NFL Mock Draft 2012: Who Should the Arizona Cardinals Draft in Round 1?

Believe it or not, but the Arizona Cardinals are not far off from being a playoff team in 2012. 

Despite getting a more consistent play out of their starting quarterback, the Cardinals don't have too many holes to fill heading into 2012.

For starters, Arizona certainly needs help at left tackle, outside linebacker, wide receiver, cornerback and inside linebacker.

Taking all of those needs into consideration, here are five players that the Cardinals should target with their 13th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. 

Riley Reiff, Offensive Tackle, Iowa

If Iowa's Riley Reiff is sitting there at No. 13, then the Arizona Cardinals need to draft him—he is exactly what they're looking for.

Aside from Matt Kalil, Reiff is  the best available left tackle prospect on the board—in my opinion—and he'd be a perfect replacement for Levi Brown.

No matter what the Cardinals do in the 2012 offseason, they need to find a replacement for Brown as he's one of the worst starting offensive linemen in the entire league, consistently allowing pressure to be put on Arizona's quarterback.

Reiff is a solid prospect as he's a great pass blocker and a pretty effective run blocker. Standing in at 6'6" and 300 lbs, he definitely possesses the elite size to be dominant at the NFL level. 

Courtney Upshaw, Outside Linebacker, Alabama

Alabama's Courtney Upshaw would be the perfect fit for Arizona's 3-4 defense.

If Upshaw is available, and that's a huge "if," then drafting him would be a wise decision as you simply cannot pass on someone that talented.

Upshaw is extremely versatile as he can play either the inside or outside of the 3-4 defense and plug in any area that Arizona needs help with.

Upshaw is pretty well-rounded as he can get to the quarterback while also staying effective against the run. 

Jonathan Martin, Offensive Tackle, Stanford

If Riley Reiff is off of the board then drafting Stanford's Jonathan Martin wouldn't be all that bad of a consolation prize.

Martin would ultimately replace Levi Brown as the Arizona Cardinals' starting left tackle—he certainly is NFL ready. 

While at Stanford, Martin did a solid job protecting Andrew Luck's blindside and could certainly flourish at the pro level. 

My biggest concern with Martin is that he doesn't necessarily have "elite" footwork, but there's always room for coaching as he appears to be a natural athlete. 

Kendall Wright, Wide Receiver, Baylor

If the Arizona Cardinals decide to go with an offensive skilled position with their No. 13 pick, then Baylor's Kendall Wright would look pretty nice starting opposite of Larry Fitzgerald.

I firmly believe that Wright's stock will rise following the combine and he'd be worthy enough of being selected 13th overall. 

Wright has elite speed to burn just about any cornerback at the NFL level. He may look like a deep-threat while watching his game film, but he can definitely play on the inside as well. 

The biggest knock on Wright is that he needs to work on his route running. He played in the spread offense at Baylor and will need some help adjusting to Arizona's pro-style offense. 

Mike Adams, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State

As I have stated several times before, the Arizona Cardinals need to replace Levi Brown—and I think that you can all agree. 

If Riley Reiff and Jonathan Martin are both off of the board then Ohio State's Mike Adams would be a quality draft choice for the Cards. 

Adams is a massive left tackle that stands at 6'8" and has the arm length to compete against any speed-rusher at the NFL level. 

Adams' biggest weaknesses is that he's rather "small" weighing only 310 lbs, and may not have enough strength to compete with the power-rushers that the NFL has to offer.