2012 NFL Mock Draft: Obscure Players That'll Crack First Round

We interrupt Robert Griffin III’s reign over Twitter for a special announcement.

There will be moments in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft when the casual fan will be left asking who dat? 

I know.  It’s hard to believe.  But not every single selection will be as obvious as Luck to Indy and RGIII to DC—nuts, just gave two picks away.

Before I simmer down the shock value of any more selections by accident, here are is an updated mock highlighting the obscure players that have found their way into Round 1.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford)

Curtis Painter has been cut so now we definitely know that the Colts are going QB first overall.  Luck may or may not already be living in an apartment in Indianapolis—ask Adam Schefter.

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor)

Hmm, which prospect could’ve possibly provoked Daniel Snyder to surrender two first-round picks and a second to move up four spots in the draft?  Washington went all in for RGIII for one reason: so Rex Grossman wouldn’t get a chance to guarantee another NFC East title.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil (OT, USC)

Christian Ponder isn’t capable of moving the ball down the field with poor receivers and no offensive line.  With Kalil protecting his blindside, though, Ponder can just lock on to Percy Harvin and wait until he gets open.

4. Cleveland Browns: Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma St.)

Cleveland laughed off the Rams’ asking price for the second overall pick, so now James Harrison and Terrell Suggs will struggle to hold back their laughter as they assault Colt McCoy next season.  For any improvement to be possible, the Browns must surround McCoy with as much talent as possible.

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

Aqib Talib will potentially star in a new filming of "The Longest Yard" this year and, at the same time, Ronde Barber is expiring.  Even if Cortland Finnegan signs with the Bucs, corner will still be a need.

6. St. Louis Rams: Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama)

Jeff Fisher’s favorite position in the game of football by far is the halfback.  During his days with the Tennessee Titans, he spent first- or second-round picks on Eddie George, LenDale White, Chris Henry and Chris Johnson.

With Steven Jackson running out of gas, St. Louis won’t get another opportunity to draft a replacement back as talented as Richardson.

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

Don’t be shocked if Blaine Gabbert starts a petition for the Jags to sign Michael Floyd.  Jacksonville’s No. 1 need is for a No. 1 receiver and the 6’3”, 220-pound Floyd fits the bill after running a 4.47 40-yard dash.

8. Miami Dolphins: Quinton Coples (DE, UNC)

Miami fans couldn’t care less about the draft right now with Manning and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark on their radar, but even if the Dolphins reel in that trio, they still need an upgrade on the defensive side of the football.  Cameron Wake racks up the sacks despite consistent double teams, but the Fins still need a pass-rushing threat opposite of the CFL sensation.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe (DT, Memphis)

How did Dontari Poe come out of nowhere?  I don’t know—it’s kind of hard to miss him.

The 6’4”, 346-pound Poe ran an unforeseeable 4.87 in the 40-yard dash and benched a Hulk-like 44 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.  Teams with gaping holes at nose tackle can target this guy in the second round no longer. 

Carolina’s defense needs to at least attempt to match the performance of their offense and that starts on the defensive line.  They rolled the dice on an athletic freak last year.  The gamble worked like a charm so why not another?

10. Buffalo Bills: Melvin Ingram (DE, South Carolina)

Buffalo’s defense lived and died by the turnover last season and it died more often than not because of a non-existent pass rush.  Shawne Merriman can’t get to the quarterback anymore, but maybe he can teach Melvin Ingram his "Light’s Out" dance.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Riley Reiff (OT, Iowa)

Whoever starts under center in KC next season, they’re going to need better protection than Matt Cassel got last year.  Riley Reiff at No. 11 is a no-brainer, unless Chiefs fans want to root on Tyler Palko more, of course.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill (QB, Texas A&M)

Is Ryan Tannehill pro-ready?  No way.  But the Seahawks will likely lose the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and unless they come away with Matt Flynn, Tannehill is their only option.

The Aggies quarterback only tossed 29 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions his senior season.  Of course, he played wide receiver and led the team in receptions as a freshman and sophomore.  Tannehill is raw and defines the label ­project, but with Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst as Plan B and C, the former pass catcher will have to do.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin (OT, Stanford)

Whoever starts under center in Zona next season—yeah, Peyton has a chunk of the league on their knees right now—they’re going to need better protection than Kevin Kolb got last year.  Please tell me you’re noticing the correlation between poor o-lines and QBs.

14. Dallas Cowboys: David DeCastro (G, Stanford)

Tony Romo is athletic enough to run for his life, but believe it or not, an offense is run more efficiently from the pocket.  David DeCastro is simply too talented to pass up even with the puff-puff-pass DBs still on the board.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly (ILB, Boston College)

Luke Kuechly is an intelligent, intense, linebacker who’s a tackling machine.  What a pleasant surprise!  It just so happens that the Eagles defense lacks intelligence, intensity and linebackers who can tackle.

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw (OLB, Alabama)

New York needs to upgrade Peyton Manning’s arsenal of weapons—oh, wait.  Never mind, Manning isn’t talented enough to take Mark Sanchez’s job. 

Instead, Rex Ryan will draft a dangerous pass rusher to unleash on Manning if he signs with the Dolphins.

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Janoris Jenkins (CB, Flori…North Alabama)

One of Janoris Jenkins’s children is named Legend.  For Marvin Lewis, that alone is a legit enough reason to overlook the cornerback’s character concerns.

18. San Diego Chargers: Nick Perry (OLB, USC)

With the news that Norv Turner still has a job in San Diego, doctors diagnosed AJ Smith as clinically insane, so who knows what this selection will be?  In a sane world, though, the Chargers would select Nick Perry to replace the nothing that they have across from Shaun Phillips.

19. Chicago Bears: Stephen Hill (WR, Georgia Tech)

Stephen Hill is a freak.  And I mean that in a good way.

No one had this guy on their first-round radar before the combine.  But hey, something about spandex makes scouts fall in love.  The 6’4”, 215-pound Hill ran a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash and recorded a whopping 39.5 inch vertical.

Jay Cutler cries himself to sleep at night reminiscing about the days when he played catch every Sunday afternoon with Brandon Marshall.  Chicago has plenty of depth at the receiver position—what it needs is a No. 1.  Hill definitely possesses the physical ability to be Cutler’s go-to-guy.

20. Tennessee Titans: Cordy Glenn (G, Georgia)

Tennessee made CJ2K’s nickname irrelevant by sticking a trio of sub-par run-blocking offensive lineman in front of him.  The 6’5”, 345-pound Cordy Glenn will be an instant upgrade on their interior.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller (RB, Miami)

The Traffic Light Connection of Andy Dalton and AJ Green will never fully accelerate until the Bengals have a respectable rushing attack.  Lamar Miller and his sub-4.4 40-time would single-handedly take the Cincy offense to another level.

22. Cleveland Browns: Mike Adams (OT, Ohio St.)

Mike Adams embarrassed himself at the combine, so this is a reach.  But again, Cleveland needs to surround McCoy with as much talent as possible and Adams is the best offensive tackle on the board.

23. Detroit Lions: Dre Kirkpatrick (CB, Alabama)

Detroit desperately needs an upgrade at cornerback and safety.  Dre Kirkpatrick is versatile enough to play each position and his hard-hitting ability will be accepted with open arms on a unit featuring Ndamukong Suh.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower (ILB, Alabama)

Pittsburgh released James Farrior, so now there’s no way that it delays selecting his successor.  Dont'a Hightower would be the perfect replacement at inside linebacker because, like Farrior, Hightower’s instincts are nearly inhuman.

25. Denver Broncos: Michael Brockers (DT, LSU)

Until Tim Tebow develops, Denver needs a strong defense to slow the game’s pace.  At 6’5”, 322 pounds, Michael Brockers is just big enough to fill the Broncos' crater of a hole on their interior d-line.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright (WR, Baylor)

And for the first time ever, Matt Schaub has not one, but two respectable wide receivers to throw the football to.  In the Texans’ loaded offense, Wright would be a serious candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

27. New England Patriots: Fletcher Cox (DT, Mississippi St.)

Unless they want to give Albert Haynesworth a 17th shot at redemption, New England must draft a defensive tackle early.  I know Gisele blames the wide receivers, but the Pats defense is what lost them the Super Bowl. 

28. Green Bay Packers: Whitney Mercilus (OLB, Illinois)

Clay Matthews is a freak, but even he needs at least a somewhat respectable pass rusher opposite him.  Green Bay’s defense took a huge step back in 2011 and it’s the reason why Aaron Rodgers didn’t get to do the Discount Double Check dance on the Super Bowl podium.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Peter Konz (C, Wisconsin)

When Matt Birk attended Harvard, Jeremy Lin wasn’t even born yet.  Okay, that’s a lie, but at 35 years old, Baltimore needs to find a replacement.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Devon Still (DE, Penn St.)

San Francisco doesn’t have many needs, so it owns the luxury of being able to select the best available player.  Without much depth behind Justin Smith and Ray McDonald, Devon Still as rotational stud would make the 49ers defense even more dominant.

31. New England Patriots: Mark Barron (SS, Alabama)

Once again, New England’s defense is a sieve. 

Mark Barron is a fierce, hard-hitting playmaker. Bill Belichick loves fierce, hard-hitting playmakers (see: Lawyer Milloy, Rodney Harrison).

32. New York Giants: Coby Fleener (TE, Stanford)

Two torn ACL’s later, New York went from having two solid tight ends in Jake Ballard and Travis Beckham to zero.  Coby Fleener is the No. 1 tight end prospect in the draft class after Dwayne Allen ate more donuts than he ran sprints heading into the combine.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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