NFL Mock Draft 3.0 – Round 2
Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports
45.) Lions: WR Cody Latimer, Indiana (6’2, 215) – After signing Golden Tate in the off-season, the Lions have a reliable option across from Calvin Johnson for the first time in years but still need an upgrade over Kris Durham at the 3rd WR spot. A deep threat that can take the top off a defense would be ideal and Latimer has that kind of potential. He’s a big, strong (23 bench reps) receiver who can get deep in a hurry (4.38 40-time) and go up and get the ball (39″ vertical). Latimer was productive as a junior (72, 1096, 9) but would have benefited from another year in college to improve the finer points of his game. He has shown great hands at times but also drops some easy ones. Latimer’s route-running needs work as well, but he has tons of upside and could give the Lions one of the best receiver groups in the league by 2015.
46.) Steelers: WR Allen Robinson, Penn St (6’2, 220) – Rumor has it that the Steelers have promised Roethlisberger a big receiver and they get one here with Robinson. Not only does he have great size, but he has excellent hands and enough acceleration and quickness to get open consistently. Robinson has good strength and is a load to bring down after the catch. His stock has dropped due to a slow 40 at the combine (4.6), but he is a steal in round 2. Robinson should develop into an excellent possession receiver with good YAC potential.
47.) Cowboys: DE Stephon Tuiit, Notre Dame (6’5, 304) – The Cowboys defense is a mess and they didn’t have enough cap space available to fix it. They addressed the DT position in round 1 with Jernigan and they get him some help on the edge with Tuitt. His 2013 season was a disappointment, but he was recovering from a sports hernia. In 2012 he was a beast and would have been a top 15 pick if he could have entered the draft. Tuitt has prototype size for a DE, impressive strength, and polished pass rush moves. He could be a steal this late in the draft.
48.) Ravens: OT Cyrus Kouandijo, Alabama (6’7, 322) – A lot has been made of his disappointing combine and failed medicals due to an arthritic knee, but when you watch his game tape he was a borderline dominant left tackle against top competition in the SEC. None other than Dr. James Andrews has said his medicals are fine and his knee is normal for a man of his size. Kouandjio is very mobile for his size with a good kick slide and despite some inconsistent play last year, has the tools to be a dominant tackle down the road. If he can earn the starting RT spot, I doubt he will be worse than Michael Oher last year.
49.) Jets: CB Pierre Desir, Lindenwood (6’1, 198) – The Jets missed out on all of the top free agent corners and they still need help. They need a big corner who can play press coverage and Desir dominated the press coverage drills at the Senior Bowl. He is making a huge jump up in competition from tiny Lindenwood college, but showed he could handle it at the Senior Bowl and then ran well at the combine (4.59) for a guy his size. There is a lot of potential here, Desir has great size, arm length and ball skills. It might take him a year before his technique is good enough to crack the starting lineup but once he’s there he should be a solid pro and a great fit in the Jets aggressive scheme.
50.) Dolphins: G Xavier G Su’a-Filo, UCLA (6’4, 307) – Ideally Su’a-Filo can step in at the RG position and give the Dolphins their 4th new starter on the offensive line. They definitely need a change after the Incognito / Martin fiasco and giving up a league high 58 sacks last year. Su’a-Filo showed fluid mobility at the combine, has good strength and has very few flaws on tape. He’s already 23, so should be ready to play immediately.