2012 NFL Mock Draft: Which Running Backs Will Go in the First Round?

The 2012 NFL draft has a few high-end skill players, but after that things drop off considerably. Quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III will certainly be high picks, as will receiver Justin Blackmon and running back Trent Richardson. However, after Richardson the running back class is particularly thin and there is a chance he is the only back taken in the first round.

Richardson is the most complete back to enter the NFL since 2007 when Adrian Peterson was the No. 7 overall pick. He has power, speed, outstanding instincts and balance, and he appears to be the kind of guy a team can build an offense around. 

At 5'11" and 224 pounds, the Alabama product has prototypical size for the position. There is not much that needs to be said about him, and I currently have him landing with the Cleveland Browns at No. 4.

After Richardson the top prospect on my board is Miami's Lamar Miller, who is essentially a speed-burner with ideal size for an every down back in the NFL. Miller is 5'11" and 212 pounds and can really move.

In his first full year as a starter, he rushed for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns on 227 carries. While he doesn't run with a whole lot of power, that is likely to get better with experience. He has decent ball skills out of the backfield, but his strength is running in space with the ball in his hands. 

Miller's vision and balance are also slowly improving and his upside is incredibly high. Unfortunately for the Miami product, the NFL his devalued the running back position, since most teams use two-back tandems. That means he will probably be waiting longer than a guy with his talent level normally would on draft day.

As things stand right now I see the Cincinnati Bengals using the first of their two first-round picks (No. 17) on Miller, who would be an immediate upgrade over Cedric Benson.

The third running back I could see sneaking in to the back of the first round is Washington's Chris Polk. Many experts don't value Polk as highly as I do, but he could end up being a steal.

Polk also has ideal size at 5'10" and 224 pounds and profiles as an every-down back. In three years with the Huskies he ran for 4,016 yards and 26 touchdowns on 779 carries. He also showed his versatility by catching 78 passes for 683 yards and four more touchdowns.

The California native doesn't have any traits that wow you, but he does everything well and is the kind of guy who may not show blazing speed at the NFL Scouting Combine, but when he puts the pads on he won't slow down at all.

Polk has tremendous all-around ability and will certainly make some team happy on draft day. Don't be surprised if someone snags him at the end of the first round.

2012 NFL Mock Draft      

1.  Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

3.  Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC  

4.  Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU 

6.  Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

8.  Carolina Panthers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

9.  Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

10.  Buffalo Bills: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Kansas City Chiefs: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

12.  Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

13.  Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

14.  Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

15.  Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

16.  New York Jets: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

17.  Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

18.  San Diego Chargers: Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia 

19.  Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

20.  Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

21.  Cincinnati Bengals: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

22.  Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Mark Barron, S, Alabama  

23.  Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

25.  Denver Broncos: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

26.  Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

27.  New England Patriots: Michael Brockers, DT/DE, LSU

28.  Green Bay Packers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois   

29.  Baltimore Ravens: Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

30.  San Francisco 49ers: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

31. New England Patriots: Andre Branch, OLB, Clemson

32.  New York Giants: Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina