2012 NFL Mock Draft: Analyzing Prospects from the BCS National Championship Game

In the aftermath of Alabama's 21-0 win over LSU in the BCS Championship Game Monday night, let's take a look at how the game's top draft prospects affected their 2012 NFL draft status: 

1.  Indianapolis Colts—Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  St. Louis Rams—Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

3.  Minnesota Vikings—Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  Cleveland Browns—Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Alabama's offense clearly wanted to avoid Claiborne and attack the smaller Tyrann Mathieu. Honey Badger was exposed on a few throws where he either didn't get his head around or lacked the size to go up and make the play on the ball. Claiborne had no such worries, although he did get sucked inside on Trent Richardson's game-sealing touchdown run in the fourth quarter. 

6.  Washington Redskins—Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars—Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa 

8.  Carolina Panthers—Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

9.  Miami Dolphins—Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

10.  Buffalo Bills—Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

The Alabama defense was impressive throughout the night, but no player caught as many eyes as Upshaw. He played the run well and showed an aggressiveness attacking down the line of scrimmage. But he also got after Jordan Jefferson in the passing game, consistently inserting himself into the LSU backfield. It was a big-time performance from a big-time player.

11.  Kansas City Chiefs—Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Over a third of Richardson's yards came on a late 34-yard touchdown run, but he did little to scare off any potential drafters Monday night. He ran strong against a solid front, and the burst he showed to get to the outside on his touchdown was the kind of athleticism we've come to expect. He's the complete package.

12.  Seattle Seahawks—Devon Still, DT Penn State

13.  Arizona Cardinals—Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford 

14.  Dallas Cowboys—Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

Wondering why you didn't hear Rueben Randle's name at all Monday night? Kirkpatrick is your answer. He completely shut down LSU's top receiver in man-to-man coverage and was a big reason (among many) that Jefferson struggled so mightily in the passing game. Kirkpatrick was also all over the field on special teams. After this final performance, it may be hard to keep him out of the top 10 in upcoming mock drafts.  

15.  Philadelphia Eagles—Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College 

16.  New York Jets—Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

17.  Cincinnati Bengals—Whitney Mercilus, DE Illinois

18.  San Diego Chargers—David DeCastro, OG Stanford

19.  Chicago Bears—Janoris Jenkins, CB North Alabama

20.  Tennessee Titans—Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina

21.  Cincinnati Bengals—Kendall Wright, WR Baylor

22.  Cleveland Browns—Mike Adams, OT Ohio State  

23.  Detroit Lions—Alfonzo Dennard, CB Nebraska

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers—Cordy Glenn, OL Georgia

25.  Denver Broncos—Lamar Miller, RB Miami

26.  New York Giants—Dont'a Hightower, LB Alabama

Hightower did nothing to quiet the fears about his sideline-to-sideline range, but he was a monster against the run and showed some pass rushing ability late. The instincts Hightower possesses are something you simply can't teach. In one of the best defensive showings in BCS history, Hightower was one of the standouts.  

27.  Houston Texans—Dontari Poe, NT Memphis       

28.  Baltimore Ravens—Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

29.  New England Patriots—Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

30.  San Francisco 49ers—Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

31.  New England Patriots—Mark Barron, S, Alabama

LSU didn't even attempt a shot down the field on Monday night. Part of that was the tentativeness of Jefferson at quarterback, but don't discount how well Barron and Robert Lester covered the back end of the Alabama defense.  

32.  Green Bay Packers—Nick Perry, OLB, USC