2012 NFL Draft Projections: Prospects Who Will Turn Pretenders into Contenders

Some NFL teams need just one premier draft prospect to morph from pretenders into playoff contenders. 

It's that simple. 

They don't reside in the league's basement, but they're not yet elite, either.

What these teams need is that extra push from one player to get them into the postseason discussion.

These three prospects can do that for the following clubs. 

Michael Floyd: Buffalo Bills

As we all know, the Bills were dedicated to fortifying their defensive line in free agency. More specifically, their pass rush. 

They certainly got what they wanted in Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. 

Meanwhile, Floyd would bring much-needed playmaking ability to their receiving corps. Stevie Johnson is a solid possession target, but he's not necessarily explosive down the field and lacks elite No. 1 receiver attributes. 

The Notre Dame legend has a big body and can physically outmatch many cornerbacks at the next level. He's a decent route runner and excels coming down with balls in traffic. 

He's the ideal complement to Johnson, or maybe Johnson's the ideal complement to him. 

With Floyd, Buffalo would have a more well-balanced offense. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are fine running backs with big-game potential, and Chan Gailey's spread passing attack will be far more dangerous with a special talent like Floyd out wide. 

Nick Perry: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks were far more competitive down the stretch in 2011 than they were to begin the season. Marshawn Lynch emerged as one of the league's most punishing and productive backs and the defense tightened up.

However, they only accumulated 33 sacks as a team, and that's a number they'd definitely like to improve upon in 2012.

Perry was coached by Pete Carroll at the beginning of his illustrious career at USC.

He possesses a rare combination of size (6'3'', 271 pounds) and burst off the football. The redshirt junior doesn't have a multitude of pass-rushing moves in his arsenal, but he has tremendous power and can bull rush his way to the quarterback at the next level.

He is the ideal piece to take the Seahawks from 7-9 to 9-7, or maybe even 10-6.  

Dre Kirkpatrick: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are a talented team with many talented parts. Unfortunately, their defense was oft-victimized last season, especially in the secondary. 

They allowed an average of 244 passing yards per game during the season, and the team released cornerback Terence Newman before the start of free agency.

Kirkpatrick's aggressive style of play and size (6'2'' and 186 pounds) will fit wonderfully into Rob Ryan's assailing system, especially against bigger wide receivers. He's also a willing run defender, which is another plus for a team that prides itself on stopping the run.

With more steadiness in their secondary, the Cowboys should be able to be a more consistent team in 2012 and beyond.  

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