2012 NFL Mock Draft

UPDATED

1. Indianapolis (2-14): Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

          Its official, Andrew Luck is a Colt.

2. Washington (5-11): Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

          The Redskins sold their souls for RGIII. He could bring the spark that the Redskins      have needed for a while at the QB position.

3. Minnesota (3-13): Matt Kalil, OT USC

          I'm really starting to doubt that Kalil is the lock I thought he would be at #3 overall. Tannehill's stock rises daily as a result of a QB driven league. The Vikings have voiced their interest in trading down to a team that wants Tannehill. I don’t think any team would be willing to give up enough for the Vikings to trade out of the top 10, so it’s up Miami. If they think Cleveland is desperate enough to grab him at 4, they just might be desperate enough to trade up for him at 3.

But, until a trade occurs, the Vikings are on the clock at #3. If they stay in this spot, Kalil has to be the pick.0 He's as good as a LT tackle prospect as you can find. Ponder showed some promise last year, this will help give him a fighting chance
Many drafts and analysts have Claiborne going here. That would be such a stupid move. You have an opportunity to give to your young franchise caller an amazing blindside protector, and instead you draft a CB for your COVER2 scheme that does not require amazing CB's? That would be just irresponsible. 

4. Cleveland (4-12): Trent Richardson, RB Alabama 

         Cleveland just might be desperate enough to draft Tannehill with this pick. But, if they were smart, they'd try to draft draft Weeden in the second round. And what better way to help out the 28 year old rookie than with the best RB prospect since AP? Even if they do stick with McCoy, Richardson will take a lot of weight off his shoulders. Richardson is a lock for the top 5.

5. Tampa Bay (4-12): Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

          As I stated above, Richardson is a lock for the top 5. If he falls to the Bucs, I doubt they will hesitate to grab him. However, I think he will be off the board, which leaves Claiborne as the BPA. Talib is either going to go to jail and/or be flat out released in a matter of time. Why not replace him with someone better? Claiborne is a beast. No one needs to worry how stupid the tests may say he is. He has a smart football mind, and is a hell of a player.

6. St. Louis (2-14): Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

          Bravo St. Louis, you were able to trade down for a boatload of extra picks and still get the player you wanted. Bradford needs a big weapon to help him recover from his sophomore slump. Blackmon will give him his first true #1 target, and should help him grow into the QB they thought he would be when he was drafted #1 overall.

                  TRADE! The Jets give up their 2nd rounder and next year’s 4th rounder to swap places  with the Jags.

              7. New York Jets (8-8): Melvin Ingram, OLB South                           Carolina

               The Jets are in love with Ingram, and will be willing to trade up to get him. Ingram is a great fit for Rex's defense and should provide the pass-rush they have been lacking.  The fact that Jacksonville loves Ingram as well will force the jets to trade up with the Jags instead of the Panthers

               8. Miami (6-10): Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M

                If no trades occur, this pick should be close to a lock. Miami whiffed on not 1, not 2, but 3 QBs in the off season. I think Tannehill is overrated and Matt Moore is underrated, but Miami seems determined to bring in a QB this off season. They might have to trade up with the Vikings to get him though if they feel Cleveland wants him at #4.

    

       TRADE! The Eagles give up their 3rd rounder and next year’s 3rd rounder to swap places with the Panthers.

   9.Philadelphia (8-8): Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State

           The Eagles are in love with Cox. Andy Reid loves drafting his line early, and their willing to trade up for the guy they love, and will settle for a 2nd round CB. They felt the need to trade up here as Cox would be off the board by 15.


TRADE! The Cowboys give up their 3rd rounder and next year’s 5th rounder to swap places  with Buffalo.

              10. Dallas (8-8): Mark Barron, S Alabama
                 Dallas falls for Buffalo's smoke screen and fear that someone else will jump ahead of them. Still, it plays out well for them as they nail the best safety in the Class.They need serious help in that secondary, and Barron is the best safety in the class. They will be able to take a DT/DE in the second round.

               11. Kansas City (7-9): David DeCastro, G Stanford

                   This is a little high for a guard, but DeCastro is an elite talent at the position. The additions of DeCastro and Winston make for a massive upgrade to the Chiefs line. It should help Cassel solidify his starting role that is very much in question right now. I see no way that DeCastro will be taken before now and he is the best option for the Chiefs. There shouldn't be too much deliberation in their front office on Day1 of draft day.

                 12. Seattle (7-9): Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

                     With the Jets passing ahead of the Hawks to get Ingram and the Panthers trading down, Kuechly should be available unless the Bills take him at 10 overall. He's a very safe pick and should help sure up that front 7 from day one. They will be taking a pass rusher in round two without a doubt.

                  13. Arizona (8-8): Riley Rieff, T Iowa

               Dream come true for the Cardinals, Bills pass on Reiff and the Cardinals get a top10 LT. They will be very tempted to go for Floyd here, but the line is a mess, and is a much bigger need.

                  14. Buffalo (6-10): Stephon Gilmore, CB South Carolina

                  The Bills Barron smoke screen pays off. The Bills still get the man they want while stockpiling a few more picks in the process. I've been putting Rieff to Buffalo as I can remember. Recent comments by Nix and his scouts show that they value arm length and they talked about the depth in both the WR and OT positions. Therefore, I've crossed Reiff and Floyd of their draft board. To me this leaves Gilmore and Kuechly. I'd rather the bills go with Luke, but they have been talking up the CB position so much lately that I think they'll take Gilmore instead.

                  15. Carolina (6-10): Dontari Poe, DT Memphis

                 I had Poe going to the Panthers and 9 overall after his combine performance earlier. Now that Cox isn't available, the Panthers will settle for the Combine star.

                  16. Jacksonville (5-11): Micheal Floyd, WR Notre Dame 

                 The only thing that keeps the Jaguars from drafting in the top5 lately has been their defense. I know they spent their first rounder on offense last year, but it was on a crappy overrated QB. But, no their stuck with him, so it would be irresponsible to not give him the best opportunity to succeed. Personally, I think Floyd may be better than Blackmon except for the prior off field issues. Floyd really can really help any good QB improve, so if he doesn’t help Gabbart improve, the organization can start looking for an early replacement. The Jaguars make a very smart trade here, and still get the guy they should take if they hold tight at 7.

                  17. Cincinnati (9-7): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

                 Bengals have a huge need at CB. They will be running to the podium with this pick.

                  18. San Diego (8-8): Quinton Coples, DE/OLB North Carolina

                The Chargers desperately need a pass rusher, and Coples had top10 potential earlier in the off season. Most scouts think he can make the transition to standing up in the 3-4 as an OLB, that is what he'll need to do in San Diego.

                  19. Chicago (8-8): Chandler Jones, DE/OLB Syracuse

                The only way they don't pick Wright here is if a DE like Coples or Jones falls here. Pairing him with Peppers is just too tempting. They wanted Mario desperately, so Jones will come in instead. They still might reach for a guy like Wright here tho.

                   20. Tennessee (9-7): Michael Brockers, DT LSU

                 The fact that they did not even attempt to bring back Finnigan makes me feel like they don’t think the CB position is in that much trouble, so they go front 7 with this pick. Brockers is a stud DT who could even end up being a top 15 pick. The Titans would love to add him to their defense front.

                   21. Cincinnati (9-7): Cordy Glenn, G/T Georgia

                Glenn is a stud versatile lineman that will help the Bengals offense right away. He can start and guard or tackle, but will probably be a guard for Cinci.

                  22. Cleveland (4-12): Kendall Wright, WR Baylor

                The Browns should be pretty pleased with this pick. Wright may not have as much potential as Hill, but is more NFL ready and will need less developing time. Wright should help out McCoy/Weeden improve.

                  23. Detroit (10-6): Jonathan Martin, T Stanford

                The Lions don't have a corner available here, so they go with their next biggest need. They should be thrilled that Martin Falls this far. He will be their opening day starter at RT and will be their future LT.

                  24. Pittsburgh (12-4): Don'ta Hightower, LB Alabama

                Hightower is a big playmaker who will be brought in as Farrior's replacement and help bring some youth to a strong but ageing Steelers D. He's just too good of a fit for PIT not to put him here

                 25. Denver (8-8): Jerel Worthy, DT Michigan State

               Manning misses out on Wright, and doesn't want the underdeveloped Hill, so he'll let the GM make this pick. DT is the Broncos second biggest need, so they will be very happy taking him here.

          26. Houston (10-6): Whitney Mercilus, OLB Illinois

           Unfortunately, it appears Houston will not be looking for a WR in round one. I personally think Hill would be the best choice here, but it doesn't seem like it will happen. Instead, they will look to re-vamp their impressive defense after looking Ryans and Williams. Mercilus should fit in well as a rush linebacker in Wade Phillip's system.

                  27. New England (13-3): Courtney Upshaw, OLB Alabama

                Upshaw was a top10 talent prior to the combine, but his stock has considerably fallen since. The Pats should be delighted to see him available at 27 overall. He will provide the pass rush the Patriots have been lacking for a while.

                  28. Green Bay (15-1): Shea McClellin, OLB Boise State

                Green Bay loves McCellin and luck out being able to grab him with their first round pick. He will compliment Matthews nicely and prove some pressure that will take some of the load of a secondary that struggled mightily last year.

                  29. Baltimore (12-4): Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech

                 Konz is the perfect pick here. But reports say that the Ravens don't like him, I have no idea why. Either way, Baltimore lucks out that Houston passes on this guy so that he is available here at 29. Boldin is ageing, so some fresh WR blood is needed in Baltimore. Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas have proven the capability of Georgia Tech wide outs. This is a solid pick for Baltimore that should help out Flacco for many years.

                  30. San Francisco (13-3): Colby Fleener, TE Stanford

                  Davis, Fleener, Crabtree, Manningham, Moss, Williams. Smith has some weapons now doesn't he? The 49ers have had a pretty productive off-season and Fleener will complete it. Smith will be able to overachieve another year because of his corps and strong ground game. The combination of Fleener and Davis can give them a scary TE duo matched only by Gronk and Herdandez. Some O-line help later in the draft along with this make the 49ers my Superbowl favorite for next year.

       TRADE! The Pats trade out of the first round again, as the Cheifs move into the first round to grab their QB before the browns or the Hawks can get to him.

         31. Kansas City (7-9): Brandon Weeden, QB Oklahoma State

           The Chiefs are not 100% behind Matt Cassel, and you can't really blame them. They need some good competition for him, and they'll be quick to pull Cassel for Weeden if they have the opportunity to do so. Weeden is pretty NFL ready, so this makes sense for an extremely talented team (other than the QB position as Walt stated).

                   32. New York Giants (9-7): Mike Adams, T Ohio State

                 The Giants can go a few ways here, if Fleener is still here, they should pull the trigger. Their other option is RB, but I can't see them taking one in round one. So, they take Adams who will come in and replace mckenzie at RT while they take a RB in round 2 instead.

Please comment with your opinions!