2012 NFL Mock Draft: Michael Floyd Will Vault Up Boards with Huge Game vs. USC

Even if the two teams aren't playing at their historical level, tonight's game between the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will garner plenty of attention.

No, it doesn't have National Championship implications, but both teams have big national followings. Additionally, it's a big rivalry game. It will also be the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in more than 20 years, and the first in the history of the rivalry.

This game will not lack attention.

Make no mistake about it, I am picking Notre Dame to win this game. But for a second, let's assume that USC wins. Both teams have players on both sides of the ball with serious pro prospects. Still, even if USC wins, no player will shine brighter than Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd.

If you take a look below, you will see that I have Floyd going No. 6 overall. Now, that's going to change a lot. Obviously, I have him going No. 6 to the Vikings. As things stand now, that's a fair prediction. Still, the order of that draft is likely to change a lot from what I am projecting.

When the order changes, the order of players changes.

But regardless of what the order of the draft is, Michael Floyd will be an asset to any team. The NFL is a pass heavy league, and that's not changing any time soon.

His combination of size, strength, and speed is nearly unmatched in college football. He's a genuine big-play threat.

Floyd is dangerous, where ever his team is on the field. He's capable of scoring on long plays, but also a strong red zone option.

To be fair, this isn't exactly inside knowledge that I possess. I really can't see a way that he would fall out of the top half of the first round.

But tonight's spotlight will give Floyd a chance to shine on a big stage. He won't let that opportunity go to waste. Floyd will prove his value as a top-10 pick tonight.

Michael Dixon's Projected First Round:

1. Miami Dolphins	Andrew Luck	QB-Stanford
2. Indianapolis Colts	Trent Richardson	RB-Alabama
3. Jacksonville Jaguars	Alshon Jeffery	WR-South Carolina
4. Denver Broncos	Justin Blackmon	WR-Oklahoma State
5. St. Louis Rams	Dre Kirkpatrick	CB-Alabma
6. Minnesota Vikings	Michael Floyd	WR-Notre Dame
7. Kansas City Chiefs	Landry Jones	QB-Oklahoma
8. Carolina Panthers	Quinton Coples	DE-North Carolina
9. Arizona Cardinals	Janoris Jenkins	CB-North Alabama
10. Seattle Seahawks	Jonathan Martin	OT-Stanford
11. Cleveland Browns	Zach Brown	OLB-North Carolina
12. Dallas Cowboys	Alfonzo Dennard	CB-Alabama
13. Philadelphia Eagles	Matt Kalil	OT-USC
14. Cleveland Browns (through ATL)	Markelle Martin	S-Oklahoma State
15. Washington Redskins	Andrew Datko	OT-Florida State
16. New York Jets	Dwight Jones	WR-North Carolina
17. Chicago Bears	Doug Martin	RB-Boise State
18. Cincinnati Bengals	Donte Page-Moss	DE-North Carolina
19. Tennessee Titans	Jeff Fuller	WR-Texas A&M
20. Buffalo Bills	Brandon Boykin	CB-Georgia
21. New York Giants	Shaun Prater	CB-Iowa
22. Houston Texans	Nick Toon	WR-Wisconsin
23. Cincinnati Bengals (through OAK)	Luke Kuechly	OLB-Boston College
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Riley Reiff	OT-Iowa
25. San Diego Chargers	Devon Still	DT-Penn State
26. Detroit Lions	LaMichael James	RB-Oregon
27. Pittsburgh Steelers	Billy Winn	DT-Boise State
28. San Francisco 49ers	Sean Spence	OLB-Miami
29. Baltimore Ravens	Ryan Broyles	WR-Oklahoma
30. New England Patriots (from NO)	Mark Barron	S-Alabama
31. New England Patriots	Jared Crick	DT-Nebraska
32. Green Bay Packers	Jerel Worthy	DT-Michigan State