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UCLA DE Datone Jones

Player Information:

Datone Jones, Defensive End, UCLA

6’04″, 283 pounds

Compton, CA

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 time: 4.80

225-pound bench: 29 reps

Vertical: 31 1/2″

20 yard shuttle:  4.32

News and Notes:

Jones was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. . .started as a true freshman in 2008 and in 2009, racked up 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. . . missed the entire 2010 season due to a foot fracture suffered in Spring practice. . . in 2012, Jones was extremely productive. He tallied 62 tackles with 19 for a loss.

What they’re saying about him:

• CBSSports.com: “Well-built athlete with long arms and good strength, throughout. Flashes an explosive initial burst off the snap to penetrate gaps. Uses his hands well at the snap to rip free from blocks, showing a variety of pass rush techniques (swim, rip, club), as well as enough power to simply bull over offensive linemen into the backfield.”
• NFL.com: “Versatile lineman that can fit in an odd or even front. Fires off the ball with impressive pad level and is often able to shock the offensive lineman with a quick jolt. Use active hands to disengage quickly. If he cannot disengage, he keeps his arms extended.  Maintains the line by keeping his body leaning forward. Difficult for running backs to avoid him in tight quarters, keeps his feet moving while wrapping up.”

   Read more... (506 words + 3 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

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UCLA DE Datone Jones

One week until the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. That’s seven days. One-hundred and sixty-eight hours. However you want to look at it.

Last week, I posted a mock draft and said that I never project trades. But this time, I’m breaking one of my own rules because there’s one that simply makes too much sense.

Many picks remain unchanged from last week, but I’ve done some reshuffling starting at No. 5 overall with the Detroit Lions. You can expect something similar next week for my final mock draft before the action kicks off next Thursday night.

Enjoy and comment away.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

(Last: Same) No surprise at the top for the Chiefs. It will likely be either Joeckel or Eric Fisher, but I have Joeckel rated slightly higher, due in part to playing against better competition at Texas A&M. They can move Branden Albert to right tackle and plug Joeckel in on Alex Smith’s blind side.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Geno Smith, West Virginia

(Last: Same) It’s going to be Smith or Dion Jordan at No. 2 for the Jaguars. Between now and the draft, I’m sure there will be some rumors thrown out there that the Jags have their eye on other players, but don’t be fooled. If they’re comfortable with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, they’ll go with Jordan. I’m not a Gabbert guy.

3. Oakland Raiders: DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida  Read more... (2942 words + 1 image, estimated 11:46 mins reading time)

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FIU safety Jonathan Cyprien

The first round of the 2013 NFL Draft will take place two weeks from today. That’s a good thing.

Trades are sure to shake up the order of round one, but no trades will be projected in this first-round mock. Things just get messy when projecting trades.

This mock will be updated in a week before the final version is released on draft day.

Some great value presented itself when the Packers were on the board at No. 26 in this projection. But what position of need would they choose to address if the  board fell this way? Read on.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

KC: No surprise at the top. The Chiefs tagged Branden Albert, but they can’t pass on a guy like Joeckel. They’ll move Albert to right tackle and plug Joeckel in as the starting left tackle from Day 1. Had they not traded for Alex Smith, I think Geno Smith would be the guy. But clearly, the Chiefs aren’t enamored with this quarterback class.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: QB Geno Smith, West Virginia

JAX: Jaguars GM David Caldwell has hinted that it’s down to two players at No. 2. Those two players are likely quarterback Geno Smith and pass rusher Dion Jordan. Jacksonville invested a first-round pick on Blaine Gabbert a few years ago, but he’s been a bust thus far. It’s a new regime, and I think Geno Smith is their guy.  Read more... (2312 words + 1 image, estimated 9:15 mins reading time)

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2013 NFL Draft

Since my Packers Mock Draft a little while back, I’ve received request for a Bears mock draft as well.  So here goes nothing. But I do have one disclaimer. I am not familiar with the long term work of PHIL EMERY, so this one is purely on me with no inside information to draw from. And at the request of more than a few folks whose favorite division is the NFC North, here’s the whole division for you.

(As with my previous PACKERS MOCK the number in parenthesis after the Pick name and vitals is where I currently have the player ranked on my Regardless of Position Prospect list.)

DA BEARS   2013 MOCK DRAFT

Round 1, Pick 20    ALEC OGLETREE/LB/GEORGIA/6’3/242(22)

The LB position is the biggest rebuild unit on this team now that VFA has been used to finally upgrade the OL. If EMERY can get past the off-field issues OGLETREE could be an instant starter for them, on the outside in my opinion. He’s an excellent athlete and his ex-S skills can be put to best use outside rather than in the Middle where he’d be a bit undersized for the NFL.

Round 2, Pick 50    MARKUS WHEATON/WR/OREGON STATE/5’11/189(50)  Read more... (2532 words + 1 image, estimated 10:08 mins reading time)

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Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: LB Sean Porter

Player Information:

Sean Porter, LB Texas A&M
6-1, 229 pounds
Hometown: Schertz, TX

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 yard: 4.75

Bench: 22

Vert: 35″

Broad: 119″

News and Notes:

Sean Porter’s story is much like another less known linebacker coming out of a big college program that Packers fans have gotten to know over the last couple years.  Like Clay Matthews III, Sean Porter was overshadowed by his peers in college; instead of Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga it was Von Miller and current prospect Damontre Moore.  With so much talent on the field at linebacker both Matthews and Sean Porter ended up playing everywhere, from traditional outside linebacker to the “joker”/”elephant” positions.  Porter in particular started out as the “joker” in the 3-4 and then moved both strong and weakside linebacker in a traditional 4-3 after a defensive scheme change in his senior year.  Both Porter and Matthews probably deserved to get more credit coming into the draft and like Matthews, Porter has the ability to be the best linebacker from his school this year.

 What they’re saying about him:  Read more... (998 words + 1 image, estimated 4:0 mins reading time)

• CBSSports.com: “Possesses an athletic, well-defined frame, looking the part of an NFL linebacker. Versatile defender who can line up in multiple roles. Has the burst to beat tackles off the edge as a rusher and is particularly adept at timing the snap as a walk-up blitzer, showing the burst and ability to “get skinny” to slip through interior gaps. Porter, however, is at his best in pursuit of ballcarriers on the flanks and operating in coverage due to his athleticism, including impressive straight-line speed. He shows good strength to set the edge and the agility to avoid blocks and make tackles in the running game.”

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Packers GM Ted Thompson

Trying to figure out Mocks that involve all 32 teams seems absolutely impossible to my old mind. Trying to construct something that captures the scheming and mechanization of TED THOMPSON’s mind may be even more daunting. But at least it only involves 8 Picks and no one in their right mind expects anything close to it to actually occur at the end of April. So here is my first PACKERS 2013 Draft projection.

Just a brief explanation of the effort. I am using my Top 300 prospect list and then selecting at the pick spots currently held by the PACK. When they are scheduled to select at spot 26 in Round 1 I consider prospects that I have ranked from 24-35. Thus I am hoping that Whitey likes someone in that 12 spot range. Within those 12 I am also considering needs as I view them. Even though Thompson professes the “best available athlete” philosophy as his drafting mode, he is far from oblivious to roster need factors if he has a group of players that are pretty much equally ranked on his Draft Board.

Even though I believe this to be a very good Draft to trade back a couple of times because of high quality depth I refuse to even begin speculation on when and where he might trade. Therefore, this projection is confined to the current 8 Picks that the PACKERS organization holds.  Read more... (984 words + 1 image, estimated 3:56 mins reading time)

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2013 NFL Draft Guide – Green Bay Packers

It’s now available! One of the best NFL Draft Guide values out there and the only one geared specifically to Packers fans. Brought to you by the fine folks at CheeseheadTV, with contributions from yours truly and other more talented writers and draftniks, this Packers-centric guide to the 2013 NFL Draft is a must-have for any Packers fan.

You’ll get 100 pages of feature articles, interviews, predictions and most importantly, player profiles and rankings. Even better, it’s all catered to Packers fans and how each player would fit into Green Bay’s schemes, including their 3-4 defense. We also have a Packers-specific mock draft (note who predicted Nick Perry as the Packers’ first pick) and a breakdown of every position on the roster.

Order It Here – Only $6.99

But don’t take my word for it, check out the 2012 guide in it’s entirety below.

Pretty cool, huh? Can you believe it’s only $6.99 if you order now? Just visit the  Cheesehead TV shop to order and then go find a quiet place indulge your inner NFL Draftnik…

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Jersey Al Bracco is the founder and editor of AllGreenBayPackers.com, and the co-founder of Packers Talk Radio Network. He can be heard as one of the Co-Hosts on Cheesehead Radio and is the Green Bay Packers Draft Analyst for Drafttek.com.

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