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There are those mock draft gurus who begin putting out their mock drafts before the ink on the current drafts cards is dry. On the other end of that spectrum are those who wait until the day before the draft to put out their one and only mock draft of the year.
Regardless of how far in advance the first mock draft is made, they all come down to that final mock draft of the year. I put my final mock draft out last week. I have the Raiders choosing Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei with their first pick. Although, no one has ever accused me of being a mock draft guru. I usually stick to my Raider Draft Radar series each year which I finished on Wednesday just in time for the draft.
Here are the final mock draft picks from the top NFL minds across the sports world:
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Mike Mayock, NFL.com | Gil Brandt, NFL.com | |||
| 1 | Chiefs | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan | 1 | Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jaguars | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M | 2 | Jaguars | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU |
| 3 | Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida | 3 | Jets (from OAK) | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama |
| 4 | Eagles | Lane Johnson, LT, Oklahoma | 4 | Chargers (from PHI) | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan |
| 5 | Lions | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU | 5 | Lions | Lane Johnson, LT, Oklahoma |
| Mel Kiper Jr, ESPN | Todd McShay, ESPN | ||||
| 1 | Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M | 1 | Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jaguars | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU | 2 | Jaguars | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan |
| 3 | Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida | 3 | Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida |
| 4 | Eagles | Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia | 4 | Eagles | Lane Johnson, LT, Oklahoma |
| 5 | Lions | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama | 5 | Lions | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU |
| Peter King, Sports Illustrated | Bucky Brooks, NFL.com | ||||
| 1 | Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M | 1 | Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jaguars | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU | 2 | Jaguars | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan |
| 3 | Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida | 3 | Raiders | Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah |
| 4 | Eagles | Dion Jordan, OLB/DE, Oregon | 4 | Eagles | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU |
| 5 | Lions | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama | 5 | Lions | Dion Jordan, OLB/DE, Oregon |
The most interesting of these mock drafts comes from Gil Brandt simply because he predicted trades. He has the Raiders making a trade with the New York Jets (something I had mentioned as a possibility earlier this week). In the trade, the Raiders take over the Jets' previous nine overall selection. The Jets then choose Dee Milliner with the number three overall pick and the Raiders have Sharrif Floyd fall into their laps with at pick 9.
Sharrif Floyd is the consensus pick for the Raiders whether in Brandt's trade down scenario or if they stay at pick 3. Only one of the six analysts featured here has a player other than Floyd to the Raiders - Bucky Brooks who has them taking Star Lotulelei.
One thing is certain, they all seem to agree the Raiders will take a defensive tackle. I have had the Raiders taking either Floyd or Lotulelei in all four of my mock drafts. Mine went v.1: Lotulelei, v.2: Floyd, v.3: Floyd, v.4: Lotulelei.
Everyone also agrees that the ideal situation is the Raiders finding a trade down partner. The thinking is the Raiders need the picks and their two likely choices could both still be available at the spot to which they trade down.
We will soon know for sure. In the home stretch now.
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