2012 NFL Mock Draft: Skill Players Guaranteed to Succeed in Their Rookie Seasons

The NFL free agency period has certainly changed some draft picks around, so now is as good a time as any to see just how things are looking. 

Of course, we're going to look at the whole first round, but an extra amount of attention is going to be paid to the skill position players. Specifically, those players who will make a big immediate impact in their new homes.

Spotlighted players listed in Italics.

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

This has been the obvious pick for a long time. Barring something absolutely unforeseen, Luck will be the top pick. 

Bringing back Reggie Wayne is going to help Luck an awful lot. We already know Luck is a great athlete.

Now he'll have a stable receiver in town to help him out. That, combined with Luck's natural skills, will lead to a successful rookie campaign. 

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

No question about this one either. The Redskins did not mortgage future picks for anyone other than RG3. 

All of a sudden, the Redskins have a wealth of receivers to throw the ball to, and Griffin is already one of the more dazzling athletes in recent memory. This is all going to contribute to a strong rookie season.

And as is the case with Luck, it will not be Griffin's only great season, either.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

This pick will not only serve to keep Christian Ponder on his feet but it will also allow the Vikings time to maximize Percy Harvin's athletic abilities. 

Kalil is a franchise left tackle. He is far and away the best lineman in the draft, and that is a strong place to start when building a franchise. 

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

Blackmon is the most incredible, dynamic receiver in the draft. Some receivers are bigger, others are faster, but none of them come anywhere near the speed, size and strength combination that Blackmon features. 

The Browns have not had a real top receiver since Braylon Edwards in 2007. That is way too long to go without a real passing threat. Whoever the Browns go with at quarterback will need a receiver to rely on, and Blackmon is that guy. 

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

The addition of Eric Wright minimizes what was a great need for the Buccaneers at defensive back. Now that he's in Tampa, the Bucs can focus on the offensive side of the ball and go with the most dominant running back in the draft. 

Richardson is a marvel. He can run inside, outside, can stop on a dime and even catch passes. In both Alabama vs. LSU games, the field was filled with future NFL talent, yet Richardson was the dominant force on the field. 

6. St. Louis Rams: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)

The team who should be happiest about the Eric Wright signing is the Rams, who have an abysmal secondary. Claiborne is their man. 

He is fundamentally as sound as any corner to come into the league in a long time, and he is also a great special teams force. If you're looking for a comparison, think about Patrick Peterson. Peterson is a little better in the return game than Claiborne, but not quite as strong in coverage. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)

This is the first real reach of the draft, and I can't see it working well—not in 2012 anyway.

Kirkpatrick has good size, but he lacks the skill to be a strong coverage guy in his first year. Down the road, he'll be a solid player, but it will take a few years. 

8. San Diego Chargers (via trade with Miami): David DeCastro, G (Stanford)**

The Chargers should make this trade because they can afford to and need an impact lineman. Walter's Football Site's Draft Value Chart suggests that the Chargers would need to move their first and second-rounder to Miami for this pick. They need the great player more than the depth. 

DeCastro is a fantastic interior lineman who immensely helped a power offense in Stanford. Miami will go as far as Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush take them, so looking for a tough, nasty lineman is the best move to make. 

9. Carolina Panthers: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)

Still has more potential to dominate than any tackle in the draft. He will clog the middle, allowing Jon Beason to stuff the backs who ran wild against the Panthers all season in 2011. 

10. Buffalo Bills: Quinton Coples, DE (North Carolina)

No team in the NFL sacked the quarterback fewer times than the Bills in 2011. Coples is a nice start to that, but he's not the only player who should be brought in to rush the passer.

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

The Chiefs are a solid offensive line away from being a real AFC contender. Whoever the quarterback is will need some time to operate, and Reiff is a solid tackle. The only problem is he's going to be on the right side, but that's still an important position. 

12. Seattle Seahawks: Dontari Poe, DT (Memphis)

What a monster this guy is going to be. I didn't even think it was possible for a man this large to run as fast as Poe did at the combine, but he did. 

The Seahawks will be getting a guy offenses are going to have an extremely hard time game-planning for. 

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

Martin is a solid lineman who did a good job of keeping Andrew Luck on his feet. The Cardinals owe it to Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Peyton Manning or whoever their quarterback is to find a way to protect him. Martin will be a stalwart lineman in the NFL for a long time. 

14. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)

Yes, I know that they signed Brandon Carr, but that only makes this move more sensible.

The Cowboys secondary was just plain awful in 2011; one player is not going to make it good. 

With Carr, the Cowboys can work Jenkins into more ideal matchups by not always putting him against the opponent's best receiver. The character issues will persist, but this is an amazing talent. At Florida, Jenkins handled the like of A.J. Green and Julio Jones.

Dallas will do well to make this pick.

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

If the Eagles don't take Kuechly, everyone in the organization needs to be fired. This is college football's best tackler going to a team who couldn't stop the run for anything in 2011.

Kuechly is by far the best middle linebacker in this draft and is a perfect fit in Philly. 

16. New York Jets: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)

Think of Floyd as Plaxico Burress in 2011, only a lot more complete. Floyd is a fantastic red-zone target, as few defensive backs can even come close to matching his size. 

In addition to that, he's also more athletic than Burress, so Floyd will be more of a big-play threat for Mark Sanchez to depend on. The Jets need an offensive jolt, and Floyd is the best option for them to work with in this spot.

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)

His combine performance was not an accurate representation of how good Kendall Wright is. In reality, he is an elite receiver.

More importantly, in Cincinnati, he'll have the benefit of lining up on the other side of A.J. Green, which will only bring good matchups.

With Green, Wright and Andy Dalton, the Bengals are going to be scary for a long time. 

18. Miami Dolphins (via trade with San Diego): Ryan Tannehill, QB (Texas A&M)**

The Dolphins need to look for their quarterback of the future this year, regardless of whether they sign Peyton Manning or not.

Tannehill is a quarterback they have to trade back for. At No. 8, he's a terrible reach. At No. 18, we're looking at much better pick, especially with the additional draft picks that will come their way. 

19. Chicago Bears: Michael Brockers, DT (LSU)

The Bears can get to the quarterback fine, but they need a guy to keep blockers off of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Brockers is a beast in the middle who, if nothing else, will do that.

Best-case scenario is he'll wreak his own havoc. 

20. Tennessee Titans: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Alabama)

The Titans need a defensive spark, and Upshaw is one of the more complete defenders in the draft. He can rush the passer and hang in the middle, going sideline to sideline against the run.

That is a lot of versatility that the Titans can depend on for a long time. 

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

While Gilmore would have benefited from an extra year of college, the Bengals are a good enough team to use him in the right spots. In a year or two, he'll be ready to make big plays on a consistent level for one of the NFL's most promising teams.

22. Cleveland Browns: Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)

With Blackmon, the Browns already plugged one offensive hole. Still, they will need a real every-down back, and Miller is a fine option there. He has an explosiveness to him, but Miller can also run between the tackles when the need arises. 

23. Detroit Lions: Mark Barron, S (Alabama)

Barron's versatility against the run and pass is a valuable weapon for the Lions. Like the Eagles, they struggled a lot with the run, but Barron can be brought up to play a similar role to what the 49ers' safeties play, which is nearly a linebacker. 

In addition to Barron's prowess against the run, his hitting ability will take the over-the-middle passing game away from opponents. This is a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cordy Glenn, G (Georgia)

The Steelers are in good shape, but their offensive line is not a specialty. A good guard is needed to handle teams who blitz a lot (like the Ravens), and Glenn is a beast. He will be a stable fixture on Pittsburgh's front for a while.

25. Denver Broncos: David Wilson, RB (Virginia Tech)

Willis McGahee is not a long-term option at running back.

The Broncos clearly rely a lot on the run, and Wilson is the best option here. If they continue running a Tim Tebow offense, a back in Denver is going to get a lot of attention. Wilson would make the offense a formidable unit. 

26. Houston Texans: Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)

The Texans need more of a real threat to line up on the other side of Andre Johnson. Jeffery struggled in 2011 at South Carolina, but he had a terrible quarterback situation. Jeffery is still a physical marvel whom defenders will have a hard time matching up with. 

27. New England Patriots: Jamell Fleming, CB (Oklahoma)

The Patriots were one of the worst pass defenses in the league in 2012.

They need a cornerback, and Flemming is a good one. He will have some issues adjusting to the NFL, but the Patriots have to take that chance. 

28. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)

The Packers have to find a way to rush the quarterback, or they are going to be in a lot of shootouts in 2012. They have the offense to win a lot of games, but that strategy will not work in the playoffs. 

Ingram was one of college football's best pure defensive ends in 2011. The Packers would do very well to bring him to Green Bay. 

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

Konz is ready to go now ,and the Ravens have a short window to win. On top of that, they are a run-first team who needs to win in the trenches.

This move makes complete sense.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Coby Fleener, TE (Stanford)

The 49ers lacked a big presence in the red zone last season, and it resulted in David Akers setting the single-season field goal record. They run a lot of multiple tight end sets, so Fleener would work well with Vernon Davis. 

31. New England Patriots: Zach Brown, LB (North Carolina)

Brown fills a lot of needs on the field, which works well in the Patriots defense. He isn't spectacular at anything, but has no real weakness. The Patriots need the solid presence that Brown will give. 

32. New York Giants: Jayron Hosley, CB (Virginia Tech)

The Giants will have key secondary players returning in 2012, but they do need some depth. This is a division that features many good receivers, and they can't rely on winning the Super Bowl or even getting to the playoffs without addressing those needs.

**Hypothetical trade (has not yet happened)

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