2012 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting Where Top QBs After Andrew Luck Land

The 2012 NFL draft belongs to Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. He will be the top overall selection, we all know it and so does he. Whoever ends up with the top selection (via their record or a trade) will take the Stanford signal-caller and will do so happily.

But this year there are several very good quarterback prospects after Luck and teams that can't grab the draft's biggest prize will likely be happy to snag one of the other options available.

Here is a look at where the other top quarterback prospects could land after Luck is taken with the No. 1 overall pick

Matt Barkley, USC

In the current projection for this year's draft, I have the Miami Dolphins with the second overall pick. In that spot I think they will take either USC's Matt Barkley or Oklahoma's Landry Jones. At this point both quarterback are running neck and neck for me, with Jones' upside keeping him almost even with the steady, consistent Barkley.

This season the USC signal-caller has broken out and shown tremendous improvement in all aspects of his game. I think the Dolphins will take him and hope that his steady hand can help turn around the franchise. With weapons like running backs Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas to go along with the talented but legitimately insane Brandon Marshall, Barkley would have a lot to work with.

Barkley has really elevated himself on almost every draft board over the past few weeks and is currently a guy teams are focusing on as being gone inside the top five selections. He is a great kid with fantastic intangibles and is a great choice to be the face of an NFL franchise. 

All of those factors make me believe the Dolphins will grab him with Luck already off the board.

Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Jones entered the season as the No. 2 draft-eligible quarterback on the board, and played extremely well for the first few weeks of the year. Then he hit some rough patches where inconsistency plagued him. While he has prototypical size and bulk for the position he hasn't been as consistent as Barkley.

Still, I don't expect Jones to be on the board very long in April. His raw skills are just far too enticing for a quarterback-needy team to pass up. While I have the Seattle Seahawks picking at No. 5 on this board, I think they'll pass on Jones, hoping to land another quarterback later in the draft. 

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan needs a quarterback to run his system and in Jones he'll find a guy who can make all the throws and has nearly three full seasons of starting experience. I think this is a perfect fit, and if the Oklahoma quarterback is still available at No. 10, the Redskins will grab him.

Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Robert Griffin III has improved tremendously over the past few seasons and has gone from an almost pure running quarterback to a genuine dual threat.

While he can certainly hurl the ball a long way, I'm not in love with the actual zip he puts on balls. Some passers mask a lack of actual arm strength by putting a lot of air under the ball on deep throws (Vince Young did that at Texas), and I think Griffin is someone who does that a lot.

On the short-to-intermediate throws that quarterbacks need to muscle up on to fit them into tight spaces, I think Griffin still has a lot of work to do. Despite his elite athleticism, I suspect NFL teams will pick apart his throwing motion, accuracy and arm and hold the fact that he doesn't play in a true "pro style" system against him. 

While he's certainly riding high right now, I could see Griffin dropping out of the first round, with a team that could use a player as a change-of-pace guy in the lineup who they could eventually develop into a quarterback grabbing him.

While he may not be a perfect fit, the Seattle Seahawks need a young quarterback. I think this offseason they will invest in a veteran free agent and then take a chance on Griffin early in the second round. At the very least, he will give them an elite athlete to draw up some plays with while they try and figure out if he is someone who can play under center for the long-term. 

Full 2012 Mock Draft

2012 NFL First Round Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stan.)	17. Buffalo Bills: Janoris Jenkins, CB (N. Ala.)
2. Miami Dolphins: Matt Barkley, QB (USC)	18. New York Jets: Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
3. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE (UNC)	19. Cleveland (From ATL): Jeff Fuller, WR (Tex. A&M
4. Arizona Cardinals: Trent Richardson, RB (Ala.)	20. Cincinnati Bengals: David DeCastro, G (Stan.)
5. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)	21. Detroit Lions: Kevin Reddick, LB (UNC)
6. Cleveland Browns: Vontaze Burfict, LB (ASU)	22. Cincinnati (From Oak): Jonathan Martin, OT (Stan.)
7. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR (Okla. St.)	23. Dallas Cowboys: Jarvis Jones, LB (Georgia)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR (N.D.)	24. Chicago Bears: Nick Toon, WR (Wisc.)
9. Minnesota Vikings: Morris Claiborne, DB, (LSU)	25. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio St.)
10. Washington Redskins:Landry Jones, QB (Okla.)	26. New England Patriots: Mark Barron, S (Ala.)
11 .Philadelphia Eagles: Manti Te'o, LB (N.D.)	27. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cliff Harris, S (Oregon)
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brandon Thompson, DT (Clem)	28. N.E. (From N.O): Cam Johnson, DE (Virginia)
13. San Diego Chargers: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Ala.)	29. Baltimore Ravens: Luke Kuechly, LB (B.C.)
14. Denver Broncos: Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Neb.)	30. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Boykin, CB (Georgia)
15. Kansas City Chiefs: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Ala.)	31. Houston Texans: Jeff Fuller, WR (Tex. A&M)
16. Tennessee Titans: Alshon Jeffery, WR (S. Car.)	32. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (S. Car.)