/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11574157/20121117_lbm_aj4_135.0.jpg)
We're on to the ninth pick of the second round, No. 41 overall in the 2013 Niners Nation NFL mock draft. If you missed parts of the first round, check out our entire rundown.
The Buffalo Bills are now on the clock, and their Niners Nation GM is wiseguy545. With the forty-first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Bills select Matt Barkley, QB, USC.
Explanation: I did not expect Barkley, who is considered by many to be the second-best QB in the draft, to be available at the 41st overall pick. Since he is, the Bills will happily snatch him up. Projected to be the the #1 overall pick before the season began, Barkley saw his stock fall due to a combination of injuries and disappointing play, both personally and as a team. However, falling to later in the draft may end up being a blessing in disguise for Barkley, who will avoid the "savior" expectations that dogged fellow Trojan signal callers Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez.
Right now, the main knock on Barkley is his limited arm strength. However, he makes up for that with his poise, big game experience, accuracy in short-to-medium range throws, timing, and ability to read defenses. While he may never be a franchise QB, he is as polished as a QB prospect can be and should be ready to step in on day 1 and manage a successful NFL offense. He is especially well suited to run the New Orleans-style offense that new head coach (and former Saints assistant) Doug Marrone is familiar with. I would not be surprised to see Barkley beat out Kolb and Jackson for the starting job on Opening Day. Now, they just need to find someone for him to throw to...
Trevor Woods: The Bills will now have a three horse race in training camp to determine who is the starter. Matt Barkley would be able to handle running the hurry up offense Doug Marrone is installing. It is hard to believe a player that was once believed to a certain top ten selection falls all the way down to pick No. 41, but this is what will end up happening to Barkley on draft day. I believe Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib could be a choice here as well. Barkley may be the bigger name, but Nassib has been ascending up draft boards this off-season and was the quarterback for former Syracuse coach Doug Marrone.
Nick Chiamardas: WiseGuy545 is a wise guy with this pick. I know most of you think Barkley is a bum and that Barkley won't amount to anything in the NFL. I'm on the other side of that and think he'll be a solid pro. Not great, but better than anything Buffalo has had in recent years. He's got all the intangibles and is very football smart. He'll have a solid running game and could very well end up a 'game manager' type QB. Great pick here for the BIlls.
Niners Nation Mock Draft, Round 1
- Kansas City Chiefs -- Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah [Explanation]
- Jacksonville Jaguars -- Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia [Explanation]
- Oakland Raiders -- Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon [Explanation]
- Philadelphia Eagles -- Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M [Explanation]
- Detroit Lions -- Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan [Explanation]
- Cleveland Browns -- Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama [Explanation]
- Arizona Cardinals -- Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas [Explanation]
- Buffalo Bills -- Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU [Explanation]
- New York Jets -- Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama [Explanation]
- Tennessee Titans -- Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida [Explanation]
- San Diego Chargers -- Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma [Explanation]
- Miami Dolphins -- Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina [Explanation]
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State [Explanation]
- Carolina Panthers -- Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee [Explanation]
- New Orleans Saints -- Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU [Explanation]
- St. Louis Rams -- Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri [Explanation]
- Pittsburgh Steelers -- Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia [Explanation]
- Dallas Cowboys -- D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama [Explanation]
- New York Giants -- Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia [Explanation]
- Chicago Bears -- Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia [Explanation]
- Cincinnati Bengals -- Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State [Explanation]
- St. Louis Rams -- DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson [Explanation]
- Minnesota Vikings -- Keenan Allen, WR, Cal [Explanation]
- Indianapolis Colts -- Datone Jones, DE, UCLA [Explanation]
- Minnesota Vikings -- Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington [Explanation]
- Green Bay Packers -- Damontre Moore, DE/OLB [Explanation]
- Houston Texans -- Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee [Explanation]
- Denver Broncos -- Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State [Explanation]
- New England Patriots -- Margus Hunt, DE, Southern Methodist [Explanation]
- Atlanta Falcons -- Tank Carradine, DE/OLB, Florida State [Explanation]
- San Francisco 49ers -- Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International [Explanation]
- Baltimore Ravens -- Matt Elam, S, Florida [Explanation]
- Jacksonville Jaguars -- Alex Okafor, DE, Texas [Explanation]
- San Francisco 49ers -- Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State [Explanation]
- Philadelphia Eagles -- Kyle Long, OL, Oregon [Explanation]
- Detroit Lions -- Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State [Explanation]
- Cincinnati Bengals -- D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina [Explanation]
- Arizona Cardinals -- Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame [Explanation]
- New York Jets -- Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford [Explanation]
- Tennessee Titans -- Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut [Explanation]
- Buffalo Bills -- Matt Barkley, QB, USC