2012 NFL Mock Draft: Michael Floyd and Playmakers Who Will Rule the NFL

Playmakers run the NFL.

Sure, running backs and wide receivers couldn’t do their jobs without the help of an offensive line, but still—skill players are the ones finding pay dirt.  Here is a full first-round NFL Mock Draft highlighting the top offensive playmakers in the class. 

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

Indianapolis is imploding.  Jim Irsay looks ready to press the reset button and start from scratch with Luck.

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

Sam Bradford only wants one thing in the entire world: a clean pocket.  St. Louis must upgrade Bradford’s protection or he’ll never develop into a franchise quarterback. 

3. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma St.)

Christian Ponder isn’t going to carry the Vikings back to the playoffs throwing to Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu.  Believe it or not, he can’t throw to Percy Harvin every single pass play.

Blackmon may not be rated as highly as AJ Green and Julio Jones were last season, but he’s still worthy of the third overall pick.  This season at OK-State, he hauled in 121 passes for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Comparisons to former Cowboy teammate Dez Bryant will be drawn, but Blackmon doesn’t have the baggage that the Dallas Cowboys receiver carries.

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

Colt McCoy isn’t a franchise-caliber quarterback.  RGIII is, though, and has the potential to put up Cam Newton-like rookie numbers with his unrivaled physical ability. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne (CB, LSU)

Aqib Talib will potentially end up as the next Plaxico Burress and get stuck behind bars while Ronde Barber is old enough to be Talib’s grandfather.  Tampa Bay’s list of needs is endless, but corner is at the top. 

6. Washington Redskins: Riley Reiff (OT, Iowa)

Washington needs a quarterback, but without a respectable one on the board, they’ll pursue Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn.  And whoever that new signal-caller ends up being, they’ll need better protection. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Alshon Jeffery (WR, South Carolina)

Mike Thomas and Maurice Jones-Drew should call themselves the Miraculous Midgets.  Blaine Gabbert needs a new No. 1 wideout with some size.

At 6’4”, 229 pounds, Jeffery has more than enough.  Analysts are labeling him as the next Burress, not for the same reason as Talib, but because of his ball skills and physical gifts.  Some question his speed, but the Jags are desperate enough to upgrade Gabbert’s arsenal to reach for a receiver.

8. Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers (DT, LSU)

Brockers surprisingly declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, but the Panthers aren’t complaining.  Their defensive line needs plenty of help and the Tigers tackle will fill a huge hole. 

9. Miami Dolphins: Quinton Coples, (DE, North Carolina)

Barry Jackson of the Sacramento Bee reported that new head coach Joe Philbin wants to use a 4-3 defense along with the Dolphins 3-4.  Miami needs a pass-rusher across from Cameron Wake for a scheme change to be successful. 

10. Buffalo Bills: Courtney Upshaw (OLB, Alabama)

Shawne Merriman unsurprisingly bit the dust again this season.  Buffalo can’t really be Lights Out and needs to find an upgrade for their pitiful pass rush. 

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama)

Thomas Jones is officially washed up and Jamaal Charles is coming off of a torn ACL.  Running back isn’t Kansas City’s No. 1 need, but there’s no way that they could pass up such an opportunity.

Richardson is the best player on the board by far.  The back is talented enough to be selected at No. 5 by the Buccaneers, but thanks to a lack of need from teams inside the Top 10, he falls in this mock.  He rushed for 1,679 yards on 5.9 yards a pop and 21 touchdowns this past season.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still (DT, Penn State)

Seattle’s defensive line that harassed Drew Brees in the postseason last year is long gone.  They need multiple upgrades and Still is the most talented available. 

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin (OT, Stanford)

Kevin Kolb makes too much money to be showing up on the injury report week after week.  He needs protection and Zona would be nuts to go in any other direction. 

14. Dallas Cowboys: Dre Kirkpatrick (CB, Alabama)

After a little puff-puff-pass, Kirkpatrick finds himself outside of the top 10.  With major needs at corner and safety, though, Dallas won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly (ILB, Boston College)

Besides having an offensive line specialist running the defense, Philadelphia’s biggest weakness is at linebacker.  Kuechly would become the leader of the Eagles stop unit from day one. 

16. New York Jets: Melvin Ingram (OLB, South Carolina)

Rex Ryan’s blitz scheme hurls a relentless rush at opposing passers.  In order for that blitz to work, though, New York needs capable pass-rushers. 

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

Jenkins feels Dre Kirkpatrick’s pain…or maybe he doesn’t because he’s too high to.  Anyway, Cincinnati needs a corner after Jonathan Joseph’s departure and won’t care about the former Florida Gator’s favorite hobby.

18. San Diego Chargers: David DeCastro (G, Stanford)

Philip Rivers misses the days when he had a dominant running game to rely on to march the football down the field.  Adding DeCastro would be a huge step in the right direction for the Chargers offensive line. 

19. Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd (WR, Notre Dame)

Jay Cutler has perfected the fade-away pass, but he still doesn’t have anyone on the other end to go up and get the football.  The O-line is a mess, but Cutler needs a No. 1 receiver even more.

Floyd will complement Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester extremely well.  At 6’3”, 224 pounds, the Fighting Irish warrior definitely has the size needed to be a first option in the Bears passing attack.  He brought down 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns last season catching passes from a poor quarterback.

20. Tennessee Titans: Whitney Mercilus (DE, Illinois)

Karl Klug led the Titans in sacks last season.  Who?  Exactly—they need to upgrade their defensive line. 

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller (RB, Miami)

Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott could be upgraded effortlessly.  The addition of Miller’s explosiveness would take the Bengals offense to another level.

Many will instantly compare him to Chris Johnson because of his lightening speed.  Miller actually has great size as well, though, at 5’11”, 212 pounds.  He rushed for 1,272 yards last year on 5.6 yards a pop and nine touchdowns.

22. Cleveland Browns: Kendall Wright (WR, Baylor)

Who better to pair their new franchise QB with than his old teammate?  If the Browns finish the first day with Griffin and Wright, Cleveland fans would be in paradise.

They know the benefits of fielding a wideout with sprinters speed.  After all, they’re forced to face off against Mike Wallace twice every year.  Wright will have a similar impact to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ weapon as the Bear brought down 108 balls for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2011.

23. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams (OT, Ohio St.)

Just look how good the Lions can be when Matt Stafford is in the game on not on the IR.  Upgrading his blind side would help keep Stafford upright so that he has time to throw flies to Calvin Johnson. 

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower (ILB, Alabama)

Pittsburgh needs to eventually find James Farrior’s replacement.  Of course, mocks have been saying that for years so they’ll go best available player no matter what their need is. 

25. Denver Broncos: Mark Barron (SS, Alabama)

Brian Dawkins was the heart and soul of the Broncos defense, but his body can’t hold up much longer.  Barron will bring the same type of leadership ability to Denver. 

26. Houston Texans: Mohamed Sanu (WR, Rutgers)

Imagine the numbers Andre Johnson would put up if defenses didn’t have the luxury of being able to double team him every single play.  Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter finally need to be buried in the depth chart.

27. New England Patriots: Fletcher Cox (DT, Mississippi St.)

The Albert Haynesworth experiment almost worked as well as the Chad Ochocinco one.  New England’s defense could be mistaken for Swiss cheese with all their holes and D-tackle is one of them. 

28. Green Bay Packers: Nick Perry (OLB, USC)

If the Packers drafted defense in Rounds 1-7, no one would question the decision.  Their biggest defensive need is to find a pass-rusher across from Clay Matthews Jr. 

29. Baltimore Ravens: Vontaze Burfict (ILB, Arizona St.)

Opposing quarterbacks will require sleep meds before playing the Ravens if they selected Burfict.  Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and the rookie would form one of the nastiest linebacking corps ever. 

30. San Francisco 49ers: Cordy Glenn (G, Georgia)

San Francisco would love a wide receiver here, but with no one worthy available, upgrading their O-line is the best option.  Fun fact: With Glenn and Mike Iupati, San Francisco would field a pair of 6’5” guards that weigh a grand total of 660 pounds. 

31. New York Giants: Peter Konz (C, Wisconsin)

At least before the postseason, New York’s running game was a complete joke.  Konz is a steal at this point in the draft and would help open up holes for Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. 

32. New England Patriots: Alfonzo Dennard (CB, Nebraska)

Again, New England’s defense is a joke.  Dennard is a talented prospect, but his stock has plummeted after a disappointing showing during Senior Bowl practices.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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