SideLion Report
FanSided

NFL Mock Draft 2018: Full first round – Who’s the Detroit Lions top pick?

By Michael Kirkland

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Ezekiel Ansah of the BYU Cougars stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (R) as they hold up a jersey on stage after Ansah was picked #5 overall by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Ezekiel Ansah of the BYU Cougars stands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (R) as they hold up a jersey on stage after Ansah was picked #5 overall by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
30 of 33
Next
Rudolph fires a pass
MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 10: Mason Rudolph #2 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drops back to pass in the first quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the game at Mountaineer Field on October 10, 2015 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /

player. 52. . JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (10-6). . Mason Rudolph, QB - Okla. St.. 29

The overwhelming sentiment in Jacksonville has been that quarterback, Blake Bortles, is keeping the Jag’s from going further, even though he made some important plays in their run to the AFC Title game.

Their biggest needs all fall on that side of the ball. The Jaguars need a better line, better quarterback play, and to address the receiver corps, both tight end and wide receiver.

Since there are not sure-thing left tackles running around at pick 29, I’m going to say that the Jaguars take a quarterback. If they were to sign a big free agent, like Cousins, I would probably take Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State tackle, to protect the new signal-caller.

Rudolph is a big, 6-4, 230 lbs., pocket passer with good downfield touch and a good, not great, arm. He won a lot of games at Oklahoma State, went 22-6, and operated in a pass-happy system under head coach, Mike Gundy.

The knock on Rudolph is his ability to find receivers beyond his first read, and he isn’t a great athlete. The system he was in made it easy for him to hide his flaws, as the Cowboys consistently have NFL talent at wide receiver to bail out their quarterbacks. The good news is that if he went to Jacksonville, he has a great running back and defense to help him as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over too often.

Home/Lions Draft