2012 NFL Mock Draft: Updated Projections for First 32 Picks

The NFL draft is drawing near, and on April 26, representatives of all 32 NFL teams will gather at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to welcome another class of collegiate players into the National Football League.

As the big night gets closer, here's an updated look at how the first round of the 2012 draft could shake out, from the first pick by the 2-14 Indianapolis Colts to the last pick by the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: The Washington Post's Mike Wilbon recently reported that the Colts are "seriously considering" Robert Griffin with the first-overall pick, but with Luck coming in for a Thursday workout, Indy appears zeroed in on the Stanford star.

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: Meanwhile, Griffin reportedly refused an invitation to work out in Indy, which would seem to indicate that he knows as well as we do that he's going to Washington with the No. 2 pick.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC: If the Vikings are going to improve an offensive line that gave up the fifth-most sacks in the NFL last year, the best place to begin would be an upgrade over Charlie Johnson at left tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: The Browns are in dire need of offensive playmakers, and beat reporter Tony Grossi recently reported that he believes the Browns are "leaning" towards selecting the star ball-carrier, who topped 2,000 total yards last year.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU: Ronde Barber is nearing the end of his time and Aqib Talib is nearing the beginning of jail time, so the Buccaneers would be well-served to consider bolstering their secondary by choosing the draft's top cornerback.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: The Rams will be clicking their heels if Blackmon makes it to sixth overall, as it means for all intents and purposes that St. Louis will have had their cake and eaten it too.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina: The Jaguars pass-rush ranked toward the bottom of the NFL last year in sacks, and even though the Jaguars were able to bring back end Jeremy Mincey, Jacksonville still needs to improve opposite him on the defensive front.

South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram was an All-American performer after tallying 48 tackles, 10 sacks and two interceptions as a senior in 2011, and the 6'1", 264-pounder is also a stout run defender, according to ESPN's Bryan Broaddus:

"[Ingram] can hold his ground in the running game and play with some power at the point of attack. Physical tackler.who will work down the line to find the ball."

8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M: The Dolphins are beyond desperate for a franchise quarterback after whiffing on Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn in free agency, and the team has reportedly now set their sights on the Texas A&M gunslinger.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis: The Carolina defense ranked 25th in the NFL against the run in 2011, and the 346-pound Poe could help solidify the middle of that defense after tearing up the combine in February.

10. Buffalo Bills: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame: After overhauling their defensive front with the addition of defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, the Bills should turn to the offensive side of the ball and improving the aerial attack..

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa: Starting right tackle Barry Richardson was awful last season, according to Pro Football Focus, so Kansas City would be well-advised to give serious consideration to upgrading at the tackle position early in the 2012 draft.

12. Seattle Seahawks: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford: Starting guards Robert Gallery (who is now gone) and John Moffitt were both terrible in 2011, so it makes sense for the Seahawks to add DeCastro, who is widely considered one of the best prospects at the guard position in years.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford: The Cardinals desperately need to improve the pass protection for quarterback Kevin Kolb, and although the team reportedly prefers DeCastro, the two time All-American tackle isn't a bad option either..

14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, SS, Alabama: Alabama strong safety Mark Barron was an All-American after posting 66 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in 2011, but surgery to repair a sports hernia prevented the 6'1", 213-pound senior from participating in the combine or Alabama's first pro day.

However, a contingent of Dallas personnel were on hand in Tuscaloosa to watch Barron participate in Alabama's second pro day last week, including head coach Jason Garrett, and Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram believes that portends the Cowboys selecting the Crimson Tide star.

"

The Cowboys have an opening at safety. Abe Elam, who started all 16 games at strong safety last season, remains unsigned. Dallas could use the 14th overall pick on Alabama's Mark Barron. He is a popular choice for the Cowboys on mock drafts around the country.

"

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU: The torn Achilles tendon suffered by starting left tackle Jason Peters may have altered the Eagles' draft day plans significantly, but with the top three tackles off the board, the team will look to upgrade the middle of the defense opposite tackle Cullen Jenkins.

16.  New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama: A mediocre pass-rush forced the Jets to blitz constantly last year, and although Upshaw didn't have an outstanding combine or pro day, the All-American's experience playing in the 3-4 from his time in Tuscaloosa would be an asset in New York.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders):  Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia: The Bengals have a glaring need on the interior of their offensive line, and the 6'5", 345-pound All-SEC senior is an excellent run-blocker that would provide an immediate upgrade for Cincinnati's offensive front.

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois: The Chargers had 32 sacks as a team last season in 16 games, which is only twice the amount that the All-American racked up by himself in 13 games at Illinois.

19. Chicago Bears: Quintin Coples, DE, North Carolina: Chicago re-upped veteran defensive end Israel Idonije after missing out on Mario Williams in free agency, but the Bears are still looking to get both younger and better along the defensive front.

20. Tennessee Titans: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College: A Titans team that could badly use help at defensive end would likely be incensed at missing out on Coples by one pick, and the team is bringing Kuechly in for a visit even though they seem set at middle linebacker with Colin McCarthy.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama: As the Bengals playoff loss to the Houston Texans plainly demonstrated, Cincinnati needs to upgrade at cornerback opposite Leon Hall, as 31-year-old Nate Clements seems better suited to a slot role at this point in his career.

6'2", 186-pound cornerback was a second team All-American last season as a junior at Alabama, and CBS Sports believes that Kirkpatrick fits what the Bengals look for in a defensive back to a tee.

"

Marvin Lewis loves first-round corners. All four current cornerbacks on the team were taken in the first round as was the biggest free agent loss of last season, CB Johnathan Joseph. Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick rates by many as the second-best CB in the draft behind LSU's Morris Claiborne. His pedigree as a physical corner specifically gifted at stopping the run fits the AFC North model.

"

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech: After improving the ground game by picking Trent Richardson, the Browns would be advised to upgrade the receiving corps with the 6'4", 215-pound Hill, who has shot into first-round consideration after posting a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine, fastest of all wideouts at the event.

23. Detroit Lions: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina: The Lions had a hole at cornerback even before losing Eric Wright in free agency, and the 6'0", 190-pound junior is a favorite of NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama: The release of linebacker James Farrior leaves a need in the middle of the Pittsburgh defense, and Hightower is a hard hitter with the sort of tough-nosed attitude that would fit in well with the Steelers.

25. Denver Broncos: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: The interior of the Denver defensive line was a sore spot last season, and the 6'4", 298-pound Cox is an incredibly athletic player for his size who would provide a substantial boost to the Broncos defense.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: Baylor wideout Kendall Wright caught over 100 passes for over 1,600 yards last season, and the wildly productive senior would finally provide the Texans with the receiver to pair with Andre Johnson that they have been seeking.

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama: The Patriots secondary was torched at will by opposing quarterbacks last year, and although Jenkins' past arrests make him a risky first-round choice, it's worth the gamble given New England's desperate need at the cornerback position.

28. Green Bay Packers: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC: The Packers defense ranked dead last in the National Football League a season ago due in large part to their lack of a consistent pass-rush, as the Packers were a moribund 27th in the NFL in sacks last year.

USC defensive end Nick Perry led the Pac-12 in that category as a junior, and the Sporting News' Russ Lande doesn't think that Perry will have any problem making the transition to outside linebacker at the professional level.

"

Although USC rarely asked him to drop into coverage, Perry was smooth and athletic in his execution when he did. He also appeared comfortable performing linebacker drills at the Combine, which gave scouts confidence Perry will be able to make the transition to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

"

29. Baltimore Ravens: Amini Silatolu, OT/OG, Midwestern State: The Ravens lost starting left guard Ben Grubbs in free agency, and the big man from the small school has tons of potential (so to speak) once he acclimates to the National Football League.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford: An excellent showing at Stanford's pro day  has moved Stanford tight end Coby Fleener to the top of the heap where this year's tight end crop is concerned, and Fleener's old college coach may have designs on pairing Fleener and Vernon Davis together in order to create defensive mismatches.

31. New England Patriots: Devon Still, DT, Penn State: The Patriots need to improve nearly every facet of their defense, and the 303-pound 2011 Big Ten defensive player of the year has the versatility to play both 3-4 end and 4-3 tackle in New England's multiple fronts defense.

32. New York Giants: Doug Martin, RB, Boise State: With Brandon Jacobs in San Francisco, Andre Brown staring at a suspension and Ahmad Bradshaw already receiving treatment for his troublesome foot, the Giants are suddenly staring at an urgent need to upgrade at the running back position..

Follow @IDPManor