2012 NFL Mock Draft: Indianapolis Colts and 5 Teams Who Will Reach to Fill Needs

So the NFL Draft is coming up...about five months from now. That means all the draft junkies out there still have a lot of waiting to do before Roger Goodell steps to the podium and utters Andrew Luck's name into the microphone.

When Goodell does utter Luck's name, it will not be a surprise. He is the best quarterback prospect to come along in generations, and he will be the No. 1 overall pick one way or another.

However, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of surprises elsewhere in the first round. Most of these will involve teams taking players who were supposed to go much lower. Oftentimes, these reaches occur because teams have needs that they must fill.

In the 2012 draft, there are five teams that I think we can expect to pull off similar maneuvers.

Cincinnati Bengals—Chris Polk, RB (Washington)

The Bengals are a team that is better than any of us thought they were going to be. And because they are a young team, you have to think they're only going to get better.

However, I do think that the Bengals are going to need to reach to fill a need, and that need will be for a running back. Cedric Benson is a free agent at the end of the year, and he's going to demand a price a bit too high for a middle-of-the-road running back in his late 20s. The Bengals can either re-sign him, or draft a replacement.

If the draft plays out the way I think it could, the Bengals will have to settle for Washington's Chris Polk. He's not one of the more heralded backs in this year's draft class, but I happen to think he's underrated. Polk has good size and good speed for a running back, and he's a guy who can catch the ball out of the backfield. He's supposed to be a good character guy too, which will make him a nice departure from Benson.

If the Bengals don't go for Polk, I can easily see them going for Lamar Miller if he lasts to them.

Cleveland Browns—Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)

The reason Lamar Miller won't last to the Bengals is because I can see the Browns picking him up.

Yes, we all know the Browns have Peyton Hillis. However, he is also in a contract year, and it's looking right now like the two sides may not be able to come to a sensible agreement. If they don't, the Browns are going to need a running back.

Even if the Browns do extend Hillis, I wouldn't be surprised if they reached for Miller anyway. He's a guy with terrific speed, and one who could easily provide some lightning to complement Hillis' thunder. He likely won't last beyond the first round, so the Browns will have to jump on him if they get the chance.

Houston Texans—Nick Toon, WR (Wisconsin)

The Texans are going to be an interesting team to watch in the draft because I think there are a number of different directions they could go with their selection.

One of these would be to draft a wide receiver, as I think it's pretty clear now that the Texans could use a receiver to help take some pressure off of Andre Johnson and, by extension, Matt Schaub.

The only trouble is that I don't think the Texans are going to be in a position to draft Alshon Jeffery, Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd. If they want a wide receiver, they're going to have to reach for one. At this juncture, that would mean likely reaching for Wisonsin's Nick Toon.

I wouldn't say that Toon has outstanding size or speed, but he's a very tough player, which I suppose is true of all Badgers players. He'll go over the middle if you need him to, and he has an array of tricks to get separation.

Toon is not a superstar, but the Texans won't need him to be one as long as they have Johnson.

Seattle Seahawks—Matt Barkley, QB (USC)

No matter who they get, the Seahawks are going to have to draft a quarterback this year. The last thing they want to is to let Tarvaris Jackson have the run of the place for more than one season.

Sadly for the Seahawks, they're not going to be in the mix for Andrew Luck. In fact, I don't even think they'll end up with a Top 10 pick. That means they're likely to miss out on Landry Jones too.

The funny part is that the Seahawks have a shot to draft Jones in my little mock. I have them passing him up to take Matt Barkley.

Why, you ask?

It's simple, really. Something tells me Pete Carroll would jump at the opportunity to reunite with his former QB, no matter how much he would have to reach to get him. I have the Seahawks drafting him at No. 11, but Barkley would be a reach even if the Seahawks drafted him at No. 15.

But don't be surprised if it happens. Or when it happens, I guess.

Indianapolis Colts—Brandon Thompson, DT (Clemson)

Given the way they've played in the last couple of weeks, I think the Colts are going to end up playing their way out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. They're bad, but I don't think they're as bad as the Miami Dolphins or St. Louis Rams.

Make no mistake, Luck is the only quarterback the Colts would consider drafting in 2012. They do need to prepare for life after Peyton Manning, but they'd be better served putting a better team around Manning as long as he is still playing.

That starts on the defensive side of the ball. The Colts have been soft in the middle for years now, but no position has given them more trouble this year than defensive tackle. They have Drake Nevis, but they need more young talent at DT, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they used whatever pick they end up with to draft Brandon Thompson.

There are differing opinions on Thompson, but his ability to stop the run is something that the Colts should covet. Their run defense is traditionally quite terrible, and that hasn't changed this year. Bringing in a guy like Thompson could only help.

Note: draft order is a modified version of my Week 7 NFL Power Rankings.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Miami Dolphins	Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)
2	St. Louis Rams	Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)
3	Indianapolis Colts	Brandon Thompson, DT (Clemson)
4	Minnesota Vikings	Matt Kalil, OT (USC)
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)
6	Arizona Cardinals	Vontaze Burfict, ILB (Arizona State)
7	Denver Broncos	Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)
8	Carolina Panthers	Manti Te'o, ILB (Notre Dame)
9	Kansas City Chiefs	Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)
10	Cleveland Browns	Quinton Coples, DE (North Carolina)
11	Seattle Seahawks	Matt Barkley, QB (USC)
12	Philadelphia Eagles	Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
13	Dallas Cowboys	Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)
14	New York Jets	Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)
15	Chicago Bears	David DeCastro, OG (Stanford)
16	Houston Texans	Nick Toon, WR (Wisconsin)
17	Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta Falcons)	Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)
18	Washington Redskins	Landry Jones, QB (Oklahoma)
19	Cincinnati Bengals	Chris Polk, RB (Washington)
20	Cincinnati Bengals (via Oakland Raiders)	Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)
21	Tennessee Titans	Luke Kuechley, ILB (Boston College)
22	New York Giants	Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)
23	Buffalo Bills	Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)
24	Pittsburgh Steelers	D.J. Fluker, OT (Alabama)
25	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
26	New England Patriots (via New Orleans Saints)	Ryan Broyles, WR (Oklahoma)
27	San Diego Chargers	Courtney Upshaw, OLB (Alabama)
28	Detroit Lions	Cliff Harris, CB (Oregon)
29	San Francisco 49ers	Stephen Gilmore, CB (South Carolina)
30	Baltimore Ravens	Markelle Martin, S (Oklahoma State)
31	New England Patriots	Mark Barron, S (Alabama)
32	Green Bay Packers	LaMichael James, RB (Oregon)