NFL Draft 2012: One Prospect Each NFL Team Must Target

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This post looks at one player that each NFL team should target with their first pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  Keep in mind that this is not a mock draft, so the same player could be listed for more than one team within reason. 

Andrew Luck will not be listed for anyone except for the Colts, but Robert Griffin III could reasonably picked by a couple of different teams.

Click through to see the one prospect each NFL team must target in this April's draft.

Indianapolis Colts

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Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

This one is a layup. The Colts are in full rebuilding mode, and Andrew Luck is the best quarterback prospect coming out of college since Peyton Manning. 

How quickly Indianapolis can rebuild will be directly tied to how quickly Luck can pick up an NFL offense.  If everything you hear is true, it will not take him very long.

St. Louis Rams

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Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Justin Blackmon seems to be slipping in mock drafts over the past week or two, but the St. Louis Rams would be crazy not to take him with this pick. They will obviously take a long, hard look at Matt Kalil, but the Rams need to sell tickets. Left tackles do not sell tickets.

Ticket sales are not the only reason the Rams should take Blackmon. Sam Bradford desperately needs a weapon on the outside that can win a jump ball. Blackmon gives him exactly that.

Minnesota Vikings

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Matt Kalil, OT, USC

The Vikings are trying to build a franchise around Christian Ponder. The best way to do that is protect his blind side. That is exactly what Matt Kalil will do. They can pencil him in the lineup for the next decade and not have to worry about one of the most important positions on offense.

Kalil is going to be an excellent left tackle in the NFL, but if for some reason he is not, they can always move him over to the right side. 

Cleveland Browns

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Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The Browns desperately need a quarterback. Colt McCoy just is not going to get it done in the NFL.  They should be willing to trade both of their first-round picks to move up to No. 2 to draft RG3.

Cleveland has the ammo to move up to that spot, but it has to be a little nervous about the other teams that are going to want to get the spot. The Browns should go ahead and start the dialogue with Jeff Fisher and the Rams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Buccaneers have a lot of holes, but in today's quarterback-driven NFL, the most important priority for them in the offseason is getting Josh Freeman back to his 2010 form. There is no better way to do that than to give him a solid rushing game. Trent Richardson would do just that. 

Running backs have been undervalued in today's NFL, but Richardson should be the exception to that rule. He does everything well and would make the Tampa offense much more potent.

Washington Redskins

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Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Obviously both the Browns and Redskins cannot draft Robert Griffin III, but this post is about who the teams should target. It is not a mock draft.

Mike Shanahan is on thin ice in Washington. He has not been able to produce the results the Redskins thought they were going to get when they hired him. That is due in large part to the fact that he has not had a good quarterback during his time there. Adding Griffin would chance that.

They are probably going to have to outbid the Browns for the No. 2 pick to add RG3. They might not have enough to get in the conversation.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

The Jaguars desperately need to give Blaine Gabbert some weapons to work with in Jacksonville. He has arguably the worst receiver group in the NFL right now.

Some might think this is too high for Michael Floyd, but he will be in the top 10 conversation with a good performance at the combine.

Miami Dolphins

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Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Dolphins need a quarterback, but there is not one worthy of the eighth pick. They might think about trying to move up to get Robert Griffin, but at the end of the day, they do not have enough to make that move.

Riley Reiff seems to be flying up boards over the last couple of weeks. Adding Reiff would give the Dolphins one of the best offensive lines in the league. They may not have a good quarterback, but whoever is back there will have plenty of time to throw the ball.

Carolina Panthers

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Devon Still, DT, Penn State

The Panthers need a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball. They should start the rebuild in the middle by adding Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still. 

Still can eat up space in the middle of the field to free up linebackers and can also get after the quarterback. Adding Still would also make the secondary better because of the upgraded pass-rush.

Buffalo Bills

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Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama

The Bills are another team that is desperate for help on defense, and Courtney Upshaw is going to be the best defensive player on the board when their pick comes up. He can put his hand in the ground and get after the quarterback. He can also drop back in coverage as a linebacker.

Upshaw would give the Bills some versatility on defense. That is something that they desperately need after how bad they were in 2011.

Kansas City Chiefs

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Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

The Chiefs need to target the best available offensive tackle with their first pick. It is looking more and more like that guy will be Jonathan Martin. 

The odds are pretty good that Matt Kalil and Riley Reiff will be on the board when the Chiefs pick, and the difference between those two guys and Martin isn't really that big. Trading up to try and add one of them would not be worth the price.

Seattle Seahawks

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Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Quinton Coples is going to be an interesting player to watch on draft day. He could go in the top six or seven, but he could also fall to the middle of the first round.

The Seahawks would probably like to get in on Robert Griffin III as well, but they do not have enough to move all the way up to No. 2. They would be thrilled to add a pure pass-rusher like Coples with the 12th pick.

Arizona Cardinals

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David DeCastro, G, Stanford

The Cardinals desperately need to shore up there offensive line. The 13th pick might seem early for a guard, but David DeCastro will prove to be worth the pick.

Arizona could also look to move out of this pick if there is a team looking to move up and grab someone.  If DeCastro is not picked here, he could hang around for five to eight more picks.

Dallas Cowboys

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Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Janoris Jenkins has character concerns off the field, but on the field there is no doubt how good of a cover corner he is. A lot of mocks have Dre Kirkpatrick going with this pick, but Jenkins is a better pure cover corner.

You know that Jerry Jones does not shy away from adding guys with character concerns in their past. This pick could pay off big time for the Cowboys if Jenkins stays out of trouble.

Philadelphia Eagles

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Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama

Some people think that Luke Kuechly is the best inside linebacker in this draft, but those people are wrong. Dont'a Hightower is a better all around player than Kuechly. He has better instincts, has more upside and is more NFL-ready.

The Eagles desperately need an inside linebacker, and they should be able to have their pick because there will not be one picked before they are on the clock at 15.

New York Jets

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Mark Barron, S, Alabama

The Jets need to be good on defense if they are going to have a chance against the Patriots. Last year they did not have any swagger at the back of their defense. Adding Mark Barron would fix that problem.

Barron is the prototypical NFL safety. He can come up and play in the box, but he can also cover the deep middle of the field.

Cincinnati Bengals

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Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Bengals main target should be a cornerback, and there is a good chance they are going to be able to get a really good one with the 17th pick. Morris Claiborne is the best corner in this draft. He will be off the board, but there is an outside shot they could get their pick of the second best corner.

It will be widely debated between now and the draft if Janoris Jenkins or Dre Kirkpatrick is the second best corner. Kirkpatrick would be a really good fit for the Bengals.

San Diego Chargers

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Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

Whitney Mercilus is going to shoot up draft boards between now and April. He played in a 3-4 in college, so he would be a good fit for the Chargers.

He also could be a very good defensive end in a 4-3. Teams are always looking for guys that can bring versatility to their defense. Mercilus might be the most versatile defensive player in the draft.

Chicago Bears

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Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

The Bears need a big receiver, and Alshon Jeffery fits that bill. There are questions about his weight and speed, but Chicago has all of the small, fast receivers they need. Adding Jeffery would give their offense a whole new element.

It will be interesting to watch what happens with the receivers in the top half of the this draft. After Blackmon, there is no receiver that is guaranteed to be picked before the Bears are on the clock.

Tennessee Titans

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Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

The Titans have to get their interior offensive line fixed. It was so bad last year that Chris Johnson was barely able to crack 1,000 yards for the season.

Tennessee would love to have a shot at David DeCastro, but he will be long gone by the 20th pick. The Titans can add Peter Konz at center and move Eugene Amano back to guard.

Detroit Lions

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Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

The Lions need to upgrade on defense, and adding Melvin Ingram to the fold would help them do just that. Ingram is another versatile player. He would be a nice replacement for Cliff Avril if he ends up leaving in free agency.

Ingram is another guy who could go anywhere in this draft, but there is a good chance he ends up being the best defensive end of the group. The Lions should try to move up and get him if he falls to within five picks of them.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

The Steelers seems to always be desperate for offensive linemen. This year their top target should be Mike Adams. He is going to be a franchise left tackle. It is rare that you are able to find those guys late in the first round, but that is probably going to be the case with this offensive tackle class. 

Ben Roethlisberger would be happy to see Adams added to the fold so that he would not spend as much time running for his life.

Denver Broncos

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Orson Charles, TE, Georgia

Tim Tebow needs a reliable tight end. Orson Charles is a guy that not a lot of people are talking about right now, but they will be after they see what he can do at the combine.

You always hear people talking about how much a good tight end can help a young quarterback. Tebow is very limited, and he would greatly benefit from having a guy in the middle of the field that can produce matchup mismatches.

Houston Texans

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Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Kendall Wright would be the perfect complement to Andre Johnson. The Texans are in that rare place where they do not have any big holes. They will be able to sit back and take the best player available.

Wright is a local kid that could come in and produce right away because he would see a lot of single coverage with Johnson lined up on the other side.

New England Patriots

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Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

If the Patriots were ever going to trade up in a draft to add a player, this would be a good year for them to do it. However, we know that if the Patriots do any trading it will be down to get extra picks.

Alfonzo Dennard will be a good target for the Patriots. They need to figure out a way to have actual cornerbacks playing corner for them instead of wide receivers. Adding Dennard with one of their first-round picks would be a good start.

Green Bay Packers

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Fletcher Cox, DE, Mississippi State

The Packers need to take the best available pass-rusher with their first-round pick. There is a really good chance that guy will be Fletcher Cox. He would be a really good fit in the Packers 3-4 scheme.

Green Bay will be a really scary team in 2012 if they can get after the opposing quarterback.

Baltimore Ravens

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Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

Luke Kuechly is going to slide down draft boards, but the Ravens would be thrilled to get him with this pick. 

They are going to need to upgrade at middle linebacker in the next couple of years. There is no reason for them not to go ahead and draft a linebacker to learn behind Ray Lewis for a year or two.

San Francisco 49ers

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Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

The 49ers need to add a big play option to their offense. Michael Crabtree has been decent, but he is not making very many plays down the field. 

Sanu would give Alex Smith a deep option that would open up the offense for Vernon Davis over the middle. He would also open up some running lanes for Frank Gore because teams would not be as likely to stack the box.

New York Giants

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Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

The Giants are another team that does not have many holes they need to fill. They will need to add a complementary back to the fold though if Brandon Jacobs is not back with the team. 

Ahmad Bradshaw is a very good running back, but his injury history suggests that it would be a mistake to give him more carries than he is getting right now. Lamar Miller is the perfect solution to the problem.

Atlanta Falcons

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Andre Branch, DE, Clemson

The Falcons do not have a pick until No. 54 in this draft because of their trade to acquire Julio Jones in last year's draft. 

Atlanta's biggest need is a pass-rusher. There is a pretty good chance that Andre Branch will still be on the board when the Falcons are on the clock. He would be a really good value with that pick.

New Orleans Saints

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Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

The Saints do not have a pick until No. 59 in this draft because of their trade to acquire Mark Ingram in last year's draft.

There is no doubt the Saints need a lot of help on defense in this draft. Brandon Thompson would be the tough run stopper that New Orleans needs to plug into the middle of their defense. 

The Saints might be the early favorite to win the 2013 Super Bowl if they can stop the run next season.

Oakland Raiders

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Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa

It is tough to project a player the Raiders will target because they do not have a pick until the third day of the draft. They traded their first pick for Carson Palmer. They traded their second pick to the Patriots. They used their third-round pick in the supplemental draft for Terrelle Pryor. They traded their fourth-round pick for Jason Campbell.

Oakland needs a corner. Shaun Prater is a pretty good corner that could still be on the board in the fifth round.