2014 NFL Mock Draft: Kiper Gives the Jaguars a Pass Rusher

Sep 7, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) works against the blocking by Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Kenarious Gates (72) during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Draft season is fully underway now with the Super Bowl in our rear-view mirror. Probably the two biggest, or most popular, names when it comes to NFL draft talk are ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper. The draft is still 3 months away and a lot of these picks are likely going to change a lot. Mel Kiper made waves with his first mock draft by selecting Johnny Manziel out of Texas A&M first overall, but even more peculiar was his decision to drop Teddy Bridgewater so far. In his “2.0” mock draft, Mel Kiper still has Johnny Manziel first overall and the Jacksonville Jaguars passing on Teddy Bridgewater. With Manziel and Greg Robinson off the board, he has Jacksonville taking defensive end Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina. Here’s what he had to say about the pick.

"The owner in Jacksonville has made it pretty clear that the search for a quarterback is on, and the draft is a place they’ll be looking. While I think they’d be a good fit for Manziel, in this scenario he’s not around, and they instead go with the top pass-rusher in the draft. Make no mistake, QB is a huge need, but the Jags have been looking to improve the pass rush for years. If they love one of the other QB possibilities, that could certainly be the pick, but if the board breaks this way, I think Clowney proves irresistible."

I think Clowney would be temping if he was available at number 3, but I think there is absolutely no way David Caldwell passes on Teddy Bridgewater if he is available. Kiper seemingly is forcing Clowney to Jacksonville just so he doesn’t slide down too far, but with Teddy Bridgewater going to Cleveland at number 4, why wouldn’t Jacksonville go with a quarterback. I think come draft time Kiper will have a different mindset with the Jaguars’ pick.

-Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89