2012 NFL Mock Draft: Best Possible Moves for Every First-Round Team

Deciding a "best possible move" for each team in a mock draft can be a difficult thing to accomplish, as every team is going to want a player that's likely to go well before its slot comes up.

So instead of giving the same seven names over and over, we ran down this mock draft as a best-case scenario, given how the rest of the draft had already played out.

It doesn't vary much from a regular mock, but here it is goes:

2012 NFL Mock Draft 

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Robert Griffin III is tempting, and the Colts are doing their due diligence, but Luck will be the pick here.

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

They traded up to No. 2 for a reason. It's either Griffin or Luck here. 

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

2011 first-round pick Christian Ponder got beaten up down the stretch, and Kalil is the best offensive tackle in the class.

4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Cleveland may consider trading down and taking an offensive player, but Claiborne gives it a top one-two combination at cornerback.   

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

The Bucs would probably prefer to pick Claiborne at No. 5, especially when you consider the legal troubles with Aqib Talib that won't be solved by the draft. Richardson isn't a bad consolation prize.

Consider the Bucs' rushing woes fixed with Richardson running behind free-agent acquisition Carl Nicks and Pro Bowler Davin Joseph. He'd be a 1,200-yard candidate in his rookie season.

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (via trade with Washington Redskins)

You'd have to credit the Rams in this scenario. After receiving a bevy of future picks by trading down to No. 6, the Rams would still get the player that many predicted them to pick before the trade at No. 2.

Blackmon is a Terrell Owens-type receiver who gives Sam Bradford exactly what he's lacked since coming to St. Louis. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

Ingram is likely the top pass-rusher available in this class, and the Jags need help there. Michael Floyd will be in play here, too. 

8. Miami Dolphins:  Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Miami struck out on several free-agent quarterbacks, but Tannehill gives the franchise the player at the position it needs.

9. Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

The Panthers have done a capable job of filling in offensive talent around Cam Newton. Now its time to fix that defense. 

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

They could get super greedy and nab another pass-rusher here, but Reiff is a plug-and-play player at a need position. 

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe, NT Memphis

Why not complete the defensive line with another first-round pick?

12. Seattle Seahawks: Nick Perry, DE, USC

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recruited Perry to USC, and he could be the impact 4-3 pass-rusher they need opposite Chris Clemons.   

13. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

The best offensive line prospect in the class will fit somewhere on a unit that needs a lot of help. 

14. Dallas Cowboys: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB/S, Alabama

Kirkpatrick could play cornerback or free safety, which both happen to be need positions in Dallas.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinton Coples, DL, North Carolina

His free-fall stops in Philadelphia, where the Eagles take Coples to add to their already vastly talented defensive line.

Given how successful the New York Giants have been by using this thinking, you can't blame the Eagles for playing copycat. Coples is a top-five talent who doesn't always give top-five effort.

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

Prized first-round pass-rusher, meet New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. 

17. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

Glenn is a mauler who can play inside and out, giving the Bengals a lot to work with in their first first-rounder. 

18. San Diego Chargers: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Jared Gaither can handle the left side, while Martin gives the Chargers a future on the right. 

19. Chicago Bears: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

The Bears haven't been secretive about their desire to add a pass-rusher that can play opposite Julius Peppers. While they've struck out for the most part in free agency, the draft should present them an opportunity to grab one of the top pass-rushers in the class.

Mercilus was a one-year wonder at Illinois, but he has big-time upside. 

20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Tennessee can't seem to land a free-agent center. Instead of reaching for a lower second- or third-tier player, the Titans can draft Konz and not worry about the center position for the next 10-12 years. 

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

Miller, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green would give Cincinnati one of the best young offensive trios in football.  

22. Cleveland Browns: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

It's unlikely that Floyd gets this far without a team trading into the teens to grab him, but I'm not projecting trades. The Browns would sprint this pick to Mr Goodell.  

23. Detroit Lions: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Losing Eric Wright in free agency likely means the Lions will invest an early draft pick in a cornerback. 

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

Ben Roethlisberger is the best when he's running around and breaking the pocket, but he's been hit far too often in recent years because of poor offensive line play. 

25. Denver Broncos: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

Bringing Peyton Manning to Denver shouldn't change the Broncos' need for help in the interior of their defensive line.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

I think Wright will also end up going higher than this when a team moves up to grab him. But can you imagine the Texans' offense with a guy like Wright, who can win the slot and make plays vertically?

Houston would close in on elite level. Scary.  

27. New England Patriots: Mark Barron, S, Alabama

The Patriots could cross off one huge need on their check list with this pick. Barron would be a starter at safety immediately in New England. 

28. Green Bay Packers: Fletcher Cox, DL, Mississippi State

If the Packers don't move up in the first round, it seems unlikely that one of the top 3-4 outside linebackers falls into their lap. Instead of reaching for a player, they can take Cox—a guy who has shot up boards and should be an early starter at the next level.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

Again, Kuehly is a player who will likely get picked earlier by a team that moves up to get him. The Ravens will have their fingers crossed that he falls this far. 

30. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Thompson, DL, Clemson

The 49ers are a team with very few holes, and considering how much they've invested on offense in free agency, it may be the right choice to look defense in Round 1.

31. New England Patriots: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

The character concerns are a huge red flag, and I'm not sure even a Belichick-led locker room could keep him in line. But the talent will be hard to pass up, especially at a need position.  

32. New York Giants: Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama

Coby Fleener might be an interesting pick here, but Hightower gives the Giants a tackling machine who can also add a blitz factor from middle linebacker.