on just Tyson Alualu and C.J. Mosley at tackle.
3. Oakland Raiders – Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
Wilson is raw in some ways, but he has a big arm and good mobility and has generally shown at one point or another most of the skills necessary to start in the NFL. Oakland makes the plunge here because they don't have a second-round pick.
4. Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Joeckel*, OT, Texas A&M
Right tackle Todd Herremans doesn't have a great deal of athleticism, so even if Jason Peters (Achilles) is ready to go for 2013, adding Joeckel as a starting tackle provides the Philadelphia offensive line with likely upgrades at two positions.
5. Detroit Lions – Bjoern Werner*, DE, Florida State
Cliff Avril likely won't be back for Detroit in 2013, so Werner would likely start right away for the Lions.
6. Cleveland Browns – Sheldon Richardson*, (3-4) DE, Missouri
Richardson isn't developed as a run stopper yet, but his combination of athleticism and size is rather incredible, and his non-stop motor implies that he will make every effort to keep improving.
7. Arizona Cardinals – Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
The Cardinals are in this predicament because they neglected the offensive line and quarterback positions. Between the two, tackle has more talent at this spot.
8. Buffalo Bills – Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State
Glennon struggles from under center and when facing pressure, but coach Doug Marrone's offense at Syracuse heavily utilized the shotgun, where Glennon tends to do fairly well.
9. New York Jets – Barkevious Mingo*, (3-4) OLB, LSU
The Jets would ideally get a quarterback here, but the pickings are slim. Mingo could turn into the team's top pass rusher within a month or two of the regular season's start.
10. Tennessee Titans – Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
Ansah is inexperienced but has a great deal of upside, and he's quite good already considering his lack of experience (he started playing football in 2010).
11. San Diego Chargers – Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
Johnson isn't as polished as Joeckel or Fisher, but his upside is greater than both – he's only been playing tackle for the last two years.
12. Miami Dolphins – Dee Milliner*, CB, Alabama
Conventional wisdom has the Dolphins going wide receiver here, but Sean Smith is a free agent and Milliner could be an upgrade at a much cheaper cost.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Xavier Rhodes*, CB, Florida State
The Buccaneers badly need cornerback talent. Rhodes doesn't project as an ideal CB1, but he should turn into a starter at the NFL level, especially for a team that lets him press heavily.
14. Carolina Panthers – Sharrif Floyd*, DT, Florida
Floyd has a lot of upside on the interior, and the Panthers need to provide some help there to make life easier for ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy.
15. New Orleans Saints – Sam Montgomery*, DE, LSU
Montgomery is under the radar at the moment due to how strong this class is with edge defenders, but he's still impressive in his own right, and the Saints should be happy to keep him in the state.
16. St. Louis Rams – D.J. Fluker*, OT, Alabama
Fluker isn't the guy you want blocking for your quarterback's blindside, but he's a potentially devastating mauler with the natural athleticism to improve his mobility a bit if he loses a little weight.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jarvis Jones*, (3-4) OLB, Georgia
Spinal stenosis is a potentially big deal, and it's difficult to tell whether teams will value Jones as highly as his game tape would lead people to believe.
18. Dallas Cowboys – Cordarrelle Patterson*, WR, Tennessee
Wide receiver isn't an on-paper need for Dallas with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin around, but no one could fault Jerry Jones for being unable to pass on Patterson's upside.
19. New York Giants – Damontre Moore*, DE, Texas A&M
Moore seems a bit overrated to me, but he'd be a nice pickup for the Giants here.
20. Chicago Bears – Chance Warmack, G, Alabama
The Bears would ideally upgrade at tackle, but Warmack will do.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Matt Elam*, S, Florida
The Bengals need safety help, and they love SEC players.
22. St. Louis Rams (from WAS) – Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
Adding Cooper and Fluker would do wonders for the St. Louis offense.
23. Minnesota Vikings – DeAndre Hopkins*, WR, Clemson
Hopkins would provide the Vikings with a bigger, more durable option than Percy Harvin, though Hopkins has plenty of explosiveness, too.
24. Indianapolis Colts – Keenan Allen*, WR, California
Allen is a player who actually seems to have a lot in common with the man he'd eventually replace in this scenario: Reggie Wayne.
25. Seattle Seahawks – Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon
Jordan needs a lot of polish, but players with his raw athletic skills are very rare. The Seahawks love size and athleticism on defense, and Jordan would be quite a specimen to add.
26. Green Bay Packers – Tyler Eifert*, TE, Notre Dame
Jermichael Finley's drops are obnoxious, but his size/speed combo definitely clears the middle of the field for Green Bay. Eifert can do all that too, but he's better and cheaper than Finley.
27. Houston Texans – Jesse Williams, (3-4) DT, Alabama
Williams is worth a pick much sooner than this, but his lack of flashy athleticism pushes him this far, where the Texans are lucky to have him.
28. Denver Broncos – Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
Vaccaro's run defense can be ugly, but the Broncos are desperate to add coverage skills like his after Rahim Moore demonstrated his lack of competence in the playoffs.
29. New England Patriots – Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
The brother of Marcus would help the Patriots keep Devin McCourty at safety more often.
30. Atlanta Falcons – Eddie Lacy*, RB, Alabama
Lacy is the draft's top back, and he'd be a fantasy goldmine if Michael Turner checks out of Atlanta.
31. Baltimore Ravens – Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
Joe Flacco likes to check down, and Austin can turn checkdowns into touchdowns.
32. San Francisco 49ers – D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina
Swearinger has the aggressive attitude necessary to play for the 49ers, and he'd be a possible coverage improvement over DaShon Goldson.
Second Round
33. Jacksonville Jaguars – Matt Barkley, QB, USC
Barkley isn't exactly an exciting prospect, but you don't improve at quarterback without taking your chances.
34. Kansas City Chiefs – Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
Wheaton would probably be Kansas City's best receiver in 2013 if Dwayne Bowe doesn't stick around.
35. Philadelphia Eagles – E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
Manuel showed serious deficiencies as a passer at Florida State, but Chip Kelly has made lesser talents look like stars, and no quarterback in this draft (or most others) have Manuel's athletic upside.
36. Detroit Lions – Justin Hunter*, WR, Tennessee
With Titus Young beyond unbearable and Ryan Broyles (ACL) on shaky ground, adding a one-on-one beater like Hunter is a great idea here.
37. Cincinnati Bengals (from OAK) – Alec Ogletree*, LB, Georgia
Ogletree is all kinds of raw, but he has a great deal of upside and he has the SEC prerequisite to be a Bengal.
38. Arizona Cardinals – Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
Okafor could make his way into the first round, so the Cardinals should grab him here, no matter whether they're 3-4 or 4-3.
39. New York Jets – Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
The in-state product is far from dependable at this point, but the Jets need to start swinging if they're going to somehow fix their quarterback situation.
40. Tennessee Titans – Barrett Jones, C/G, Alabama
The Titans could use more help on the interior, and Jones can account for all three spots.
41. Buffalo Bills – Robert Woods*, WR, USC
Woods is a lot more athletic than Steve Johnson, but more skilled as a possession receiver than T.J. Graham.
42. Miami Dolphins – Jordan Reed*, TE, Florida
Reed is a skilled runner after the catch, and his athleticism would let Joe Philbin have a legitimate talent for the Jermichael Finley role.
43. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Zac Dysert, QB, Miami (OH)
The Buccaneers are apparently preparing to move on from Josh Freeman, but they'd better start stockpiling prospects if they're going to take that plunge.
44. Carolina Panthers – Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
The Panthers simply don't have much talent at corner.
45. New Orleans Saints – Johnathan Hankins*, DT, Ohio State
Hankins is more talented than this draft slot would indicate, but his sometimes non-existent motor is a problem.
46. San Diego Chargers – Dallas Thomas, G/OT, Tennessee
Thomas has standout athleticism by guard standards, but on the frame of a tackle.
47. St. Louis Rams – Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
Thomas needs more discipline, especially in terms of pursuit angles, but he's a skilled playmaker in coverage.
48. Dallas Cowboys – Menelik Watson*, OT, Florida State
Watson is an extremely raw but athletically gifted player who would back up Tyron Smith and Doug Free in 2013, but would be expected to start over Free by 2014 at the latest.
49. Pittsburgh Steelers – John Jenkins, (3-4) DT, Georgia
Jenkins needs a lot of work from a technique standpoint, and he can definitely afford to lose some pounds, but Pittsburgh needs more depth at the nose tackle spot.
50. New York Giants – Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
Brown needs some polish in terms of tackling, but he's a great athlete with a high motor.
51. Chicago Bears – Zach Ertz*, TE, Stanford
The Bears need an upgrade over Kellen Davis, and Ertz is a big one.
52. Washington Redskins – Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
Robert Griffin has one of the league's best deep passes, and Bailey is this draft's best deep receiver.
53. Minnesota Vikings – Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
He's no Kevin Williams, but Sylvester is a fine all-around tackle prospect who should push for a starting spot in Minnesota right away.
54. Cincinnati Bengals – Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State
Carradine would probably miss at least the first six weeks of the year due to a late November ACL tear, but would project as an eventual starter for Cincinnati at end.
55. Miami Dolphins – Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
Patton would potentially be Miami's top receiver right away. His arrival would hurt Davone Bess' target count while reducing Brian Hartline to a field-stretching role.
56. Green Bay Packers – Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina
Williams would be an upgrade over all of Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod and Marshall Newhouse when it comes to pure talent.
57. Seattle Seahawks – Margus Hunt, DE, SMU
Like Jordan in the first round, Hunt would be another size/speed/upside pick for an already loaded Seattle defense.
58. Houston Texans – Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech
Rogers would be a top-10 pick if natural talent were the only consideration, but his history of poor behavior is a problem for his draft stock.
59. Denver Broncos – Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
Ball would be a fantasy monster if he could take over as starter in Peyton Manning's offense.
60. New England Patriots – Travis Frederick*, C/G, Wisconsin
Frederick might not be as talented as Peter Konz from last year, but he's a good prospect in a thin center class.
61. Atlanta Falcons – Datone Jones, DT/DE, UCLA
Jones' technique and polish are better than this draft slot indicates, but his lack of standout athleticism could cause teams to see him as a low-ceiling prospect. He can help out right away in Atlanta, though.
62. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Minter, (3-4) ILB, LSU
Minter doesn't show exceptional athleticism, but he should plug the run well in the middle of a 3-4.
63. San Francisco 49ers – Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State
Harper isn't likely to be a gamebreaker in the NFL, but he's a well-built player with exceptional hands.
