50 NFL Team Needs That Must Still Be Addressed Via 2012 NFL Draft

A year ago, we saw one of the most chaotic free-agent periods in recent memory as a matter of three months were crammed into a matter of two weeks due to the NFL lockout—and I figured I'd never see anything so exciting as that again...Well, not until the 2012 NFL free-agent period.

Thus far we have seen a future Hall of Fame quarterback change uniforms while one of the most polarizing players traded to the nation's biggest market, New York City.

Taking all of the transactions into consideration, let's take a look at 50 NFL team needs that must still be addressed via the 2012 NFL draft. 

Buffalo Bills: Wide Receiver

The Buffalo Bills may have made some big splashes in free agency, but signing defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson as well as re-signing wide receiver Stevie Johnson still leaves some holes to fill, and one of those is wide receiver.

If the Bills want to give Ryan Fitzpatrick the best opportunity to succeed, they need to surround him with talent. 

Buffalo Bills: Left Tackle

I believe the Buffalo Bills will be parting ways with left tackle Demetrius Bell, despite seeing him play very well this past season. 

With that being said, the Bills will need to look for a left tackle for the future and could find the answer in the draft. 

Miami Dolphins: Wide Receiver

As the Miami Dolphins shipped Brandon Marshall up north to the Chicago Bears, they weakened an area that already needed some help: wide receiver.

The Dolphins need to look to find a wide receiver that can be the team's No. 1 for many years to come. 

New England Patriots: Defensive End

With Mark Anderson signing with the Buffalo Bills and Andre Carter remaining a free agent, the New England Patriots need an upgrade at the defensive end position.

The 2012 draft class is pretty loaded with pass-rushers and Bill Belichick could certainly look that way. 

New England Patriots: Safety

Whenever you have a wide receiver playing safety, you know something is wrong.

The New England Patriots may have signed Steve Gregory but they still need to add some depth in the back end of their secondary. 

New York Jets: Outside Linebacker

Rex Ryan and the New York Jets need to find someone to rush the quarterback if they want to make a deep playoff run in 2012-13.

The Jets don't have much talent at the outside linebacker position right now and that needs to change, as Ryan runs a very aggressive 3-4 defense. 

New York Jets: Wide Receiver

Plaxico Burress will not be a New York Jet in 2012, and they need to find a man to replace him.

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes cannot do the job alone and finding a wide receiver in the draft would certainly help take the burden off Holmes. 

New York Jets: Running Back

With LaDainian Tomlinson likely not returning in 2012, the New York Jets need to find someone to split carries with Shonn Greene. 

Offensive coordinator Tony Sparano loves to run the ball, and adding someone like Trent Richardson would be quite the addition to New York's offense. 

Baltimore Ravens: Left Guard

The Baltimore Ravens need to find someone that's reliable at the left guard position.

If the Ravens want Joe Flacco to be a productive passer, they're going to have to give him tons of protection, which starts at the left guard position. 

Baltimore Ravens: Wide Receiver

Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith are quite the combination at the wide receiver position for the Baltimore Ravens, but the talent after them on the depth chart is pretty low.

The Ravens need to add some depth at wide receiver if they want to continue developing Joe Flacco as an NFL passer. 

Cincinnati Bengals: Right Guard

Bobbie Williams will likely not be a Cincinnati Bengal in 2012, which means they'll have to find a replacement at the right guard position. 

Someone like Cordy Glenn could be a possible choice for the Bengals. 

Cleveland Browns: Wide Receiver

Now that Colt McCoy is likely going to be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2012, they need to start looking at surrounding him with talent.

The first area of concern the Browns need to address is the wide receiver position, which is one of the weakest corps that I have seen in quite some time. 

Cleveland Browns: Running Back

With the departure and failure of Peyton Hillis, the Cleveland Browns need to find a running back.

Perhaps Alabama's Trent Richardson could be a possible addition to Cleveland's offense. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Offensive Guard

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line is aging—more specifically, their interior line has been going downhill over the past couple of seasons.

The Steelers need to do whatever it takes to protect their franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Running Back

With Rashard Mendenhall's status for next season up in the air due to his torn ACL, the Pittsburgh Steelers may want to take a look at running backs in the 2012 draft.

The Steelers will certainly have to add depth to this position. 

Houston Texans: Wide Receiver

The Houston Texans are in great position to repeat as winners of the AFC South, but there is just one area where they could certainly add some depth: wide receiver. 

Andre Johnson is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL today, and adding someone to line up opposite of him would be a nice addition and would make their offense that much better. 

Indianapolis Colts: Entire Defense

Now that Chuck Pagano is head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, he will be installing his 3-4 defense.

With that being said, the Colts will need to look for guys that will fit in his 3-4 defense.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Wide Receiver

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have added Laurent Robinson, but their wide receiver corps is still a work in progress.

If they want to help improve Blaine Gabbert's development as an NFL passer, they need to continue surrounding him with talent. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cornerback

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have re-signed Rashean Mathis, but he's not going to be enough to help out their entire secondary.

The Jaguars have never had the greatest cornerback corps, but adding someone in the draft would be a wise decision. 

Tennessee Titans: Defensive End

The Tennessee Titans never were able to replace Jason Babin from a year ago and they need to do so this offseason.

The Titans need help at defensive end and could use a beastly pass-rusher. 

Tennessee Titans: Wide Receiver

The Tennessee Titans will have Kenny Britt coming off an injury this season, but they still need to add depth at this position.

The 2012 draft is filled with quality wide receivers and the Titans could certainly use one of them. 

Denver Broncos: Wide Receiver

The Denver Broncos may have Peyton Manning but they still need to find people for him to throw to.

The Broncos don't have too many options at the wide receiver position right now and they certainly need to change that and add some talent for Manning. 

Denver Broncos: Defensive Tackles

To get the full effect of John Fox's 4-3 defense, the Denver Broncos need to find two quality defensive tackles to anchor the interior of their defensive front.

Some guys that come to mind are Fletcher Cox and Michael Brockers. 

Kansas City Chiefs: Right Tackle

The Kansas City Chiefs' biggest need as of right now is their right tackle position. 

Barry Richardson wasn't the greatest right tackle a year ago for the Chiefs and they could certainly use adding some depth behind Eric Winston entering 2012. 

Oakland Raiders: Cornerback

The Oakland Raiders are in somewhat of a tough position as they do not have any picks in the first four rounds and can't really expect to address any needs in the 2012 draft.

However, one thing the Raiders could do is draft some cornerbacks to add some depth to that position considering the departure of Stanford Routt. 

San Diego Chargers: Cornerback

The San Diego Chargers actually have a very talented team, but most of their issues could be with the coaching staff as they always find a way to underachieve. 

However, there is just one position that stands out to me and that's cornerback.

Quentin Jammer is starting to age and adding some depth to this position would be wise. 

Dallas Cowboys: Center

Phil Costa was so inconsistent a year ago, the Dallas Cowboys need to look for an upgrade immediately. 

The Cowboys definitely should look for centers in the 2012 NFL draft. 

Dallas Cowboys: Wide Receiver

The loss of Laurent Robinson could actually hurt the Dallas Cowboys in 2012. 

With Dez Bryant being such a dominant receiver, they need to look to add some talent to help take the burden off him heading into 2012. 

New York Giants: Offensive Line

The New York Giants are actually in good shape heading into 2012, considering they are the reigning Super Bowl champions. 

However one thing that I picked up on all of last season was that Eli Manning was consistently on his back.

The Giants may have had tons of injuries on their offensive line, but adding depth via the draft wouldn't be a bad idea. 

New York Giants: Running Back

With the departure of Brandon Jacobs, the New York Giants need to add someone to split carries with Ahmad Bradshaw.

The Giants are a ground-and-pound offense, and having two running backs is key. 

Philadelphia Eagles: Linebacker

All I have to say is that the Philadelphia Eagles need linebackers.

Casey Matthews is not the answer—that's all you need to know. 

Washington Redskins: Right Side of Offensive Line

Now that the Washington Redskins are in perfect position to draft Robert Griffin III, they need to start surrounding him with talent on the offensive side of the ball.

With that being said, the Redskins need to address the holes on the right side of their offensive line. 

Chicago Bears: Left Tackle

The Chicago Bears need to do whatever it takes to protect Jay Cutler. 

I feel bad for Cutler, as he is always under pressure, and one hole the Bears need to fill is the left tackle position. 

Detroit Lions: Left Tackle

Now that Matthew Stafford has emerged as an elite quarterback, the Detroit Lions need to give him the best protection they can find. 

With that being said, the left tackle position is certainly a weakness for the Lions right now and that needs to be addressed in the draft. 

Detroit Lions: Middle Linebacker

With Stephen Tulloch returning in 2012 with the Detroit Lions, I still believe that they need help at this position.

Tulloch isn't an elite linebacker and they could certainly find a younger guy to throw into the mix heading in 2012. 

Green Bay Packers: Quarterback

Wait a second, the Green Bay Packers need help at quarterback?

Well, kind of.

They lost backup Matt Flynn and need to find someone else to back up the reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers. 

Green Bay Packers: Outside Linebackers

The Green Bay Packers may have an elite pass-rusher in Clay Matthews, but they need to add another one. 

The Packers should look at outside linebackers in this year's draft to stabilize the other outside linebacker position, opposite of Matthews. 

Minnesota Vikings: Left Tackle

This shouldn't be hard to address.

The Minnesota Vikings badly need a left tackle to protect Christian Ponder's blind side, so why not draft USC's Matt Kalil with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft? 

Minnesota Vikings: Cornerback

The Minnesota Vikings released Cedric Griffin a few weeks ago and need to add depth to the cornerback position.

If the Vikings choose to stay away from Matt Kalil, they could end up drafting LSU's Morris Claiborne. 

Atlanta Falcons: Left Tackle

The Atlanta Falcons need to make sure they give quarterback Matt Ryan the best protection available.

As of right now, the Falcons are pretty weak at the left tackle position and could be an area for them to address in the 2012 draft. 

Atlanta Falcons: Tight End

The Atlanta Falcons may have Tony Gonzalez as their tight end, but they need to bring in some younger blood.

With Gonzalez in the twilight of his career, this would be a nice time to bring in a younger guy to groom behind him. 

Carolina Panthers: Defensive Tackle

In Ron Rivera's defense, he needs to find some help along the defensive line.

A guy that immediately comes to mind is Dontari Poe, the workout freak. 

Carolina Panthers: Wide Receiver

Steve Smith can't do it by himself. He needs some help.

By adding another wide receiver, the Carolina Panthers would not only expand their offense but also help in the development of Cam Newton. 

New Orleans Saints: Wide Receiver

The New Orleans Saints may have re-signed Marques Colston but the loss of Robert Meachem could come back and bite the Saints real hard.

The Saints are a pretty complete team and could look to add some depth at the wide receiver position this draft. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cornerback

With Ronde Barber returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012, the Bucs should be looking to add another cornerback.

The Bucs could snag a guy like Morris Claiborne out of LSU with their first-round pick this year. 

Arizona Cardinals: Left Tackle

I don't care if the Arizona Cardinals brought back Levi Brown, they still need to add some depth at the left tackle position.

Brown is one of the worst starting left tackles in the NFL and needs some competition. 

San Francisco 49ers: Wide Receiver

The San Francisco 49ers may have brought in Randy Moss, but they have also lost Josh Morgan.

The 49ers need some talent at the wide receiver position if they want to continue to see Alex Smith producing at a high level. 

Seattle Seahawks: Offensive Guard

Now that Robert Gallery is officially gone, the Seattle Seahawks need to find some help for the offensive guard position, both left and right.

The Seahawks are rather weak in this area, which could be addressed with the addition of someone like David DeCastro. 

St. Louis Rams: Wide Receiver

With Brandon Lloyd leaving town and signing with the New England Patriots, the St. Louis Rams need to find a true No. 1 wide receiver. 

If the Rams want to see Sam Bradford succeed at the quarterback position, they need to surround him with some sort of talent. 

St. Louis Rams: Running Back

The St. Louis Rams may have Steven Jackson as their starting running back, but they need to bring in another body.

Having a talented backup running back is a good idea so they could easily spell Jackson and keep his legs well rested.