2012 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting Where St. Louis Will Trade No. 2 Pick

The St. Louis Rams will reportedly look to trade the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, and if they play their cards right, they could net a serious haul in return for the selection. 

The goal of any team moving up into the second spot in the draft would be to grab Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, and he already has several suitors for his services. The Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins are all likely to be involved in discussions for the pick.

As things stand, the Browns have the most to offer the Rams, as they have two selections in the first round (No. 4 and No. 22). If they are motivated to move up and grab Griffin, they should almost certainly be able to.

Until this point of the process, I have not been considering trades in my mock drafts, but with word that the Rams really want to move out of the No. 2 spot and considering how thoroughly Griffin impressed observers at the NFL Scouting Combine, it's time to start adding a big potential trade to the mix.

Right now, I think the Browns will swap their first two picks with the Rams in order to get Griffin. With those two first-round picks, the Rams will solidify their roster by drafting Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon at No. 4 and Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick at No. 22.

Blackmon is clearly the best receiver in the draft, while Kirkpatrick is a top-10 talent whose arrest for Marijuana possession really hurt his stock. Luckily, he did a lot to take the stink off himself at the combine, with solid workouts and no red flags in his interviews.

If Kirkpatrick keeps his nose clean and Blackmon pans out the way most predict he will, the Rams could come away from the 2012 draft with two huge pieces for their rebuilding project.

2012 NFL Mock Draft      

1.  Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  Cleveland Browns (via trade with St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3.  Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC  

4.  St. Louis Rams (via trade with Cleveland Browns): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

6.  Washington Redskins: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

8.  Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

9.   Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

10.  Buffalo Bills: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina 

12.  Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

13.  Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

14.  Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

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

16.  New York Jets: Mark Barron, S, Alabama

17.  Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

18.  San Diego Chargers: Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia 

19.  Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

20.  Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

21.  Cincinnati Bengals: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

22.  St. Louis Rams (from Cleveland Browns)*: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

23.  Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

25.  Denver Broncos: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

26.  Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

27.  New England Patriots: Chandler Jones, DE/OLB, Syracuse

28.  Green Bay Packers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois   

29.  Baltimore Ravens: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

30.  San Francisco 49ers: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

31. New England Patriots: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

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

*Browns acquired pick from Atlanta Falcons during 2011 NFL draft