The first round of SB Nation's NFL bloggers mock draft is complete. Revenge of the Birds, the Arizona Cardinals blog on SB Nation's network, chose Stanford's Jonathan Martin with the No 13 overall pick.
The offensive line is clearly the Cardinals' greatest need. With both David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin on the board, the decision is tough. DeCastro could be an elite guard. Martin has great film, but has one glaring weakness -- his weakness (lack of strength). In the end, Martin is the guy to go with because the Cardinals seek a tackle, especially someone who could play left tackle. Martin's technique is great, his athleticism is without question and if strength is the only thing lacking, he can acquire that with John Lott, one of the best in the business at strength and conditioning.
Martin's selection at No. 13 comes before David DeCastro's selection at No. 14. Some draft experts consider Martin's teammate to be the better offensive lineman of the two, but Revenge of the Birds, cites Martin's athleticism at the left tackle position a plus.
The offensive tackle position is ripe with talent in this year's draft. Martin was one of the four offensive tackles drafted in the mock draft's first 13 picks.
After only managing 20 reps on the bench at 225lbs at Stanford's pro day, some NFL teams might be concerned with Martin's natural strength. Despite this, it is difficult to ignore Martin's impressive accomplishments while protecting the blindside of the consensus No. 1 pick Andrew Luck. Martin was named first team All-Pac-12 in 2011, and first team All-Pac-10 in 2010.
For more on Martin and the Stanford Cardinal, head over to Rule of Tree. For more information regarding the Arizona Cardinals, check out Revenge of the Birds.