After taking probably one or maybe two breaths, ESPN’s NFL Draft icon Mel Kiper Jr. compiled his mock draft for the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night (ESPN Insider access required).
NFL Draft 2013: Mel Kiper has Matt Barkley, Geno Smith as early 2nd-round picks
The eternal draft guru sees quarterbacks flying off the shelves early in the second round.
Steve Dykes
The biggest takeaway, at least for the early portion of the second round, in Kiper's projections is that quarterbacks will go quickly. USC Trojans signal-caller Matt Barkley is slotted to go 33rd overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who, after solidifying their offensive line with tackle Luke Joeckel in Round 1, will put some heat on Blaine Gabbert for the starting spot. Kiper believes Barkley can challenge him.
At No. 35, Kiper sees the long wait for West Virginia's Geno Smith coming to an end. Kiper thinks the Philadelphia Eagles and new head coach Chip Kelly will take a quarterback they can begin molding to fit their high-octane offensive style.
The third quarterback to go in the second round's first ten picks will be Syracuse's Ryan Nassib, according to Kiper, who pegs him going to the New York Jets at No. 39. He also says Smith is an option here if he remains available.
And after plenty of speculation that the Minnesota Vikings were trading back into the first round to grab him, which of course they didn't, Kiper has Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o going 37th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. Kiper says Te'o is "better now" than current Bengals 'backer Rey Maualuga. So there.
Lastly, Kiper predicts that Alabama running back Eddie Lacy will be the first of his position to get picked. He has him going at No. 46 to the Buffalo Bills, who could use him in a supporting role with C.J. Spiller.
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