2012 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting QBs with Robert Griffin III Announcement

On Sunday news broke that Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III would announce his intention to enter the 2012 NFL draft. The Baylor quarterback's decision should come as no surprise to anyone as his stock has risen to incredible heights over the course of this season.

Griffin's decision to enter the draft, combined with USC quarterback Matt Barkley's decision to return to school, has shaken things up at the top of the draft.

Here is a projection of where the top quarterbacks in the draft look like they'll go at this point. 

Andrew Luck, Stanford

No surprise here, as we all know Andrew Luck will be the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft no matter who ends up with the selection. 

Luck is poised, polished, smart and has all the tools you want out of a starting quarterback in the NFL. His arm strength and accuracy are both outstanding and when you throw in his ridiculous intangibles and tons of experience you get the best quarterback prospect to enter the draft since Peyton Manning 14 years ago. 

Projection: Will be the No. 1 overall pick

Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Word that Griffin has decided to enter the NFL draft should not have come as a surprise since his stock could not possibly be any higher than it is right now. Some are even suggesting that a quarterback-needy team could trade into the top 10 for a chance to select the uber-athletic signal-caller.

Griffin had a remarkable Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 2011. He completed 291 of 402 passes (72.4 percent) for 4,293 yards, with 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also rushed for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 attempts. 

More impressively the 21-year-old showed incredible development as a passer as his altered delivery resulted in much better accuracy, particularly on downfield throws. He has good arm strength, showed outstanding accuracy on the season and when you couple that with the fact that he's a great kid who has off-the-charts intangibles and is a ridiculous athlete, teams will fall in love with him.

Griffin will go high, so leaving early is the right move.

Projection: Top 10, could go in top five.

Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Arguably no prospect eligible for the 2012 NFL draft has seen his stock drop more than Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones. Before the season Jones was widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the country and a guy who could go as high as No. 2 in the draft. 

His performance this season did not come close to living up to that hype. Jones completed 355 of 562 passes (63.2 percent) for 4,463 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. All of those numbers are worse than the ones he put up in 2010. 

Still, Jones has ideal size (6'4" and 230 pounds) and accuracy is an area of strength for him when he makes good decisions. He has a strong arm but needs to improve his footwork and timing. He will need time to develop and could use some polish, but in the right system with the right coaches and possibly a year on the bench, he could turn into a very good quarterback.

His stock could improve dramatically at the Combine or his Pro Day.

Projection: Late first-round right now but could rise

Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

Most people hadn't even heard of Tannehill before the season, but the former wide receiver has been rising as fast as any prospect on the board this year and has all the makings of an outstanding quarterback.

Tannehill had a great season in his first full-year as a starting quarterback for the Aggies. he completed 327 of 531 passes (61.6 percent) for 3,744 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. 

At 6'4" and 222 pounds, he has ideal size and despite a three-quarters release he has an above-average arm and accuracy, and both seem to improve in each game. His decision-making has also improved with experience and he could have a ridiculously high ceiling. 

He will certainly require more development time, but considering that he played receiver two-plus seasons and switched to quarterback midway through last year, that's to be expected. He is an outstanding athlete and can make plays with his legs as well.

His intangibles are also off-the-charts and he is the consummate team player.

Projection: Early to mid second round.

Full Mock Draft

2012 NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck	17. Cincinnati Bengals: Alfonzo Dennard
2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon	18. San Diego Chargers: Peter Konz
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil	19. Chicago Bears: Mike Adams
4.Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson	20. Tennessee Titans: Whitney Mercilus
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne	21. Cincinnati Bengals: Mark Barron
6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III	22.New York Giants: Vontaze Burfict
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Alshon Jeffery	23. Denver Broncos: Devon Still
8. Carolina Panthers: Dre Kirkpatrick	24. Cleveland Browns: Nick Toon
9. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff	25. Detroit Lions: Zach Brown
10. Buffalo Bills: Jonathan Martin	26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright
11. Seattle Seahawks: Lamar Miller	27. Baltimore Ravens: Melvin Ingram
12. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro	28. New England Patriots: Jared Crick
13. Arizona Cardinals: Cordy Glenn	29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dontari Poe
14. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins	30. San Francisco 49ers: Mohamed Sanu
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Floyd	31. New England Patriots: Stephon Gilmore
16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw	32. Green Bay Packers: Quinton Coples