2012 NFL Mock Draft: Last Minute Pre-Free Agency Picks

On Tuesday, March 13, the free-agent floodgates will open across the National Football League as teams begin a mad scramble to secure the services of the players that they cover to fill holes on their respective rosters.

In fact, the madness got off to a head start this season, as quarterback Peyton Manning's release by the Indianapolis Colts set off a firestorm of interest and rumors, and Manning's brushoff of the advances of the Washington Redskins may well have been the final straw that motivated the Redskins to make Friday's blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Rams that netted the Rams a king's ransom in picks and gave Washington the opportunity to draft their franchise quarterback of the future.

The effects of free agency will no doubt have a significant impact on April's NFL draft, as teams' strategies are changed by the new additions to their squads, but that won't stop us from taking one last pre-free agency look at how the first round of the 2012 NFL draft might shake out.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: At this point, while there's little to no doubt that the Colts will select Luck, there are any number of questions about who he'll be completing passes to, as Indianapolis is undergoing a massive roster purge.

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor: The future is now in the nation's capital, but the pressure on the Heisman Trophy winner will be immense given the exorbitant price the Redskins paid for the rights to the second-overall pick.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC: The Vikings cut both their starting guards Saturday, making it a very real possibility that tackle Charlie Johnson will kick inside and all but ensuring that Minnesota will select the 2012 draft's best offensive line prospect.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: The Browns may well attempt to trade down from this spot if another team shows interest, but if they stand pat, a team desperately in need of playmakers on offense will make Richardson the first running back taken in the top five since 2008.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU: The Buccaneers are apparently interested in retaining veteran cornerback Ronde Barber, but that doesn't make Barber any younger or change the fact that Tampa Bay needs help in the defensive backfield.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: This would be a best-case scenario for the Rams, who not only got to stockpile a slew of picks in future drafts, but would also get the player that likely would have been their primary target anyway.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina: The Jaguars were among the worst teams in the NFL in getting after the passer last season, and if defensive end Jeremy Mincey departs in free agency, their need will just become that much more pronounced.

8. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa: Assuming for a moment that the Dolphins miss out on Peyton manning but land Matt Flynn, upgrading the right side of the line would become a huge priority, as starting right tackle Marc Colombo was absolutely horrendous last year.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis: The Panthers struggled against the run last year due in large part to deficiencies in the interior of Caolina's defensive line, which the combine standout would address quite nicely.

10. Buffalo Bills: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina: Coples has all the physical tools at 6'6" and 281 pounds, and while questions about Coples' motor weren't answered in a so-so combine showing, the Bills are desperate for defensive ends given their shift to a 4-3 defense.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: David Decastro, OG, Stanford: Guard is a huge area of need in Kansas City, and Decastro is probably the best guard prospect in years. He may be as close to a "can't miss" prospect as there is in this year's draft class.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M: The Seahawks appear poised to miss out on the free-agent signal-callers, so Pete Carroll may look to the draft and Tannehill, who could sit for a season and acclimate to the NFL in the Emerald City.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford: If the Cardinals end up the winner of the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, upgrading his blindside protection will become priority No. 1 for the Cardinals, as Levi Brown is an overpaid liability in pass protection and candidate for release.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama: Jenkins' stock has taken a tumble with many pundits due to his checkered past, but Jerry Jones has never been shy about taking a risk on a talented player with skeletons in his closet.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: The Eagles could easily address their need at middle linebacker in a deep free agent class at the position, allowing them to draft a defensive tackle to pair inside with Cullen Jenkins.

16. New York Jets: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois: The Jets need to improve their pass-rush, and adding the Illinois standout, who led the NCAA in sacks a season ago, would surely seem to be a step in the right direction in that regard.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama: Nate Clements looked every bit of 32 at times a season ago, leaving the Bengals with a hole opposite Leon Hall at cornerback in Cincinnati.

18. San Diego Chargers: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC: The 2011 Pac-12 sacks leader had an outstanding combine and would certainly appeal to a San Diego squad that needs more consistency from their pass-rush.

19. Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame: This pick could change if the Bears can land a big free-agent wideout, but the team's glaring need at the position makes it a near lock that they'll draft a receiver early if they can't.

20. Tennessee Titans: Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson: Only one team in the National Football League racked up fewer sacks than the Titans a season ago, making it absolutely essential that Tennessee looks to the defensive line early in the draft.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami: Oakland Raiders tailback Michael Bush has widely been rumored as a free-agent target for the Bengals, and the Hurricanes speedster would provide an excellent complement to the bruising Bush in the Cincinnati backfield.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia: As I said, the Browns need offense in a big way, and there are grumblings that the Browns could look at Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden here, but the right side of the offensive line in Cleveland could also use some work, and Glenn would be a huge upgrade (literally and figuratively) in that regard.

23. Detroit Lions: Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College: If Stephen Tulloch walks in free agency, the Lions would likely jump at the opportunity to replace him with college football's leading tackler and the Butkus Award winner in 2011, who looked very good in Indianapolis at the combine.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama: The release of veteran James Farrior leaves the Steelers with a hole at inside linebacker, and Hightower would be an excellent fit whose experience in the 3-4 defense would just be icing on the cake.

25. Denver Broncos: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State: John Elway reportedly came away very impressed with the 28 year-old rookie after watching him at the Cowboys pro day, and since the same cannot apparently be said about Elway's impression of Tim Tebow as a passer, it's a distinct possibility that the Broncos could look at Weeden should they fail to sign Peyton Manning.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: The Texans badly need to find a receiver to complement Andre Johnson, and the speedster from Baylor would be a considerable upgrade over Kevin Walter (who's old) and Jacoby Jones (who can't catch).

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina: To say that the New England Patriots could use help in the secondary is a titanic understatement, and Gilmore's stock is on the rise after a solid combine.

28. Green Bay Packers: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama: Upshaw's draft stock has slid after a so-so combine and skipping Alabama's Pro Day, but the Packers likely wouldn't hesitate to take him here in an effort to upgrade a poor pass-rush that was at the root of Green Bay's defensive deficiencies a season ago.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin: While it appears that veteran Matt Birk will give it a go for one more year, Konz is easily the best center prospect in this year's draft class, is versatile enough to slide to guard and would give the Ravens a much-needed infusion of youth on the offensive line.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech: While this pick could change if the 49ers land a big-name free agent, there's a cavernous hole at wideout in San Francisco, and the darling of this year's scouting combine could well go a long way towards filling that chasm.

31. New England Patriots: Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall: Both Mark Anderson and Andre Carter are set to hit free agency, and while Curry has some rehabbing of his stock to do after a poor combine, his versatility could appeal to Bill Belichick given his penchant for using multiple defensive fronts.

32. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State: The Giants offensive front isn't getting any younger (the average age of their starting five is 30), and while Adams had a disappointing combine, he's a versatile lineman who can play either tackle spot and who could become a solid NFL starter if given some time to develop.