2012 NFL Mock Draft: Best Finds in the Second Round

The first-round picks of the 2012 NFL Draft are getting all the love right now, and rightfully so—they're the best prospects coming out of college football, the ones projected to make the biggest impact at the next level from the get-go.

But, as any scout or front office person will tell you, picking players out of a pool of amateurs is nothing if not a fickle, inexact science. There figure to be plenty of quality contributors coming out of the rounds to follow, with these three potential stars likely to hear their names called on Day 2 of the draft.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Good news for Ryan Tannehill: He's the third-best quarterback prospect in this year's draft class.

Bad news: Those teams most desperate for a young signal caller (the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Redskins, the Seattle Seahawks, the Miami Dolphins) are all picking within the first 12 slots of the draft, at which point Tannehill would be something of a reach.

So, unless one of those teams drops down, or another team in the latter half of the first round opts for a signal caller, expect Tannehill to slip into the second round, at which point he'll be gobbled up rather quickly by one of the losers of the RG3 sweepstakes.

Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

Courtney Upshaw, Trent Richardson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Mark Barron may be 'Bama's draftnik darlings, but don't sleep on Dont'a Hightower. The 6'4'', 260-pounder earned MVP honors in the BCS National Championship Game for stuffing LSU's ground game and leading the Crimson Tide to a decisive victory.

Hightower boasts tremendous toughness and athleticism for an inside 'backer, and will make someone's run defense significantly better on Day 1 of his NFL career.

Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

You won't likely hear too much about Kelechi Osemele, if for no other reason than that he plays guard.

But don't be fooled, folks. This 6'6'', 347-pound behemoth out of Iowa State is among the top interior offensive line prospects in the draft. Osemele is incredibly strong and athletic for a kid his size, and has the talent and intelligence to log time as a starter during his rookie campaign.

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

The only other possibility here is Robert Griffin III, and even that's a long shot.

2. Washington Redskins (5-11): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The Shanaclan will be so enamored with RG3's ability as a bootleg passer that it'll hound Dan Snyder into selling the farm to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the No. 2 pick.

That is, unless they opt for Peyton Manning instead.

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

If Christian Ponder is to have any shot at succeeding as the Vikings' quarterback of the future, he'll need some top-notch protection, courtesy of Matt Kalil.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Browns will bemoan the "loss" of RG3 and then turn their attention to filling in their black hole at running back.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12): Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Tampa's defense was terrible in 2011 and could be even worse with Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber gone—to jail and retirement, respectively. As such, the Bucs might as well upgrade at corner, where Morris Claiborne is the best prospect available.

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

The Rams drop down four spots, rake in a basketful of additional draft picks and still get the No. 1 receiver for Sam Bradford that they've long coveted. Even Jeff Fisher has to be pleased with that possibility.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11): Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Jags GM Gene Smith is sticking with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback until he isn't (duh). As such, look for him to protect his investment under center with an upgrade at tackle.

8. Miami Dolphins (5-11): Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Apparently, the Joe Philbin Era in Miami will begin with a rocky transition on defense to a 4-3 scheme. Adding a pass rusher of Quinton Coples' caliber will help to smooth things out a bit.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-10): Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Head coach Ron Rivera will love having a massive defensive tackle like Michael Brockers to anchor his work-in-progress defense in Carolina.

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

What Chan Gailey wants, Chan Gailey gets. This time, that just so happens to be a versatile pass rusher, of which Courtney Upshaw is the best in the 2012 crop.

11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9): Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Chiefs are in dire need of help along an offensive line that's been decimated by injuries and retirement in recent years. KC would likely prefer Jonathan Martin if they could get him, but Riley Reiff isn't exactly a bad Plan B, either.

12. Seattle Seahawks (7-9): Devon Still, DL, Penn State

Devon Still has the ideal combination of size, strength and versatility to boost a Seahawks defensive line that was severely lacking inside and out last season.

13. Arizona Cardinals (8-8): David DeCastro, G, Stanford

David DeCastro is as good an interior offensive line prospect as there's been in quite some time. The Cards could certainly use someone of his caliber, given the money they've already poured into Kevin Kolb and may yet hand over to Peyton Manning.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

The Cowboys are desperate for help at corner after missing out on Nnamdi Asomugha and relying on a 33-year-old Terence Newman on the outside. Both Janoris Jenkins and Dre Kirkpatrick would come saddled with baggage, though Jenkins appears to have cleaned up his act to a much greater degree than Kirkpatrick of late.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

The Eagles' run defense never quite recovered from the loss of Stewart Bradley to free agency. Adding Luke Kuechly to the linebacking corps would serve as something of a Mulligan for Andy Reid and Howie Roseman in that regard.

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

Rex Ryan needs an athletic, pass-rushing beast for his team's 3-4 scheme. Whitney Mercilus has the game, and the name, that the Jets are looking for.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Bengals will scoop up whichever of the two nincompoop corners the Cowboys pass up. In this case, that means Dre Kirkpatrick will wind up in Cincy.

18. San Diego Chargers (8-8): Melvin Ingram, OLB/DE, South Carolina

San Diego's pass-rush dropped off considerably in 2011; only one guy on the roster (Antwan Barnes) registered more than four sacks. Melvin Ingram would help to curb that decline, and would be something of a steal at this point in the draft.

19. Chicago Bears (8-8): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Word around town is that the Bears are leaning toward filling their void at wide receiver with Michael Floyd, a native Midwesterner who's a tremendous talent in his own right.

20. Tennessee Titans (9-7): Nick Perry, OLB/DE, USC

The Titans managed just 24 sacks this season—seven of which came courtesy of Karl Klug—and have three defensive ends destined for free agency. Nick Perry's still a bit raw, but there's no denying the kid's talent as a pass rusher.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

Goodbye, Cedric Benson! Helloooo, Lamar Miller (and a productive running game to pair with Andy Dalton and AJ Green)!

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

Whether the Browns end up with a new quarterback or not, they'll need to upgrade their receiving corps. Kendall Wright is an absolute speed demon on the outside and was among those most responsible for making RG3 look good enough to strike the Heisman pose.

23. 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. Advantage: Konz.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

You know what would make Ben Roethlisberger even more unhappy than allowing Bruce Arians to "retire" to the Indianapolis Colts? Leaving Big Ben subject to even more punishment behind a decrepit offensive line.

Hence, look for the Steelers to upgrade in the trenches, with Mike Adams falling comfortably into their collective lap.

25. Denver Broncos (8-8): Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

Interestingly enough, Tim Tebow struggles much more mightily with short and mid-range throws than with long bombs. Give him a quality tight end to throw to—like, say, Coby Fleener—and those problems should clear up rather quickly.

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

Have you seen Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter play football? Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

27. New England Patriots (13-3): Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

Step 1 for the Patriots: upgrade their pass rush. Step 2 for the Patriots: draft Chandler Jones, brother of MMA star Jon "Bones" Jones, to clear up that deficiency for them.

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

The Packers could certainly use a defensive lineman of Jerel Worthy's size and skill set to shore up those woes in the trenches left behind by the departure of Cullen Jenkins last summer.

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

Call him Ray Lewis Jr., if you will. Yes, Vontaze Burfict's that good and that nasty on the football field.

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

So, remember when the 49ers almost made it to the Super Bowl despite having only one guy (Vernon Davis) capable of catching Alex Smith's passes on a consistent basis? Yeah...

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

Step 3 for the Pats: fix the secondary. Step 4: plug in Mark Barron at safety.

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