2012 NFL Mock Draft

12/2/2012

1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Well it's official the Colts are on the clock and the debate is on. Should the Colts take Andrew Luck and ship Peyton Manning out of town. If you are GM of the Colts you have to think about the franchise long term and the fact is Manning only has a few years left while Andrew Luck has an entire career ahead of him. Yes it will be tough for Colts fans to see Manning with another team, but ask Green Bay how it worked out for them trading Brett Favre. The ideal situation would be for Luck to come in and sit behind Manning and learn from him for a year. If you are Manning why wouldn't you want to do this, it's something else you can add to your legacy.

2. St. Louis Rams- Matt Kalil, OT, USC

The Rams have taken Offensive Tackles very early in drafts quite a few times lately and whiffed. They could take a WR here, but there is going to be a new regime in charge in St. Louis next year and they will see the mess the offensive line is in and take Kalil. Kalil is the best player on the board and even though Bradford needs weapons he needs to have time to throw the ball first.

3. Minnesota Vikings- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

The Vikings have a young QB that they are looking to to be the future of their franchise. With Sidney Rice leaving last off season via free agency the Vikings don't have a legit number one WR. The pieces are in place for this offense to have success. They have the best RB in the NFL, a good number two WR in Percy Harvin, and a young QB that looks like he has a promising future.

4. Cleveland Browns- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Browns are not going to bring back Peyton Hillis after the whole strep throat and knee injury things this year. Some people are calling for a new QB in Cleveland, but can you really give Colt McCoy a fair assessment up to this point. No QB could do well with the lack of weapons they have in Cleveland. All things considered I think he's played about as well as anyone could have.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

The Bucs almost definitely have to take Claiborne if he's available when they pick. Ronde Barber has to close to retirement and Aqib Talib may be in jail by the time the season starts next season. Claiborne is the top CB in this draft and this would be the ideal situation for TB. If he's gone they may want to consider trading down a few spots.

6. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The success of running QB's like Tebow and Newton made Griffin's draft stock rise big time. Mike Shanahan is not going to go through another season with Rex Grossman or John Beck as his starting QB. He knows as well as anyone that you have to have a good QB to win in the NFL as he hasn't won anything without John Elway.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

The Jaguars brought in Aaron Kampman a couple years ago to be their pass rusher and he blew out his knee in the first training camp with the Jaguars. They've still been searching for someone to be that guy. When you play in a division with good QB's like Manning/Luck and Matt Schaub you have to be able to get some pressure on them.

8. Miami Dolphins- Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma

Jones may consider going back to school for his senior season and if he does the Dolphins will have to trade up or go with Matt Moore another year at QB. If he is available I think Miami takes him. They've seen this play out too many times with a career backup coming in and playing well for a few games and getting the job only to stink for a couple of seasons. They are still looking for the successor to Dan Marino in Miami.

9. Carolina Panthers- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

The Panthers couldn't stop anyone on defense in any way this season. Cam Newton played very well as a rookie QB and if their defense had been average they may be in the playoffs this year. With a division that has Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, and Josh Freeman getting pressure on the QB is a must if you want to have a chance at winning it.

10. Buffalo Bills- Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

The Bills have been trying to transition to a 3-4 defense for a couple years. They finally added a good piece, Marcell Dareus, that will help them with that transition. Now they need to add a speed rusher off the edge. Upshaw comes from a defense that ran a 3-4 at Alabama so he will be able to step in and contribute immediately.

11. Kansas City Chiefs- Jonathon Martin, OT, Stanford

This pick will allow the Chiefs to do something they've needed to do for years and move Brandon Albert in to the Guard position. This will make two positions better on that line with one pick. GM Scott Pioli will pull the trigger on this in a second because not only is Martin the best on the board but he plays a position of high value.

12. Seattle Seahawks- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Some would consider this a reach, but everyone saw what happened in the 2011 draft with QB's going off the board early. In a league where it seems like multiple teams need a QB upgrade every year they are going to come off the board early. I think Seattle is also kicking themselves for passing on Andy Dalton and won't want to make the same mistake twice.

13. Arizona Cardinals- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Cardinals currently have two OT's that are overpaid and underperforming. Taking Reiff will allow them to cut at least one of them and save them some money on the salary cap. Kevin Kolb was brought in and they gave up a lot to get him only to have him get hurt due to bad line play.

14. Dallas Cowboys- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Dallas secondary hasn't played very well this year. Part of that was due to injury. Part of that was due to Terrance Newman is getting old and losing some of that world class speed. Mike Jenkins is afraid to tackle anyone. Kirkpatrick is a big, physical CB that will hit people and can cover something the Cowboys have been missing.

15. Philadelphia Eagles- Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

Teams gashed the Eagles defense by running right up the middle. Some blame the wide nine defense they were running. I blame it on them being soft up the middle. Kuechly will bring some toughness and leadership to the middle of that defense.

16. New York Jets- Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

This may be a bit of a reach, but the Jets are going to do something about that pass rush. I'm really glad to see Rex Ryan not in the playoffs because he runs his mouth all the time. That said, he's a good coach and will get the things fixed that need to be fixed and the pass rush is number one on defense which is his forte.

17. Cincinnati Bengals- David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Well we know the Bengals will have the 17th pick for sure as this is the pick from Oakland. I'm a believer in winning football starts in the trenches whether it's pee wee football or NFL football. The Bengals have a good young team and the future looks bright. However one spot that needs an upgrade is Guard. I don't want to see Nate Livings start another game for this team and Bobbie Williams is getting old and his contract is up. The Bengals got a steal with Clint Boling in the 5th round last year, in my opinion and he should be able to fill one of those spots.

If DeCastro is available this would be an excellent pick. If you read the scouting report on him everything is good. He is the most talented interior offensive lineman in this draft and he went to Stanford so you know he is intelligent. The Bengals haven't used a high draft pick on an interior offensive lineman since Eric Steinbach. With all the young talent at QB and the skill positions if you had a line of Whitworth, DeCastro, Cook, Boling, Smith that would be an offense that is young an explosive. Having Livings be a backup along with Collins as a backup would also mean they have good depth. There are always injuries to every team, every year, so depth is a must.

18. San Diego Chargers- Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

The Chargers have needed to upgrade their pass rush since they made Shawn Merriman stop taking steroids. They drafted Larry English a couple years ago and he hasn't lived up to his first round draft status at all. Also with Tim Tebow in that division having big, fast, LB's is going to be a must to stop his running the ball.

19. Chicago Bears- Peter Konz, OC, Wisconsin

The Bears offensive line has been terrible for years. Jay Cutler couldn't finish the season and it cost the Bears a playoff berth. Their best lineman, Olin Kruetz, left for New Orleans via free agency then retired. Teams are starting to value the Center position more and more as all the great lines have a good Center.

20. Tennessee Titans- Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

The Titans group of LB's has been atrocious this season. Really they haven't had a good LB since Keith Bullock was in his prime. Burfict is a playmaker at the LB position who can go sideline to sideline. He has some issues with taking bad angles, but that can be corrected with some NFL coaching.

21. Denver Broncos- Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

John Fox is a coach who loves to run the football. He also isn't afraid to take RB's in the first round. He did it twice while he was in Carolina. I don't think Fox is sold on Knowshown Moreno at all and McGahee is too old to shoulder an entire season's workload. Miller is a guy who can hit the homerun and also power between the tackles.

22. Cincinnati Bengals- Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Leon Hall going down with an achilles injury really hurt the Bengals secondary this year. It also exposed the fact that more CB depth was needed. Jenkins may be the best cover CB in this draft. He started on a Florida National Championship team as a true freshman. He also was arrested for possesion of marijuana. I can hear the jokes now if the Bengals take him, but so what no one will be laughing when they win the Super Bowl.

Getting Jenkins would give the Bengals one of the best CB duos once again in the NFL. If they can also resign Clements and Jones they will probably have the best 1-4 CB group in the league. With the way that defensive line played this year, if they can keep that up the defense will be top 5 once again. If you add that to the explosive young offense they have you have a window where this team could make a Super Bowl run here in the next few years.

23. Cleveland Browns- Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina

The Browns lucked out with Jeffrey having a down year. He may be the most talented WR in this draft. Look at what he did his sophomore year. He didn't just all of a sudden become a worse WR, the QB play at South Carolina was atrocious. The Browns have two first round picks, they have to come away with a WR with at least one of those picks.

24. Detroit Lions- Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

I think the Lions got lucky with Stafford making it through an entire season without getting hurt. If they want to continue to make the playoffs they need to upgrade on the offensive line. Sanders is an athletic Tackle that can protect the blind side of Stafford and allow them to move Backus somewhere else.

25. New York Giants- Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

The Giants reunite Amukamara with fellow Cornhusker Dennard and give themselves a first round CB duo. In a division with explosive offenses like the Eagles and Cowboys have you can't have too many good CB's. They are thin in the secondary anyway, at the beginning of the season they were bringing in guys off the street to come in and start for them.

26. Houston Texans- Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

The Houston defense went from one of the worst in the league to one of the best, a big reason for that was Wade Phillips. He was able to mask some of their deficincies. They are still thin in the secondary and could use an upgrade at Strong Safety. Barron is by far the best Safety in this draft and would be a big difference maker for their defense.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers- Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

The Steelers have been bad on the offensive line for a few years now. Really I'm suprised they've won as much as they have with that line. That's a tribute to their defense and to Big Ben being big and strong and able to take hits. Glenn is the best offensive lineman available and they need help both at Guard and Tackle.

28. San Francisco 49ers- Micheal Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

The Niners just released Braylon Edwards, who stinks anyway. The only viable WR they have is the overrated Micheal Crabtree. They have a good team in SF, but they need some playmakers on offense if they want to take it to the next level and win it all.

29. Baltimore Ravens- Devon Still, DT/DE, Penn State

Ozzie Newsome is a believer in taking the best player available. In this case that is Still. He can play either DT or DE and that versatility makes him more valuable. The Ravens are a defense that switches between a 3-4 and a 4-3. Putting Still next to or across from Ngata will give the Ravens a dominant D line.

30. New England Patriots- Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall

The Patriots absolutely have to get a pass rusher early in this draft. Curry has great speed and would be able to come off the edge and get after the QB. He can also play with his hand on the ground if they need him to. With two first round picks if the Pats can upgrade that defense they will probably be the Super Bowl favorites heading into next season.

31. New England Patriots- Billy Winn, DT/DE, Boise State

The Patriots traded away Richard Seymour a couple years ago and have been looking for a replacement for him every since. I thought they should have taken Cameron Heyward last year, but they passed. Winn isn't quite as talented as Heyward but will give them a force at DE that can stuff the run and get after the passer a bit.

32. Green Bay Packers- Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

In Green Bay there aren't a ton of holes. One weakness has been on the offensive line where injuries have hurt them a bit. They are still good up front. When you have a QB of Aaron Rodgers caliber it's never a bad thing to use a 1st round pick on an offensive lineman and add depth to that line. If you can keep him protected and give him time to throw he'll win you some Super Bowls.

2nd Round

33. St. Louis Rams- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The Rams need to add some weapons at WR for young QB Sam Bradford. Brandon Lloyd may or may not be back, I think depending on if Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels is retained in St. Louis. Either way Lloyd is not enough.

34. Indianapolis Colts- Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

As we've seen this season the Colts have a long way to go in building a team that is not just centered around Peyton Manning. The Colts have been used to playing with a lead for years and centered their defense around playing the pass as teams were forced to throw the ball to keep up with Manning. They now have to build a team that is balanced on both sides of the ball.

35. Minnesota Vikings- Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

The Vikings need to take advantage of this loaded class of CB's and get one within the first few rounds. Their best CB, Griffin, is 35 years old and Chris Carr has been a disappointment so far in his short career.

36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina

The Bucs have a lot of pieces on place on their defense, especially young pieces along the line. If they land Claiborne they will be on their way at CB as well. One thing they have been missing is a good LB, they haven't had one since Derrick Brooks. Brown is a first round talent that has the speed to contribute in pass coverage as well as against the run.

37. Cleveland Browns- Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

The Browns should focus on offense early and often in this draft. Their defense actually played pretty well and the numbers would have been even better if the offense could have actually stayed on the field. If the draft falls like this for the Browns they will have a bright future, getting the best RB, maybe the most talented WR, and now the top TE all in one draft.

38. Jacksonville Jaguars- Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin

If the Jags don't land Justin Blackmon with their first pick they will have to grab a WR in the second. Right now they don't have any viable weapons for young QB Blaine Gabbert. With a new regime they may even end up taking Robert Griffin, if the new coaches don't like Gabbert. Either way they need to add some weapons.

39. Washington Redskins- Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

The Redskins will almost certainly have a new signal caller next season. No matter if it's a rookie or a free agent they will also need to get him some weapons. When your best WR is Santana Moss you are in trouble.

40. Carolina Panthers- Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

The Panthers could use another WR across from Steve Smith, but I don't see any left here worth this pick. They also have a lot of holes to fill on defense and Thompson is the top player on the board. Getting two defensive lineman with your first two picks is a good way to start to rebuild that defense, especially when both have first round grades.

41. Buffalo Bills- Brandon Jenkins, DE/OLB, Florida State

The Bills took a pass rusher in the first round, the best of the tweener edge rushers. They are trying to transition to a 3-4 defense. The great 3-4 defenses have two good pass rushers coming off the edge, like the Steelers with Harrison and Woodley. When you have Tom Brady as your competition to win that division you have to be able to get pressure on him. Adding Upshaw and Jenkins would give the Bills a formidable pass rush immediately.

42. Miami Dolphins- Alameda Ta'amu, NT, Washington

This would be a steal for Miami as good NT's are hard to come across and usually the best in the draft doesn't last this long. Every defense that runs a 3-4 could use NT depth and if Ta'amu is still available here teams like Pittsburgh or the Jets may trade up to get him.

43. Seattle Seahawks- Andre Branch, DE, Clemson

The Seattle defense didn't really get any kind of pass rush this season. Branch would be good value here as some have a first round grade on him. Branch is also a complete DE that would help in run support in a division where everyone can run the ball.

44. Kansas City Chiefs- Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB, Oklahoma

Other than Tamba Hali the Chiefs don't have anyone that can rush the passer. It's a shame with all of those high draft picks on that defensive line that they can't get any pass rush out of them, but I guess when you run a 3-4 the lineman don't get as many sacks. Anyway Lewis would provide some help for Hali, and take away some of the constant double teams he draws.

45. Dallas Cowboys- Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech

That's right the Cowboys could double dip at CB in the first and second rounds. Why not, it's a position that's lacking depth and the could really use two new starters. If you're going to take two CB's this is the year to do it as the CB class is loaded in this draft. In other years Hosley could very well be a first round pick. Getting Kirkpatrick and Hosley would instantly give the Cowboys one of the best groups of CB's in the NFL.

46. Philadelphia Eagles- Kelechi Osemele, OT/OG, Iowa State

Andy Reid loves to take offensive lineman early and often in drafts. The Eagles need help on the O line as Vick has gotten sacked about as much as any QB in the NFL. Osemele has the versatility to play Guard or Tackle and the Eagles could use the depth at both spots so this is a good fit for Philly.

47. New York Jets- Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

Just a couple years ago the Jets defense was almost impossible to run against. Poe would give them that force in the middle they've been missing since Kris Jenkins was healthy. I know the offense has struggled and needs adressed, but I think Rex Ryan is going to focus on making the defense dominant again first.

48. New England Patriots- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

The Patriots have a lot of picks early in this draft and I think this is the year they finally use them instead of trading them all. If they get the help up front with the pass rush with their first two picks then they can focus on the back end and another CB to help Devin McCourtey. If they upgrade their defense like this they may be the favorites to win it all next year.

49. San Diego Chargers- Casey Heyward, CB, Vanderbilt

Just a few years ago the Chargers looked like they were set at CB for a long time. Then they traded Cromartie and all of a sudden Quinton Jammer is in his mid 30's. The Chargers should take advantage of this group of 2nd Round CB's that is loaded.

50. Chicago Bears- Levy Adcock, OT, Oklahoma State

If I'm picking for the Bears I'm taking offensive lineman until that line is completely reloaded. The Bears were on a roll and looked like they were cruising to a wild card spot until Cutler got hurt. It was only a matter of time as much as he was being sacked. If they fail to resign Matt Forte then a RB might be in order here.

51. Philadelphia Eagles- Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama

While Chapman is better suited to play NT in a 3-4, the Eagles need to get tough in the middle up front on that defense. 4-3 defenses can utilize NT's and line them up in the A gap between Guard and Center like the Bengals do with Peko. Adding Chapman and Kuechly instantly gets the Eagles tough up the middle.

52. Tennessee Titans- Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State

The Titans had a franchise Center in Kevin Mawea for a decade and a half and were set at the position. Mawea retired and they've struggled at the position every since. Brewster is the best Center in this draft in my opinion, but I think Konz will go before him, which will be a mistake.

53. Denver Broncos- Jonathon Banks, CB, Mississippi State

The Broncos are old at CB. While Champ Bailey is still a competant CB, he is not the dominant force he once was. It's time for the Broncos to infuse some youth at the CB position. Especially in a division where there are a lot of young promising WR's on the Raiders and Chiefs, and some quality veterans in San Diego.

54. Cincinnati Bengals- David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

This would be a tough call between Wilson and Chris Polk from Washington. Wilson is definitely the more explosive back, but his size could be a concern. That said, with Bernard Scott to split carries I think he's more than big enough. Wilson can hit the home run at any time, he has incredible balance, and hardly ever goes down on first contact. He would be a major upgrade over Benson who just seems to not be into the game anymore and incredibly mediocre. With all of the other pieces on offense this gives the Bengals their version of the big 3 in Dalton, Green, and now Wilson.

55. Detroit Lions- Coryell Judie, CB, Texas A&M

It seems like every other pick in the 2nd round is a CB. There could be up to 8 taken in the 2nd round which is a quarter of the picks. Detroit has needed to add some depth and upgrade in the secondary for a while now. I thought they might go CB in the first last year, but I don't blame them for not passing on Fairley. And everyone thought Fairley was the dirty player, not as dirty as Suh.

56. Atlanta Falcons- Kevin Reddick, LB, North Carolina

Reddick is the top player on the board and at a position of need. Other than Curtis Lofton the Falcons don't have any viable LB's. Their defense hasn't quite been able to get over the hump as a result. When you have the Saints in your division you need to step it up on defense, not try to outscore them, which is what they were trying to do with the Julio Jones trade up.

57. New York Giants- Chris Polk, RB, Washington

Ahmad Bradshaw can't stay healthy for an entire season and Brandon Jacobs isn't what he once was. Polk kind of reminds me of Jacobs a bit, but with more speed and a better pass catcher. The Giants need to get back to running the ball, a staple of the Tom Coughlin offense.

58. Houston Texans- Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M

While Andre Johnson was out this season the Texans struggled at WR big time. Even with a healthy Johnson they need to add a WR that can make some plays when Johnson is double and triple covered. Other than Owen Daniels they are missing that playmaker.

59. Pittsburgh Steelers- Donta Hightower, LB, Alabama

The Steelers have the dominant edge pass rushers at OLB, but they aren't quite as good at inside LB. Hightower has played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama and may be the best ILB from a 3-4 defense in this draft.

60. San Francisco 49ers- Markelle Martin, SS, Oklahoma State

The Niners drafted Taylor Mays a couple years ago to be their man at SS and that didn't work out for them. They are still searching for a Safety on an improving defense. Martin is the best in this draft other than Barron. If things don't work out they can trade him to the Bengals for a 7th round pick.

61. Baltimore Ravens- Ben Jones, OC, Georgia

The Ravens made a mistake letting their Center of the future go a couple years ago. They then brought in an old Matt Birk. They now find themselves needing a young Center for the future. This is a draft with a few good Centers, they are going higher and higher though as teams are realizing all the great lines have a good Center.

62. New Orleans Saints- Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska

The Saints are kind of weak at LB. Getting David this late would be a steal, but LB's are starting to slip in drafts in the past few years as teams aren't valuing the position as much as they used to. When they lost Fujita and that was a big deal that showed how bad they were at LB.

63. New England Patriots- Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina

While the Patriots do have Tom Brady and an explosive offense, they can be stopped by teams with a good defense. The Pats don't have a deep threat so if you can squat on the short routes and get some reasonable pressure on Brady they will have a tough time moving the ball. That's what the Steelers did and blew them out because their defense is horrible. Jones would provide them with a big WR that is a deep threat.

64. Green Bay Packers- Brandon Lindsey, DE/OLB, Pittsburgh

The Packers need help at rush LB across from Clay Matthews. Teams are just throwing a Tackle and either chipping him with a TE or a RB and shutting down the GB pass rush this year. Bringing in Lindsey would make teams play them honest and help Matthews get his sack numbers back up.