2012 NFL Draft: First Round Mock Draft with Trades and Analysis

No amount of preparation can prepare the typical NFL draft expert for what will happen each year. With the average expert guessing about four picks correctly each season, a new breed of mock draft has been born. Much like questionable prospects, the best mock drafts this year will have tons of questions about them going in, but will ultimately prove their worth if given a chance.

Let's find out who is headed where in the first round of the 2012 NFL mock draft.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck

Analysis: No-brainer. This has been a lock since 2010; it was just a matter of what team was going to hit the jackpot with horrible play.

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III

Analysis: Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is getting himself a hell of a field general, but more importantly, someone who can flat-out ball. Griffin is an incredibly well spoken guy, and that transfers to the gridiron.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Morris Claiborne

The Vikings are looking for a hybrid combination of the best player available (BPA) and the player who can provide the biggest impact immediately. Stacked up against Kalil and even Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, Claiborne is without a doubt that guy. Being in a division with two of the best passing attacks in the NFL and a third developing threat, something needs to be done to stop the free-fall.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson

Analysis: This is an easy one. The Browns have nobody at running back. No Peyton Hillis, just Montario Hardesty, who actually looked like another great running back steal from the University of Tennessee. Hardesty, who is the Browns' number-one hope at running back right now, averaged three-yards-a-carry last season. 

Cleveland has to grab a back who can immediately start by pick 37, and Richardson is the premier talent and the only sure-fire back in the 2012 draft. 

5. Buffalo Bills (via Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Matt Kalil

TRADE DETAILS:

Buffalo Bills get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 5 overall (1,700 points, draft value chart) 

2013 5th round pick (27.4 – 43 points)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 10 overall (1,300 points)

2012 3rd round pick, No 74 overall (220 points)

2013 2nd round pick (estimated 270-580 points)

The Bills desperately need a left tackle, and the only other guy they might have nabbed  at the position would have been Riley Reiff—not the tenth-best player on anybody’s big board. Buffalo NEEDS to figure out a way to address their pass-rush woes, and what better way then a guy with great feet and ceiling? Demetrius Bell has struggled since Von Miller tooled on him during the pre-season last year. The troubles did not stop there for Bell. Bills let go of some valuable draft ammunition to get a big-shot in camp to protect Ryan Fitzpatrick.

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon

Rams fans, rejoice. Count the number of players your wide receiver coach, Ray Sherman, has turned into gold (four, for the lazy and inept):

Javon Walker, Donald Driver, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin. Blackmon has quite a future ahead of him.

If Sam Bradford has a Matthew-Stafford-esque third season, the Rams instantly become 2012 wild-card dark horses. Of course, this will only happen if Bradford has a legitimate number-one threat. Blackmon should not, but may have an AJ Green-level of impact in his first year. Fletcher Cox can’t carry this team to a wild-card, despite the fact that he has a pro-bowl career ahead of him. Rams are in it to win it, and if you don't believe that, check out pick number 25.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Melvin Ingram

Analysis: Ingram is a stellar athlete who can play anywhere. Three-technique, five-technique, outside linebacker in a 3-4. The possibilities are endless. For that reason, Ingram provides Adalius Thomas-like ability. Even if the Jaguars wanted to stick Ingram at 4-3 end and do nothing but bull rush him, he should be the go-to guy here and is the best player available over both Gilmore and Floyd.

8. Miami Dolphins: Michael Floyd

Everyone in the world expects Dolphins owner Jeff Ireland to 'fess up for his offseason mistakes: not nabbing Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn, etc. 

Ireland and the Dolphins scouting department have done their homework, just as every other scouting department has. Ryan Tannehill is not top-ten material.

You have to go with the player who will make the biggest immediate impact; the player who projects to have the best career. That player is Michael Floyd.

9. Carolina Panthers: Luke Kuechly

This guy gets my vote for most likely defensive rookie-of-the-year candidate. Cerebral, athletic tackling machine. That should tell you all you need to know. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Via Buffalo): Stephon Gilmore

TRADE DETAILS:

Buffalo Bills get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 5 overall (1,700 points, draft value chart) 

2013 5th round pick (27.4 – 43 points)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 10 overall (1,300 points)

2012 3rd round pick, No 74 overall (220 points)

2013 2nd round pick (estimated 270-580 points)

Analysis: This guy has shot up everyone's draft boards as of the last week. Just about every team in need of a corner is somehow tied to Gilmore in a trade rumor. With Claiborne off the board at number five, the Buccaneers are able to trade back and nab a very solid alternative, all the while piling up some other picks later on.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Mark Barron

Barron is a top-10 player in this year's draft, and will have a multi pro-bowl career with whatever team he teams up with. Berry and Barron will go on to form one of the greatest safety tandems of the modern era, striking fear in AFC west receivers and turning the Kansas City passing defense into a top-five unit, despite the absence of Brandon Carr.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Courtney Upshaw

The fact that anybody has this kid labeled as overrated is a testament to how much the 40-yard-dash jades people. Had Upshaw run in the high 4.5's, the 275 pounder would be a lock for the top 10. All you have to do is watch the film to see that he has more than adequate sideline to sideline range. If you don't believe me, check out the first minute of the video above and watch as he beats an LSU running back to the sideline.

If I had to chose the player I think is most likely to become a hall-of-famer from this draft class, Upshaw is the guy. Rather than raving about every single aspect of his skill set, I'll let you watch him tear apart LSU in the BCS title game.

13. Chicago Bears (Via Arizona): Fletcher Cox

TRADE DETAILS:

Chicago Bears get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 13 overall (1,150 points, draft value chart) 

2013 4th round pick (estimated 44-112 points)

Arizona Cardinals get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 19 overall (875 points)

2012 2rd round pick, No 50 overall (400 points)

2013 2nd round pick (estimated 270-580 points)

Cox is one of those guys who could have slipped in at No. 6 or No. 9. Once he slips past number nine, Chicago pounces to a slot where they know they can get their man. The Bears are turned off by the alternative options, and want someone who can make an immediate impact at the DT spot.

14. Dallas Cowboys: David Decastro

Plug-and-play prospect, possibly the most NFL ready offensive lineman in this draft. Guards may not be valued too high, but with Barron off the board, Decastro becomes the next great Cowboy guard,

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Ryan Tannehill

This will come as one of the major surprises of the draft, but it is certainly a possibility.

The legs go at around age 32 or 33, ladies and gentlemen. Vick is 31. Do you really see Vick being anything close to a threat at quarterback when running a low 4.6 in two years? Nope. That's why Tannehill makes so much sense here, even though I really don't care for him.

Tannehill is grossly overrated. Anyone who watches film can see that this kid isn't worth a first-round pick. The argument, of course, is that if a team believes they can one day develop him into a franchise quarterback, he's worth the gamble earlier on. Newsflash: None of these teams are dumb. This kid is a major project at quarterback and likely a PR disaster waiting to happen. If Aaron Rodgers can fall to pick 24, Ryan Tannehill can and should fall to pick 15.

16. New York Jets: Cordy Glenn

Beast who can do everything but properly bend in pass coverage. He's an asset in the fact that if he happens to bust, he can pull a Robert Gallery and pop inside to guard. Very versatile prospect.

17. Cincinatti Bengals: Chandler Jones

I don't get the hype, but the guys that really put the time in to watch him apparently love him. Note that his dad Arthur is a former Raven.

"Thanks for the genetics, dad. I'm going to destroy your former team with them."

18. San Diego Chargers: Dre Kirkpatrick

Good on you, Chargers. Good on you. 

Kirkpatrick will favorably match up against some of the bigger No. 1 wideouts in the NFL: Dwayne Bowe, Demaryius Thomas and Darius Heyward-Bey, all of whom are in the AFC west and are 6' 2", 210 or larger. Kirkpatrick should be neutralizing these guys by his second year.

19. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff

In terms of sheer value, this has to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. The Cardinals have had some poor luck with first-round offensive linemen in the recent past. Reiff will not extend this trend.

Quite a risky move for the Cardinals to jump back from 13 to 19 for their guy, but the backup plan would have been to take whatever defensive end was left on the board had Reiff and Glenn both been gone.

20. Tennessee Titans: Quinton Coples

Big guy, very quick off the ball and has a great wingspan. Coples has a very high ceiling, and the Titans take somewhat of a gamble to keep the former Tar Heel in the same uniform colors.

21. Cincinatti Bengals: Stephen Hill

Good at adjusting to bad throws. Big, long armed guy. A similar prospect to former Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. His route tree may have had three branches in college, but many think they can refine him the way Thomas was refined. Obviously has world-class speed that is only matched by one other prospect in this year's class.

22. Cleveland Browns: Jonathan Martin

The Browns land themselves a future right tackle and have one of the best offensive lines in the league. Trent Richardson will go berserk and will be the most likely recipient of offensive rookie of the year.

Martin may have seen his stock fall since the end of bowl season, but he will still hear his name called in Round 1. Cleveland just so happens to be in the right place at the right time.

23. Detroit Lions: Donta Hightower

There aren't as many backers who can run like Hightower, especially at 265 pounds. With the lack of cornerbacks and offensive linemen available at this point, Hightower is the obvious pick, much to the dismay of Steeler nation.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dontari Poe

Are you mad, Pittsburgh? Don't be. You get one of the draft's biggest enigmas. Someone who has the potential to be the next Haloti Ngata. Hightower may have been the better pick here, but that simply wasn't an option with him falling off the board a pick before.

While Poe may have huge bust potential, he also has enormous upside. Anyone that runs a sub-five second 40-yard-dash at 345 pounds has a chance to be a pro-bowler.

25. St. Louis Rams (Via Denver Broncos): Michael Brockers

TRADE DETAILS:

St. Louis Rams get:

2012 1st round pick, No. 25 overall (720 points, draft value chart) 

2012 4th round pick, No. 108 overall (78 points)

Denver Broncos get:

2013 1st round pick (estimated 590-3000 points)

2012 2rd round pick, No 50 overall (400 points)

Denver has expressed that it's content with its current defensive tackles, and with no 4-3 linebackers, interior linemen, running backs or receivers of true value here, they opt to trade out of the first round in hopes that they can draft their quarterback, running back, or receiver of the future in 2013. The trade occurs early in day one, despite the fact that the Broncos could use Brockers. You either love him or hate him, and I'm willing to bet that Denver isn't ready to use their first on a defensive tackle. Seriously.

St. Louis is attempting to make a wild-card push this year, and certainly improves its chances with a daring move.

Analysis: If the Mike Waufle can coach-up Brockers and turn him into a perennial pro-bowl talent, and Sam Bradford has a pro-bowl year for the Rams, I can envision a situation where San Francisco finds themselves struggling for a wildcard.

26. Houston Texans: Shea McClellin

Kubiak lands one of the top 3-4 linebackers in this year's draft class. McClellin will get ample playing time early on and will also be a candidate for DROY.

27. New England Patriots: Nick Perry

A 270 pounder who ran a 4.50 at the combine. Perry has always been a freak of nature; he lead the USC Trojans in sacks as a freshman—from the bench. Patriots will utilize him the way he's meant to be: as a 3-4 defensive end.

28. Green Bay Packers: Peter Konz

Konz is the only center of his kind in this year's draft. As a result, his value may be inflated quite a bit, but he's still in line for a pro-bowl career with one of the better teams in the NFL. It's no wonder the best teams always stay the best. The bad teams pass up on the best players just because they aren't of positional need.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Andre Branch

There are a couple routes the Ravens could go with here, but ultimately they steer away from Wright, who I predict will be one of the draft's biggest fallers. The choice here was between Kevin Zeitler, Branch and Whitney Mercilus. Ultimately, Branch is the best fit for a 3-4 end spot, so he is headed to Baltimore. Ravens ignore Zeitler and consider drafting a guard in Round 2.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Kendall Wright

There's a ton of concern with Wright. Why does he have 16-percent body fat. Would his tape look as good if he hadn't been playing with Robert Griffin III? Is he as fast as his game speed seems? Wright has been dropping ever sine he ran a lackluster 4.50 40-yard-dash at the combine. While few would predict he would fall this far, it is a very realistic possibility that Wright falls out of Round 1 to the middle of Round 2. 

31. New England Patriots: Kendall Reyes

Reyes is a local talent sure to please the fan base. Another one of those guys who ran a sub-five second 40-yard-dash at close to 300 pounds, Reyes is obviously a gifted athlete. Once a relative unknown, the former husky saw his stock skyrocket after an impressive senior bowl week and hasn't slowed down since.

32. New York Giants: Mike Adams

Adams is one of those guys who could have gone much higher if he had tested better in Mobile, Alabama. Adams' forte was supposedly his quick twitch ability, but failed to impress scouts in his multiple offseason performances. The general consensus is that somebody will select Adams in the latter part of Round 1, fully knowing that he will either boom or bust.