NFL Draft 2012: How Free Agent Pool Will Alter Draft Strategies

While there is already a ton of anticipation when it comes to April's NFL Draft, there is one extremely important event before it. That, of course, is free agency. The free agent class looks to be stacked this season, so signings figure to affect the draft in a big way.

There are ultimately only so many needs to fill, meaning that the free agency happenings could fluctuate the draft stock of certain players in a big way. Talented players are still going to be taken early, obviously, but there are several positions that are quite deep on the free agent market.

Here are three things to look out for with regards to how free agency might alter the draft strategies of several teams.

Quarterback Carousel

While it's almost a guarantee that the Indianapolis Colts are going to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck No. 1 overall in the draft, there is still plenty of question with regards to where Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III might end up. The Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins are all possibilities. Whichever team can successfully trade for the St. Louis Rams' No. 2 overall pick will likely get him.

At the same time, though, there should be a couple big-time quarterbacks available through free agency. Provided the Colts go with Luck, future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning will be on the market, as will former Green Bay Packers backup Matt Flynn. Of the Browns, Redskins and Dolphins, there's a good chance that two of them will scoop up Manning and Flynn. That may leave the third team as the only one capable of nabbing RG3.

Dearth of Wide Receivers

In both the free agent and draft pools, wide receiver looks to be the deepest position this year. In terms of free agency, the talent level is incredibly high as Vincent Jackson, Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Steve Johnson, Mario Manningham and so many others are available. At the same time, the draft offers potential studs like Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright and Alshon Jeffery.

When one particular position is so deep in a draft, a couple players tend to slide a bit. When you compound that with maybe the best crop of receivers ever to hit free agency, the draft is sure to be shaken up a bit. The majority of teams with needs at receiver will be able to address that in free agency, while the teams that don't will have free reign in the draft. Despite there being so many good receivers in the draft, their value may decline in the coming month.

Who Will Land Mario Williams?

In the present-day NFL, nothing is more important than passing the football. Most offenses in the league are predicated on throwing, so defenses have had to evolve in order to better defend against the pass. The best way to do that is by pressuring the quarterback. The New York Giants proved how important that could be this year and other teams will obviously try to follow suit since the NFL is unquestionably a copy-cat league.

While there are a few very good pass rushers on the open market, the big fish is definitely Houston Texas defensive end/rush linebacker Mario Williams. Not only is Williams a former No. 1 overall pick, but he has a couple double-digit sack seasons to his name as well. There are a lot of first-round-caliber pass rushers in the draft, but none of them have the pedigree of Williams. Depending upon where Williams lands, it could certainly shake up the landscape of the draft with regards to where pass rushers might be taken.