2012 NFL Mock Draft: Where Will Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Top QBs Land?

NFL mock draft season has officially begun as teams' playoff hopes have quickly faded away during the season's first quarter.

The most discussed position, as always, is quarterback. There are three signal-callers worth selecting in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, so where will they land?

Here's an early look at the possible fates of Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Landry Jones.

Andrew Luck—Miami Dolphins at No. 2

Unless Peyton Manning's neck injury turns out to be a career-threatening ailment, the Colts can't afford to use their first-round pick on a quarterback. They have too many holes to fill on defense, which makes trading down an intriguing option for Indianapolis.

If they can't find a trading partner, Luck will fall to the Miami Dolphins at No. 2. While there's no sure thing in any draft, Luck appears to be as close as it gets. He has prototypical size and has continued to thrive even without Jim Harbaugh leading the way at Stanford.

Chad Henne's opportunity to seize the starting job in Miami is gone, and there's a good chance his season-ending shoulder injury will end his time with the Dolphins. That opens the door for Luck to start from day one, which is the way to go in today's NFL.

Matt Barkley—Denver Broncos at No. 4

This selection is completely dependent on Tim Tebow's development. Even though he's shown flashes of being a capable quarterback, there's a lot of room for improvement before he should be handed the keys to Denver's offense long-term.

Tebow will be the team's starter coming out of the bye week barring any unforeseen circumstances. That gives him 11 games to prove he deserves the gig. If Denver's coaching staff, led by John Fox, isn't impressed, they'll turn to Barkley.

Barkley has led USC to a 4-1 record while throwing for more than 300 yards per game and completing 70 percent of his passes in the process.

Most other years he would be worthy of being the first quarterback selected, but not in 2012.

Landry Jones—Seattle Seahawks at No. 10

The Tarvaris Jackson experiment isn't working out in Seattle, and if Jones is available with the team's first-round pick, it'll be hard to pass him up. You have to give credit to Pete Carroll, because the Seahawks have several holes but are still able to find ways to win.

Jones has thrived behind a solid offensive line at Oklahoma. He's completing 69 percent of his throws and averaging 363 yards per game. His main target, Ryan Broyles, is selected by the Detroit Lions later in Round 1 of my mock.

Now more than ever, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. A team can win games without any elite gunslinger, but it's nearly impossible to reach the ultimate goal unless you have a playmaker at the position. Jones can provide that for Seattle.

Note: Draft order is a combination of current records and expected performance.

No.	Team (Record)	Player, Pos.
1.	Indianapolis Colts (0-5)	Matt Kalil, OT
2.	Miami Dolphins (0-4)	Andrew Luck, QB
3.	St. Louis Rams (0-4)	Quinton Coples, DE
4.	Denver Broncos (1-4)	Matt Barkley, QB
5.	Carolina Panthers (1-4)	Justin Blackmon, WR
6.	Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)	Jonathan Martin, OT
7.	Minnesota Vikings (1-4)	Alshon Jeffery, WR
8.	Arizona Cardinals (1-4)	Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
9.	Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)	Riley Reiff, OT
10.	Seattle Seahawks (2-3)	Landry Jones, QB
11.	Cleveland Browns (2-2)	Luke Kuechly, LB
12.	Philadelphia Eagles (1-4)	Vontaze Burfict, LB
13.	Chicago Bears (2-2)	Morris Claiborne, CB
14.	Cleveland Browns (via Falcons 2-3)	Michael Floyd, WR
15.	Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)	Trent Richardson, RB
16.	New York Jets (2-3)	Brandon Jenkins, LB
17.	Tennessee Titans (3-2)	Stephon Gilmore, CB
18.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)	Courtney Upshaw, DE
19.	Dallas Cowboys (2-2)	Manti Te'o, LB
20.	Oakland Raiders (3-2)	Jayron Hosley, CB
21.	Houston Texans (3-2)	Jerel Worthy, DT
22.	San Francisco 49ers (4-1)	Zach Brown, LB
23.	Washington Redskins (3-1)	Mike Brewster, C
24.	New York Giants (3-2)	Cliff Harris, CB
25.	Buffalo Bills (4-1)	Alfonzo Dennard, CB
26.	Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)	Andrew Datko, OT
27.	Baltimore Ravens (3-1)	David DeCastro, OG
28.	New England Patriots (via Saints 4-1)	Jared Crick, DT
29.	San Diego Chargers (4-1)	Alameda Ta'amu, NT
30.	Detroit Lions (4-0)	Ryan Broyles, WR
31.	New England Patriots (4-1)	Chase Minnifield, CB
32.	Green Bay Packers (5-0)	Mark Barron, S