2012 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting Top Prospects from BCS Championship Game

There's a reason LSU and Alabama finished the season as (arguably) the top two teams in college football and played each other again in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game—they're both loaded with top-tier talent, much of which is bound to show up in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Well, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

And much more from the Crimson Tide than the Tigers, if Monday's 21-0 result is any indication.

A handful of those blue chippers are bound to go at some point in the first round and make noise at the next level as rookies.

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14): Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Who did you think I was going to put first overall? Jordan Jefferson?

Too soon?

The only way Andrew Luck isn't in a Colts uniform when training camp opens is if Peyton Manning puts a gun to Jim Irsay's head and tells him to trade the pick away.

Which, if you think about it, might not be all that far fetched.

2. St. Louis Rams (2-14): Matt Kalil, OT, USC

If the Rams love Sam Bradford as much as their pocketbooks do, they'll do everything in their power to make sure he isn't thrown to the wolves every Sunday. A big, athletic tackle like Matt Kalil would be an answer to their (and Bradford's) prayers.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13): Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

With all the attention paid to Tyrann Mathieu, it's easy to forget that Morris Claiborne is actually LSU's best defensive back. At 6'1" and 185 pounds, Mo has the size, speed and athleticism to be a shutdown corner at the next level.

Lo and behold, the Minnesota Vikings, whose pass defense was among the worst in the NFL. The Vikes allowed opposing quarterbacks to rack up a collective passer rating of 107.6 while picking off just eight passes and surrendering 272.6 yards per game and 34 touchdowns.

With the likes of Calvin Johnson and Greg Jennings wreaking havoc in the NFC North, Minny could certainly use a corner of Claiborne's caliber to improve their woebegone defense.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Because Colt McCoy is the future of the Cleveland Browns? If RG3 declares, look for Cleveland to select him...or threaten to draft him and parlay said threat into a boatload of picks from the Washington Redskins or the Miami Dolphins, just as they did last time around with Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12): Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Yeah, I know, Tampa Bay's defense was turrrble, as Charles Barkley would say.

But so was their running game. The Buccaneers picked up just 91.1 yards per game on the ground—third-worst in the NFL. That should come as little surprise, not with the likes of LeGarrette Blount, Earnest Graham and Kregg Lumpkin carrying the bulk of the load.

Not exactly a Murderer's Row of running backs.

Meanwhile, Trent Richardson, far and away the best running back in this draft class, should be available at No. 5, assuming the Browns don't opt for the Heisman Trophy finalist over the guy who actually won the darn thing. The 5'11", 224-pounder is an absolute beast out of the backfield, with the size and strength to run over defenders and the speed to scoot right around them.

Certainly Josh Freeman wouldn't mind having a backfield buddy to help him out, either.

6. Washington Redskins (5-11): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Dre Kirkpatrick is to Alabama's defense what Morris Claiborne is to LSU's—the best player in an absolutely loaded secondary. At 6'3" and 192 pounds, Kirkpatrick is an absolute giant at corner, big enough to cover tall receivers and fast enough to stay step-for-step with just about any pass-catcher around.

As for the Redskins, don't be surprised if they trade away the farm to move up a few spots so they can grab RG3. Of course, Daniel Snyder fails in that endeavor, a big corner of Kirkpatrick's caliber isn't exactly a bad consolation prize.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Blaine Gabbert may stink, but the Jaguars didn't do him any favors by surrounding him with a terrible receiving corps. If he still stinks with Justin Blackmon by his side, then the Jags can waste another draft pick on a quarterback.

8. Carolina Panthers (6-10): Devon Still, DT, Penn State

If the Panthers had anything resembling a defense, they probably would've been a borderline playoff team. As it stands, adding a big defensive tackle of Devon Still's caliber should help Carolina improve its 25th-ranked run defense. 

9. Miami Dolphins (6-10): Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Matt Moore would appear to be entrenched as the starting quarterback in Miami heading into the 2012 season. The Dolphins would do well to upgrade their offensive line—especially at right tackle, where Marc Colombo has been abysmal—to ensure that Moore can stay upright for a full season.

Enter Riley Reiff, on the right. 

10. Buffalo Bills (6-10): Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

The Buffalo Bills need help on defense. Quinton Coples is good at playing defense.

'Nuff said.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9): Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Jonathan Martin is everything a team could dream of in an offensive tackle—big, strong, athletic, tough and, with his Stanford education, smart. He'd be a perfect fit along a Chiefs offensive line that's been decimated by injuries and retirements in recent years. 

12. Seattle Seahawks (7-9): Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Tarvaris Jackson is a franchise quarterback.

Try saying that five times fast without either laughing or crying, depending on how you feel about the Seattle Seahawks.

Ryan Tannehill is a bit of a reach at this point in the draft, but Pete Carroll's going to have to find his pet signal-caller eventually, and Tannehill's the best he'll find here. 

13. Arizona Cardinals (8-8): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

Arizona spent a ton of money upgrading its linebacking corps this past summer and its run defense still stank up the joint. Luke Kuechly is the best there is on the inside in this draft class and will make the Cardinals coaching staff mighty happy.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8): David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Last I checked, the interior of Dallas' offensive line was flat-out awful. David DeCastro should help to mask the problems posed by playing the likes of Phil Costa and Montrae Holland up front.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

The Eagles' run defense never quite recovered from the departure of Stewart Bradley, though it did improve significantly as the season went along and Juan Castillo realized he wasn't coaching the offensive line anymore.

Still, Philly needs reinforcements at the second level, especially on the inside. Vontaze Burfict would be an excellent choice here, but his character issues just might scare off Andy Reid, who probably doesn't want to spend any more time purging his locker room of toxic waste.

Hence, look for Dont'a Hightower, the defensive MVP of the BCS title game, to get the nod here and to bring some serious attitude and athleticism of his own to the middle of the Eagles' D.

16. New York Jets (8-8): Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE, Alabama

There's a reason Rex Ryan called blitzes so much this season, and it didn't necessarily have to do with how much he trusted Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the outside.

Rather, Ryan realized just how poor his front seven was at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It certainly didn't help that Bryan Thomas, the Jets' best pass-rushing linebacker, tore his Achilles during the 2011 campaign.

Enter Courtney Upshaw, an athletic specimen at linebacker with plenty of prior experience playing in a 3-4 scheme. He and Muhammad Wilkerson will comprise one heckuva pass-rushing tandem in the AFC East for years to come.

Tom Brady will be none too happy about it.  

17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Thanks to the generosity of the Oakland Raiders, who so desperately shelled out draft picks to pick up Carson Palmer, the Bengals will have the opportunity to draft Janoris Jenkins, the most notorious bad boy in the class of 2012.

Jenkins will fill Cincinnati's need at corner beautifully while fitting in just as comfortably in Marvin Lewis' locker room full of social deviants.

18. San Diego Chargers (8-8): Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

San Diego's pass rush dropped off considerably in 2011, with only one guy on the roster (Antwan Barnes) registering more than four sacks.

Nick Perry is still a bit raw, but with a bit of coaching and refinement, the USC product has the potential to be a defensive star, thanks to his tremendous physical gifts. 

19. Chicago Bears (8-8): Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

Tim Jennings will be a free agent come March, leaving Chicago's secondary untenably thin in a division with Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. Alfonzo Dennard isn't particularly tall for a corner, but he has the strength and speed to cover just about anyone who'd dare challenge him. 

20. Tennessee Titans (9-7): Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

Is it just me, or are there a ton of teams that need help pursuing the quarterback?

The Titans certainly fall into that category, seeing as how they managed just 24 sacks this season, seven of which came courtesy of Karl Klug.

Yes, Karl Klug, Tennessee's defensive tackle. Melvin Ingram should help quite a bit in that department, Klug or no Klug. 

21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

So long, Nate Livings! Helloooo, Cordy Glenn! 

22. Detroit Lions (10-6): Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Dominic Raiola has been a good sport, sticking with the Lions through 10 terrible seasons before finally sniffing the playoffs this time around.

Unfortunately, the guy's 33, is owed $4 million and isn't particularly good anymore. Meanwhile, Peter Konz is the best center to enter the draft in the last few years.

As heartwarming as it would be for Detroit to reward Raiola's loyalty, the team must be more concerned with winning football games than sticking with sentimentality.

23. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

Ah, yes. Julio Jones—the gift that keeps on giving to the Cleveland Browns.

Assuming the Browns snatch up RG3, they'll need to find him a top-notch receiver to pair with him, just as the in-state rival Bengals did last year with AJ Green and Andy Dalton.

Alshon Jeffery and Michael Floyd are neck-and-neck in the race for second-best among receivers in the 2012 draft, with Jeffery getting the nod on account of his relative lack of baggage. 

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

One of these days, Ben Roethlisberger will go down with an injury and won't be able to just get back up and keep playing.

The Steelers don't ever want to see that, so they'll do the smart thing and upgrade their offensive line, starting with Zebrie Sanders at tackle.

25. Denver Broncos (8-8): Michael Floyd, WR, Floyd

Nobody would mistake Tim Tebow for a great passer, but neither would anyone suggest that his receivers are any good, save for the occasional big game from Demaryius Thomas. Michael Floyd would be the Broncos' best receiver from day one.

26. New York Giants (9-7): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

The Giants finished dead last in the NFL in rushing this season, thanks to subpar seasons from Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs isn't likely to return and Bradshaw can't exactly be counted on to carry the load every down.

Lamar Miller, on the other hand, is big enough to carry the ball 20 to 25 times a game and fast enough to make people miss.

27. Houston Texans (10-6): Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor 

The Houston Texans could use a quality receiver to play opposite Andre Johnson. Kendall Wright is a native Texan who plays the position quite well, thank you very much.

A perfect match? We'll see what Texans GM Rick Smith has to say about it.

28: Baltimore Ravens (12-4): Vontaze Burfict, ILB, Arizona State

Speaking of perfect matches, could there be a better fit for the Ravens needs than Vontaze Burfict? Ray Lewis isn't getting any younger, and Burfict has the freakish athletic ability and nasty streak on the field to play right away and fill the Hall of Fame linebacker's shoes when he decides to hang 'em up.

29. San Francisco 49ers (13-3): Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

Sooo, Braylon Edwards happened. Think Alex Smith would look better with a guy like Mohamed Sanu to throw to, alongside the likes of Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis?

30. New England Patriots (13-3): Whitney Mercilus, OLB/DE, Illinois

The Patriots should have three words posted on their big board come draft day—defense, defense, defense.

First up, the pass rush, which was practically nonexistent in New England this season. Whitney Mercilus, the leading sack artist in college football, can play linebacker in a 3-4 and end in a 4-3 and has the sort of size at the position that Bill Belichick so covets. 

31. New England Patriots (13-3): Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

Quick—name New England's starting secondary. I'll give you a hint: Troy Brown and Rodney Harrison don't play football anymore.

I'm not sure The Hoodie could pick out James Ihedigbo and Patrick Chung from a crowd, either.

Nor would he want to, not with those two comprising the safety tandem amidst the NFL's 31st-ranked pass defense.

Mark Barron is easily the best safety in this draft class and would be an absolute steal this late in the first round. The 6'1", 218-pounder from Alabama can make plays all over the field and relishes the opportunity to lay the wood on his opponents like few others in college football.

My Spidey Sense tells me Belichick is going to like lining him up on Sundays. 

32. Green Bay Packers (15-1): Jerel Worthy, DE/DT, Michigan State

Like DJ Khaled, all the Packers do is win, though they'll be hard-pressed to keep it up for much longer if they don't upgrade their defense. The line, in particular, never seemed to recover from the loss of Cullen Jenkins, as BJ Raji seemed to spend more time filming awkward State Farm commercials than plugging running lanes.

Jerel Worthy would take care of that problem quite nicely.

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