2012 NFL Draft: Projecting the First-Round Wide Receivers

The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine has concluded, and now that the dust has settled in Indianapolis, a number of post-combine mock drafts are peppering the Internet, including here at Bleacher Report.

I'm far from immune to the siren's song of the mock draft, but the poor showings of wide receivers Kendall Wright (Baylor) and Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina) caused them to slip from the first round of my post-combine, knee-jerk mock draft, leaving only three wide receivers among the draft's first 32 selections.

Let's take a look at this trio of pass-catchers (including two familiar faces and one newcomer), the skills they bring to the table and what their projected new homes might mean for both them and their new squads.

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State (Round 1, Pick No. 4)

There's no denying that the Rams have a desperate need at wide receiver, especially with Brandon Lloyd likely to depart in free agency.

So, should the Rams trade down as expected, and the Browns win the Robert Griffin III sweepstakes, then the Rams may well use the fourth overall pick to address that need by taking the two-time Biletnikoff Award winner as college football's top receiver.

There's no doubting Blackmon's production in college, as the 6'1", 207-pounder racked up over 3,300 receiving yards over the past two seasons. While Blackmon chose not to run the 40-yard dash at the combine, he shined in position drills, with the NFL Newtork's Mike Mayock comparing Blackmon to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald due to his "ability to go up and adjust to the ball in the air with amazingly strong hands.”

That's high praise indeed.

And while drafting a wide receiver in the top five will always carry with it some risk, the Rams' need at the position and Blackmon's near consensus status as the top wide receiver in this year's class make this pick a fairly easy call.

Michael Floyd, Notre Dame (Round 1, Pick No. 19)

There aren't many teams in the National Football League that need a wide receiver more than the Chicago Bears, who don't exactly sport a collection of stars at the position. Clark Judge of CBS Sports points out:

"

They're dead flat ordinary, with Johnnie Knox at the top of the list. Nothing against Knox, but he's not the go-to receiver Cutler needs to push the Bears to the next level. I know, they won the NFC North two years ago and were one victory from the Super Bowl, but they didn't get there, folks. And they won't until they find someone to play catch with Cutler.

"

The 6'3", 200-pound Floyd ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis and displayed a 36.5-inch vertical jump. Although alcohol arrests while at Notre Dame raise some character concerns, Michael Floyd would provide quarterback Jay Cutler with the big target he's been lacking since his arrival in the Windy City, making him a solid value at this point in the first round.

Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech (Round 1, Pick No. 30)

This pick could turn out to be a classic example of a player's combine performance raising his stock more than it should. But when a team's wide receivers catch all of one pass in the NFC Championship Game, like the San Francisco 49ers did last year, then that can send a franchise scrambling.

Hill managed only 29 catches for the Yellow Jackets in 2011, but the 6'4", 215-pounder was one of the stars of the combine, reeling off a blistering 4.36-second 40-yard dash and topping all players at his position in the vertical leap.

His was a performance that certainly opened Mayock's eyes, according to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"

Stephen Hill killed it. I had a bunch of scouts tell me before the combine this kid might blow the roof off of it and he did. The tough thing with Stephen Hill is coming out of that option offense, he’s hard to evaluate...From a football perspective, every team in the league has a lot of homework to do. He’s a hard guy to figure out, just like Demaryius Thomas was because you don’t see real routes; all you see are verticals, crosses and play-action and jump balls. You have to do your homework on this kid and he’s kind of pushed himself right up in the forefront of this wide receivers class.

"

Hill likely still has some work to do at Georgia Tech's pro day and in individual workouts for teams. But if he can back up his explosion in Indy with strong showings there, it wouldn't be a bit surprising to see the 49ers give Hill a long look at the end of the first round.

Follow @IDPManor