2012 NFL Mock Draft: A Look Ahead at Day 3 Around the NFC South

Every NFC South team has now made at least one pick in the 2012 NFL draft. We had to wait until the third round at pick No. 89 for that to become official, but now everyone’s on the board.

As it stands right now, in the calm before Saturday’s noon start time, the division has 17 picks left in the remaining four rounds. Atlanta has four picks to go, as do New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Carolina leads the way with five picks left to fill.

Here’s how each team might address its final day of the draft:

Carolina Panthers

Even with the addition of linebacker Luke Kuechly, Carolina needs to focus on defense. In a division with stellar quarterback play, the Panthers must upgrade their pass rush and their defensive backfield. I would guess at least three of the team’s remaining five picks would fall in those two position corps.

Prospects: CB Brandon Boykin, DE Trevor Guyton, DT Alameda Ta'Amu

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta went offensive line twice on Friday, grabbing two beefy products that will greatly help move the ball short distances. I still think the Falcons will address both sides of the line on Saturday – when they go offensive line again, look for that pick to be a pass-protection specialist – and I think the team might look at a wide receiver with special-teams ability.

Prospects: DE Cam Johnson, OT Tom Compton, WR Devon Wylie

New Orleans Saints

Akiem Hicks is a project at defensive end, but he has so much upside that Mickey Loomis might look like a genius if the star from north of the border pans out. To hedge that bet, however, watch the Saints grab another pass-rusher in the late rounds and look to shore up the secondary too.

New Orleans, like Atlanta, might grab a receiver on Saturday that can handle a special-teams workload.

Prospects: DE Jonathan Massaquoi, WR Rishard Matthews, CB Chase Minnifield

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers filled three major holes on their depth chart in the first three rounds of the 2012 draft, but there’s still more work to do. Tampa Bay should look at cornerback early on Saturday, maybe twice, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team grab someone to help on the offensive line. Quarterback Josh Freeman could use more time in the pocket, new running back Doug Martin would like bigger holes to run through and the unit as a whole could use more depth.

Prospects: CB Josh Norman, CB Coryell Judie, OT Senio Kelemete