2012 NFL Mock Draft: New England Patriots and New York Giants' Biggest Needs

Regardless of who wins Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, each franchise has different needs in the 2012 NFL Draft.

So to get right into it, here are the areas of need for each team and how they can improve via the draft.

New York Giants

Despite going 9-7 in 2011, the Giants dealt with numerous injuries from the start of the season. Defensively there was Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, while Terrell Thomas was out all year. Offensively, they lost Domenik Hixon, which paved the way for Victor Cruz to have such a huge impact.

Additionally though, running back Ahmad Bradshaw was out a bit so, for the majority of the season, New York had to rely on Eli Manning. The Giants finished dead last in rushing offense and the defense allowed a total of almost 380 yards per game.

Obviously, health was a concern but they still need to improve against the run on defense. The secondary receives a lot of help from the solid pass rush, but New York still allowed over 120 rushing yards per game throughout the regular season.

If anything, the Giants need to add run-stuffing depth on the interior. In round one, Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is a solid pick, as is Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox.

Both excel at quickness to control the gaps and cause pileups to force the running backs outside. Also, both can draw double-teams to free up linebackers and allow the defensive ends to be one-on-one.

However, if the Giants do not address the interior line, going anywhere along the offensive line isn't a bad idea considering they have five hogs that are age 30-plus. Then, in the mid rounds, expect Big Blue to look at some defensive backs, as the draft is loaded with some nice depth in the secondary.

New England Patriots

Killing the New England Patriots right now is not having a ball-hawking safety. Bill Belichick's corners are solid with Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington, but Patrick Chung and James Ihedigbo have been exposed quite often in recent years.

Also, New England needs another young stud pass rusher to complement Mark Anderson. Not only did Andre Carter go down against the Denver Broncos in the regular season, but the man will be 33-years-old before next season.

So, regardless of whether the Pats re-sign Carter or not, they still need talented youth and depth in the trenches. Fortunately for Belichick and Co. the Patriots have two first-round picks.

First, they should take Whitney Mercilus from Illinois, who recorded 16 sacks, 57 tackles and forced nine fumbles in 2011. With not much production in prior years, Mercilus had a breakout campaign for the Illini and simply dominated all season long.

Bring him to New England and the Pats defense gets a whole lot better. As for their other first-round pick, Alabama safety Mark Barron will suffice. It's not a safety-heavy draft, but alongside some developing corners, Barron's ball-hawking and hard-hitting skills will create one of the better young secondaries in the NFL.

Worst case-scenario is that Barron goes before the end of round one and New England takes Oklahoma State's Markelle Martin later on or Notre Dame's Harrison Smith. Both can hit and have a knack for making plays, something Belichick needs at both safety spots.

2012 First-Round NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)	17. Cincinnati (From OAK): Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)
2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)	18. San Diego Chargers: Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)	19. Chicago Bears: Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)
4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)	20. Tennessee Titans: Mohamed Sanu, WR (Rutgers)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)	21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, OG (Georgia)
6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)	22. Cleveland (From ATL): Vontaze Burfict, LB (ASU)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)	23. Detroit Lions: Zach Brown, LB (UNC)
8. Miami Dolphins: David DeCastro, G (Stanford)	24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)
9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE (UNC)	25. Denver Broncos: Janoris Jenkins, CB (Northern Alabama)
10. Buffalo Bills: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)	26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Nick Perry, DE (USC)	27. New England Patriots (From NO): Whitney Mercilus, DE (Illinois)
12. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)	28. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)
13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)	29. Baltimore Ravens: Dont'a Hightower, LB (Alabama)
14. Dallas Cowboys: Luke Kuechly, LB (Boston College)	30. San Francisco 49ers: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Alabama)	31. New York Giants: Jerel Worthy, DT (Michigan State)
16. New York Jets: Brandon Thompson, DE (Clemson)	32. New England Patriots: Mark Barron, Safety (Alabama)

John Rozum on Twitter.