2012 NFL Mock Draft: Best Possible Picks for Every NFL Team

We're less than a month away from the 2012 NFL Draft, and on April 26th front office personnel from across the National Football League will gather in New York City for the purpose of trying to improve their teams' chances of contending in the upcoming season.

As the big night nears here's an updated look at how the first round of April's draft could play out if teams are able to ignore the hype surrounding some players and concentrate on making selections that best fit their squad's needs.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: Colts owner Jim Irsay has said that the first overall pick is still "up in the air", but it would be huge shock if Luck, who is the most pro-ready prospect at his position in several years, isn't the first player chosen.

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: The Redskins gave up three first round picks and a second round selection to acquire the Heisman Trophy winner, so the hopes of the Hogettes will be riding on Griffin from the get-go.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC: If the Minnesota Vikings are going to develop second year quarterback Christian Ponder, it might be a good idea to keep him upright as the Vikings allowed the fifth most sacks in the NFL a season ago.

Left tackle Charlie Johnson is a mediocre player at best, so the Vikings may want to take a hard look at the 6'6" 306-pound Kalil, who allowed a grand total of zero sacks as a junior in Los Angeles.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: The Browns have been whisper quiet in free agency and lost starter Peyton Hillis to the Kansas City Chiefs, and after gaining over 2,000 total yards as a junior Richardson has an excellent shot at being the first back taken in the top five since 2008.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU: Cornerback Ronde Barber is getting awfully long in the tooth and Aqib Talib has serious legal trouble, so it makes sense for Tampa Bay to upgrade their secondary here.

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: The Rams would be absolutely giddy if the two-time Biletnikoff award winner falls to sixth overall, as not only did the Rams pick up three extra picks but they'd still get the player they likely wanted all along.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina: The Jaguars' pass rush was among the worst in the NFL last year, so even with 2011 sack leader Jeremy Mincey back in the fold Jacksonville still needs to beef up their front four.

8. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa: The Dolphins are so desperate for a franchise quarterback that they'll probably reach for Ryan Tannehill here, but given how awful right tackle Marc Colombo looked last year, the smart play would be to shore up the offensive line with the Hawkeyes standout.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis: The Carolina defense finished 25th against the run in 2011, so upgrading the interior of the defensive line is a priority that the 346-pound Poe, who was one of the stars of the NFL combine, would address quite nicely.

10. Buffalo Bills: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame: The Bills made a big splash on the defensive side of the ball in free agency by signing defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, so now Buffalo needs to turn their focus to improving the offensive weaponry at quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's disposal.

Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd caught 100 passes for over 1,100 yards last year for the Fighting Irish, and the 6'3" 220-pound senior would be an excellent complement to Stevie Johnson in the Bills aerial attack.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU: 2011 starter Kelly Gregg is a 35 year-old free agent who is contemplating retirement, but the 322-pound Brockers would plug the Chiefs' hole at nose tackle both literally and figuratively.

12. Seattle Seahawks: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford: The Robert Gallery experiment was an unmitigated disaster in Seattle, with Pro Football Focus grading Gallery as the 72nd "best" guard in the NFL, so improving at that spot is a necessity for Seattle.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford: The Cardinals badly need to improve the pass protection for quarterback Kevin Kolb, and drafting Martin would allow the team to flip Levi Brown to right tackle where he can do much less damage.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina: In addition to help in the secondary, Dallas needs to upgrade their pass rush, and the 6'6" 281-pound Coples has the size to play defensive end in the 3-4.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: The arrival of linebacker DeMeco Ryans in Philadelphia fixes at least some of the Eagles' problems in the middle of their defense, but the Eagles could still use a boost at defensive tackle next to Cullen Jenkins.

16.  New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama: If the Jets are going to get back into the thick of things in the AFC East, they need to bolster their front seven, and Upshaw's experience playing in the 3-4 from his time in Tuscaloosa is just icing on the cake.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama: As was demonstrated in the Bengals' playoff loss to the Texans, the Bengals could sorely use an upgrade at cornerback opposite Leon Hall.

Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama is solid both in coverage and run support, and the 6'2" 186-pound second team All-American would allow the Bengals to slide Nate Clements into the slot and relegate Adam Jones to the bench where he belongs.

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois: Other than linebacker Antwan Barnes, no San Diego player had more than four sacks last season, and Mercilus had half as many sacks as an individual in 2011 as the Chargers had as a team.

19. Chicago Bears: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia: The Bears upgraded at wide receiver with the addition of Brandon Marshall and now need to bolster the offensive front by selecting the beef-eating guard from Georgia.

20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin: Starter Eugene Amato was the weak link along the Tennessee offensive line in 2011, and Konz is the best center prospect in this year's draft class.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Cincinnati Bengals: Rey Maualuga has been a disappointment at middle linebacker so far for the Bengals, so Cincinnati may be better off kicking Maualuga back to the strong side and bringing in college football's leading tackler from 2011.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech: After beefing up the running game with the selection of Trent Richardson, the Browns should then look to air with Hill, who is shooting up draft boards after a phenomenal combine.

23. Detroit Lions: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina: The Lions needed help in the secondary even before imminently burnable cornerback Eric Wright departed in free agency, and if Detroit is going to take the next step in 2012 and win a playoff game, they have to upgrade at cornerback.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama: After a decade of manning the middle, the Steelers released veteran linebacker James Farrior earlier this month, and while Larry Foote is a serviceable pro he's nothing to jump up and down about.

Alabama inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower was a first team All-American in 2011 after racking up 85 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception as a junior and the big hitter is just the sort of hard-nosed player that personifies the Pittsburgh way.

25. Denver Broncos: Devon Still, DT, Penn State: The interior of the Denver defensive line was the Achilles heel of the Broncos defense last season, and the 2011 Big Ten defensive player of the year would provide an immediate boost in the middle of the Denver defense.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: The Texans desperately need a wide receiver to pair with Andre Johnson, and the blazing speedster is a Texas native who could fill that role and then some after a monstrously productive senior season in Waco..

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC: With Andre Carter a free agent and Mark Anderson off to Buffalo, the Patriots need to bolster their pass rush and Perry, who led the Pac-12 in sacks last year, is a versatile player who can play defensive end in a 4-3 defense or kick outside to linebacker in the 3-4.

28. Green Bay Packers: Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson: The Packers defense ranked dead last in the National Football League a season ago, and their inability to get to the quarterback, an area in which Branch would be a significant help, was largely responsible for that.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Amini Silatolu, OT/OG, Midwestern State: The Ravens lost starting left guard Ben Grubbs to the New Orleans Saints in free agency, and the big man from the small school would be an excellent replacement.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford: An excellent pro-day has apparently moved Fleener to the head of the class where this year's tight end crop is concerned, and his old college coach could look to pair Fleener and Vernon Davis to create the sorts of nightmares for opposing defenses that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez do for the New England Patriots.

31. New England Patriots: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama: The Patriots' secondary was carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey on a weekly basis last year, and although Jenkins' troubled past makes him a bit of a risk, it's a risk worth taking for the Pats given their need at that position.

32. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State: Guard David Diehl and tackle Kareem Mckenzie are both the wrong side of 30, showing their age and graded out poorly last season according to Pro Football Focus, so it's important that the reigning Super Bowl champions address the offensive line early in the 2012 draft.

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