NFL Draft 2012: Biggest Needs for Super Bowl Contenders

The Super Bowl can all come down to one or two players.

It can come down to a moment of brilliance, such as Mario Manningham's spectacular grab in the New York Giants' win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

It can come down to a brain explosion as well, such as Billy Cundiff's 32-yard field goal miss in the AFC Championship Game.

It came all come down to one or two players.

Fixing needs and picking the right selections is therefore crucial for sides that consider themselves genuine contenders for the championship this year. They simply have to get it right now so that they're not left with the same holes as last year.

For a few of the sides that consider themselves genuine contenders, here are the three biggest positional needs that they must address in the 2012 NFL Draft.

1. New England Patriots

It's tough not to consider the New England Patriots as a Super Bowl contender considering the depth of talent in their roster and their consistency for several seasons now. After last year's heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants, they'll be out for revenge in 2012 and will start that with a successful draft.

Three positions to address:

Linebacker: Expect Bill Belichick to find some help for his defense early in the draft—particularly to help Jerod Mayo. Athleticism will be key also, so expect a player like Dont'a Hightower or Vinny Curry to come and make their presence known in Boston.

Safety: It's no secret that the Patriots' secondary was woeful last season, and with the depth of talent littered throughout the draft, New England will no doubt look to improve here as well. Mark Barron at safety is almost a sure thing for one of their two first round picks. Harrison Smith may be the other player they look to here.

Wide-receiver: Adding in another strong receiver to the Patriots' already dominant passing attack simply means that there are more players that need covering and more threats to deal with. With Wes Welker not getting any younger, adding in a player like Marvin Jones or Nick Toon, or even a player later in the draft could help with this. Just don't think they'll get Mike Wallace.

2. New York Giants

Again, hard not to consider the Super Bowl Champions as genuine threats for the title next year—even if they do have arguably the toughest schedule in the league. Eli Manning will once again be marshalling the troops for another year of battle and after watching their magical run late last year, anything is possible in 2012.

Three positions to address:

Running back: Ahmad Bradshaw needed more help from Brandon Jacobs last year and he didn't get it. The Giants will look to address that in the NFL Draft and while they probably won't use their first-round pick on a running back, rounds two and three could well offer a player like David Wilson, Chris Polk or Isaiah Pead to the Giants offense.

Tight end: With season-ending injuries to both Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum as well as the loss of Mario Manningham, the Giants are in need of some receiving help. Coby Fleener will be a tough player to pass on in the first round; if that does happen, I'd be looking at Orson Charles in the second.

Defensive end: Dave Tollefson is gone and the need for another pass rusher is there for the Giants to complement Jason Pierre Paul and Justin Tuck. Andre Branch might not fit perfectly, but has the skills to wreak havoc for the Giants throughout the year.

3. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers were the favorites in 2011 and they enter the year as the favorites again to take football's top prize. They will be spurred on by last year's divisional round loss to the New York Giants and with the skill of Aaron Rodgers and the receiving core, there's little doubt that Green Bay are once again a Super Bowl threat.

Three biggest positions to address:

Linebacker: Clay Matthews needs some help this year and it's no secret that the Packers are going to go and get him some in the draft. Even with the 28th pick, Green Bay will still have a high caliber player to choose from with Whitney Mercilus, Shea McClellin or Dont'a Hightower potentially available.

Running back: Again, it's no secret that the Packers are also looking for a running back and the fact that they haven't signed Ryan Grant yet is just further proof. Chris Polk is a nice option here, as is David Wilson. They could also look later in the middle rounds for a strong ball-runner with strong blocking abilities for Aaron Rodgers.

Quarterback: Graham Harrell is a great quarterback, but he's not Matt Flynn. With really just two quarterbacks on the roster, expect the Packers to add in another in the middle rounds of the draft; someone with accuracy and a low interception rate. Expect Russell Wilson to find himself a Cheesehead in 2012.

4. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans made it to the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs last year with their third-string quarterback T.J. Yates under center. Give them a healthy Matt Schaub and a division without Peyton Manning and the Houston Texans must not only be considered an NFC threat, but a Super Bowl threat as well.

Three biggest positions to address:

Wide receiver: Andre Johnson is good, but the Texans need someone to play on the other side—especially if Johnson gets injured again. Stephen Hill or Rueben Randle even could give Houston the speed required to open up the field for their receivers if Kendall Wright is already picked.

Tackle: Shaun Cody and Eric Winston both need replacing for the Texans and thus it's crucial the Texans pick up a tackle throughout the draft to help with this. In fact, they may go with this as their first-round option over a receiver. If that's the case, then Cordy Glenn is probably going to be the best available player. If not, Josh Chapman or Zebrie Sanders could well fit the bill also.

Cornerback: Ron Brooks. That's who you want. LSU's cornerback depth meant he didn't get the exposure of Claiborne, but Brooks could well be a steal for the Texans who have Jonathon Joseph, but really need another option. Trumaine Johnson, Josh Norman or Jayron Horsley could also find themselves in Houston jerseys in 2012.

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