Matt Miller's 2012 Mock Draft: 7 Things He Got Wrong

Back in November, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote a piece where he challenged Mel Kiper, Jr. on his draft big board.

I thought the piece was entertaining and engaging. What's better than one seasoned draft expert laying down the proverbial gauntlet on another?

But earlier this week Matt put out his own mock draft, and there are some glaring holes in his predictions, especially in the first 20 picks (anything after that is conjecture based on how teams will do in this year's playoffs).

Without further ado about nothing, I give you the biggest things Matt's got wrong in his most recent mock draft.

Pick 2, St Louis

Matt's Prediction: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Ryan's Prediction: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Ranking wide receivers so highly is one of Matt's biggest flaws. Wide receivers are a dime a dozen, especially quality ones. With today's NFL growing more and more into a glorified Arena Football game, the Larry Fitzgeralds and the Andre Johnsons are less and less important.

St. Louis has fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo and General Manager Billy Devaney, so I have no idea what kind of philosophy the new brass is going to have, but I can tell you that in the last 20 years, St. Louis has only selected two wide receivers in the first round—Torry Holt (1999) and Eddie Kennison (1996).

Protecting Sam Bradford (who was sacked 36 times in just 10 games last year) and clearing the edge for an aging Steven Jackson will be a top priority for a Rams team starting over with a new head coach and new general manager.

Enter offensive tackle Matt Kalil from USC.

Kalil has great size (6'7", 295 pounds), incredible mobility on screens and pulls (check out the clip above) and is patient in pass protection. He's also been surrounded by football since he was born—his father played in the USFL and his older brother Ryan has been the Pro Bowl three out of his five years with Carolina. 

But what about Rodger Saffold?

The former second-round pick was hampered by a pectoral injury this season and he hasn't shown himself to be worth passing on the best offensive lineman in this year's draft.

Pick 3, Minnesota

Matt's Prediction: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Ryan's Prediction: Morris Claiborne, Cornerback, LSU

There are three big needs for Minnesota—offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver. With Kalil being taken by St. Louis, the Vikings could take the next-best thing in Stanford offensive tackle Jon Martin.

But I think a more pressing need in the minds of the Minnesota Vikings front office is their horrendous pass defense. That's why I think they'll go with LSU's Morris Claiborne.

Claiborne is the best cover man in the country. Just look at what he did to Mississippi State wide receiver Michael Carr—Claiborne smells the deep ball, follows Carr every step of the way, puts himself in a position to slow Carr's pattern just a step and picks off the ball easily.

When you're playing in the NFC North against quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford (who are throwing to wide receivers like Jordy Nelson and Calvin Johnson) having a player who can take away half of the field through the air is invaluable. Forcing the Packers and Lions to run is like making them gift wrap a victory for you.

Pick 4, Cleveland

Matt's Prediction: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Ryan's Prediction: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Matt said that the Browns "won't select a quarterback in the first round," but I couldn't disagree more.

With Colt McCoy's future uncertain in Cleveland, and no other signal-callers on the roster (other than Seneca Wallace and Thaddeus Lewis—but, c'mon) Mike Holmgren will undoubtedly look for a quarterback in the draft.

There's no player who would fit better in this system than Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Think about it—Griffin would not only re-energize Cleveland's fanbase, but he'd be like Josh Cribbs with a better arm. He'd revolutionize the Wildcat, succeed despite the fact he has no marquee receiver, pair perfectly with a healed Peyton Hillis, survive behind a weak Cleveland offensive line and give those AFC North defenses fits.

For all you naysayers who say he doesn't have an NFL arm, check out just how bad his arm is in this last-second game-winner against No. 5 Oklahoma.

Pick 5, Tampa Bay

Matt's Prediction: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Ryan's Prediction: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

This one's a no-brainer for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have been without a 1,000-yard receiver since 2008 and Josh Freeman needs someone better to throw to than Mike Williams.

Why not an offensive lineman? The team's line was surprisingly good last season—allowing only 64 hits to the QB. That's an incredible statistic figuring that Tampa Bay quarterbacks dropped back for 587 pass attempts last season.

In a division that includes horrendous pass defenses like New Orleans (275.6 yards per game, fourth-worst in NFL), Carolina (257.4 yards per game, ninth-worst in NFL) and Atlanta (251.1 yards per game, 12th-worst in NFL), it only makes sense to upgrade the wide receiving corps.

Just check out his speed in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl this week. That's with him injured.

Pick 10, Buffalo Bills

Matt's Prediction: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

Ryan's Prediction: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

Matt said the Buffalo Bills need someone who can rush the ball and start "attacking Tom Brady twice a season."

That is not the greatest need on this team.

More than a pass-rusher, the Bills need a run-stopper. They were pitiful against the run last season, allowing teams 139.0 yards on the ground per game.

Still's athleticism, intelligence and size would make him an incredible two-gap defensive tackle in the Bills' 3-4 system.

Pick 11, Kansas City Chiefs

Matt's Prediction: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

Ryan's Prediction: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

I agree with Matt that Kansas City needs to strengthen its offensive line, but the Chiefs need to do it on the edge of the line, not the interior.

Even without Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs still rushed for 118.3 yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry. They have a pair of star wide receivers in Jonathan Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe and even challenged for the AFC West, losing out on a playoff spot by just a game.

What the Chiefs need is a right tackle and although Martin was a left tackle at Stanford, his athleticism would allow him to learn both positions with ease.

Pick 15, Philadelphia Eagles

Matt's Prediction: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Ryan's Prediction: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

There's three games Philadelphia lost in 2011 that came down to its porous run defense—Buffalo (143 yards), Chicago (163 yards) and Seattle (174 yards).

With the run defense shutting down even one of them and gaining a win, the Eagles would have snuck into the playoffs at 9-7 and the best divisional record in the NFC East (5-1).

That's why Philadelphia will look to shore up the interior of that defensive line in next year's draft and why they'll look to Clemson's Brandon Thompson.

Thompson isn't getting the sacks that some of the hybrid DT/DE players are getting (i.e. Penn State's Devon Still), but he regularly plugs up holes and consistently makes runners reverse their field and pick a new hole.

Check out his ability to penetrate Wake Forest's offensive line, force a 4th-and-long and get his Clemson Tigers the ball and score the game-winning field goal.