2012 NFL Mock Draft: Defensive Players That Will Have Biggest Immediate Impact
The 2011 NFL season has been largely dominated by offense. Sure, there are plenty of teams that need offensive help, but so many more need help on the other side of the ball.
If these teams are going to contend in 2012, they need to get defensive help that will make an immediate impact. That's where these guys will come in.
These defensive players will step in and immediately significantly improve defenses that badly need the help.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
I don't think I can recall a season where more teams have shown themselves to be completely hopeless against the run. It's a serious problem. Very little can go wrong if you run the ball, so teams need to be able to stop it.
At 6'2", 310, Thompson is a man in the middle that will do a lot to stop the run. He's got the skills and size to step in immediately and help a team that needs help against the run.
That's the Carolina Panthers. They have a lot of great pieces in place, but their run defense is hopeless. Thompson will be nice pick to step in and change that.
Dre Kirkpatrick
The Bills defense does attack the ball, which is nice, but to say that they allow the occasional big play would be a gross understatement. Kirkpatrick is the man to step in and immediately help that.
Playing against the kind of receivers that the SEC offers every year, Kirkpatrick has consistently stepped up and is virtually impossible to throw the ball against.
The physical skills are tremendous. But at 6'3", Kirkpatrick has the size to stand up to many of the NFL's physically dominant receivers.
Vontaze Burfict
Obviously, the draft order below reflects how things currently stand. But if the Eagles don't end up in position to draft Burfict, then they need to make trades to get in that position.
This team's run defense is just awful. Up front, they're okay, but when running backs get through the line, the Philadelphia linebackers just don't get the job done. If this team is ever going to contend for and win a Super Bowl, that needs to change.
With Manti Te'o staying in college, Burfict is by far the best middle linebacker available in the draft. The Eagles must do everything in their power to be sure that he lands in Philadelphia next season.
| No. | Team (Record) | Player |
| 1. | Indianapolis Colts (0-12) | Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford |
| 2. | St. Louis Rams (2-10) | Matt Kalil, OT, USC |
| 3. | Minnesota Vikings (2-10) | Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State |
| 4. | Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) | Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina |
| 5. | Miami Dolphins (4-8) | Matt Barkley, QB, USC |
| 6. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) | Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina |
| 7. | Cleveland Browns (4-8) | Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama |
| 8. | Washington Redskins (4-8) | Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma |
| 9. | Carolina Panthers (4-8) | Brandon Thompson, DT Clemson |
| 10. | Kansas City Chiefs (5-7) | Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford |
| 11. | Buffalo Bills (5-7) | Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama |
| 12. | Philadelphia Eagles (4-8) | Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State |
| 13. | San Diego Chargers (5-7) | Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa |
| 14. | Arizona Cardinals (5-7) | Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama |
| 15. | Seattle Seahawks (5-7) | Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor |
| 16. | Cincinnati Bengals (via OAK 7-5) |
LaMar Miller, RB, Miami |
| 17. | Tennessee Titans (7-5) | Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame |
| 18. | Dallas Cowboys (7-5) | Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU |
| 19. | Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) | Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M |
| 20. | Chicago Bears (7-5) | Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina |
| 21. | New York Giants (6-6) | Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College |
| 22. | New York Jets (7-5) | David DeCastro, OG, Stanford |
| 23. | Detroit Lions (7-5) | Mark Barron, S, Alabama |
| 24. | Denver Broncos (7-5) | Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska |
| 25. | Cleveland Browns (via ATL 7-5) | Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers |
| 26. | Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) | Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama |
| 27. | New England Patriots (via NO 9-3) | Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina |
| 28. | Houston Texans (9-3) | Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin |
| 29. | Baltimore Ravens (9-3) | Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia |
| 30. | San Francisco 49ers (10-2) | Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina |
| 31. | New England Patriots (9-3) | Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia |
| 32. | Green Bay Packers (12-0) | Sean Spence, LB, Miami |
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
