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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Raiders and Chargers spice things up

Check out what each of California teams did in our latest mock draft.

By Matthew Fairburn
Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

Once again, fans in the Los Angeles area have plenty of reasons to look forward to the NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders own the No. 3 pick in the draft, while the Chargers are sitting at No. 11. Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers fans are hoping the draft will help them forget the recent Super Bowl loss.

For more on this story, check out Mocking the Draft.

In SB Nation's latest mock draft, the Raiders' and Chargers' picks were a bit unconventional. The Raiders selected Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, solidifying the bookends on the offensive line for years to come. The Chargers, meanwhile, landed Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, proactively replacing the two free agent corners San Diego has to deal with this offseason. At the end of the first round, the 49ers add Jonathan Cyprien, a safety from Florida International, who should bolster the team's secondary.

For more, check out the full explanations for each pick below. You can find the full mock draft here.

For the Raiders:

With Star Lotulelei off the board, the Raiders turn to another area of need; the offensive line. The running game struggled to get going at times last season, and Oakland needs to revamp the offensive line. Luke Joeckel is considered by some to be the best player in this draft, so this happens to be a value pick as well.

For the Chargers:

Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason are both free agents. Jammer is getting up there in age, while Cason just isn't very talented. Offensive line has been the go-to-pick for the Chargers in most mock drafts, but with the value Milliner presents, and both Jockel and Fisher off the board, the Chargers will have to wait to address the trenches.

For the 49ers:

Jonathan Cyprien has emerged as one of the top safeties in this class, and the Super Bowl showed San Francisco's warts at the safety position. Consider that the Niners came out of left field to pick A.J. Jenkins a year ago, and it doesn't seem too farfetched that they would go after Cyprien.