2012 NFL Draft: Teams That Must Resist Urge to Make Sexy Pick

It's fun for a fanbase when a team makes the sexy pick, selecting a high-profile skill position player over a more solid but less exciting offensive or defensive lineman for example.

It's not always smart, however.

Think back to 1999, when Philadelphia Eagles fans desperately wanted the team to select Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams to play running back. The Eagles ignored the fans, selected Donovan McNabb instead and the quarterback led the team to five NFC championships and a Super Bowl berth.

Sexy sells, but it doesn't necessarily win. Here are some teams that need to think smart in this year's draft.

Minnesota Vikings

Andrew Luck will go No. 1, and I'd guess a team will trade with the St. Louis Rams to acquire the second overall pick and select Robert Griffin III.

That will leave three players capable of filling huge needs for the Vikings: left tackle Matt Kalil from USC, wide receiver Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State and cornerback Morris Claiborne from LSU.

The fans will want Blackmon, but the team would be better off drafting either Kalil to replace Charlie Johnson at left tackle or Claiborne to improve the wretched secondary in Minnesota.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland will likely have a lot of options with the fourth pick, and if Blackmon or Alabama running back Trent Richardson are available, Cleveland fans wanting an offensive playmaker will likely salivate at the prospect of landing one of those two.

But if Claiborne is available, that's the direction the team should go. The combination of he and Joe Haden would give the Browns the best young pair of corners in the league, and they would anchor an excellent defense for years to come.

Meanwhile, the Browns could focus on selecting offensive playmakers later in the draft, namely with the 22nd pick they possess in the first round. There will be excellent skill position options at that point, and the chance to pair Claiborne and Haden in what would soon enough be the best cornerback tandem in the NFL should be too appealing for the Browns to ignore.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are often talked about as a team that would like to acquire the services of Robert Griffin III.

They should abandon that thought, pair Matt Flynn from the Green Bay Packers with his old offensive coordinator and new Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and draft Riley Reiff, a right tackle from Iowa that would fill a huge need on their offensive line.

Sure, Griffin is the sexy direction. But follow my plan and the Dolphins could surprise some people and make a run at a wild-card berth next season.

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