Oct 6, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Tavon Austin (1) scores a touchdown during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Guys who play on Saturdays hope to become stars on Sundays, starting Thursday night when college and pro football collide at the 2013 NFL draft.

OK, maybe “collide” isn’t the best choice of words given the leagues’ concussion issues. Speaking of concussions and bad word choices, I’m brain dead from looking at mock drafts and reading the latest rumors of teams supposedly hoping to trade up or down. I’m not bothering with a mock draft because this stuff is impossible to forecast and this year presents a deep and particularly unpredictable draft.

We’re obsessed with the NFL draft because we’re obsessed with the NFL. And the best and easiest way to win in the NFL is to be able to predict which players will be great, so now we’re obsessed with mock drafts (even if it’s pointless to attempt predicting this stuff). On Grantland, NFL guru Bill Barnwell’s pre-draft column basically said the whole thing’s a crap shoot and NFL teams may or may not know how to draft any better than you or I do, and the best thing I read about the draft all week was by Rolling Stone political writer Matt Taibbi.

The most exciting thing about the 2013 NFL draft, for me, is the fact that two West Virginia Mountaineers will likely be the keys to how the first round of the draft will play out. Geno Smith, the concensus top-ranked QB, has been speculated to go as high as somewhere in the top 5 or to perhaps slip and slide all the way down to a team with an established starter (like Aaron Rodgers fell to the Packers in 2005).

WR Tavon Austin is one of the most electrifying game-changers available and, despite all the offensive and defensive line talent at the top of this draft (and teams always looking for those big, safe first-round picks), every team should consider drafting Austin or trading up to get into position to do so. Why? THE GUY SCORES TOUCHDOWNS. Give him the ball, on a quick slant or bubble screen, on a reverse or even delayed-draw hand off, or on kick/punt returns, and he can take it to the house. Herm Edwards famously reminded us that “You play to win the game,” and many awful announcers have said the team that scores the most points will win. Tavon Austin will score points in bunches, and that’s the only thing I know I’m sure of heading into the 2013 NFL draft.

As for the things we don’t know… here are a few bold predictions sure to go wrong:

• The Cleveland Browns will pick QB Geno Smith with the sixth overall pick, and trade Brandon Weeden for a mid-round pick. Too soon to give up on Weeden? Maybe, but there’s a whole new regime in Cleveland, and they’ve already brought in veteran QB Jason Campbell who can either play well until Smith is ready and/or mentor Smith as a solid backup (and he’s a mature pro who will accept either role). And Weeden turns 30 in October.
• Eddie Lacy and Montee Ball might be the top two RB’s drafted, but UCLA’s Jonathan Franklin (the 8^th-ranked RB on NFL.com) will be a superstar and easily have the best pro career of any RB in this class.
• During ESPN’s draft telecast, Jon Gruden will say “I love this guy” 14,682 times. And the corpse of Chris Berman will undoubtedly attempt some form of “Star Lotulelei is sure to be a star in this league” joke.
• Whichever blue-chip offensive lineman falls to the Eagles at number 4 will end up the best of this class and they’ll land QB E.J. Manuel in the 2^nd or 3^rd round.
• Tavon Austin will not go to the Jets, Panthers, Saints,or Rams (picks 13-16) because the Dolphins will beat them to the punch by taking Austin at number 12.
• No matter if they pick for offense or defense, if they make a great pick or a questionable one, the Jets and Bills fans will be shown on TV booing. Actually, that’s the only sure thing at the NFL Draft.

22. St. Louis Rams (From Redskins) – John Cyprien, S, FIU – The Rams fill in their need at safety here with John Cyprien, a standout free safety from Florida International, where he currently holds the record for all time leading tackles.  This is a guy who may be unfairly overlooked because of his school but will put out some major numbers to whatever team drafting him.  It’s a homerun hit for a team like the Rams who are only a stand out safety away from fielding a complete defense with no other glaring needs

23. Minnesota Vikings – Keenan Allen, WR California – The Vikings use this opportunity to upgrade their 2012 WR situation.  It’s unfortunate they lost Percy Harvin, but to be able to sign Greg Jennings AND be able to draft a playmaking receiver like Keenan Allen, elevates their offense more than if they had stayed put with Harvin.  Plus, it’ll be nice for Minnesota to have a receiver on the team that won’t miss games due to migraines that occur when the team makes him stop smoking pot for league drug tests.

24. Indianapolis Colts – Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M – The Colts get a highly heralded pass rusher way down in the draft.  Damontre, originally thought of to be a top 5 pick, was one of the best pass rushers in the nation last year at A&M.  A flimsy combine and decent pro day made his draft stock take a bit of a free fall.  The Colts picks him up here, hoping his performance in Indianapolis is better the second time he comes to town

25. Minnesota Vikings (from Seattle Seahawks) – Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia – Minnesota has 2 picks and can take a shot at the quarterback everyone has been talking about.  This gives Christian Ponder much needed competition at the least and a new franchise quarterback at the most.  At this point given every team’s situation, Geno makes the most sense in Minnesota if Jacksonville isn’t comfortable enough to reach for him with the #2 overall pick.

Feb 24, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith throws a pass during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Sanchez has the Packers adding some offensive line help to boost the protection for Aaron Rodgers. The Pack would be wise to improve Rodgers’s pocket, because they are investing heavily in him both financially and might not have the best insurance policy behind him at quarterback. The Packers offensive line could also use some upgrading to help out the next Packers starting running back.

In the comments section, Sanchez talks about Alabama Crimson Tide RB Eddie Lacy, who is a popular pick in mock drafts to the Green Bay Packers. However, Sanchez writes that Lacy doesn’t have elite speed and isn’t worth taking in the first round. Although the Packers might need a running back more, there are no backs worth taking in the first. Lacy is worth a second-round pick for sure, but I am also leery about his speed, and I don’t like taking running backs in the first round anyway.

Terron Armstead is a player who has been rising on draft boards recently, and Sanchez notes that and lauds Armstead’s athleticism. He is a freak athletically and showed it with an incredible 2013 NFL Combine performance. However, the Arkansas Pine-Bluff product played against inferior competition and doesn’t seem worth a first-round choice to me. He looked good in college, but he didn’t play like a first rounder when I watch him. Armstead has a lot of upside, but he also has a lot of downside. I don’t like “upside” picks, and I think Armstead is worth a mid second-round pick at most. Lacy is actually the better draft prospect, in my opinion.

So who should have the Packers drafted in the first round? I could see them taking a wide receiver like DeAndre Hopkins, and that’s something Jason Hirschhorn  of Lombardi Ave detailed in an excellent piece recapping the Packers pick in the FanSided.com mock draft. Wide receiver isn’t a position of need for the Packers, but it could become one down the road since Greg Jennings left for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason and James Jones is in his last year. Hopkins would be a solid pick at the end of the first round, and he has the potential to be a number one wide receiver.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

Feb 22, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama running back Eddie Lacy speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1: Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama–  The Colts can really use a back like Eddie Lacy to show support to Andrew Luck.  Eddie Lacy is a strong, smart back who is used to winning on the collegiate level (2x national champion, All-SEC 1^st team RB in 2012).  The top rated running back in the draft and the only one whose across the board expected to go first round.  He is exactly what the Colts have been looking for in their backfield the past few years and will likely be available for them in the for them as long as Cincinatti doesn’t snag him first.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad defensive back Bacarri Rambo of Georgia (18) returns an interception against the Senior Bowl north squad during the first half of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Late Round Sleeper: Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia – Every year there are great players with “character concerns” that dramatically plummet their draft stock (see Janoris Jenkins).  This year, that is likely to happen to Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo who was suspended the first 2 games of his senior season for “accidentally” ingesting pot brownies.  We’ve all been there right?  However, the man is a playmaker making 73 tackles and causing 6 turnovers (3 INTs, 3 FFs) in the 10 games he played in 2012.  The year before, he made 8 interceptions, was named an AP All American and was on the All-SEC first team defense.   Any other year even with the character concerns, a player like this should go in round 2 at the latest.  This year is a bad year for safeties because of the enormous supply of both free agents and the strong safety class headlined by Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro and Florida’s Matt Elam.  Smarter teams like the Colts may wait until day 2 to snag a gem like Rambo who may even turn out to be the crown jewel of this safety class.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Although both second-year backs Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson are undersized and not viewed as potential feature backs, the Rams view both guys as players who can be every-down backs at the pro level. Rams GM Les Snead told Thomas, “Pead toward the end of the year, Daryl at the beginning and middle, proved they can play in the league …They will all have a role. Richardson is going to have a role. Pead is going to have a role. They are all going to have a role and we are going to utilize those roles.”

Pead and Richardson are both explosive, young backs with potential, and Richardson averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 98 attempts for 475 total yards on the season. He also added 24 receptions for 163 yards last season, and I think the Rams can have a viable committee with both guys leading.

Even though Thomas does not see the Rams signing a free agent running back, he went into detail about how former Alabama Crimson Tide feature back Eddie Lacy could be a nice fit for the Rams. It would be interesting to see the Rams go after a running back in the draft, and I think they are better off doing that than signing somebody on the free agent market. They should save a little bit of their cash and roll with a committee of intriguing, young running backs if Jackson is not retained. After all, this organization is high on the prospects of Pead and Richardson. The Rams should  go for value at the RB position, and it seems more and more like Jackson won’t be back next season- but it is imprudent to think that they cannot get a deal done.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates @SorianoJoe.