Matt Barkley is the consensus No. 1 pick in every 2013 NFL Mock Draft I've seen so far, and that's likely to continue at least until the point when it begins to make sense to actually do 2013 mock drafts. Then articles like this one from Charley Casserly comparing him to fellow senior Landry Jones of Oklahoma might begin to have a little more pull on mock-draft-momentum, which right now seems a little stagnant.
Casserly, for his part, likes Jones's arm compared to Barkley's but thinks his delivery, with its too-low release and sloppy footwork, can't stand up to Barkley's vaunted NFL-readiness. That leaves Barkley looking like the No. 1 he's been from the moment he's been for complacent mock-drafters since he first announced he wouldn't participate in the 2012 draft, and Jones looking like a first-round quarterback with some problems to work out before he can start in the NFL—the Ryan Tannehill part of the first round, that is.
More NFL Draft coverage handpicked from SB Nation St. Louis:
- This is all academic, of course, because here in May 2013 NFL Mock Drafts only exist to confirm your worst fears about your favorite team.
- The Rams' draft strategies were revealed when Les Snead and Jeff Fisher talked Michael Brockers.
- For now, though, the Rams are constantly mock-targeting Robert Woods.