2012 NFL Draft: Teams and Players Who Create a Perfect Match

The 2012 NFL Draft is drawing near and the mock drafts are starting to come out.  This is a time for fans to start thinking about who they want their beloved team to add in the draft.  The 2012 NFL Draft presents the same challenges to the professionals creating the mock drafts as it does to the fans who love their teams and just want them to win, but sometimes it is more about looking at the player and the team and creating a good match.

As much confusion as there is and as cloudy as some teams like to make things look, there are always picks in the NFL Draft that seem like matches made in heaven.  These are almost perfect destinations for players, and it always seems that a player of a certain type will end up getting drafted by a team of a certain type and it happens every year.

The 2012 NFL Draft has several teams drafting at the ideal spot for the player who matches their team perfectly.  We will look at those players in this article.

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts

When most NFL fans think of steady, spectacular production from the quarterback position, they immediately think of Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.  He has had a phenomenal career and is an automatic Hall-of-Famer.  Manning is considered one of the smarter quarterbacks in NFL history.

Andrew Luck is the best quarterback to come out of college in the recent era.  He has it all, can do it all and is considered a can't-miss prospect.  He comes from Stanford, is a very intelligent quarterback and is the immediate replacement for Manning.  The on-field transition from Manning to Luck should be smooth, and it's a gift that perhaps no other NFL team has ever received.  With the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft it is all Luck.

Morris Claiborne and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are desperate at the cornerback position.  Ronde Barber is very long in the tooth and Aqib Talib is one false step away from a long vacation from the NFL.  The Buccaneers need a shutdown cornerback in a division that boasts superior quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Matt Ryan and great offenses like the Saints, Falcons and the up-and-coming Panthers.

Morris Claiborne is a superior athlete and the draft class's premier shutdown cornerback.  He is considered the best pure cover man in the draft's last few years.  He will step in and make an immediate impact on defense.  Getting such an impact with the No. 5 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft is good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Alshon Jeffrey and the Jacksonville Jaguars

There simply is not a team more desperate for a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL than the Jacksonville Jaguars.  This is truly a team and a player who create a perfect match.  The Jaguars have a new head coach in Mike Mularkey and a second-year quarterback in Blaine Gabbert.  The best way for Mularkey to help Gabbert is to give him the draft's best deep threat as an asset in the Jaguars passing game.

Alshon Jeffrey is a huge wide receiver and a clear No. 1 who will make plays for Gabbert right away.  Young quarterbacks always need premier wide receivers to throw the ball to (see Andy Dalton to A.J. Green) and this is a great move for the Jaguars.  With pick No. 7 in the 2012 NFL Draft there really is no other option for the Jaguars if they are serious about Gabbert as their franchise quarterback.

Janoris Jenkins and the Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have a well documented history of drafting players with a history that is not ideal and this is no different.  The Bengals lost Jonathan Joseph in free agency in 2011 and have a real need at the cornerback position.  With two picks in Round 1 of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Bengals can take a gamble on a player with a very high ceiling.

Janoris Jenkins has elite press cover skills and above-average athleticism to go with elite speed.  He is a fast, fluid athlete who can come in and make a difference immediately.  There are off-field issues, but Jenkins appears mature and ready to move past the issues that plagued him in the past.  This is definitely the Bengals' type of pick and something we could see with the No. 17 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Kendall Wright and the Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are primed to make a long run into future postseasons.  The Texans have everything moving in the right direction but are lacking a deep threat opposite Andre Johnson.  With position players like Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels on offense, the Texans need a splash of speed and they get that with this pick.

Kendall Wright has the ability to take the top off a defense and it is that ability that can take the Texans offense to the next level.  As a slot wide receiver, he will create mismatches for quarterback Matt Schaub and company in 2012.  Wright is a Texas native and would be a smart selection for the Texans with pick No. 26 in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Vontaze Burfict and the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have a history of physical play and that physicality stems from Ray Lewis.  Lewis is an incredible football player and leader who plays a nasty game.  As Lewis enters the winter of his career, the Ravens need to look to who will fill his shoes.  The nice thing is that  Lewis is returning for the 2012-13 NFL season.

Vontaze Burfict is a violent football player to be reckoned with.  There is some baggage, though, and the Ravens are the perfect team to pair with Burfict as they have a strong locker room to control him.  It seems like a match made in heaven that Burfict learn from Lewis, as Lewis was a violent player at the onset of his career.  Getting a player of Burfict's caliber at No. 29 in the 2012 NFL Draft represents great value for GM Ozzie Newsome and company.