2012 NFL Mock Draft: Smart Moves For Every Franchise

On April 26th, the 2012 NFL Draft will kick off in New York City, as representatives of all 32 National Football League franchises gather at Radio City Music Hall for the purpose of divvying up the latest pool of collegiate talent to enter the NFL.

The first day of the draft is all about the first round, so here's an updated look at smart moves that each NFL team picking in that round could make to best improve their rosters.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Colts owner Jim Irsay has insisted that the first overall pick is still "up in the air", but it would be a shocking upset if Luck, who many consider the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning, isn't the first player chosen.

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

Donovan McNabb may not think he's a good fit, but given the king's ransom that the Redskins gave up to acquire the rights to the second overall pick in the draft, it's a fair assumption that they disagree.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Quarterback Christian Ponder is going to have a much easier time developing in the NFL if he's upright, so the Vikings badly need an upgrade over Charlie Johnson at left tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Browns are desperate for offensive firepower and lost 2011 starter Peyton Hillis to the Kansas City Chiefs. After a strong showing at his pro day, Richardson has an excellent shot at being the first ball carrier taken in the top five since 2008. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Cornerback Ronde Barber is 36 years old, and Aqib Talib is facing felony assault charges, so it makes sense for Tampa Bay to upgrade their secondary by selecting the draft's top cornerback prospect.

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

The Rams will be ecstatic if the two-time Biletnikoff Award winner falls this far, as not only will they still get the player they coveted all along, but they've also reaped a huge haul in the trade with the Washington Redskins.

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

The Jaguars' pass rush ranked 25th in the NFL last year in sacks, and the All-American defensive end would be an excellent complement to Jeremy Mincey up front for Jacksonville.

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

After missing out on quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn in free agency and watching the Redskins win the bidding for the Griffin pick, the Dolphins front office is desperate to acquire a franchise quarterback.

That desperation will likely motivate Miami to take something of a gamble on Tannehill, who is a strong armed passer that threw for over 4,700 yards last season and looked good at his recent pro day, according to Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post:

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Tannehill, who has enough athleticism and football savvy to have started at wide receiver for the Aggies before starting his last two seasons at quarterback, has quality arm strength, is smart and still has plenty of upside on his football curve.

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9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

The Carolina defense was gashed with regularity by opposing running backs in 2011, so upgrading the middle of the defensive line is a priority that the 346-pound Poe, who was one of the standouts at the NFL combine, would address quite nicely.

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

It's looking less likely by the day that Demetrius Bell will be returning to the Bills, so the team will probably be looking at a hole at offensive tackle that the All-Big Ten performer could step into from day one.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

2011 starter Kelly Gregg is a 35-year-old free agent who is contemplating retirement, and the 322-pound Brockers would bring a much needed infusion of talent and youth to the Chiefs' defensive front.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

David Hawthorne and Leroy Hill are both free agents that the Seahawks are seemingly in no big hurry to bring back, so Seattle may well look to fill the void at middle linebacker by selecting the 2011 Butkus Award winner.

13. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

The Cardinals badly need to improve the pass protection for quarterback Kevin Kolb, and according to reports, the team prefers DeCastro to former Stanford teammate Jonathan Martin.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Dallas head coach Jason Garrett was in attendance at Alabama's second pro day, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas believes this may portend the Cowboys selecting a Crimson Tide defender in the draft's first round:

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Last year, Garrett visited the USC pro day, and the Cowboys selected Trojans tackle Tyron Smith in the first round.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones hinted the team has interest in drafting a defensive player with the 14th overall pick of the first round this year.

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If that is indeed the case, then the 6'2", 186-pound Kirkpatrick, who was a second-team All-American as a junior last season, would appear to be a logical fit given the Cowboys' need at the cornerback position.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

The torn Achilles tendon suffered by starting left tackle Jason Peters may have altered the Eagles' draft day plans significantly. With Martin still on the board here, Philadelphia would be hard-pressed to pass on him.

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. While Upshaw didn't have a great combine or pro day, his experience playing in the 3-4 from his time in Tuscaloosa would be very tempting for the Jets.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

The Bengals have a number of other needs, but given Jerome Simpson's cloudy future due to a drug arrest, Floyd would represent a nice value here as another young weapon in the Bengals' offensive arsenal. 

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

The Chargers had trouble generating a consistent pass rush last year, and Mercilus had half as many sacks individually in 2011 as San Diego had as a team.

19. Chicago Bears: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

After missing out on Mario Williams in free agency, the Bears re-upped defensive end Israel Idonije, but that doesn't mean that Chicago isn't still looking to get better up front. Coples would be an excellent bookend for fellow Tar Heel Julius Peppers. 

20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

The Titans would likely be apoplectic at the prospects of seeing Coples drop only be taken just before their selection. Head coach Mike Munchak recently told the Nashville Tennessean that the team would not use their first pick on an interior lineman:

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“I don’t think we’d take an offensive lineman with the first-rounder this year because usually it’s a tackle if you (pick an offensive lineman in the first round)—unless you have a really special center or guard.”

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However, starting center Eugene Amato was the weak link of the Titans offensive line last season, and the 6'5", 314-pound Konz is the draft's top center prospect. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that an NFL team said one thing and then did another.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

The Bengals have a glaring need on the inside of their offensive front, and the 6'5", 345-pound beefeater is a mauling run blocker that would provide an immediate and substantial upgrade for Cincinnati's offensive line.

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 bolster the receiving corps with Hill, who is rocketing up draft boards after an outstanding combine.

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

The Lions needed help in the secondary even before cornerback Eric Wright left for Tampa in free agency, and if Detroit is going to take the next step in 2012, they have to get better at cornerback.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

With the release of James Farrior, the Steelers now have a need in the middle of the defense, and Hightower is a hard-nosed big hitter with plenty of experience playing in the 3-4 defense. 

25. Denver Broncos: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

The interior of the Denver defensive line was the Achilles' heel of the Broncos defense last season, and Cox, a third-team All-American last year, would provide a big boost to the middle of the Denver defense.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The Texans have seemingly been searching for a receiver to complement Andre Johnson for years, and given Kevin Walter's advancing age and Jacoby Jones' maddening inconsistency, that search has increased in urgency.

Kendall Wright, a 5'10". 196-pound wide receiver, caught 108 passes for 1,663 yards as a senior at Baylor, and Lance Zierlein of the Houston Chronicle recently tweeted that some NFL general managers believe that Wright is the top wide receiver prospect in the 2012 class.

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@caplannfl says that GMs have told him that Kendall Wright has the best tape of any WR in this year's draft.

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 30, 2012

 

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27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Devon Still, DT, Penn State

The Patriots need upgrades all over the defensive side of the ball including the front seven, and the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year has the versatility to play end in a 3-4 front or tackle in the 4-3.

28. Green Bay Packers: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

The Packers' defense ranked dead last in the National Football League a season ago, and their inability to get to the quarterback is an area in which Perry would be a significant help, as he led the Pac-12 in sacks in 2011.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Amini Silatolu, OT/OG, Midwestern State

 Baltimore lost starting left guard Ben Grubbs in free agency, and the big man from the small school would be an excellent replacement, although he may be a bit of a "project" after playing college ball at the Division II level.

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

An outstanding pro-day performance has bumped Fleener to the top of the heap where this year's tight end class is concerned. His old college coach could look to pair Fleener with Vernon Davis to create the sort of matchup problems 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 destroyed regularly by opposing quarterbacks last year, and although Jenkins' checkered past makes him a bit of a gamble, it's worth rolling the dice given New England's need at the cornerback position.

32. New York Giants: Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

With Brandon Jacobs now in San Francisco and Andre Brown staring at a four-game suspension, the G-Men are suddenly very thin at running back. While Martin isn't exceptional in any facet of the game, he's very good in all of them.

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