2012 NFL Draft Order: 4 Teams That Benefit from Horrible Records

The one positive that comes from having a bad record is the opportunity to have a high draft pick.

What helps even more is if that particular team lost a bunch of close games, was in a tough division and has some pieces in play to really make strides in 2012.

So, here are four teams (aside from the obvious Colts and Rams) that benefit from a bad season.

Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

The Minnesota Vikings could go a lot of different directions with their No. 3 overall pick.

They have their franchise QB in Christian Ponder and regardless of how long he's out next season, RB Adrian Peterson is still a stud. Not to mention Toby Gerhart is a solid replacement while Peterson's out.

Defensively, the pass rush and rush defense is great but they do need to improve against the pass. All that being said, the Vikings could go with USC's Matt Kalil to help protect Ponder, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon to help out the passing game, or LSU's Morris Claiborne to improve the pass defense and return game.

Regardless of which player they draft the Vikings will improve significantly. Right now Kalil appears to be the most likely pick being that you want to protect the QB and keep the ground game working.

Which benefits the most against teams like Green Bay and Detroit who allow quite a bit of yards whether by land or air. Also favoring Minnesota were how they lost games.

Nine of their 13 were by seven points or less, so if you switch just five or six of those in their favor, the Vikings are in the playoff race. Now with more experience and a high draft pick, some of those close losses will surely flip to wins in 2012.

Cleveland Browns (4-12)

Much like Minnesota, the Cleveland Browns can go a few different directions with their No. 4 overall draft pick.

If available, Baylor QB Robert Griffin isn't a bad choice and they then can put either Seneca Wallace or Colt McCoy on the trade block or free agent market. However, what Cleveland needs more than anything is to improve at WR and rush defense.

Unfortunately for them there are no LBs or DLs worth a top five pick unless they're willing to trade down once again or take the best available.

Well, pending on what Minnesota and St. Louis do, Cleveland could see WR Justin Blackmon and/or CB Morris Claiborne available.

If that's the case they can't go wrong with either pick. Claiborne will go opposite of CB Joe Haden and no one will be able to throw the ball against them. But with Blackmon out wide, Cleveland then would have that stud No. 1 WR they so desperately needed.

Then there's Iowa Hawkeye OT Reilly Reiff who would be a great right tackle for pass protection and the running game. With another first round pick thanks to the trade with the Atlanta Falcons from 2011, Cleveland can't go wrong with their No. 4 overall pick in 2012.

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

Despite having the NFL's worst passing offense in 2011, the Jacksonville Jaguars had the No. 12 ranked rush offense and a top 10 defense against both the rush and pass.

Still, the Jags receive a top 10 pick and lost five of their 11 games by seven points or less. If they had at least one threatening receiving target they would have won another three or four games.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing even though defenses were stacking the box against him. The defense suffocated most opponents but isn't quite good enough yet to be solely relied on with the offense failing to score.

When it comes time for Jacksonville to draft, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd is a great choice. He's worthy of a top 10 pick and has set virtually every receiving record for the Irish.

Other than Floyd, if they're willing to trade up and get QB Robert Griffin, that's also another decent option. Griffin would make the offense a lot better than anything Gabbert could offer and it would take quite a bit of pressure off MJD.

With Floyd out wide he provides a vertical and horizontal dimension that none of their current WRs can offer. Include MJD's versatility along with a confident defense and Jacksonville makes up for lost time rather quickly.

Carolina Panthers (6-10)

Carolina may have finished 6-10 but they went 4-2 in their last six games, QB Cam Newton threw for 4,000 yards, ran for another 700 and accounted for 35 total TDs.

The Panthers offense finished ranked No. 7, averaged almost 390 total yards per game and scored 25.4 points per game (rank No. 5 tied with San Diego).

Unfortunately, the defense allowed 377.6 total yards per game (ranked No. 28) as well as 26.8 points per game (ranked No. 27). The pass and rush defense needs to improve. However, they were without LB Jon Beason all year so the pass defense should be addressed in the draft.

There, they'll likely have the choice of a few stud CBs such as Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick and Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard. Can't go wrong with either one as long as they address the defense.

Also, DEs Brandon Thompson and Quinton Coples are worth a look as well as Penn State DT Devon Still.

2012 First-Round NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)	17. Cincinnati (From OAK): Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)	18. San Diego Chargers: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Alabama)
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)	19. Chicago Bears: Nick Toon, WR (Wisconsin)
4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)	20. Tennessee Titans: Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)	21. Cincinnati Bengals: Jayron Hosley, CB (Virginia Tech)
6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin, QB (Baylor)	22. Detroit Lions: Zach Brown, LB (UNC)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)	23. Cleveland (From ATL): Vontaze Burfict, LB (ASU)
8. Miami Dolphins: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)	24. Denver Broncos: Stephon Gilmore, CB (South Carolina)
9. Carolina Panthers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)	25. New York Giants: Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)
10. Buffalo Bills: Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)	26. Houston Texans: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)
11. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro, G (Stanford)	27. San Francisco 49ers: Mark Barron, S (Alabama)
12. Seattle Seahawks: Quinton Coples, DE (UNC)	28. Baltimore Ravens: Dont'a Hightower, LB (Alabama)
13. Arizona Cardinals: Cordy Glenn, G (Georgia)	29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)
14. Dallas Cowboys: Chase Minnifield, CB (UVA)	30. New England Patriots (From NO): Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly, LB (Boston College)	31. New England Patriots: Cam Johnson, DE (UVA)
16. New York Jets: Brandon Thompson, DE (Clemson)	32. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)

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