2012 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting the Best Picks for Each First-Round Team

The 2012 NFL draft kicks off on April 26, as representatives of all 32 NFL teams gather at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the purpose of making the best possible draft picks to improve their squads for the upcoming season.

Here's a look at how the draft's first round could well pan out, from the first pick that just about everyone knows is coming to the last pick that no one's really sure of, with a hypothetical trade thrown in that would shake up the top of the first round quite a bit.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

The Colts traveled to Palo Alto Tuesday to watch Luck work out, and with each passing day the Stanford star looks like more and more like a lock to be chosen first overall.

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's as aware as we are that he's going to Washington with the No. 2 pick.

3. Miami Dolphins (from Minnesota Vikings): Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

The Cleveland Browns' reported interest in Tannehill may inspire the quarterback-desperate Dolphins to pay the price of moving up, and the Vikings have been rumored to be open to the idea of trading back if the price is right.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

The Browns would likely consider moving back here given other teams' interest in offensive tackle Matt Kalil, but with 2011 starter Peyton Hillis in Kansas City, the Browns badly need to address the running back position.

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

Kalil would be tempting here, but with Ronde Barber every bit of 36 and Aqib Talib constantly in hot water off the field, the Buccaneers would be wise to consider improving their secondary by selecting the top cornerback in this year's draft.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Matt Kalil, OT, USC

This would represent what amounts to a best-case scenario, as the Rams will not only pick up three additional picks from the trade with the Redskins but the team will also get an upgrade to a St. Louis offensive line that allowed the most sacks in the NFL in 2011.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggled as a rookie last season, but it's somewhat hard to accurately judge him given poor pass protection and a complete lack of weaponry in the Jaguars' passing game.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon is a two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award as college football's top receiver after recording over 3,300 receiving yards over the past two seasons. While he can't help keep Gabbert upright, he's clearly the draft's best pass-catcher, according to the NFL Network's Charlie Casserly.

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I think (Blackmon’s) hands are better, though [Michael] Floyd’s hands are good too. And I think his run after the catch is better there. Because he’s smoother, and that’s where I think that he has the edge there. It’s not a great edge, but I think it is an edge.

 

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8. Minnesota Vikings (from Miami Dolphins): Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College

After trading down, general manager Rick Spielman keeps the surprises coming, addressing the Vikings' hole at middle linebacker by drafting college football's leading tackler from last season in the Butkus Award winner.

9. Carolina Panthers: Michael Brockers, DT, Memphis

The Carolina defense ranked near the bottom of the NFL against the run in 2011, and the 322-pound Brockers has the potential to solidify the middle of the Panthers defensive line for years.

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The loss of Demetress Bell in free agency to the Eagles leaves the Bills with a big hole on the offensive line that the 6'5", 313-pound all-Big Ten performer would address quite nicely.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

2011 starter Kelly Gregg is a 35-year-old free agent, and the 346-pound Poe, who was one of the stars of February's combine, has the prototypical size for a 3-4 nose man.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

The 6'1", 264-pound All-American racked up double-digit sacks for the Gamecocks in 2011, and Ingram would make an excellent complement for Chris Clemons on the Seahawks' defensive line.

13. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

The Cardinals desperately need to improve the offensive line, and the Redbirds reportedly prefer DeCastro, the two-time consensus All-American, over former Stanford teammate Jonathan Martin.

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 last season, but a sports hernia prevented the 6'1", 213-pound senior from participating in the NFL combine or Alabama's first pro day.

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

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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.

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15. Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

The signing of Demetress Bell mitigates the Eagles' need for offensive line help after Jason Peters tore his Achilles' heel, so Philadelphia will then look to bolster the defensive front with the athletic Cox.

16.  New York Jets: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Part of the Jets' problems on offense last season can be traced to the fact that the team had no viable second receiver, and the 6'3" Floyd could step into the lineup opposite Santonio Holmes from day one.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

The Bengals have a huge hole on the interior of their offensive line, and the 6'5", 345-pound beef-eating senior would plug that gap both literally and figuratively.

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

Outside linebacker Antwan Barnes, the Chargers had difficulty generating a pass rush last year, and Mercilus, who led all FBS players with 16 sacks a season ago, would be an immediate help in that regard

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, and Coples and Julius Peppers could form an imposing duo of former Tar Heels standouts.

20. Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE, USC

The Titans would likely be seething about missing out on Coples by one pick, but Perry, an athletic and versatile 271-pound player who led the Pac-12 in sacks in 2011, isn't a bad consolation prize.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Bengals need to upgrade at cornerback opposite Leon Hall, as Nate Clements seems better suited to a slot role at this point in his career, and the second team All-American possesses the run-stopping ability that Marvin Lewis covets.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

As I alluded to earlier, there may be no team in the National Football League more in need of offensive talent than the Cleveland Browns, so after addressing the ground with Richardson, it's time to look to the air.

Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill didn't post huge numbers in the Yellow Jackets' triple option offense, but the 6'4" 215-pounder has been climbing draft boards after running the fastest time among all wideouts at the combine. That drew raves from NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock.

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Stephen Hill killed it. I had a bunch of scouts tell me before the combine this kid might blow the roof off of it and he did. The tough thing with Stephen Hill is coming out of that option offense, he’s hard to evaluate … From a football perspective, every team in the league has a lot of homework to do. He’s a hard guy to figure out, just like Demaryius Thomas was because you don’t see real routes; all you see are verticals, crosses and play-action and jump balls. You have to do your homework on this kid and he’s kind of pushed himself right up in the forefront of this wide receivers class.

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

The Lions had a hole at cornerback even before Eric Wright left in free agency, and the 6'0", 190-pound junior is a favorite of NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock that could be a nice value that fills a big need in Motown, especially with the Green Bay Packers in the same division.

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

The release of veteran James Farrior leaves a hole at linebacker in the middle of the Pittsburgh defense, and Hightower is a tough-nosed player with experience in the 3-4 that would fit right in with the Steelers.

25. Denver Broncos: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The much-ballyhooed arrival of Peyton Manning in the Mile High City has turned Denver's draft-day strategy on its ear, and it's very possible that the team will reward their shiny new quarterback with a speedy new toy to play with.

26. Houston Texans: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

Despite an All-American season that saw the 6'2", 272-pound linebacker notch 9.5 sacks, Upshaw's draft stock is lagging after a subpar combine and pro day, but there's next to no chance the Texans let him fall farther than this after losing Mario Williams in free agency.

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

The Patriots secondary was eviscerated by opposing quarterbacks on a regular basis last year, and despite Jenkins' troubled past, he's still worth the gamble given New England's desperate need at the cornerback position.

28. Green Bay Packers: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

The Packers defense ranked dead last in the National Football League a season ago and needs upgrades galore, but there's no way that the Packers let a versatile tackle with Martin's pedigree get past them given Chad Clifton's age and injury history.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Devon Still, DT/DE, Penn State

There are any number of directions the Ravens could go with this pick, but the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year has the ability to penetrate that Baltimore covets in its linemen and would form an imposing trio with Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.

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

A senior season that saw Coby Fleener score double-digit touchdowns and an excellent showing at Stanford's pro day have vaulted the 6'6" tight end to the head of this year's draft class at his position, a sentiment echoed by the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch.

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Fleener looked good enough during his Stanford career to project as a potential late first-round pick prior to the combine, where he didn’t run the 40 due to an ankle injury. And his pro-day performance likely only raised his stock. His 40 time was faster than any tight end that ran at the combine and his speed translates to the field – he averaged 17.8 yards on 62 catches in his final two seasons at Stanford.

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It's been reported that Fleener's old college coach, Jim Harbaugh, may have designs on pairing Fleener and Vernon Davis together in order to create defensive mismatches much in the same way that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez do for the New England Patriots.

31. New England Patriots: Mychal Kendricks, OLB, Cal

The Patriots need to improve all over their defense and could go a number of directions here, but the 2011 Pac-12 defensive player of the year has the athleticism and versatility to appeal to Bill Belichick given the multiple defensive fronts he prefers.

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

With Brandon Jacobs gone via free agency, Andre Brown looking at a four-game suspension and Ahmad Bradshaw already receiving bone marrow injections in his chronically troublesome foot, the Giants are suddenly staring at an urgent need to bolster their depth at the running back position..

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