2012 NFL Mock Draft: An Updated Projection for Rounds 1-2

 

Round 1

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Peyton will be playing for a different team for the first time in his NFL career, and the Colts will be replacing him with their new quarterback of the future. That will be Luck.

2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Drafting a wide receiver with a top 10 pick is usually pretty risky, but Blackmon is an exception. Besides, Sam Bradford has absolutely no one to throw the ball to.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Leslie Frazier cannot afford Christian Ponder to get hurt, so he’ll need to select the best offensive lineman available to help protect the new franchise QB.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
I firmly believe the Browns will stick with Colt McCoy one more year to see whether or not a solid running game will help him become a more efficient quarterback. There will be plenty of other QBs available in next year’s draft and the market.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
The LSU Tiger is an NFL-ready corner that is well-equipped to shut down even the best WRs. The Buccs are in desperate need of a DB.

6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Although I think the Redskins will be forced to trade up in fear of losing him, Robert Griffin III would be well-suited in Washington.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
With Blackmon off the board, the Jags will turn to defense, which is in need of a pass rush. Coples would fill that void quite nicely.

8. Miami Dolphins: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
The Dolphins will likely sign Matt Flynn from free agency after Jeff Ireland grabbed Joe Philbin from the Packers. He’ll need another big-time WR to complement Brandon Marshall.

9. Carolina Panthers: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Carolina owned the league’s worst run of defense last season. If it can improve in this area, the playoffs aren’t completely out of reach.

10. Buffalo Bills: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
Drafting Upshaw makes perfect sense as the Bills plan to move to a 4-3 defense.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
KC has a few issues to take care of this offseason, but none more glaring than protecting Matt Cassel and giving Jamaal Charles some running room.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still, DE/DT, Penn State
With his outstanding size (6’5”, 310), speed and power, Devon Still would likely start immediately on a Seahawks team that lacks a pass rush.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Reily Reiff, OT, Iowa
The Cardinals will be fortunate enough to have Reiff fall down to No. 13 because they need a lot of help at the tackle position.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
There’s no question that Dallas’ biggest weakness is in the secondary. With Claiborne headed to Tampa, the Crimson Tide’s Dre Kirkpatrick is the next best option.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
Andy Reid needs depth on his defensive line in order to help keep his job.

16. New York Jets: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC
The J-E-T-S struggled to contain the outside on run plays and did not get to the QB very often. Nick Perry could be the guy to change that.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (via Oakland): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Leon Hall can’t do it all, Nate Clements is 32 and Pacman Jones may have played his final game in the NFL after his latest run-in with the law.

18. San Diego Chargers: Mark Barron, SS, Alabama
San Diego needs a quick replacement after figuring out that the Bob Sanders project was a bust.

19. Chicago Bears: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
Adams is the best option left at the tackle position, an area where the Bears desperately need big help.

20. Tennessee Titans: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Chris Johnson could not find a hole to save his life last season and Tennessee needs a pure power-run blocker.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Chris Polk, RB, Washington
Cedric Benson is on his way out of Cincy and Polk is a first-round talent built for the brutal AFC North defense.

22. Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
The Browns have no weapons in the passing game and Floyd would likely become the immediate No. 1 go-to-guy for Colt McCoy.

23. Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, OC, Wisconsin
The run-blocking center will be of great use on the Detroit roster. Not only do the Lions have a hard time protecting Matthew Stafford, but they need a more productive run game, too.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
The 6-foot-5, 346-pound Glenn fits a power-man blocking scheme, perfect for the type of offense Al Rooney plans to have in 2012. He is a force as a run-blocker who moves pretty well for his size and could make the transition to tackle, which the Steelers need right now.

25. Denver Broncos: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
There isn’t much to speak of at the cornerback position beyond Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman, who are now in their mid-thirties.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Houston’s answer to a possible Super Bowl run will be with Kendall Wright, whose downfield explosiveness will be a match made in heaven with counterpart Andre Johnson.

27. New England Patriots (via New Orleans): Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Bill Belichick has some big holes to fill in the secondary, starting with corner. Minnifield will be the best option at this point in the draft.

28. Green Bay Packers: Andre Branch, DE, Clemson
The Packers finished with just 29 sacks as a team last year, which ended up being a big factor against their last-ranked pass defense (299.8 yards per game). Branch recorded 10.5 in his senior season.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
Kuechly is a steal for the Ravens and his consistent productivity at the college level will make the transition to the NFL field.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina
Other than Michael Crabtree (who really hasn’t come to his own, either), the 49ers are without a wide receivers corps. Jones is an NFL-ready WR that stands at 6’4” and runs a surprising 4.45 40-yard dash.

31. New England Patriots: Chandler Jones, DE/OLB, Syracuse
The Patriots need more pass rushers to help the ailing secondary and Chandler Jones had an outstanding career with the Orange.

32. New York Giants: Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
Jonathan Goff will be a free agent and Greg Jones doesn’t have middle linebacker experience. Hightower would be a good fit for Jerry Reese’s defense.

Round 2

33. St. Louis Rams: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

Some think the Rams should pick Matt Kalil with their first pick, but either way, Jacob Bell is on his way out.

34. Indianapolis Colts: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Anthony Gonzalez are all free agents. Indy will be looking to rebuild its wide receiver corps, along with giving Andrew Luck a nice target to build chemistry with.

35. Minnesota Vikings: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
The Vikings have a major need at the corner position after finishing 26th in the league against the pass.

36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State
It's time for an upgrade from Jeremy Trueblood.

37. Cleveland Browns: Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
The Browns have no offensive weapons other than Greg Little, who just finished up his rookie season and is a project.

38. Jacksonville Jaguars: Reubon Randle, WR, LSU
Obviously a primary need for the Jags, who will need to draft two receivers and possibly pick up a few from free agency.

39. Washington Redskins: Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
Will Montgomery is a free agent and Mike Shanahan needs better play from his offensive line to run the ball more efficiently.

40. Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
Carolina drafted two at the same position last year but both seem to be busts at this point.

41. Buffalo Bills: Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB, Oklahoma
The Bills have no pass rush. Enough said.

42. Miami Dolphins: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
Miami is moving to a 4-3 and need some interior defensive line help.

43. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
Tavaris Jackson is not the future of this franchise and Tannehill could contest him for the starting role immediately.

44. Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
Veteran Kelly Gregg is expected to retire, leaving the Chiefs with a big hole at the nose tackle position.

45. Dallas Cowboys: Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina
The Cowboys have been looking for a solid complement to DeMarcus Ware for quite some time. They'd find it with Brown.

46. Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
DeSean Jackson will likely be wearing a different jersey next season and the Eagles need to spend a pick on a receiver within the first few rounds.

47. New York Jets: Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State
In my opinion, Mark Sanchez's days as a starter for New York are over. Peyton Manning would be a great add for the Jets, and even if they pick him up, adding Osweiler to the roster would be a wise move.

48. New England Patriots (via Oakland): Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
The Patriots will likely revert back to the 3-4 defense, and if so, they'll need a stud outside linebacker.

49. San Diego Chargers: Bobbie Massie, OT, Ole Miss
Jeromey Clary has been a huge underachiever for the Chargers and needs to be replaced.

50. Chicago Bears: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
Mike Martz is no longer the offensive coordinator, meaning the Bears will likely utilize their tight ends more in the passing game. Fleener had 667 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Cardinal.

51. Philadelphia Eagles (via Arizona): Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
Philly's defensive line struggled all year and Thompson could battle for an immediate starting role in training camp.

52. Tennessee Titans: Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
Karl Klug led the team with seven sacks last season. That's not good.

53. Cincinnati Bengals: Harrison Smith, SS, Notre Dame
It's no secret that the Bengals need help at the safety position, especially after the poor play of Chris Crocker in 2011.

54. Detroit Lions: Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State
The Lions secondary was torched for much of the season's second half. It wouldn't hurt to add depth and build around Chris Houston and Aaron Berry.

55. Atlanta Falcons: Kendall Reyes, DE/DT, Connecticut
John Abraham is a free agent and Hotlanta needs an upgrade in its pass rush.

56. Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon Washington, OG, Miami
Starks' best days are clearly behind him. Starting right tackle Max Gilbert was drafted in last year's second round. So this is not a stretch by any means.

57. Denver Broncos: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
Let's be honest here. Tim Tebow is not the future of the Denver football organization. I'm not saying Weeden is either, but the Broncos need a decent fallback plan for 2012 just in case "Tebow time" becomes "Uh-oh time." Besides, the Broncos are known for taking risks on QBs in early rounds.

58. Houston Texans: Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas
The Texans are making upgrading the wide receiver position a necessity this offseason and could definitely go back-to-back picks with WRs.

59. New Orleans Saints: Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
An interior pass-rushing presence is needed on the Saints defensive line.

60. Green Bay Packers: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
Ryan Grant is set to hit the market and Miller is the best running back left on the board.

61. Baltimore Ravens: Jonathan Massaquoi, DE/OLB, Troy
Massaquoi can get to the quarterback and would be a nice insurance policy just in case Sergio Kindle can't get healthy.

62. San Francisco 49ers: David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
Frank Gore will be 29 in May and his career has been headlined with injuries, and Kendall Hunter is no more than a scat back. Wilson could be the starter in two years or sooner.

63. New England Patriots: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
Wes Welker. That's the only receiver that's worth mentioning on New England's roster right now.

64. New York Giants: Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn
Kareem McKenzie probably won't be re-signed and the entire offensive line struggled at times.