Second round mock draft

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse, Senior: The new regime in Jacksonville has clearly decided that Blaine Gabbert is not the answer and that Nassib can be the quarterback to build their franchise around.

34. San Francisco 49ers: Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State, Senior: The 49ers continue to upgrade their secondary by grabbing a safety in Round 1 and now a cornerback in Round 2. Taylor is a quick and explosive cornerback that plays with the style the 49ers like and he could challenge to start right away.

35. Philadelphia Eagles: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia, Senior: The Eagles take the quarterback that was rumored to them in Round 1 with the selection of Smith. He is the only quarterback left that has the arm strength and athleticism to run Chip Kelly’s offense.

36. Detroit Lions: Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Senior: While there are rumors that the Lions are actively shopping this pick, Armstead fits a need and is an incredibly athletic tackle capable of playing left tackle which allows the Lions to move Reiff to the right side.

37. Cincinnati Bengals: Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International, Senior: The Bengals take the best safety on the board and it ensures that they won’t go into the season with Taylor Mays as their starting safety. This is a great value at this point in the draft.

38. Arizona Cardinals: Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State, Junior: After adding guard Johnathan Cooper in the first round, the Cardinals continue upgrading their offensive line by selecting offensive tackle Menelik Watson. Watson is a premier athlete for the position, but is still learning the finer points of playing offensive line, which is why he slid all the way to pick 38.

39. N.Y. Jets: Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati, Senior: The Jets let tight end Dustin Keller leave as a free agent partially because his blocking was not a strength. While Kelce is very athletic for his size and can make big plays catching passes, he is also a good, competitive blocker.

40. Tennessee Titans: Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama, Senior: Tennessee’s interior run defense has not been the same since losing Albert Haynesworth years ago, so they grab the massive Williams to fill his role. A surprisingly quick and nimble athlete for a 330+ pounder, Williams can be a dominating force at the point of attack.

41. Buffalo Bills: Keenan Allen, WR, California, Junior: Due to a poor 40 time, the Bills are able to grab Keenan Allen who likely would have been a top fifteen pick had he been healthy and run a better 40. Allen will provide EJ Manuel with a big play receiver and draw coverage away from Stevie Johnson.

42. Oakland Raiders: Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State, Senior: Expected to be a first round pick, Carradine slid to the second round because he is recovering from a torn ACL. If he returns to 100% he could be the impact pass rusher that they Raiders have been searching for.

43. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State, Junior: This is viewed as a make or break season for Josh Freeman, so the Buccaneers add another big play receiving weapon for him. Escobar has the size, hands and catching radius to be an impact receiving tight end for them and will take some of the focus off Vincent Jackson.

44. Carolina Panthers: Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State, Senior: The Panthers’ defensive line is a strength after adding Star Lotulelei in the first round, so now they address their secondary. Banks has great height, long arms and smooth athleticism, which reminds me of Jimmy Smith and should enable him to be a productive starter early in his career.

45. San Diego Chargers: Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State, Senior: The Chargers two starting cornerbacks in 2012, Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason, are no longer with the team, so they need to find one. Slay has good height at 6’0, likes to play physical in coverage and has the speed to stay with the receiver all over the field.

46. Buffalo Bills: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State, Senior: In an effort to upgrade their defensive speed, the Bills grab the vastly under-rated Brown. Quick to read and react, Brown has the speed to chase down plays all over the field and the explosiveness to the ball to make impact plays behind the line of scrimmage.

47. Dallas Cowboys: Josh Evans, SAF, Florida, Senior: The Cowboys have needed to upgrade their safety position for a few seasons, but have not found the right player yet. Evans played next to Matt Elam at Florida and often out-performed him, so he is a good value pick here for the Cowboys.

48. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama, Junior: With Rashard Mendenhall no longer on the team, the Steelers need a strong and physical inside runner. Lacy may lack explosiveness and top end speed, but between the tackles he can be a strong and violent runner who punishes tacklers and consistently gains yards after contact.

49. N.Y. Giants: Manti Te’o, MLB, Notre Dame, Senior: With Chase Blackburn out of the picture, the Giants need to address their middle linebacker situation. While Te’o may not be an elite prospect, he has great value in the middle of the second round and will be a solid, workmanlike starter for them for the next decade.

50. Chicago Bears: Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee, Junior: Although the Bears have Jay Cutler, he only has one year remaining on his contract and will likely not be re-signed if he does not step up his game drastically in 2013. Bray is an immensely talented prospect who would be a great project for Marc Trestman to work with and develop.

51. Washington Redskins: Sanders Commings, CB, Georgia, Senior: To say the Redskins desperately need help in their secondary would be a drastic understatement, so they reach out and grab Commings here. Commings has the size at over 6’0, a muscular build and rare athleticism that few cornerbacks in the NFL possess.

52. New England Patriots: Margus Hunt, DE, SMU, Senior: A dynamic athlete, Hunt is raw and a much better athlete than football player right now. With his combination of size, length, athleticism and strength he has great potential and versatility, which is what the Patriots always seem to be looking for.

53. Cincinnati Bengals: Kiko Alonso, MLB, Oregon, Senior: The Bengals would like to play Rey Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict as outside linebackers, so adding Kiko Alonso to handle the middle makes perfect sense. A quick twitch athlete, Alonso has the playing speed and explosive closing burst to make impact plays all over the field, so he is a good value here.

54. Miami Dolphins: Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut, Senior: In the last two years the Dolphins traded away cornerback Vontae Davis and lost cornerback Sean Smith in free agency, so they definitely need one. Blidi is an explosive athlete with excellent ball skills and could challenge to start as a rookie.

55. Green Bay Packers: Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA, Senior: While everyone expected the Packers to grab a running back in the first round, they passed and get great value here. Franklin is a deceptively quick back with a burst through the hole and the balance and strength to keep his feet vs low grab tackles to gain yards after contact. His ability to contribute as a runner and receiver would let him to make an impact as a rookie.

56. Seattle Seahawks: Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky, Senior: Pete Carroll loves to run the ball and physically dominate the opponent with Marshawn Lynch. Guard Larry Warford would give them a road grader to open holes for Lynch and would upgrade their already strong rushing attack.

57. Houston Texans: Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State, Junior: For the Texans 34 defense to continue to improve they need to find a quality defensive lineman to keep teams from double teaming JJ Watt all the time. Hankins combination of size, rare strength and under-rated athleticism give him the versatility to start at any defensive line position in the Texans scheme.

58. Denver Broncos: Kevin Minter, MLB, LSU, Junior: The Broncos add a thumping middle linebacker to their 43 defense and a player who has displays great physical tools and instincts at the point of attack. His excellent play against blockers makes him an ideal fit in the middle of the Broncos defense.

59. New England Patriots: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee, Junior: Lacking a great deep threat since losing Randy Moss, the Patriots take a gamble that Hunter will get back to his pre knee injury form of 2011 when he looked like a potential top five pick.

60. Atlanta Falcons: Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina, Junior: After replacing Michael Turner with Stephen Jackson, the Falcons still need to address the position for the long term. Bernard is an explosive back who can make big plays when he gets the ball in the open field and is a better runner between the tackles then he gets credit for.

61. San Francisco 49ers: Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford, Junior: As more and more teams begin using double tight end sets to create match-ups issues, the 49ers jump on the bandwagon by grabbing Ertz. The combination of Zach Ertz and Vernon Davis could give the 49ers the best tandem of tight ends in the NFL.

62. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn, Junior: The Ravens cannot believe their luck that Lemonier is still available, so they run up to the podium with the card. Lemonier’s explosiveness off the ball and elite speed should enable him to make an impact as a designated pass rusher as a rookie while he develops into a starter in his second season.

Email Russ at Russelllande@yahoo.com and Follow Russ on Twitter @RUSSLANDE

Aaron Wilson
Aaron Wilson covers the NFL for National Football Post, his second stint at the Post. He has previously written for Pro Football Talk and FOX Sports-Scout. Entering his 13th year covering the Baltimore Ravens, he's a beat writer for The Baltimore Sun. Wilson has also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

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