There are mock drafts, and then there are Mock Drafts.
Mayock: Mock Draft
On the eve of the 2013 NFL Draft, Mike Mayock lays out the first round as he sees it -- with the offensive tackles on top. **More ...**
Mike Mayock's annual swing of the bat before the draft is the only one I pay close attention to due to everything that goes into it. Mayock's mock is a culmination of all the information-gathering he's done over this long draft process.
The entire mock can be viewed here. Here were my big takeaways after watching the taping:
» Mayock had three offensive tackles going in the first four picks, including Central Michigan's Eric Fisher to the Kansas City Chiefs. He explained that Oklahoma's Lane Johnson's athleticism was too much for Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles to pass up. Mayock said Johnson is the perfect fit for that offense.
» Mayock called the San Diego Chargers' offensive line a "mess." Even with the tackles off the board, they take the safest pick on the board at a position of need: Chance Warmack at guard. Fellow guard Jonathan Cooper of North Carolina went four picks before, to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 7. Cooper going ahead of Warmack in these mocks is a growing trend.
» New York Jets fans would be ecstatic if this mock came true. They came away with Oregon pass rusher Dion Jordan at No. 9 and Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert at No. 13. That looks almost as delicious as when the Jets landed Shaun Ellis and John Abraham in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
» Houston's D.J. Hayden was the top cornerback on Mayock's big board, but Alabama's Dee Milliner was the first cornerback taken at No. 10. Hayden went to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 24. Mayock believes Colts general manager Ryan Grigson would be "thrilled" if Hayden falls to them.
» Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport on Tuesday that he wouldn't get past the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 17. That's exactly where Jones was slotted by Mayock. It's a perfect match.
» The Minnesota Vikings surely would be celebrating if Tennessee wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson falls to them in the first round as Percy Harvin's replacement. Please watch the show, if only to see Mayock re-enact this celebration.
» Some of the other big first-round surprises include guys who NFL teams may view more favorably than the draftnik cognoscenti: Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh to the New York Giants at No. 19, LSU safety Eric Reid at No. 21 to the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter to the Houston Texans and Stanford tight end Zach Ertz to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 31.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.