Mel Kiper Jr 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Three Head-Scratching Picks from Newest Mock

ESPN draft guru, Mel Kiper, Jr., has released his newest 2012 NFL mock draft and as usual, it's relatively spot-on with a few highly questionable selections. 

Let's dissect Mr. Kiper's Mock Draft 2.0 (ESPN Insider) and outline the picks that simply don't make sense at this stage in the pre-draft process. 

Firstly, he doesn't predict any trades, but does so to keep his 32-pick draft relatively simply to read over.

I get that.

So, he's not predicting a St. Louis Rams-Washington Redskins trade.

That's fine.

Gripe No. 1 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 5 overall pick. 

My first gripe starts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their No. 5 overall pick. Kiper has them going with Alabama running back Trent Richardson. 

I understand his reasoning. 

He makes the statement that teams need more than one competent running back and has Richardson as the best player on the board at that point. 

However, the Buccaneers have far greater needs than running back and aren't in a situation to make "luxury" picks.

Their defense was absolutely thrashed in an embarrassing 10-game losing streak they went on to end the season. 

Opposing quarterbacks averaged a ridiculous 97.2 QB rating against them in 2011 and they allowed more than 155 yards on the ground per game. 

Adding a premier defender is much more of a priority. 

They'd be better off going with LSU's star cornerback Morris Claiborne or his teammate, defensive lineman Michael Brockers. 

Because they've used a variety of recent early-round picks on defensive linemen, I'd go with Claiborne. 

Gripe No. 2 - Dallas Cowboys No. 14 overall pick 

Kiper mocked Alabama safety Mark Barron to the Cowboys with the No. 14 overall pick. The logic is there, but it's simply not the right fit for Dallas at this point in the draft. 

We can all agree that Rob Ryan needs help in his 25th-ranked secondary, and even Kiper states himself that Barron is a better run defender than he is against the pass at this juncture in his career. 

Many top cover corners should be available if the Cowboys have indeed made defense their top priority. 

Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick or North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins are possibilities. 

In my estimation, I think the Cowboys need to put the finishing touches on their offensive line. Tyron Smith looks to be well on his way to stardom at the tackle spot, but guards Derrick Dockery and Kyle Kosier do not represent the future. 

If Stanford guard David DeCastro is on the board he has to be the pick. 

Nothing against Barron, he's a good player, but is a bit of a reach at No. 14 and doesn't fill an immediate need for the guys from Big D. 

Gripe 3 - The Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans' first-round picks

Kiper has a run on defensive tackles starting with the Steelers No. 24 overall selection. I simply don't see three interior defenders being taken in consecutive picks.

He has Pittsburgh going with beefy nose tackle Dontari Poe which makes some sense, as a future replacement for Casey Hampton, but I see them looking to solidify their offensive line first.

Then he has the Denver Broncos grabbing Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still. There are many directions in which the Broncos could go, so it's hard to peg specifically who'll they'll go after in Round 1.

To conclude this unlikely run, he has the defensively-stout Texans grabbing Michigan State run-stuffer Jerel Worthy.

While this Spartans' standout can be extremely disruptive, he can vanish for long stretches and Houston has bigger needs elsewhere. If Still was available, I believe they could pull the trigger.

Adding a complement to Andre Johnson is a must.

These three choices aren't totally out of the question, but three picks on defensive tackles in a row?

Not happening.

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