Live Blog: 2013 NFL Draft

Posted byTyler Drohan Leave a comment on Live Blog: 2013 NFL Draft

Sports senior staffers Andrew Erickson and Tyler Drohan are here to keep you updated throughout the three-day 2013 NFL Draft. They will be posting updates and analysis right as UCLA players are taken. Heading into the draft, the eligible Bruins are defensive end Datone Jones, running back Johnathan Franklin, offensive lineman Jeff Baca, punter Jeff Locke, cornerback Sheldon Price, cornerback Aaron Hester, safety Dalton Hilliard, long snapper Kevin McDermott and defensive tackle Donovan Carter. Check back throughout the draft to find out where UCLA players are headed. 

UCLA players drafted:

1 – (26) – Green Bay Packers – DE, Datone Jones

4 – (125) – Green Bay Packers – RB, Johnathan Franklin

5 – (155) – Minnesota Vikings – P, Jeff Locke

6 – (196) – Minnesota Vikings – OG, Jeff Baca

Undrafted free agent signings:

Detroit Lions – TE, Joseph Fauria

San Francisco 49ers – LS, Kevin McDermott

Indianapolis Colts – CB, Sheldon Price

Denver Broncos – CB, Aaron Hester

 

Day One (Draft begins Thursday, 5 p.m.)

What to watch for: Datone Jones is likely the only Bruin who will hear his name called tonight. If Jones is taken in the first round, he’d be the first UCLA player selected this early since Marcedes Lewis was taken No. 28 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2006 Draft. Jones would also be the ninth Bruin taken in the first round in the last 20 years. ESPN analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both project Jones to be taken tonight. In his latest mock draft, McShay has Jones going No. 28 to the Denver Broncos. Kiper‘s latest mock has Jones being taken No. 26 by the Green Bay Packers.

7:50 p.m.: Just under three hours and 23 picks into the draft now and still no movement with regard to UCLA players. Nine picks left in first round. Will be interesting to see if Datone Jones comes off the board soon here with a couple of teams – Indianapolis, Minnesota, Green Bay, Denver and New England – possibly in the market for a defensive lineman. Jones would be a logical pick for any one of those teams. – TD

8:00 p.m.: With the No. 26 overall pick, the Green Bay Packers selected Datone Jones.

8:11 p.m.: Jones joins some other Pac-10/Pac-12 guys in Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews. Not too shabby, huh? Many like the fit for Jones in a 3-4 defense. And he goes from holding up blockers for Anthony Barr to doing the same for Matthews. – TD

8:15 p.m.: Coach Jim Mora likes it.

 

  8:20 p.m.: With just four picks left in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, it appears unlikely that we’ll see more Bruins receiving the call to the NFL tonight. Running back Johnathan Franklin is a possible second-rounder, however. Rob Rang of CBSSports has Franklin as the No. 46 overall pick to the St. Louis Rams, while there’s also been speculation that “The Mayor” could be tapped as Reggie Bush’s replacement for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins own the No. 42 and No. 54 overall picks. -AE


8:50 p.m.: Datone is ready for his new colors.

9:15 p.m.: The Daily Bruin spoke with Datone Jones less than an hour after he was selected by the Green Bay Packers as the No. 26 pick in the NFL Draft. Below are some quotes from the interview:

On his emotions after being drafted: “I’m just excited, man. I couldn’t have done it without my guys at UCLA. Without them I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. Without my defensive line, my coaches, my linebackers, my offense, I wouldn’t be in this position today. I just want to thank everybody from the academic staff to the training table staff. They were always good to me. My teammates always believed in me. I believed in my teammates. Without those guys, none of this was possible.”

On being a Green Bay Packer, and playing in cold weather: “I’ve never been to Green Bay, but I’ve watched a lot of Green Bay football. I’m pretty excited to be able to go there and play. They have a lot of California guys on their roster. I’m not really worried about it being cold …I ’m not really worried about it. I’m pretty excited. I’m taking it all in. I get to play at a historic stadium with great teammates. Coming in as a rookie, I want to play my role, but I still want to compete at the same time. I just can’t wait.”

On his next couple of weeks, now that he has been drafted: “You know, it starts tomorrow morning.  Waking up tomorrow morning and making sure I get my Friday morning workout with (UCLA strength and conditioning coordinator) Sal Alosi, making sure I’m not getting complacent. This is still a job and I have to better myself every day and (make sure) that I’m working out every day. In the NFL, I have to continue to work in the weight room and continue to get my speed up and just getting more familiar with the game.” Jones indicated he plans to speak with UCLA coach Jim Mora later tonight. -AE      

 

Day Two (Round 2 and 3 begin Friday, 3:30 p.m.)

What to watch for: Much like Day One, Day Two will likely only see one Bruin taken. Running back Johnathan Franklin, UCLA’s all-time career rushing leader, could come off the board in either the second or third round. After Franklin, tight end Joseph Fauria and offensive lineman Jeff Baca are probably the Bruins most likely to be taken, but it remains doubtful that they’d be drafted Friday. Franklin, meanwhile, is considered one of the top running back options in the first draft since 1963 to feature no first-round rushers.

4:30 p.m.: A running back finally came off the board early in the second round. Giovani Bernard out of North Carolina was taken with the 5th pick of the second round, No. 37 overall, by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals would have been a viable place for Franklin to go, and the selection of Bernard likely takes them out of the running for the Bruin. – TD

4:44 p.m.: The second running back of the draft comes off the board … and it’s not Franklin. The Pittsburgh Steelers, another team mentioned as a fit for the UCLA running back, selected Le’Veon Bell from Michigan State. – TD

4:49 p.m.: A few possibilities if the draft board doesn’t change here in the second round for Franklin: Miami, Green Bay or Seattle. The Dolphins with the 22nd pick of the second round are looking for a replacement for everybody’s favorite running back Reggie Bush. Like Jacksonville in 2006, who took UCLA players in the first and second round, the Packers might elect to do the same and take Franklin today after picking up Datone Jones last night. Lastly, the Seahawks and everyone’s favorite coach Pete Carroll could be in the market for a backup running back and/or future replacement for Marshawn Lynch. Don’t you just love the UCLA-USC intrigue? – TD

5:12 p.m.: And the first UCLA appearance of the second round is a Jonathan not Johnathan. Jonathan Ogden, a former first round pick and offensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, announced the Ravens’ second round pick. It wasn’t Johnathan Franklin, however. The Ravens took a linebacker out of Kansas State. The Franklin wait continues. – TD

5:41 p.m.: Round 2 has come and gone and we still have not had a Johnathan Franklin sighting. The last two picks of the round were former Alabama running back Eddie Lacy (whose past two days waiting in New York have been more painful than most), who will join UCLA DE Datone Jones in Green Bay, followed by former Texas A&M running back Christine Michael, who will try to make himself the second coming of Shaun Alexander in Seattle. Franklin’s slippage certainly wasn’t the most highly publicized in the second round. Three picks into the third round, California WR Keenan Allen and USC QB Matt Barkley still have not been selected. -AE

6:06 p.m.: The Rams select former USC safety T.J. McDonald with the ninth pick in the third round. As you may or may not recall, brother Tevin McDonald was once a starting safety for UCLA, but was dismissed before this spring season began due to a violation of team rules. He had previously been suspended for the 2012 Holiday Bowl due to what was reported as a third failed drug test. St. Louis’ pick came just two selections after the Arizona Cardinals drafted the talented, yet troubled former LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu to work opposite another former LSU DB, Patrick Peterson. -AE

6:40 p.m.: A Johnathan is selected in the third round, but it’s Johnathan Jenkins, a DT out of Georgia, who is headed to New Orleans, and not former UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin. The next team drafting in the third round with legitimate running back concerns at this point is Indianapolis, which has the No. 24 pick. ESPN ranks Franklin as the second-best tailback available, behind Andre Ellington of Clemson. Five running backs were taken in the second round, zero in the first or in the third so far. -AE

7:11 p.m.: While the Rams quickly lay claim to the entire West Virginia receiving corps, Franklin and the rest of UCLA’s former players not named Datone wait. Surprisingly enough, seven offensive guards have been taken thus far, meaning OG Jeff Baca is the best available player at his position, according to ESPN. The big man could hear his name called sooner than originally thought. -AE

7:30 p.m.: That’ll do it for day two of the 2013 NFL Draft. A day after Datone Jones became UCLA’s only first round pick in the last seven years, zero Bruins were drafted. Five running backs were selected in the second round following a first round in which none were taken: North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard, Michigan State’s Le’Veon Bell, Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, Alabama’s Eddie Lacy, and Texas A&M’s Christine Michael. Knile Davis of Arkansas became a Kansas City Chief with the second-to-last pick in the third round, but former UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin is still waiting for his call from the NFL. Likely to be drafted tomorrow (rounds 4-7) from UCLA include the following: RB Johnathan Franklin, TE Joseph Fauria, and OG Jeff Baca (listed by ESPN as the best OG available), with an outside chance that P Jeff Locke, CB Sheldon Price and CB Aaron Hester are taken at some point. -AE      

 

Day Three (Rounds 4-7)

11:17 p.m.: Franklin’s long wait is finally over. The Bruin running back was taken by the Green Bay Packers, joining first-rounder Datone Jones. We thought the Packers might take him in the second or third round, and considering they took Alabama RB Eddie Lacy yesterday, it comes as a bit of a surprise that they’d go running back again. However, Green Bay now goes from having very few carrying the rock to having a pair that some considered the top two running backs in the college game. Franklin joins Jones to make another UCLA tandem à la the Jacksonville Jaguars, which took Marcedes Lewis and Maurice Jones-Drew in the 2006 draft. – TD

 

 


11:20 a.m.: Now, it’ll be interesting to see if and when Joseph Fauria and Jeff Baca are taken. Jeff Locke is considered the top punter in the draft and could find a new home as well. – TD

12:15 p.m.: And that confirms it: The NFC North loves UCLA. The third Bruin taken in the draft is lock-down punter Jeff Locke, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round with pick No. 155. Curious decision for the Vikings, who already have a former UCLA punter in Chris Kluwe, who is considered among the top at his position in the NFL. Using a fifth-round pick on a punter suggests Locke will make the team, which could signal the end of Kluwe‘s Minnesota tenure. – TD

3:30 p.m.: Scouting report must have read, “Take UCLA guys in pairs.” The Vikings doubled up on Bruins by taking OG Jeff Baca in the sixth round with No. 196 overall pick. The seventh round is currently underway and still no Joseph Fauria. It will be interesting to see if he gets taken soon or ends up going undrafted and signing somewhere as a free agent. – TD

4:20 p.m.: OG Jeff Baca‘s already getting in touch with his Minnesota Vikings fan base:

So I made a mistake. My first one ever. Skol Vikes!!!!!!!!!! #Skolvikes -Jeff Baca (@JBaca60)

4:30 p.m.: Justice is served! Justice Cunningham, a tight end out of South Carolina, is taken as the NFL Draft’s final selection, known as Mr. Irrelevant. Relevant to UCLA is former Bruin tight end Joseph Fauria going undrafted. Fauria hauled in 12 touchdowns on 637 receiving yards for UCLA last season. The tight end will likely receive a shot to make an NFL roster, along with former UCLA cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price, long snapper Kevin McDermott, and possibly safety Dalton Hilliard. Mora said in practice Wednesday that McDermott has tried out with a number of NFL teams and that several coaches have told Mora that McDermott is the best long snapper in his draft class. In total, the NFC North gained four former Bruins in this 2013 NFL Draft: the Minnesota Vikings took punter Jeff Locke and offensive guard Jeff Baca, and the Green Bay Packers drafted defensive end Datone Jones and running back Johnathan Franklin in the first and fourth round, respectively.  -AE

5:07 p.m.: It looks like Joe Fauria will be taking his talents to the NFC North as well. He has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions.

6:13 p.m.: Finally breaking the string of Bruins to the NFC North, long snapper Kevin McDermott tweets that he signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers’ current long snapper, Brian Jennings, made the NFL Pro Bowl in 2011. It may be tough sledding for McDermott to take Jennings’ spot on the roster. – TD

 

 

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