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2014 NFL Draft: Rich Hill's Mock 1.0

Tis the season. The combine is now over and there's only a couple months until the draft. Here's my debut projection for the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

I have picks. I have trades. I have tried my best to mix both need and player quality. There are some surprises. Nothing too crazy.

This is Mock 1.0.

Team Move Selection Reason
Houston Texans QB Blake Bortles The Texans need their QB of the future and Bortles matches the team. He's a potential star with the ability to help the team get beyond Matt Schaub. Head coach Bill O'Brien has connections with UCF.
St. Louis Rams OT Greg Robinson The Rams can afford luxury with this pick, and Robinson not only sets the mark for offensive tackles, but he also fits the franchise. It allows the team to play two star tackles, protect Sam Bradford, and open up lanes for Zac Stacy.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Teddy Bridgewater The Jaguars need their quarterback of the future. Chad Henne isn't it. It's definitely not Blaine Gabbert. Bridgewater is a franchise quarterback who can allow Jax to be competitive.
Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel The Browns have surprisingly few holes, for how poorly they played. Their defense is fantastic and they have some solid pieces on offense. CLE has two first rounders, so why not go for the franchise quarterback they've been missing? Apparently the front office will do anything to get their franchise quarterback this draft.
Oakland Raiders DE Jadaveon Clowney The Raiders can grab a star for their anemic defensive line. Clowney has the potential to be the best player in the draft and, with no QBs on the board, he makes the best match.
Atlanta Falcons OT Jake Matthews Atlanta may have missed out on the Clowney sweepstakes, but they need to bolster their offensive line. Matthews presents Tackle 1A in the draft to protect Matt Ryan.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Sammy Watkins The Bucs have solid players across the board, but few blue chip players on offense. Vincent Jackson is a top tier player and adding Watkins to the mix will allow quarterback Mike Glennon to take advantage of all levels of the field.
Minnesota Vikings PR Khalil Mack The Vikings face a potential hole with Jared Allen likely leaving in free agency. Mack can take over and be a dominant force from day 1.
Buffalo Bills LB C.J. Mosley Like the Bucs, the Bills have solid players across the table, with a few spectacular names on defense. Unlike the Bucs, the youth movement is already in play on offense. Adding Mosley to the front seven, and next to Kiko Alonso, will make the Bills defense one of the top in the conference.
Detroit Lions WR Mike Evans No, this doesn't seem fair, but this makes the most sense. The Lions need another target on offense so Matt Stafford isn't just focusing on Calvin Johnson all day. Paring the 6'5, 230 lbs Evans with Megatron would make the Lions offense the most dangerous in the league.
Tennessee Titans CB Darqueze Dennard With the Titans likely to lose Alterraun Verner to free agency, Darqueze Dennard can step in from day one and contribute at a top level in the secondary.
New York Giants PR Anthony Barr Pairing Anthony Barr with Jason Pierre-Paul just makes sense. The once pass-rush-rich Giants now feature empty cupboards. I know tackle Taylor Lewan is a popular fit, but I believe the Giants can fix the line later in the draft.
St. Louis Rams TO DAL DT Aaron Donald **TRADE** STL moves down at their second spot as the Cowboys can't afford to wait. Top defensive tackle Donald is a game changer who would not make it any further down the board.
Chicago Bears DT Timmy Jernigan The Bears miss out on Donald, but they get an excellent consolation prize in Jernigan. He's a day one starter who can elevate a defense. He's bigger than Donald and can disruptive in his own right.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Kelvin Benjamin The Steelers have admitted they're trying to get Ben Roethlisberger a big target on offense. No one is bigger than Benjamin, who fits Big Ben's style of play.
Dallas Cowboys

TO STL

TO AZ

OT Taylor Lewan **TRADE** STL moves down again as Arizona makes a move to grab their tackle of the future. Lewan is a potential top 10 selection and the Cardinals know they have to improve their line. He wouldn't make it past both the Ravens and the Dolphins.
Baltimore Ravens WR Marqise Lee Joe Flacco needs another weapon and Lee provides the Ravens with a dangerous weapon. Lee and Torrey Smith can play at all levels of the field.
New York Jets TE Eric Ebron The Jets are anemic on offense and Ebron would provide a top tier talent for Geno Smith. There's no better offensive player available and they would be thrilled to grab him.
Miami Dolphins OT Zack Martin The Dolphins need to bolster their crumbled offensive line and Martin is a great prospect. He can be a blue chip guard or a top level tackle, which gives the team some leeway.
Arizona Cardinals TO STL CB Jason Verrett The Rams finally make their pick and grab Verrett to be their cornerback replacement for Cortland Finnegan. Verrett has the size and ability to play in the slot and he's flexible enough to move to the outside.
Green Bay Packers FS Hasean Clinton-Dix The Packers want to get more athletic on defense and HHCD is the top safety. He may not have the same range as other safeties, but he's as close to the top tier as he can be.
Philadelphia Eagles FS Calvin Pryor The Eagles whiffed on their signing of Pat Chung and they need to upgrade their safety spot. While they want to have the position fixed through free agency, Pryor can be a productive member of the team.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Odell Beckham Jr. Kansas City needs another receiver to help out on offense and ODB is one of the best. He high points the ball and he's great after the catch, both of which suit Alex Smith's style of play.
Cincinnati Bengals CB Justin Gilbert The Bengals need to upgrade their secondary after injuries and age wrecked them. Gilbert posted fantastic numbers on the field and reinforced them with possibly the best combine by a member of the secondary.
San Diego Chargers NT Louis Nix San Diego wants to address their defensive line early on and Nix fits them perfectly. He's a day 1 starter at nose and will allow rising star 3-4 DE Corey Liuget to have more freedom.
Cleveland Browns WR Brandin Cooks The Browns make their second pick and it's to get one of the more explosive players in the draft. Cooks fits perfectly alongside Cameron Jordan and Josh Gordan and would be a huge weapon for the improvisational Manziel.
New Orleans Saints PR Kony Ealy Ealy is a dominant prospect that will benefit from a Rob Ryan system. He has the size and quickness to thrive and should be a terror very early on in his career.
Carolina Panthers OT Morgan Moses The Panthers have more holes than you would think, and their franchise left tackle just retired this week. Moses needs some grooming, but he's a very good prospect who could be another decade-long starter at tackle.
New England Patriots DT RaShede Hageman Nothing crazy here. The Patriots need to upgrade at three key points: tight end, interior line on offense, and interior line of defense. The first two can be answered in the next two rounds. Hageman represents the last of the top tier defensive linemen. He's a perfect protege for Tommy Kelly.
San Francisco 49ers WR Allen Robinson The 49ers have no real weaknesses once they resign Anquan Boldin. Robinson can become a day 1 WR3, and be the eventual WR1A for the offense (once Boldin eventually retires).
Denver Broncos LB Ryan Shazier The Broncos suffered plenty of injuries on defense and could use some help in the secondary. However, there are no real defensive backs of value at this point and Shazier is too impressive of a prospect to pass up. He can start on the defense as a stand-up linebacker, can cover, can rush, and can make a big difference.
Seattle Seahawks OG Xavier Su'a-Filo The Super Bowl Champs have a couple places they can improve as they move forward, and a top priority is at guard. Su'a-Filo is a strong body with the versatility to kick out to tackle in a pinch. He can be a franchise guard.

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Top remaining prospects:

DE Dee Ford (herniated disk in back)

DE Scott Crichton

DE Trent Murphy

OLB Kyle Van Noy

DT Stephon Tuitt (fractured foot)

OT Cyrus Kouandijo (arthritic knee)

OG David Yankey

QB Derek Carr

TE Jace Amaro

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (fractured foot)

WR Jordan Matthews

So what do you think?