2012 NFL Mock Draft: The Latest Look at College Football's Defensive Studs

Although it seems the 2012 NFL draft is loaded with tons of offensive talent, there's quite a bit on the defensive side as well.

The bigger names just appear on offense as there's a lot of depth at QB right now. However, on the dark side there are players who bring a lot to the table and will significantly contribute during their rookie campaign.

Here are five studs for the upcoming draft.

Click the link to view five other first-round defensive studs in the 2012 NFL draft.

Bills: Janoris Jenkins, CB (Northern Alabama)

Let's put it this way, the Buffalo Bills need all the help they can get on defense. They currently rank No. 22 and No. 21 in defending the pass and rush, respectively, and allow a combined total of almost 370 yards per game.

So, drafting a former first-team All-SEC selection in CB Janoris Jankins (now at Northern Alabama because of off-the-field issues) will be of great assistance. Jenkins has an excellent football IQ to go with solid instincts, and he doesn't allow receivers to block him easily.

Right now Buffalo relies a lot on causing turnovers and getting INTs, which is nice, but stopping the run is needed also. Jenkins is good for run support on the edge and also provides the ability to quickly drop back into the zone.

To start off they could use him to manipulate the offense because of his versatility, only then will Buffalo begin to improve defensively.

Broncos: Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)

At some point Champ Bailey has to retire. But even before then, however, the Broncos are desperately in need of a young CB who can virtually do it all.

Perhaps the most threatening aspect about Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard to opposing WRs is his size. He may only stand at 5'10", but he comes in at over 200 pounds.

In turn, that allows him to be quite physical regardless of who he's covering, and Denver could utilize that size to blitz, as he's about as big as some RBs. And when they go with a nickel/dime coverage, why not put him on the smaller slot WRs and let him completely blanket the underneath routes?

Dennard is also a better tackler than meets the eye, because he's mainly put in single coverage situations, thus limiting him on run support. Nonetheless, even with the Cornhuskers losing Prince Amukamara after 2010, Dennard has taken over and kept the Nebraska pass defense a suffocating bunch.

And that's the final major area that the Broncos need—coverage. Thanks to Von Miller, the pass rush has been stout along with an improved run defense. Add in a CB who can take away half the field and The Orange Crush will literally crush in 2012.

Lions: Zach Brown, LB (North Carolina)

The Detroit Lions may have Ndamukong Suh on the defensive line along with rookie Nick Fairley, but their rush defense is still quite awful.

Through 12 weeks this season, Detroit ranks No. 23 in rush defense and allows over 120 yards per game on the ground. Therefore, the addition of North Carolina's Zach Brown will definitely improve that ranking.

The past two seasons Brown has recorded 163 tackles (91 in 2011) and 5.5 sacks this season. The Tar Heels' run defense has been good in recent years, so taking one of their LBs is usually a good idea.

Also, Brown has forced two fumbles this season to go with two INTs (three INTs in 2010), so the Lions will be getting a complete linebacker, which is something that will give them a distinct advantage in the NFC North.

Green Bay doesn't have any LBs who can both rush the QB and play solid pass coverage, and Brian Urlacher is really the only one in the entire division who can do both. If the Lions reel in Brown, he'll provide run support on the edge and is big and quick enough to cover TEs and RBs.

The Motor City needs an outside presence on defense, and Brown is that guy.

Texans: Jerel Worthy, DT (Michigan State)

Right now the Houston Texans are literally playing about as flawless of football on defense as you possibly can. They rank No. 2 against the pass and No. 4 against the rush.

That said, with two studs blitzing off the edge in rookies J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed, imagine how much better they'll be once Mario Williams returns in 2012.

What they are missing, however, is talented depth on at the DT position. Shaun Cody is a solid NT, but if you add in Michigan State's Jerel Worthy, not only do they have talented depth, but they become more dynamic.

Houston can then confidently switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 or even a 5-2 front just to give multiple looks and base their play-calling on the situation. The more versatile you become only makes it that much more difficult for offenses to move the ball.

For as great as the Texans are right now, can you imagine how much more they will dominate on defense with Worthy clogging up the middle as he does now? He's not a DT who gets a lot of tackles, because he's always being double-teamed.

Well, let that trend continue in the pros and watch how it will free up the rest of Wade Phillips' sick defense.

Patriots: Mark Barron, Safety (Alabama)

Despite being 8-3 and atop the AFC East to go with another shot at the AFC's No. 1 seed, the New England Patriots still rank dead last in pass defense.

In turn, their No. 12 rush defense looks deceiving since no one bothers to run against them. Well, enter Alabama's Mark Barron, whose size and speed allow him to help in both aspects. Unlike the Pats, Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide are arguably the best defensive team in college football.

The Tide have studs everywhere, but Barron's ability to roll down for run support and hard hard in the secondary makes him one player you must account for. In New England, Bill Belichick would use Barron's attributes wisely.

He'll most likely be used as a roll-down safety to stop the intermediate passing routes, as that's what usually sets up the deep ball along with the ground game. Additionally, don't be surprised if Barron gets sent on a run-blitz to bate the offense into throwing later.

Barron has great awareness and knows how to time up a hit, pass-breakup or intercept passes perfectly. Even with minimal improvement, the Patriots become that much more dangerous as their offense is virtually unstoppable.

2012 NFL First Round Mock Draft

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

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.