2012 NFL Mock Draft: 5 Teams That Could Waste Picks on Tempting Prospects

In our 2012 NFL mock draft, we highlight five teams that could waste their first-round pick on a tempting prospect.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

The Colts have already decided on Luck as the No. 1 pick.

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (trade w/ St. Louis)

With Luck locked into the top slot, Griffin III is the easiest choice the Redskins' front office will probably ever make. 

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Morris Claiborne also makes sense here, but passing on a 10-year starter at left tackle would be tough. 

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Richardson can finally give the Browns an offensive identity. 

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

Claiborne falls into the perfect situation in Tampa Bay, with a starting job available but also a valuable tutor on board in veteran Ronde Barber.

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (trade w/ Washington)

Sam Bradford has to be crossing his fingers for the Rams going offense in the first round.  

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

Rumors swirling about the Jaguars' interest in South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore should be worrying for fans in Jacksonville. This is a team with many holes—cornerback included—but the top 10 is no place to reach for a player that has caught fire this last in the draft process.

If the Jags move down and stockpile a high pick or two, then Gilmore makes sense. But if Jacksonville stays at No. 7, the top receiver or pass-rusher on the team's board should be the pick. 

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

Tannehill is probably the player Miami has to take at No. 8. Matt Moore and David Garrard offer little in long-term security at the game's most important position, and the bottom of the Dolphins' depth chart currently lacks a young guy to lean back on.

This team is certainly in transition mode, and the Joe Philbin era can't start on a busted quarterback in first round. There's bust potential in every drafted player, but Tannehill's risk is considerably higher than the two other quarterbacks set to be taken in the top 10.

9. Carolina Panthers: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

Most analysts are on board with Cox being the first defensive tackle off the board.

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Bills have to protect Ryan Fitzpatrick better next season, or the offense can't take the next step.  

11. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro, G, Stanford 

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

 I highlight both the Chiefs and Seahawks because each team has shown a degree of interest in taking Tannehill in the first round. That scenario would be a mistake for both franchise.

While the Chiefs aren't completely set with Matt Cassel under center, the veteran does have three years left on his deal and could get Kansas City back to the playoffs if the Chiefs' running game returns to 2010 form. Passing up on the opportunity to take DeCastro—an elite guard—doesn't add up.

The Seahawks have already spent money on free-agent Matt Flynn this offseason, which makes even the thought of taking Tannehill at No. 12 a head-scratcher. Seattle is close to putting it all together, so why reach on a pick here?

13. Arizona Cardinals: Nick Perry, OLB/DE, USC

Perry is a slippery pass-rusher who gives the Cardinals a better pressure package next season.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Barron is becoming a no-brainer pick here for the Cowboys.

 15. Philadelphia Eagles: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

The NFL combine serves its purpose as a testing ground for college prospects, but how many times do you see front offices overreact to a player who blows away Indianapolis? Poe could be the 2012 version of the failed workout warrior.

While you can't teach the kind of size (346 lbs.) and athleticism Poe possesses, the tape from Memphis doesn't show a player who was dominant. Expecting that production to suddenly surface once he's at the NFL level is optimistic.  

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

Rex Ryan could turn the versatile Upshaw into a Peter Boulware-type defender early on.

 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Not a top-10 value, but Gilmore makes plenty of sense at No. 17 overall. 

18. Cleveland Browns: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame (trade w/ San Diego)

GM Tom Heckert and vice president Mike Holmgren gets straight As if they can get a Richardson-Floyd first-round haul. 

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

There are few prospects with as much "boom or bust" potential as Coples, who has everything teams look for physically in a NFL defensive lineman but lacked the motor and consistency at the college level.

Despite the worries, one GM picking in the top 20 will almost certainly pull the trigger on the UNC product. Whether Coples makes good on the investment is an entirely different deal. Landing in Chicago, where a good defensive line coach in Rod Marinelli is already in place, will help.   

20. Tennessee Titans: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

The Titans need an upgrade at center, and Konz is the best player at the position. 

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

Not the best pick in the first round, but Cincinnati will value the versatility of the former Georgia offensive tackle.  

22. San Diego Chargers: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (trade w/ Cleveland)

GM A.J. Smith won't mind moving down a few slots—acquiring a pick or two in the process—while also getting the offensive tackle they need at No. 22.  

23. Detroit Lions: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Lions' front office would lean towards a defensive end here, but Kirkpatrick is too good to pass up at No. 23.

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

I could see the Ravens attempting a move up to get Hightower before the Steelers can nab him here.

25. Denver Broncos: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

The Broncos have a Brodrick Bunkley-sized hole at defensive tackle that Still could fill. 

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

With an ability to win in the slot and make plays vertically, Wright could give the Texans a Super Bowl-caliber offense.  

27. New England Patriots: Shea McClellin, OLB/DE, Boise State

McClellin is a Bill Belichick masterpiece: versatile and explosive, while fitting both in need and value.   

28. Green Bay Packers: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

The Packers could be a pass-rusher or two away from getting back to the Super Bowl. 

29. Baltimore Ravens: Andre Branch, OLB, Clemson

Another receiver could be in play here, and GM Ozzie Newsome won't mind if Hightower or Konz falls to No. 29. But Branch is the kind of explosive rusher that the Ravens could use right away next season.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Give Brockers a year or two playing rotationally behind Justin Smith, and the 49ers could be looking at another All-Pro caliber defensive lineman.

 31. Chicago Bears: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford (trade w/ New England)

The move wouldn't come cheap, but the Bears would love to add a pass-catching threat like Fleener at tight end.  

32. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

Adams could also be a waste pick, but the Giants can afford to take the risk if it means finding an answer at left tackle.