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1. Kansas City Chiefs

Luke Joeckel, LT, Texas A&M

• With Branden Albert returning, this pick is easily the hardest to pin down. Without a clear cut, number one prospect on the board, the Chiefs could go in a number of directions. I still have Joeckel here because I don’t think the Chiefs are going to get a long-term deal signed with Albert. If Lotulelei checks out medically though, he could be the pick here.

2.  Jacksonville Jaguars

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

• With so many starting-caliber free agents on the market, the Jaguars should be able to get some young talent at positions of need (See all the possible targets here courtesy of Jason Love). The only two options here have to be Geno Smith or the highest-rated pass rusher. At that point, it might come down to preference between Barkevious Mingo, Ziggy Ansah, or Dion Jordan. I’m banking on Caldwell taking his franchise quarterback in his first year and letting him grow with the young talent at receiver.

3.  Oakland Raiders

Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida  

• As a Gator fan, it’s nice to finally see Floyd getting a lot of attention. He was a disruptive force in Gainesville and seemed to be in the backfield on almost every play. A defensive tackle who to can get to the quarterback often is a rarity. The Raiders need help all along the defense and should snatch him up here.

4.  Philadelphia Eagles

Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon

• This pick is starting to make too much sense with the Chip Kelly connection. Dion Jordan had some injury concerns after the end of the season, but his elite athleticism at the combine solidified his position in the top 10. The Eagles need a pass rusher to replace Jason Babin after his departure last year.

5.  Detroit Lions

Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

• Another pick that makes too much sense right now. The Lions need help all over the secondary and the gap between Dee Milliner and the second-rated DB is pretty broad right now. His speed at the combine probably entrenched his position as a top-10 pick.

6. Cleveland Browns

Ezekial Ansah, DE/OLB, BYU

• Ziggy Ansah can play in any scheme, making it hard to pinpoint which team might target him early in the draft. The Browns could use a pass rusher and will find a way to feature Ansah.

7.  Arizona Cardinals

Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

• If Geno Smith makes it this far he’ll be a Cardinal. If not, the Cardinals needs to shore up their offensive line if they want a chance to evaluate the quarterbacks they have on the roster now.

8.  Buffalo Bills

Jarvis Jones, DE/OLB, Georgia

• It sounds like the Bills would love to take a quarterback, but it would be foolish to reach for anyone here. They should take Jones to post opposite of Mario Williams. Jones will excel in a 3-4 system with another rusher helping him out on the other side.

9.  New York Jets

Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU

• Mingo might end up being the best defensive player in this draft. His quickness off the snap and athleticism make him a nightmare to keep out of the backfield. The Jets would love it if he fell to them.

10.  Tennessee Titans

Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

• The Titans could go for Warmack here and beef up the offensive line, but they could use a stud on the defensive line as well. Some people have Richardson rated as highly as Lotulelei and Floyd, so this is pretty good value.

11.  San Diego Chargers

Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

• The Chargers need to upgrade the offensive line to both help Philip Rivers out and to evaluate him properly. After a down year, San Diego needs to see if Rivers is starting to decline or just suffered from poor line play.

12.  Miami Dolphins

Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

• The Dolphins liked what they saw from Ryan Tannehill last year, but they need to provide him with weapons along the outside. Patterson is raw but has all the tools to be the best receiver in this class.

13.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

• Star Lotulelei is only falling this far if his medical check doesn’t come back spotless. Star could go as high as 1 to the Chiefs, so the Bucs would be thrilled if they could pair him with Gerald McCoy on the defensive front.

14.  Carolina Panthers

Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

• The Panthers need help along the backend of their defense. They nailed the Kuechly pick last year, and if they hit with Vacarro their defense will be vastly improved from two years ago.

15.  New Orleans Saints

Xavier Rhodes, DB, FSU

• The Saints need help defensively in a lot of areas, but they should go with the big, physical corner from FSU here. Rhodes has a lot of talent, and I think he’ll end up being the best corner from this class.

16.  St. Louis Rams

Chance Warmack, G, Alabama

• Some people have Warmack going in the top 10, but I really don’t see a guard going that high. Warmack might be the safest prospect in the entire draft, so the Rams could certainly use the first of their two picks to help out Sam Bradford.

17.  Pittsburgh Steelers

Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

• After almost demolishing his draft stock at the combine, Moore needs to have a solid pro day to stay in the first round. Nonetheless, the Steelers always seem to find solid pass rushers in every draft. Moore could break their linebacker rotation immediately.

18.  Dallas Cowboys

Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina

• The Cowboys could go a number of directions here, but they could and should upgrade their offensive line. With most of the premier pass rushers already gone, the Cowboys take the guard out of NC.

19.  New York Giants

Bjoern Werner, DE/OLB, Florida State  

• The Giants seem to take a defensive lineman every year and it always works out. Werner could rush the passer standing up and at the end spot. He could be a force opposite Jason Pierre-Paul.

20.  Chicago Bears

D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama

• The Ravens showed the league what a strong armed quarterback can do when he has time to sit in the pocket. The Bears have been trying to fix their offensive line for a long time and they’ll continue to try in this draft. They need to keep Jay Cutler healthy for a whole season.

21.  Cincinnati Bengals

Menelik Watson, OT, FSU

• With the run on offensive lineman, the Bengals snatch up the last starting caliber one in the first round. With Andre Smith likely leaving in free agency, the Bengals need a stout replacement. This may be a little high for Watson, but he could likely play both tackle positions if needed.

22.  St. Louis Rams

Tavon Austin, WR, West Viriginia

• The Rams should use both of their first round picks to help out Sam Bradford. Tavon Austin is a versatile player and could play a similar role to Percy Harvin in Minnesota.

23.  Minnesota Vikings

Keenan Allen, WR, California

• Allen would likely be the first receiver off the board if he had finished the year healthy and strong. Allen has great hands and knows how to get open. The Vikings would love to get an outside receiver to provide Ponder with an inside-outside combo of Harvin and Allen.

24.  Indianapolis Colts

Desmond Trufant, DB, Washington

• Desmond Trufant ran himself into the first round at the combine, and with the Colts needing help everywhere on defense they’ll take him.

25.  Seattle Seahawks

Alec Ogletree, OLB, Georgia

• Ogletree could anywhere from the middle of the first round to the second round given his off the field issues. The Seahawks don’t need defensive help, but adding a rangy outside linebacker who can rush the passer would make them a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

26.  Green Bay Packers

Margus Hunt, DE/DT, Southern Methodist

• Margus Hunt has drawn comparison to Justin Smith, but the production in college wasn’t there. The Packers take the gamble anyway and see if he can help B.J. Raji on the defensive front.

27.  Houston Texans

Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee

• When it’s all said and done, I think Justin Hunter will be the best receiver in this class. He would be the perfect pairing opposite Andre Johnson and would really help an offense that struggled at times last year when they couldn’t get the ball to Johnson.

28.  Denver Broncos

Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International

• After the debacle in the playoff game against the Ravens, the Broncos will probably take the best defensive back on the board here. Cyprien is high on a lot of boards and probably won’t make it out of the first round.

29.  New England Patriots

John Jenkins, DT, Georgia

• The Patriots are starting to gather a good young core of players on defense. Jenkins would be a solid addition and provide youth on the defensive front.

30.  Atlanta Falcons

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

• Even if Tony Gonzalez returns for one more year, the Falcons will need to replace him sooner rather than later. Eifert distanced himself from Ertz as the top tight end at the combine.

31.  San Francisco 49ers

Matt Elam, S, Florida

• The 49ers defense faltered some in the playoffs and had trouble with deep passes, particularly in the Super Bowl. Elam is a hard-hitting safety who will play in the box but can definitely cover the back end.

32.  Baltimore Ravens

Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame

• With Ray Lewis leaving, this seems like the most “cop-out” pick in the entire first round. A few months ago, nobody thought Te’o would fall this far down in the draft. Despite his lack of speed, he’s still a solid football player who can play middle linebacker well on a good defense.

As more rumors come out and free agency gets into gear, a lot of these picks will change. Until then, feel free to point out any dumb picks. Remember, at this point everyone is covering their eyes and throwing darts!

-Daniel Lago

The Dwight Howard saga has been rampant in the sports’ news world for the past week or so. To summarize, Dwight wants to be traded, specifically to the Brooklyn Nets, despite opting into the final year of his contract with the Magic. It’s become a media circus and, quite frankly, it’s made the Magic organization and Dwight Howard look damn foolish.

Dwight looks foolish right now, but the man sure knows how to pull off a three-piece suit. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight looks foolish right now, but the man sure knows how to pull off a three-piece suit.

Recently, a buddy of mine said Maurice Jones-Drew was no better than Dwight Howard because Jones-Drew is holding out for a new contract.

…

With all due respect to my buddy, he’s a total idiot. I can safely assume he sniffed a few too many markers when he was younger. As both a Jaguars fan and a Magic fan, I can confidently say that the two situations aren’t even remotely similar from a fan’s perspective or the organization’s perspective.

If anything, these two situations are the quintessential example of the fundamental difference between the NFL and the NBA. The NBA is a league of stars where gaining or losing one player can mean the difference between perennial playoff contention and a top 5 draft pick.

In the NFL, there’s only one analogous position – quarterback (See Peyton Manning and the 2011 Indianapolis Colts). But for the most part, NFL teams can recover from the loss of one player, whether it is to injury or free-agency. Even at the quarterback position – the New England Patriots won 11 games with Matt Cassel, the New York Giants won the Super Bowl with Jeff Hostetler– a team can recover quickly and salvage a season.

Jan 27, 1991; Tampa, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Buffalo Bills defensive end Leon Seals (96) hits New York Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler (15) during Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium. The Giants defeated the Bills 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-US PRESSWIRE

Hostetler, seen getting mauled by Leon Seals here, was pretty darn good in the postseason.

Outside of the quarterback position, an NFL team can lose a multitude of players throughout the season and still compete at a high level. The Packers won the Super Bowl with 16 players, several of those being key defensive starters, on injured reserve two years ago.

In the NBA however, there are countless examples of a championship run being derailed by the loss of one player. Last year, the Bulls lost Derrick Rose in the first game of the playoffs and they went on to a speedy exit in the first round. Four seasons ago, many pundits thought the Celtics would have advanced to the finals had Kevin Garnett not been injured. I can go on, but the reality is that losing one player – even if he isn’t indisputably the most important player on your roster – can completely dismantle a season.

More specifically, losing a superstar in free agency can systematically cripple a franchise for years. The Cavaliers have had two atrocious seasons after losing Lebron James and they likely won’t be relevant for another year or two. The Magic mired in mediocrity for years after Shaquille O’Neal left to lead the Lakers to three straight championships.

In the NFL, you’d be hard pressed to find a key free agent who left a franchise in shambles and led their new team to the promised land. Drew Brees left in free-agency to go to the Saints and won a Super Bowl, but he left the Chargers in pretty good shape with Phillip Rivers.

So how does this all come back to Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jaguars? It’s simple – Gene Smith and the Jaguars are doing the right thing. Jones-Drew had a career season in 2011 and the Jaguars only won 5 games. How much worse would the Jaguars have been without Maurice Jones-Drew? Four wins? Three wins? Does it really matter? The Jaguars weren’t good enough as a team despite Jones-Drew carrying the load on offense. In the current structure of the NFL, players don’t have the leverage to force franchises to do their bidding, let alone players with two years left on their contract.

Nonetheless, Maurice Jones-Drew is handling this in a significantly more respectful way than Dwight Howard is with the Magic. Jones-Drew actually has some legitimate claims (he’s trying to make money playing a position that has an increasingly short shelf life in the NFL). Comparably, Dwight Howard just comes off as a prima donna who is more concerned with his “brand” than winning a championship.

Fortunately the NFL is structured in such a way that no player can take a team hostage and make them look as desperate as an NBA team trying to woo a superstar.

Well, unless that player is Brett Favre.

"Call me Dwight, I'll show you how it's done." Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook - US PRESSWIRE

“Call me Dwight, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

-Daniel Lago

The question that I keep asking is will this fashionable disease spread to the NFL?  And more specifically, will MoJo catch it?

The way the Jaguars and general manager Gene Smith stand now, MoJo will not be receiving a contract extension or restructuring.  This means the Jaguars most valued asset will be in the last year his contract next year.  If the team doesn’t make significant strides this year, and with a new coaching staff and young quarterback it is certainly possible, MoJo could find himself in a LeBron James predicament.

James had to decide whether to remain the face of a small market franchise and hope they could build a solid team around him before the end of his prime or go to a large market team where the team’s success doesn’t completely depend on his unbridled domination every game and his marketability and championship odds increase exponentially.

Sound familiar?

If the 2012 free agency period is any indication, however, I believe the Jaguars are in luck.  First of all, the Jaguars retained their free agents, which shows our team’s willingness to step up when the time comes and that the players truly have faith in the environment surrounding Jacksonville’s beloved franchise.  Secondly, major stars that did leave their previous teams headed for ones in smaller markets with less recent success.  Mario Williams chose to take his talents to perennially disappointing and frozen Buffalo instead of staying in Houston where the Texans just won their franchise’s first division title and playoff game.  Williams chose a weak team in a difficult division instead of a strong team in a big city and weak division.  Wide receiver Vincent Jackson decided Tampa would be a better fit than staying in San Diego.  While both franchises have struggled with ticket sales, there is little dispute that Philip Rivers is a better quarterback than Tampa’s Josh Freeman.  As with Williams, Jackson chose a much harder division.  The Bucs are in the NFC South with the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers, whereas his former Chargers are in the AFC West with the Broncos, Chiefs, and Raiders.  These actions show that stars in the NFL still like to compete against the best and be “the man” on ascending teams.

The next two years appear to be a behind-the-scenes game of chicken between MoJo and Jaguars’ management.  It is in the team’s best interest to lock him into an extension now while he still wants to be a Jaguar.  We all know what can happen when better equipped, more popular teams come courting…

-Lionel Joel