2012 NFL Mock Draft: Contenders Sure to Find a New Star

I know what you're thinking: Who will be this year's Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Von Miller and Aldon Smith?

In other words, what rookies will step up and become stars for contending teams?

Let's take a look into my crystal ball and find out.

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 they'll smartly give up an arm and a leg to bring in the next face of their franchise.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

This remains a logical and likely pick for the Vikings.

4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

I don't think Cleveland will want to go wide receiver or running back this high, and will instead take the best player left on the board at a valuable 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.

One of the surprises from last year, the Bengals will pay a stiff price to bring in the best running back to hit the draft since Adrian Peterson.

The combination of Andy Dalton, Richardson, A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham will be fun to watch for the next decade.

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

So St. Louis gets a bounty of picks to trade out of the second pick and end up with a player that were interested in drafting in the first place. Jeff Fisher and Sam Bradford will be quite pleased with this pick.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

If Morris Claiborne is 1A on the cornerback board, Kirkpatrick is 1B. He'll be a lock-down corner for years to come.

8. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Don't look for the Dolphins to make a play for Griffin. Instead, they'll sign Flynn and draft Reiff to play right tackle.

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

The Panthers keep Coples in the area and select the best defensive end on the board.

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

The Bills are going to play more four-man fronts under new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, making the versatile Ingram a great fit for a team in need of a pass-rushing upgrade.

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

The Chiefs will replace retiring nose tackle Kelly Gregg with the massive Poe, whose 44 bench press reps and 4.98 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine shoot him up draft boards.

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

The next shocker of the draft will belong to Seattle, who will look to fill a big need here after being unable to land Griffin, Flynn or Peyton Manning.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

You would make this pick too if your alternative at tackle was Levi Brown.

14. Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

I think the Cowboys will surprise people and make a run at Mario Williams in free agency if he doesn't re-sign with the Houston Texans, meaning they'll fill their need at guard through the draft.

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

The Eagles would be better served signing Stephen Tulloch, who has already thrived in their wide-nine scheme.

But given that Tulloch might return to the Detroit Lions, the next best option for the Birds is to draft Kuechly, who is an absolute tackling machine and proved at the combine he is a hell of an athlete as well.

If the Eagles don't draft Kuechly here given their dire need for an upgrade at outside linebacker, I think fans may appropriate the Liberty Bell and drop it on Andy Reid from the upper deck.

Can you tell I'm an Eagles fan?

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

Upshaw looks like an excellent fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. The Jets could use an upgrade at the position.

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

After a very solid combine—and an excellent career at Notre Dame—Floyd could end up going even higher than this. The Bucs will be thrilled to snag him if he doesn't.

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

Unless you are comfortable with the Chargers dusting off Takeo Spikes for another season, drafting the talented Hightower and slotting him in at middle linebacker is the smart move for the Bolts.

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

I'm perplexed by Jeffery's choice to bypass running at the combine, but I still believe he is one of the top two or three wide receivers in this draft.

Alongside Jay Cutler, Matt Forte (if the team wises up and gives him a contract extension) and the Bears' still solid defense, Jeffery could be the missing piece this team needs to make a deep playoff run.

20. Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE, USC

Perry is a freakish athlete, and the Titans will hope he is a freakish edge-rusher for them as well.

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

Michael Floyd and Janoris Jenkins for Trent Richardson—the Bucs did well for themselves with this trade. Character concerns aside, Jenkins has undeniable talent.

22. Cleveland Browns: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

This could be any number of backs, but I think Miller presents the most upside of the remaining runners and will be the pick for Cleveland here.

23. Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Hey, the Lions need a center. It might be a bit high to take a center, but sometimes you just have to fill a need when you have the chance to do so.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

I may be undervaluing where the defensive tackles will end up being drafted this year, but I know Brockers is a stud and will be a star on the interior for a team.

If Pittsburgh can snag him and use him as a 3-4 defensive end, he'll make them look like geniuses for getting such excellent value this deep into the first round.

The Steelers strike again.

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

Another steal this late, Still is too good to pass up for Denver.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Expect Wright to run better on his pro day and become a nice complement to Andre Johnson for the Texans.

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

He's 6'4" and 218 pounds, yet he blistered a 4.36 in his 40-yard dash, has a 39.5-inch vertical jump and looked natural catching passes at combine drills. Will he be a poor man's Randy Moss or just a poor man in a few years because he's an NFL bust?

Hard to say. Also hard to pass him up for a team that could use a playmaker on the outside.

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

Thompson can play either nose tackle or defensive end in their 3-4 scheme.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska

Crick seems to be an under-the-radar player, but he's a solid player and a great fit on Baltimore's defense.

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

Givens' resume combined with a solid combine should sneak him past some of the other receivers and onto the 49ers roster.

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

Mercilus led the NCAA in sacks in 2011 with 16, and the Patriots could use an infusion of talent at the outside linebacker position. This is a solid pick.

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

The Giants linebackers struggled against elite tight ends. Brown is ideally an outside linebacker in a 4-3 and is athletic enough to cover most tight ends. They're an excellent 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 hypothetically 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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