2013 NFL Draft Pick 29 - Cordarrell Patterson, WR, Tennessee

The Pats started this draft with the 29th pick in the first round.  But as is well known, you can never trust New England to stay put.  Would this year's first round be the year that New England actually stays put and makes their designated selection?  Of course not.  Instead, they collect a king's ransom of 2-3-4-7 from Minnesota to come back into the first round. Now I loved what Minnesota did with their first two first rounders.  As for their third, they add Cordarrell Patterson.  Patterson is raw, but very talented.  He has some maturity issues, but pairing him with a Greg Jennings may be a perfect combo.  I still think they need a QB, and they no longer have the ammo to grab one in this draft to challenge Ponder, but I still like this pick too.  All said and done, I really love what Minnesota did on day 1 of this draft.

2013 NFL Draft Pick 28 - Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina

In my previous mocks, I had the Broncos looking at DT Sly Williams with this pick.  Guess who is still available now that Denver is on the clock?  That's right.  Sylvester Williams.  So who does John Elway choose?  That's right, Sylvester Williams.  This kid is exceptionally explosive.  I think he will be a terror in the NFL, and I think the Broncos got themselves an excellent player with this pick.

2013 NFL Draft Pick 27 - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson

The Houston Texans were a trendy pick for the AFC crown a year ago.  They made excellent strides, but still have to make some more moves to get to the promised land.  No need glares brighter than at wideout, where they need to give Schaub a different option to Andre Johnson.  So, they go out and add DeAndre Hopkins.  Hopkins can be a great player.  He has great hands.  He is good after the catch.  He is willing to go over the middle.  He has upside, just not as much as there is with Cordarrell Patterson.  But, Hopkins has much less risk than Patterson does.  For the Texans, I love this pick.

2013 NFL Draft Pick 26 - Datone Jones, DE/OLB, UCLA

Green Bay is one of the best drafting teams in the NFL.  This team is very good at not reaching and instead, adding value picks that fall to them.  With their first pick in the 2013 draft, the Packers add Datone Jones.  The Packers need OLB help, and Jones will do that for them.  I have not been as impressed with him though.  To me he had a strong round 2 grade, so this could be a uncharacteristic reach for them.  Then again, lots of football people who are a lot smarter than me seem to really like this pick.

2013 NFL Draft Pick 25 - Xavier Rhodes, CB, FSU

I said with their prior pick it was between Rhodes and Floyd.  First they got Floyd.  Now they get Rhodes.  I love this pick too.  Remember, I had both of those guys as top 10 picks in my last mock.  They both go to Minnesota at 23 and 25.  The Vikes do need help at ILB, but you simply can't pass on the value that Rhodes provides at this point.  The Vikes needed to get better on defense, and with this first round they have done just that. "A+" for Minnesota again.