2012 NFL Mock Draft: The Safest Prospects in This Year's Class

The NFL draft certainly comes with plenty of risk, but these three 2012 prospects are about as safe as you can get. 

In other words, you won't have to worry about that frightening "bust" word if your team drafts one of these players. 

Matt Kalil, OT, USC 

Kalil was one of the most impressive offensive linemen at the combine. He was a dominating staple on the left side of the Trojans' offensive line for the last two seasons. His father was an NFL player and his brother Ryan is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. 

At 6'6'' and 300 pounds, he has the ideal body type to deal with speedy edge rushers at the next level and, with some coaching, can be become a road-grader for the running game. 

Take him, and you've got your franchise left tackle for the next decade. 

Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU 

Everyone had a LSU cornerback (Patrick Peterson) as one of the safest prospects last season, and not much is different this year. 

Claiborne is the safest defensive back in this year's class. 

At 5'11'' and 188 pounds, Claiborne has superb ball skills and great instincts in zone or man coverage. While he's not as physical in press coverage or as dynamic as a return man as Peterson, he's precisely what you want in a potential lock-down corner. 

He's also a sure-tackling run defender that's skilled at getting around blocks and lighting up outside running plays before they can develop. 

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

The most obvious pick. I wanted to save him to build the suspense a little. While he might have a difficult time playing on the Indianapolis Colts with their various roster holes, he's the epitome of a franchise quarterback prospect. 

As we saw at the combine, he's far more athletic than we thought. We already knew his size, arm strength and accuracy were superb.

Lastly, he's got a firm grasp on the complex, pro-style offense. 

2012 NFL Mock Draft (March 1, Post-Combine Update)

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2. Washington Redskins (trade with St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, Southern California

4. Cleveland Browns: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

6. St. Louis Rams (trade with Washington Redskins): Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame  

8. Miami Dolphins: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama

9. Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DL, LSU

10. Buffalo Bills: Nick Perry, DE, Southern California 

11. Seattle Seahawks: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

14. Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford 

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama 

16. New York Jets: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina 

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

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

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

20. Tennessee Titans: Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama 

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta): Fletcher Cox, DL, Mississippi State  

23. Detroit Lions: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa 

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

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor 

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans): Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

28. Green Bay Packers: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

29. Baltimore Ravens: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

30. San Francisco 49ers: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech 

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

32. New York Giants, Kelechi Osemele, OL, Iowa State

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