2013 NFL Draft Rumors: Atlanta Falcons Moving Up for Barkevious Mingo?

Oct 20, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; LSU Tigers defensive end Barkevious Mingo (49) rushes the passer against the Texas A

It’s been reported that the Atlanta Falcons are one of the teams near the bottom of the first round who are interested in moving up the board for an impact player. One of the rumored players they are interested in is LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo, who drew a comparison to John Abraham from NFL Network’s Charley Casserly. It’s not a secret that the Falcons need defensive end help with the departure of Abraham, and Mingo could be their guy.

Although he’s a bit smaller, Mingo has incredible speed and athletic ability, and a very high ceiling. I think you’d have to jump in front of the New York Jets to get Mingo at this point, as the Jets are very high on him. There are also rumors that the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns like Mingo, but they have other needs and Mingo might be an option C or D for them at this point.

Philadelphia Eagles to move down?

The Philadelphia Eagles like four players at the number four overall pick, and more than likely that list includes Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher, Dion Jordan, and Star Lotulelei. I think in an ideal world, they’d like to trade down where they can explore options like Geno Smith and Tavon Austin in the top 12 or 15 picks. Philadelphia reportedly is interested in moving in on quarterback E.J. Manuel, and they may have to move back into the first round to do it. Moving down to acquire extra ammunition to again move up for Manuel seems like a plausible strategy for them. There could be multiple suitors for Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson or Oregon’s Dion Jordan at the #4 overall pick.

How high can the Niners climb?

My feeling is the Niners are looking to add a playmaker at TE, S, or DL. I’m not exactly sure what in the world they are going to trade up for, but you can bet it will be exciting if and/or when they do. I think adding a guy like Jarvis Jones, Tyler Eifert, Kenny Vaccaro, or Tavon Austin is not out of the question if the Niners decide to trade up in the first round. They could be in line to make a huge splash on draft night.

Trade up or trade down for the Dolphins?

The Dolphins revealed some slick new uniforms (unofficially) on Tuesday, and they are also being talked about in terms of trading up and down the board. Miami has ammunition to move up the board in order to take an offensive tackle they like, such as Lane Johnson, or they could trade down and try to get a cornerback like Desmond Trufant or D.J. Hayden. They could also stand pat and try and get D.J. Fluker or Chance Warmack, or take a playmaker at tight end in Tyler Eifert for their new-look offense.

There are a ton of options for the Dolphins, and they have ammo. Keep an eye on this team.