2012 NFL Mock Draft: Robert Griffin III and More Players Whose Stock Will Rise

The next few months will be fraught with tumult for NFL draft big boards across the football landscape. Between the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and college pro days, there are bound to be plenty of prospects who catch the eyes of scouts and, subsequently, catch fire on the way up (and up and up) draft projections—Mel Kiper Jr.'s and otherwise.

So which players can expect to see their draft stock shoot up by late April? Read on (risers are in Italics).

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

Last I checked, you can't climb any higher than No. 1 overall. Hence, I'd say Andrew Luck has already hit his ceiling.

2. St. Louis Rams (2-14): Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)

Some better pass-protection for Sam Bradford would be nice, but the kid likely wouldn't argue with the Rams giving him a legitimate No. 1 receiver like Justin Blackmon to throw to.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13): Matt Kalil, OT (USC)

The Vikings won't hesitate to make Matt Kalil Christian Ponder's best blind-side buddy, assuming Blackmon is already off the board.

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

Climbing much higher than No. 4 would be a tough task for most.

Not so for Robert Griffin III, with or without his Superman socks. RG3 could climb as high as No. 2, depending on how desperate the Browns and the Redskins are to land the Heisman Trophy winner while keeping the other from nabbing him first.

In any case, Griffin will be the second quarterback taken and may yet be the second player taken—a remarkable climb for a kid who was barely a blip on the radar for most draftniks just six months ago.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11): Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)

Trent Richardson could end up at No. 4 if the Browns whiff on RG3. More than likely, though, he'll end up in Tampa, where the Bucs need a reliable 'back to lend Josh Freeman a helping hand.

6. Washington Redskins (5-11): Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)

The Redskins desperately need a quarterback and could give away the farm for the chance to grab RG3 a spot or two earlier.

But, if they don't, they'd do just as well to improve their woeful secondary.

LSU's Morris Claiborne is the best corner in this draft class, just ahead of Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick. He'll help shore up a defensive backfield whose efficacy was masked by a revamped defensive line.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11): Quinton Coples, DE (North Carolina)

With Justin Blackmon off the board, the Jaguars will make it their mission to upgrade their second-rate pass-rush.

Pegging Quinton Coples to be Jeremy Mincey's sack partner would be an excellent step in that direction.

8. 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.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-10): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)

Carolina's defense is terrible in just about every phase.

Throw Dre Kirkpatrick, a 6'3" corner, across from Chris Gamble, and Ron Rivera's team might be able to slow down opponents enough to contend for a playoff spot in the second year of the Cam Newton era.

10. Buffalo Bills (6-10): Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE (Alabama)

Sackmasters are all the rage these days, and the Bills appear to be hard after one for themselves.

Two years ago, Bills head coach Chan Gailey couldn't tell enough people about his team's need for a running back before C.J. Spiller ended up in western New York.

This time around, Gailey is going ga-ga over Buffalo's lack of a reliable pass-rush.

Nobody in Buffalo finished the season with more than 5.5 sacks despite spending the No. 3 pick on Marcell Dareus last year.

Courtney Upshaw would be a perfect fit in the Bills' 3-4 scheme. He's easily the best pass-rushing linebacker in the draft and is outclassed only by Quinton Coples when it comes to sacking quarterbacks.

Upshaw was a playmaker when he first set foot on the field at Alabama and figures to have much of the same effect on the Bills' defense.

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

Jonathan Martin is everything a team could dream of in an offensive tackle: He's 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): Devon Still, DT/DE (Penn State)

The Seahawks will need to find a franchise quarterback at some point.

But taking Ryan Tannehill at No. 12 would be too much of a reach, especially with Tarvaris Jackson proving to be more than serviceable this past season.

Their defense, on the other hand, could use some serious work (and how). Devon Still should help improve Seattle's pass-rush whether Pete Carroll decides to play him inside or on the edge.

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 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.

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

16. New York Jets (8-8): Whitney Mercilus, OLB/DE (Illinois)

There's a reason Rex Ryan called blitzes so much this season, and it didn't 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 were at pressuring opposing quarterbacks.  

Enter Whitney Mercilus, an athletic specimen at linebacker with plenty of prior experience playing in a 3-4 scheme. The name (pronounced "merciless") says it all—the kid is an absolute beast off the edge, with an NCAA-best 16 sacks in 2011.

Mercilus and Muhammad Wilkerson will comprise one heckuva pass-rushing tandem in the AFC East for years to come.

In a related story, 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 while comfortably fitting in with Marvin Lewis' locker room full of social deviants.

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

San Diego's pass-rush dropped off considerably in 2011; only one guy on the roster (Antwan Barnes) registered 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. 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. Ingram's not the biggest end out there (6'2", 276 pounds), but the kid comes equipped with a tremendous motor—good enough to notch 10 sacks as a senior.

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 remain more concerned with winning football games than sentimentality.

23. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)

With all the love RG3 soaked up at Baylor this season, it's easy to forget about the guy who made the Heisman Trophy winner look as good as he did.

That was the job of Kendall Wright, who came up roses in that regard, hauling in 108 balls for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns.

But it's not the stats that will impress NFL scouts—nor will Wright's size (5'10", 190 pounds).

Rather, Wright will climb up draft boards the same way he managed to make himself a prospect in the first place—with speed, and lots of it. In fact, he may just be the fastest kid in this draft class.

Heck, if the Raiders had a first-round pick and the late Al Davis were still in charge, they'd probably jump at the chance to bring a burner of Wright's caliber on board.

As it stands, the Browns may yet do the right thing and improve their receiving corps with their new QB's old teammate.

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 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 (Notre Dame)

As helpful as John Elway figures to be as Tim Tebow's personal quarterback tutor, he'll be an even more benevolent mentor if/when he upgrades the Broncos' pass-catching corps. Michael Floyd's personal values won't exactly match up with Tebow's, though that should hardly hinder their on-field relationship.

26. Houston Texans (10-6): Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)

If you watched either of the Texans' playoff games, you probably noticed that Jacoby Jones is the football equivalent of a black hole. As such, Houston could use a legitimate No. 2 receiver behind Andre Johnson.

Luckily, Alshon Jeffery looks like he'll fall right into GM Rick Smith's lap.

The 6'4", 229-pounder has the size and freakish athleticism to fill in for Johnson when he's not playing across from him.

27. New England Patriots (13-3): Michael Brockers, DL (LSU)

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

First up (as with so many other teams) is the pass-rush, which was practically nonexistent this season.

Michael Brockers is big enough (6'6", 306 pounds) and strong enough to make hay on the inside, either storming toward opposing quarterbacks or freeing up his teammates by demanding double-teams.

28. Green Bay Packers (15-1): Jerel Worthy, DL (Michigan State)

The Packers' worst fears came to fruition in a rather devastating fashion with their 37-20 loss to the Giants.

No, I'm not talking about ball security—though that proved to be a huge problem for Green Bay. I'm referring, instead, to a defense that was among the worst in the NFL this season, plummeting from fifth in total yards allowed in 2010 to dead last in 2011.

The line, in particular, never seemed to recover from the loss of Cullen Jenkins. B.J. Raji seemed to spend more time filming awkward State Farm commercials than plugging running lanes.

Jerel Worthy would take care of that problem.

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

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.

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

Sooo, Braylon Edwards happened. Michael Crabtree didn't exactly set the world ablaze with his play as an NFL sophomore, either.

Think Alex Smith would look better with a guy like Mohamed Sanu to throw to?

The Niners will need a receiver like Sanu to take over for Kyle Williams, who'd be foolhardy to show his face in the Bay Area any time soon after a goat-worthy performance in the NFC Championship Game.

31. 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.

Sure, they've come on strong as of late, helping to carry Big Blue to the brink of Super Bowl XLVI. But Jacobs isn't likely to return, and Bradshaw can't be counted on to carry the load every down.

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

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

Kudos to Rob Ninkovich, James Ihedigbo and Julian Edelman for taking up space in New England's vacuous defensive backfield.

That said, Bill Belichick isn't likely to twiddle his thumbs and hope his secondary magically improves on its own. Instead, expect him to add Alabama's Mark Barron, the best safety in the draft, if/when he's presented with the opportunity to do so.

Follow Josh Martin on Twitter.