2012 NFL Mock Draft: Players Who'll Fall but Should Go High

Dropping down the order is a fact of life in the NFL Draft. Just ask Aaron Rodgers, who went from possibly being the No. 1 pick of his hometown 49ers to the 24th pick of the Packers, with whom he'd spend three years as Brett Favre's backup, in the 2005 draft.

Although, if you've been following A-Rod's career of late, that didn't work out so bad in the end.

The wait may be awkwardly long for some of the prospects in the latter half of this year's first round, but never fear! They'll succeed in the pros despite being passed over by so many soon-to-be-sorry suitors.

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14): Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

He plays quarterback like John Elway and boasts the measurables (size, speed, agility) of Cam Newton. 'Nuff said.

2. Washington Redskins (5-11): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The Redskins will sell their souls to the Rams for the No. 2 pick and a shot at the franchise quarterback they've long coveted.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13): Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Matt Kalil will give Christian Ponder some breathing room in the pocket...for once.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Minor knee scope aside, Trent Richardson is still the best prospect on the board at this point and fills a huge hole in the Browns' backfield.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12): Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Corner will be a big area of need for the Bucs without Ronde Barber (retirement?) and Aqib Talib (prison?). Morris Claiborne is the best at that spot in the current draft class.

6. St. Louis Rams (2-14): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

At llaaaaaaaast, the Rams have found their No. 1 wide receiver.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11): Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

Melvin Ingram keeps on climbin', right into the Jags' pass-rush opposite Jeremy Mincey.

8. Miami Dolphins (6-10): Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

The Dolphins could use an athletic pass-rusher like Quinton Coples as they switch to a 4-3 scheme under new head coach Joe Philbin.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-10): Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

The big fella out of the bayou will bolster Ron Rivera's suspect defense up front.

10. Buffalo Bills (6-10): Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama

Head coach Chan Gailey has been telegraphing his preference for a pass-rusher almost as well as Ryan Fitzpatrick did with his passes this season.

Too soon?

11. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9): Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

It's about time for the Chiefs to address their need at tackle amidst the debacle otherwise known as Jared Gaither and Barry Richardson.

12. Seattle Seahawks (7-9): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

Kuechly silenced his doubters with a surprising display of athleticism at the combine, enough to warrant being the Seahawks' new "man in the middle."

13. Arizona Cardinals (8-8): David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Whoever's playing quarterback in the desert next season will need some better protection up front.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

Jenkins is a slightly better prospect at corner than 'Bama's Dre Kirkpatrick, though he comes with just as much baggage. Either way, the Cowboys have holes to fill in the secondary and will do so ASAP.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

Rumblings out of Philly suggest the Eagles will take a tackle, and Poe is the best of the bunch at this point.

16. New York Jets (8-8): Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

Rex Ryan has to like what he saw from Nick Perry at the combine, enough to make him a prominent member of his team's paltry pass-rush.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

What's that you say? Dre has "character issues"?

Send him to Cincinnati! i hear they're into that sort of thing.

18. San Diego Chargers (8-8): Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

Remember when Bob Sanders was a Bolt? Yeah, neither do they.

Mark Barron has the talent to be a top-10 pick, but concerns about his health (i.e. hernia surgery that kept him out of the combine) and the other needs of teams picking in the top half of the first round will knock him down into the late teens, if not the early 20s.

The Chargers certainly won't mind, seeing as how they could use a player of his particular talents.

19. Chicago Bears (8-8): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Here comes that "C" word again...character.

There are certainly questions and concerns about Michael Floyd's heading into the draft, stemming from his turbulent days at Notre Dame.

But there's no denying this kid's gifts, which he put on display in a big way at the combine. The Bears would be more than happy to fill their need at wide receiver with a talented kid from the Midwest like Floyd, assuming he drops into their collective lap.

20. Tennessee Titans (9-7): Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

The name says it all, especially for a team with as dire a need in the pass-rush as the Titans.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

The Bengals won't mind bidding farewell to the terrible Nate Livings once they plug Cordy Glenn into his place.

22. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Without RGIII in the corner pocket, the Browns will be on the lookout for a potential steal at quarterback with their second pick of the first round (courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons).

Ryan Tannehill may not be on the same level as Andrew Luck and Griffin, but he's no slouch either. The 6'4, 222-pounder is a solid athlete, having begun his collegiate career at Texas A&M as a wide receiver.

Tannehill can sling it, too, and would've shown as much at the combine had it not been for a broken foot. He's still a bit raw, though he certainly has the talent to be a mid-first-rounder.

Had there been a team in need of a QB at that point, that is.

23. Detroit Lions (10-6): Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

The Lions will bid farewell to longtime center Dominic Raiola and replace him with the best prospect at that position to come out of the college ranks in years.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5): Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

For the love of Big Ben, will someone please get the Steelers some help along the offensive line?!

25. Denver Broncos (8-8): Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

Fletcher Cox will be the Tim Tebow of the Broncos' defense...okay, not really, but the dude's a gifted athlete at a position of need.

26. Houston Texans (10-6): Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The Texans will need a second quality receiver if they're ever to capitalize on their considerable talent across the board. What better way to satisfy that need than with a guy whose been a Texan his whole life?

27. New England Patriots (13-3): Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

Defense is the name of the game for the Patriots, and Worthy plays that game very well, especially as an always-elusive interior pass-rusher.

28. Green Bay Packers (15-1): Harrison Smith, SS, Notre Dame

Tell me, how much longer can the Packers get by with such a subpar secondary?

29. Baltimore Ravens (12-4): Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Bryant McKinnie did well to sustain the Ravens at tackle last season, but, as good as he was, he's not long for the gig.

As such, GM Ozzie Newsome will be on the lookout for a long-term solution up front. Jonathan Martin would be a perfect fit, given his size, intelligence and experience blocking for an elite passer (Andrew Luck).

He's fallen off a bit on most draft boards as a result of  his somewhat-less-than-impressive performance on tape, but the dude's still a massive lineman with the big brains to match. Baltimore will be lucky to have landed a top-15 talent.

30. San Francisco 49ers (13-3): Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

Think the Niners will mind solving their problems at wide receiver with a 6'5" athlete who ran a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash at the combine?

31. New England Patriots (13-3): Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson

Like I said, the Pats will be on the lookout for defensive help, particularly in the pass-rush. Branch boasts the sort of size and versatility that Bill Belichick looks for in his young defenders.

32. New York Giants (9-7): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

The Giants were last in the league in rushing during the regular season and will need someone to share the load with Ahmad Bradshaw if they let go of Brandon Jacobs. Surely, they could do worse than Lamar Miller (4.4 in the 40) to upgrade their backfield.

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