With the 2013 NFL draft right around the corner, it's time to project, select, and open myself up to ridicule with my final mock draft of the year. This is one of the most unusual drafts I can remember. Not only are there no "sexy" picks at the top as there were last year, but you can even pick the guys at the top apart if you look long and hard enough. The primary position of need for many of the teams at the top of any draft is quarterback, but the talent at that position this year is questionable, at best. You've seen how some of those teams have responded -- the Chiefs picked up Alex Smith, the Raiders got Matt Flynn, the Cardinals acquired Carson Palmer, and the Bills nabbed Kevin Kolb. None of these players really excite a fan base, but many of them have the potential to act as bridge starters for two different scenarios: Either their new teams will select developmental quarterbacks later in the draft, or they'll shine it on to 2014 and hope someone pops out as an elite prospect. As a result, and despite the fact that quarterbacks are overdrafted all the time, I am projecting just one quarterback taken in the first round -- West Virginia's Geno Smith, who in my mind is the only player at the position currently worthy of a first-round grade. From there, things get very interesting positionally. I don't remember a draft class in which so many safeties could go in the first round as legitimate game-changers, and that reflects current defensive trends in the NFL. More and more teams are playing nickel and dime as their base packages very frequently, which has them looking at players that would once be called fringe defenders as functional starters. In addition, those multi-positional playmakers who were once thought to be jacks of all trades and masters of none are now highly valued precisely because of their full-field versatility. And with all that said, this draft is strongest in the two most fundamentally important parts of any NFL team. If you're looking to improve on either side of the line, this is the draft for you. Here is the draft for me, based more on player value than what I think teams will actually do, though that does factor in. One thing I'm not doing is projecting trades, though I could easily see several of them happening in the first round. 1. Kansas City Chiefs: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan While Luke Joeckel would also be a very solid pick here, the Chiefs would be wise to go with the player with the most pure athletic upside, and that may well be Fisher. Mauling as a run blocker and with a great deal of potential as a pass-protector, Fisher could be the best overall player in this draft class. 2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU The former track star from Ghana has done a lot in a football sense in a very short time. He still needs a lot of developmental work, but new head coach Gus Bradley needs an anchor-point pass-rusher who can also move inside and play tackle. Gap versatility is an underrated part of Ansah's game, and he fits Bradley's prototype. 3. Oakland Raiders: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida The Raiders are in need of ... well, just about everything, but what could really benefit their defense is the kind of versatile disruptor Richard Seymour once was. Floyd has similar traits to Seymour when Seymour came out of Georgia, and the upside for Floyd could land him in similarly rarefied air over time. 4. Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M The Eagles' pass protection issues have been clear and obvious as Jason Peters' body has been breaking down, and in Chip Kelly's high-volume offense, they'll be in need of a multi-faceted blocker who can not only hold up in a high-volume offense, but establish physical dominance at the point. 5. Detroit Lions: Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma The Lions throw the ball more than any other NFL team, and with Jeff Backus retired, Matthew Stafford needs consistent protection on his blind side. Johnson still needs some technique work, but he's the most purely athletic tackle I've seen since Joe Thomas came out of Wisconsin, and he fits a fast, multiple offense the Lions would like to create over time. 6. Cleveland Browns: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama New Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton loves physical defensive backs, and Milliner fits the bill. He's not the best pure pass defender at the position this year (that honor goes to Houston's D.J. Hayden), but he's the most well-rounded player. And in the tough AFC North, Milliner's ability to jack people up in the run game is an important attribute. 7. Arizona Cardinals: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
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