2012 NFL Mock Draft: Washington Redskins and Teams That Must Trade Up

Well, that 4.41 time Robert Griffin posted in the 40-yard-dash certainly made the St. Louis Rams happy.

Not because they'll be drafting him, of course—Sam Bradford is their guy. No, the Rams are happy because they know that a slew of teams will come calling, willing to offer a bounty for that pick.

So which teams will come knocking? And what other teams should also consider packaging some picks and trading up to select a stud?

I've identified several teams, who they should be targeting and whom they might draft if they can't make a deal.

Let the madness begin.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Luck proved he was an excellent athlete at the combine along with being an excellent pocket passer—this remains a no-brainer.

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor *

Yes, I believe the Redskins will win the RGIII sweepstakes, and have for some time now. And word on the street is that they are willing to offer an arm and a leg to do so.

Though I'll list two other teams that I think should move into this spot below, I think ultimately the Redskins will make the largest offer to obtain the electrifying Griffin.

The Redskins desperately need a playmaker on offense and a quarterback to breathe some life into the team. In other words, the team can kill two daunting birds with one stone here and lock down the face of the franchise for the next decade, to boot.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

This will be a quick and easy selection for the Vikings, shoring up an area of need.

4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

If they do trade up, it would obviously be to the second pick to select Griffin. With two picks in the first round this year, they're logical trading partners with St. Louis.

But I don't know if they'll be willing to outbid Washington with so many other areas they could improve and Colt McCoy still somewhat of an unknown quantity. I think they end up playing it safe here and locking down the best corner on the board in Morris Claiborne to pair with Joe Haden.

That's a potentially epic pairing at the cornerback position.

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama **

And now things start to get crazy. That's right, I think the Bengals will move their 17th and 21st pick in the first round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for this pick.

The Bengals have a need for a stud at running back, and Richardson is unquestionably a stud. Sure, this might be a bit higher than Cincinnati would need to move to draft Richardson. Then again, the Bucs are one of the teams that might draft Richardson.

Plus, another team could try to trade up to acquire Richardson if he continues to slide. The Bengals decide to play it safe and ensure that they get a player that will make their offense incredibly dynamic alongside A.J. Green and Andy Dalton.

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

So not only does St. Louis stockpile a bounty of picks from Washington, they get a player they would have considered drafting had they kept the second-overall pick. Talk about having a good day.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Kirkpatrick is an excellent prospect, and Jacksonville will solidify the cornerback position when they select him.

8. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Reiff will be an anchor at right offensive tackle for years to come.

9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

He ain't Julius Peppers, but he'll be darn good for the Panthers.

10. Buffalo Bills: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

The Bills are likely to play more four-man fronts under new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, and Ingram's versatility will allow him to fit into either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. Smart pick here for Buffalo.

11. Kansas City Chiefs:  Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

The Chiefs will replace retiring nose tackle Kelly Gregg with the massive Poe, who earned a leap this far up the draft board after impressing everyone with 44 bench press reps at the NFL Combine. He's a huge body that can anchor the nose tackle position in the 3-4, a good athlete and apparently really, really strong.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M 

The next shocker of the draft will belong to Seattle, who—if they don't wind up with Peyton Manning and are unable to trade up for RGIII—will look to fill a big need here.

Tannehill could probably be had later in the draft, but the Seahawks won't take any chances, especially after they are outbid for Griffin (who they obviously should be in the running for).

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

And thus ends the Levi Brown error.

14. Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

If they can't land Carl Nicks from the New Orleans Saints in free agency, DeCastro will be a non-sexy but incredibly smart pick here.

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

Kuechly had a nice combine and proved he has the athleticism to excel at the NFL level. The Eagles are in desperate need of a playmaking linebacker, and they are lucky enough to find one at the draft.

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

Upshaw will instantly step in as starter at the 3-4 defensive end position for the Jets and rekindle a dormant pass rush.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame***

The Bucs need playmakers on offense, and they fill one need by bringing in the solid and reliable Floyd.

18. San Diego Chargers: Dont'a Hightower, MLB, Alabama

Takeo Spikes is old and needs a replacement. Hightower will be a rock at middle linebacker for years to come.

19. Chicago Bears: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

I'm perplexed by Jeffery's choice to bypass running at the combine, and even though I think he is a fantastic prospect, I'm starting to believe his drop to the latter half of the first round is inevitable.

20. Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE, USC

The man who opened eyes at the combine will look good coming off the edge in Tennessee.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama****

The Bucs need a cornerback badly, and they'll take their chances with the potential character issues of Jenkins. Talent goes a long way.

22. Cleveland Browns: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

I wouldn't be surprised if this was David Wilson of Virginia Tech either, but Miller's explosiveness (he ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard-dash) propels him ahead of the game-breaker from the Hokies.

23. Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

The Lions need a center. It's a bit high to draft a center, but the need and talent of Konz makes this worth the selection.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Defense wins championships. Brockers is a steal this late.

25. Denver Broncos: Devon Still, DT, Penn State 

John Fox knows his team will win with defense and ball-control. This is an excellent pick at this slot.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Wright will need to run better at his pro day than he did at the combine (he posted a disappointing 4.61 in the 40-yard-dash), but he's the perfect fit for this offense.

27. New England Patriots: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech 

I believe the Patriots would be smart to move up in this draft and go after a player like Michael Floyd—they really could use an upgrade at wide receiver.

But if they stay put, Hill is an intriguing prospect.

He's 6'4" and 218 pounds, yet blistered a 4.36 in his 40-yard-dash, has a 39.5-inch vertical jump and looked natural catching passes at combine drills.

He was stuck in a run-first offense at Georgia Tech and only had 28 catches this past year, but turned them into 820 yards and led the nation with 29.3 yards per catch. It's hard not to think of Randy Moss at first glance, though that's taking his potential too far.

Still, I think Hill will find his way into the late first round and will be an intriguing prospect for a team like New England if they don't move up (or down, as history suggests they might).

28. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

The Packers need to focus on defense. Thompson, who can play some nose tackle and defensive end in their 3-4 scheme, is a good start.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska

If he hadn't torn his pectoral muscle in the 2011 season, we would probably be talking about the 2010 second-team All-American being selected higher in the draft.

As it were, the Ravens will be happy to further solidify their line with Crick.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest

The speedy receiver from the Demon Deacons will pair nicely with Michael Crabtree.

31. New England Patriots: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

Mercilus led the NCAA in sacks in 2011 with 16, and the Patriots will slot him in as an efficient player at outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme.

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

The Giants and their outside linebackers struggled against elite tight ends. Brown will likely be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme and is certainly fast enough to cover any tight end in the NFL. This is the perfect match.

* The Redskins hypothetically trade the sixth pick in the first round, along with their second- and third-round pick this year and first-round pick next year to St. Louis for the second overall pick.

** The Bengals trade the 17th and 21st picks in the first round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the fifth pick in the first round.

*** From Cincinnati (from Oakland in the Carson Palmer trade).

****From Cincinnati.

***** From New Orleans in last year's Mark Ingram trade.

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