2012 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Picks, Predictions and Trades in 1st Round

Less than one week remains before the 2012 NFL draft, and whether it's contract negotiations, failed drug tests or just general speculation, the information regarding this season's top collegiate prospects is flowing faster than ever.

With that in mind, here's the latest on how the first round of the draft could unfold on April 26th, from locks and surprises to the trades that we may just see unfold as things get rolling at Radio City Music Hall.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: It's all but "official" now, as the Colts have reportedly informed Andrew Luck that he will indeed be the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL draft, which surprises absolutely no one.

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has already visited Griffin to help get the Heisman Trophy winner a head start on the transition to a pro-style offense.

3. Miami Dolphins (from Minnesota Vikings): Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M: The Vikings reportedly are interested in any number of players, while the Dolphins are beyond desperate for a franchise quarterback, so there's a very good likelihood of a slightly less costly trade than the Griffin deal in this spot.

Ryan Tannehill has been one of the most talked-about players of the past week where the NFL draft is concerned, and Russ Lande of The Sporting News is among the draft experts who believes that the Aggies star is worth a significant investment.

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Tannehill's athleticism is exemplified in his ability to drop back, set up and get rid of the ball quickly. He's remarkably comfortable sliding within the pocket to avoid pressure. He doesn't immediately react to pressure by running with the ball. Instead, he slides along the line of scrimmage continuing to try and find open receivers.

Of the top quarterbacks in the draft, Tannehill is the most accurate passer on the move. He also has the strongest arm. He can make intermediate and deep throws with excellent velocity. Tannehill will throw the ball away to avoid a sack, which is one of the hardest lessons to teach a quarterback.

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4. Cleveland Browns: Matt Kalil, OT, USC: Much like in 2007 when the Browns passed on Adrian Peterson for Joe Thomas, passing on Trent Richardson for Matt Kalil is a smart football move, although many Cleveland fans may disagree.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU: The Buccaneers may or may not be shopping headcase cornerback Aqib Talib and are experimenting with veteran Ronde Barber at safety, making upgrading the defensive backfield with Claiborne a necessity for the Buccaneers.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama: Head coach Jeff Fisher hasn't ruled out keeping veteran Steven Jackson if the Rams take Richardson here, but with a $7 million 2012 salary, the writing would likely be on the wall.

7. New York Jets (from Jacksonville Jaguars): Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina: The Jaguars are reportedly "desperate" to trade down from the seven hole, and the Jets allegedly have a similar interest in moving up to acquire the All-American pass-rusher.

8. Minnesota Vikings (from Miami Dolphins): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame: Some experts have reached the conclusion that the 6'3" Floyd is a superior NFL prospect to Justin Blackmon, and Floyd is one of the players the Vikings are reportedly looking at.

9. Carolina Panthers: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: The two-time Biletnikoff winner may see himself leapfrogged by Floyd on draft day but it will be by only one spot, as the Panthers could badly use another target to deflect some attention from Steve Smith in the Carolina passing game.

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa: There have been reports that Reiff's stock is headed southward, but that could easily be pre-draft propaganda and the Bills have a hole at tackle with the loss of Demetress Bell.   

11. Philadelphia Eagles (from Kansas City Chiefs): Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: There was news earlier this week that the Eagles were interested in moving up a few spots in the first round this year if their primary draft target was still on the board, and lo and behold here he sits.

Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was an All-SEC performer after racking up 56 tackles and five sacks in 2011, and Fox Sports NFL analyst Brian Billick seems almost as enamored with Cox's talents as Philadelphia is.

"If we can compare, I see a little bit of Warren Sapp in his game. He isn’t just a player you place in the A gap to eat up double teams, as he can actually create plays himself and pressure the pocket from up the middle. He is quick off the ball and can get skinny in the hole to slip a block and bring down the ball carrier.

He isn’t as strong and stout as some of the others, but his athleticism and quickness separate him in my opinion. He's only 6-foot-4 and 298 pounds, yet he has the frame to bulk up in an NFL weight room.

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12. Seattle Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College: The loss of David Hawthorne in free agency leaves the Seahawks with a hole at middle linebacker, and the 2011 Butkus award winner would be an immediate upgrade over the likes of Barrett Ruud and K.J. Wright.

13. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford: The Cardinals badly need to upgrade the pass protection for quarterback Kevin Kolb after surrendering 54 sacks last year, and the two-time consensus All-American is thought by some to be the best guard prospect in years.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, SS, Alabama: The Cowboys have been linked to the All-American safety for some time, and Don Banks of Sports Illustrated stated today that he thinks that Dallas has "been fairly well locked in on the Crimson Tide safety for weeks now."

15. Kansas City Chiefs (from Philadelphia Eagles): Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis: 2011 starter Kelly Gregg is a 35-year-old free agent who may retire, and the 346-pound combine standout has the bulk and power to man the nose tackle spot.

16.  Jacksonville Jaguars (from New York Jets): Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech: After catching only 28 passes for the run-first Yellow Jackets in 2011, Hill wasn't a hot draft prospect. That all changed after the 6'4" junior ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported, Hill may be more ready for the NFL than many think.

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“Those guys get a little bit of everything,” Tech coach Paul Johnson said of his wide receivers. “Certainly, they have to block, and they are running routes and reading coverages. That’s what we’ve told those guys all along.

“A lot of people want to be negative and say it hurts them and they don’t get developed. But the feedback that I’ve gotten is that they [are ready for the NFL]. The offense kind of turns them into a complete player, and they can see all of that on tape.”

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The Jacksonville front office appears to agree, as reports have recently surfaced claiming that the Jaguars have considerable interest in adding Hill to their moribund receiving corps, making trading down an optimal situation for the Jags.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina: Even with newly signed Terence Newman in the fold, the Bengals need to get better at cornerback opposite Leon Hall. NFL draft expert Mike Mayock believes that Gilmore is the second-best cornerback available in the 2012 NFL draft.

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois: The 6'4", 261-pound All-American has shown the speed to kick outside to outside linebacker in the NFL, and after leading the NCAA in sacks a year ago, Mercilus would be a welcome addition to a San Diego pass rush that struggled in 2011.

19. Chicago Bears: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina: The Bears re-signed veteran Israel Idonije after missing out on Mario Williams in free agency. However, the 6'6", 281-pound Coples has the versatility to kick inside to tackle in passing situations, and the presence of Julius Peppers would help keep double-teams off the youngster.

20. Tennessee Titans: Nick Perry, DE/OLB: The signing of Kamerion Wimbley will help a Titans pass rush that managed a minuscule 28 sacks in 2011, but the Tennessee defensive line could still use some help that the 271-pound 2011 Pac-12 sack champion would provide.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia: The inside of the offensive front is the soft spot of the Cincinnati offensive front, and the 345-pound road-grading Bulldog would be a day-one starter and huge improvement both literally and figuratively.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech: A draft deep in wide receivers opens the door for the Browns to draft a ball-carrier here. Not only did Wilson top 1,700 rushing yards in 2011, but according to STATS-X, no collegiate runner gained more yards after contact.

23. Detroit Lions: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama: The Lions had a need in the secondary even before Eric Wright departed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, and if they're going to keep up with the Packers in the NFC North, the team has to improve at cornerback.

At 6'2" and 186 pounds, Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is capable in coverage and excellent in run support. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki thinks the second-team All-American would be an excellent fit in the Motor City.

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“They like to press,” Nawrocki said in a teleconference today. “They like those big, physical, press corners, strong corners. And to me, that’s Kirkpatrick. That’s what he does best. To me, he is a good fit.”

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24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama: After a decade in the middle of the Pittsburgh defense, the team released veteran James Farrior, leaving a hole at linebacker in Pittsburgh that the hard-nosed, big-hitting All-American would seem to be a perfect fit to fill.

25. Denver Broncos: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU: The Denver Broncos ranked 22nd in the National Football League against the run last season due in large part to sketchy play by the defensive tackles, and the 322-pound Brockers has an intriguing mix of size and quickness.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor: Baylor wideout Kendall Wright put up outstanding numbers as a senior in Waco. The blazing speedster with soft hands would not only provide the Texans with a consistent threat at receiver to complement Andre Johnson but also help in the return game.

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama: Upshaw's draft stock stock has been heading in the wrong direction of late. However, with extensive experience playing in the 3-4 defense, the ability to slide to end in a 4-3 front and a history of getting after quarterbacks, there's next to no chance that Belichick will let the 272-pounder slip through his fingers.

28. Green Bay Packers: Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson: The Packers defense ranked 32nd in the National Football League a season ago due in large part to a pass rush that was the sixth worst in the league. The athletic 6'4", 259-pound Branch would be an immediate upgrade in that area after tallying 9.5 sacks en route to being named a third-team All-American in 2011.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Rueben Randle, WR, LSU: Anquan Boldin has had a storied NFL career, but the veteran was a shell of his former self in 2011. Randle didn't post ridiculous numbers last year at LSU, but Matt Bowen of the National Football Post loves the 6'3", 210-pound junior's ability to separate in coverage.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Amini Silatolu, OT/OG, Midwestern State: The latest reports from San Francisco indicate that the 49ers may be searching for a replacement for the departed Adam Snyder at guard in the first round. Silatolu played tackle at Division II Midwestern State, and while the 312-pounder may be a bit of a project, he also has substantial talent and considerable upside.

31. New England Patriots: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama: Jenkins has denied reports that he continued smoking marijuana while at North Alabama, but given that no team in the AFC allowed more passing yards in 2011 than the Patriots, a stoned cornerback might actually be an improvement.

32. New York Giants: Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss: Starting right tackle Kareem McKenzie is 33 years old and his play tailed off badly last year according to Pro Football Focus. The 6'7", 320-pound Rebels beefeater would at the very least provide depth and could easily find himself in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

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