The best and brightest from schools across the country will be lining up for their crack to make the pro gridiron as the 2013 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday.
A plethora of young quarterbacks, defensive ends, lineman, running backs, wide receivers and more will be on display and up for grabs in the 2013 draft. The top prospects include Texas A&M tackle Luke Joeckel, Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan, Brigham Young's Ezekiel Ansah, Wrest Virginia wideout Tavon Austin, North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper, Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson and more.
The Kansas City Chiefs own the No.1 pick after finishing 2-14 in the AFC West last year, and will be looking to add to a retooled roster that includes former San Francisco 49ers quarterback star Alex Smith, whom they traded for in February. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who also finished 2-14, are slated to own the No.2 pick.
For the rest of the draft picks, it will go as follows: the Oakland Raiders own the third pick, the Philadelphia Eagles have the No.4 pick, the Detroit Lions own the fifth selection, the Cleveland Browns will draft the No.6 pick, the Arizona Cardinals will draft No.7, the Buffalo Bills have the No.8 pick, the New York Jets will draft ninth and the Tennessee Titans will pick No.10.
The draft is rife with big, strong tackles and defensive players, but may not live up to the glamour and attention that the 2012 draft garnered with quarterback Andrew Luck going to the Indianapolis Colts and returning them to the playoffs, while QB Robert Griffin, III became an overnight star with the Washington Redskins and helped them capture the 2012 NFC East title.
But with teams looking to retool defenses and change their luck next season, the draft will surely feature some keepers, and perhaps a few future Hall of Famers, as well.
Latinos Post breaks down the projected draft picks, TV Schedule and live stream info for the NFL Draft beginning on Thursday:
1. Chiefs - Luke Joeckel, T, Texas A&M
With Alex Smith locked into Kansas City via trade, the Chiefs should probably look to shore up their defense, and Joeckel, a standout at Texas A&M could be the man for the job.
2. Jaguars - Dion Jordan, LB/DE, Oregon
The Jaguars finished a miserable 2-14 at the bottom of the AFC West. Looking to retool, particularly in the pass rush-where they struggled last year--they could likely go with Jordan, a young player with tremendous upside who fits in well under new head coach Gus Bradley's defense in the Leo position.
3. Raiders - Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
Floyd, who is looking like a standout at the defensive tackle position, could fill a need in the Raiders' scheme due to the losses of Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly.
4. Eagles - Eric Fisher, T, Central Michigan
After their high-spending free agency period in 2011 has officially been a bust, the Eagles will need to up their offensive line, and signing Fischer, an athletic and versatile tackle from Central Michigan, could fill that void nicely.
5. Lions - Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
Projected as the best cornerback in the draft, Milliner and Joe Hayden could potentially form a great combination on defense for Detroit.
6. Browns - Ezekiel Ansah, DE/LB, BYU
In need of shoring up on the defensive side of things, the Browns could opt to go with Ansah, who was an effective pass rusher at Brigham Young and could help turn things around on defense.
7. Cardinals - Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
A stud quarterback at West Virginia, Smith could be snatched up by the Cardinals, or possibly by the Bills should he fall that far. It would be intriguing if he slipped into the Jets' clutches at 10, making the already competitive quarterback race there even more interesting.
8. Bills - Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
After Jim Kelly and Doug Flutie, Nassib would have some big shoes to fill in the Bills' lore of quarterback excellence, but it's not hard to see Nassib slipping into this spot for the Bills to pick.
9. Jets - Barkevious Mingo, DE/LB, LSU
The Jets could opt to go with a big defensive end and Mingo could add some much-needed bite to the Jets' front line, adding a powerful pass rusher to their corps.
10. Titans - Lane Johnson, T, Oklahoma
Johnson would add a top defensive piece to the Titans, assuming that they can get him at the pick should he not be swept up in the top five as some reports are projecting him.
11. Chargers - Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia
12. Dolphins - Chance Warmack, G, Alabama
13. Jets - Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
14. Panthers - Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
15. Saints - Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
16. Rams - Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
17. Steelers - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
18. Cowboys - D.J. Fluker, T, Alabama
19. Giants - Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
20. Bears - Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
21. Bengals - Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida Stat
22. Rams - Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
23. Vikings - Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
24. Colts -Matt Elam, S, Florida
25. Vikings - Keenan Allen, WR, Cal
26. Packers - D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
27. Texans - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
28. Broncos - Menelik Watson, T, Florida State
29. Patriots - Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
30. Falcons - Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
31. 49ers - Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
32. Ravens -Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame
TV Schedule
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2013
Time: 8 p.m. EST
TV: NFL Network, ESPN/ESPN 2
Live Stream
Live streaming of the NFL Draft is available on NFL.com Live via this link.