2012 NFL Mock Draft: Which Wide Receiver Should Be Selected First?
Don't let his unwillingness to run a 40-yard dash at the combine change your mind—Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon should be the first receiver taken in the 2012 NFL draft.
You thought that during the season, and just because a few wideouts were impressive in Indy and have seen their stocks "rise" over the last few weeks doesn't mean Blackmon should fall on April 26th.
Although they could be in the Robert Griffin III running, the Cleveland Browns make absolutely perfect sense to land Blackmon if they stay put at No. 4 overall.
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At 6'1'' and a chiseled 207 pounds, he's the ideal No. 1 receiver in a West Coast offense. While Blackmon doesn't possess fabulous straight-line speed, he's terrorizing on short drag routes—a staple of that system.
His collegiate production cannot be ignored, as he had 38 touchdown catches in two seasons with the Cowboys.
He's not in the Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson mold as a prospect entering the league, and because of that, some people believe he's not worthy of a Top-Five selection.
While that has some merit, he fits a dire need in Cleveland, and they pick No. 4 overall. That's all there is to it.
A few other teams holding Top-10 picks could certainly use a wideout with Blackmon's skill set as well.
The only other receiver who has a chance to be picked ahead of Blackmon is Notre Dame's Michael Floyd. He has got a similar skill set to that of Blackmon and is a bigger prospect at 6'3'' and 220 pounds.
However, he comes with a history of off-field issues that were a re-occurring problem during his time in South Bend, although they did subside in his senior year.
After an impressive 4.47 at the combine, he's a close second to Blackmon and is worthy of a Top-10 pick in this year's draft.
Baylor's Kendall Wright and possibly Rutgers' Mohamed Sanu or Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill are other wideouts who could be selected in the first round on April 26th.
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. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
12. Seattle Seahawks: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
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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