Draft day is almost here, with just over 24 hours before the first pick is announced at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night. The first two picks are all locked in but after that, there's still plenty of mystery in the top ten, where all three Florida teams are scheduled to pick.
The godfather of the mock draft, Mel Kiper, released the fifth version of his projections for the first round on Wednesday and he went against the conventional sequence for both the Buccaneers and Jaguars. Kiper has top-rated tackle Matt Kalil falling to No. 5, with cornerback Morris Claiborne going No. 3 to the Vikings. Here's what he says about the Kalil pick for the Bucs:
If the board fell this way, I can also see the Bucs working the phones to get out of this spot. Kalil really would be a nice addition for this team, but they could shop the pick to a team in more desperate need of a top tackle.
As for the Jags, who are supposed to pick two spots later at No. 7, Kiper mocks up a trade for Gene Smith and company. He projects a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, who would move up to No. 7 and draft defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Jacksonville would move down to No. 15, the Eagles original slot, and still get a top-ranked corner, in Stephon Gilmore, which some project them taking 7th overall:
The Jags move down out of the top 10, and still get good value at a huge need. Gilmore is capable of coming in and starting right away, and the Jags were simply decimated in the secondary last year. Another defensive end would be helpful, but if Ingram is off the board they can't get a ton of value here at that spot.
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