Mel Kiper 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Picks the ESPN Guru Has Dead Wrong

He's the man, the myth, the hair that dominates ESPN's coverage every late April.

I'm talking about Mel Kiper Jr., of course.

As always, he's mocking this draft and checking it twice, letting you know which players he thinks will be busts and which ones will be nice. In his latest mock, he decided to change it up and let us know which player he thought each team would be best served drafting rather than trying to predict which player they actually would take (ESPN Insider only).

Not surprisingly, I didn't agree with a few of the names he mentioned.

Generally, I thought his selections made sense. The draft is unpredictable, and you look for analysts who seem to have a handle on the talent pool and what each team will be looking for at the draft—not precise predictions from top to bottom.

But a few I just couldn't sign off on. Let's take a look at those.

Detroit Lions: Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska

The consensus top-three corners (Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick, Stephon Gilmore) were already off the board, according to Mel's "Grade A" draft, when the Lions were on the clock, so he gave them a linebacker.

I don't think so.

Risky or not, I think the Lions will take a flyer on Janoris Jenkins if the top three guys are off the board. They desperately need an upgrade in the secondary, and Jenkins has elite ability and would contribute instantly.

The Lions could be a legitimate threat in the NFC, or they could be a good team that finds themselves out of the playoffs next season. Improving the secondary could push them closer to the former.

New York Jets: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

I like Brockers, and I think the Jets would be getting a good player if they selected him.

But with excellent edge-rushers like Courtney Upshaw, Nick Perry, Chandler Jones and Whitney Mercilus still on Kiper's board, and a need for a player to rush off the edge for the Jets, selecting a defensive tackle seems odd to me.

I know teams apparently are down on Upshaw and he's dropping, but I still think he'll be the pick for the Jets.

Denver Broncos: Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati

Kiper comes right out and says Wolfe is one of his sleeper guys he really likes, so keep that in mind here. I think he is correct in giving the Broncos a defensive tackle; they need to improve the interior of the line.

That said, why not Devon Still or Jerel Worthy here? And why have Still as a third-round pick, which Kiper does?

I don't get it. I love the position for the Broncos, but I'm not sold that a guy like Wolfe should leapfrog some more talented prospects. I won't kill Kiper for going out on a limb on a guy he likes; I just don't agree with the choice.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets always hit the spot, like Philip Humber.