2012 NFL Mock Draft: Matt Barkley and More QB's That Will Turn Franchises Around

The Indianapolis Colts are going to get the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, and they will pick Andrew Luck.

After Luck, there is a great crop of quarterbacks that will turn their respective franchises around when they are selected. 

After Luck, the best quarterback in the draft will be USC’s Matt Barkley. 

Barkley improved every year at USC. He has seen his interceptions and sacks taken lessen every year, while his touchdowns, yards, completions and attempts have improved. He has led this USC team to a very impressive 10-2 record, and if there weren’t any NCAA Sanctions, they would be in a BCS Bowl. 

Barkley will fall to the Washington Redskins with their first pick in the first round. He will be that quarterback that the Redskins have not had since Joe Theismann. 

Baylor Quarterback, Robert Griffin III 

Griffin III is the best player to have ever put on a Baylor uniform. He has led this team to their best record in school history and has earned himself a spot as one of the Heisman finalists. 

Griffin III had an incredible year of 36 touchdowns, 3,998 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 192.3. To go with those 36 passing touchdowns, Griffin III had another nine rushing touchdowns and 644 rushing yards. 

He is that rare dual-threat quarterback that is a better passer than he is at rushing. However, if he needs to, he can hurt opponents just as bad with his legs if teams take away his passing game. 

The Miami Dolphins will finally take a quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft since they took Dan Marino. Griffin will be their best option in the first round.

Oklahoma Quarterback, Landry Jones

Jones took over for Sam Bradford when the quarterback went down with a broken collarbone back in the ’09 season. As a freshman, Jones had an amazing 26 touchdowns and 3,198 passing yards. 

Those stats were the lowest of his career. Since then, he’s had two seasons of 4,300 passing yards or more with 38 and 28 touchdowns. His passer rating in his sophomore and junior year has been 146.3 and 142.4 with a combined win-loss record of 21-5. 

A team like the Seattle Seahawks would be lucky to draft Jones in the first round. Even after signing Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson, the Seahawks have to draft Jones as their leader of the team. 

He has the accuracy to excel in Pete Carroll’s offense, while having the winning ability to take this team to the next level. Jones is the fourth-best quarterback in this draft. However, he may have the best career when it’s all said and done.

These three quarterbacks are the best after Luck. They will make their teams instantly good, and all will be starters on opening day of the 2012 NFL season. 

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*Draft order determined by combination of current record and projected finish.

No.	Team (Record)	Player, Pos.
1.	Indianapolis Colts (0-12)	Andrew Luck, QB
2.	St. Louis Rams (2-10)	Justin Blackmon, WR
3.	Minnesota Vikings (2-10)	Jonathan Martin, OT
4.	Jacksonville Jaguars	Trent Richardson, RB
5.	Washington Redskins (4-8)	Matt Barkley, QB
6.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8)	Morris Claiborne, CB
7.	Carolina Panthers (4-8)	Quinton Coples, DE
8.	Cleveland Browns (4-8)	Alshon Jeffery, WR
9.	Miami Dolphins (4-8)	Robert Griffin III, QB
10.	Seattle Seahawks (5-7)	Landry Jones, QB
11.	Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)	Michael Floyd, WR
12.	San Diego Chargers (5-7)	Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
13.	Kansas City Chiefs (5-7)	Riley Reiff, OT
14.	Arizona Cardinals (5-7)	Alfonzo Dennard, CB
15.	Buffalo Bills (5-7)	Matt Kalil, OT
16.	New York Giants (6-6)	Zach Brown, LB
17.	Tennessee Titans (7-5)	Vontaze Burfict, LB
18.	Denver Broncos (7-5)	Lamar Miller, RB
19.	Chicago Bears (7-5)	Peter Konz, C
20.	Detroit Lions (7-5)	Luke Kuechly, LB
21.	New York Jets (7-5)	David DeCastro, OG
22.	Cincinnati Bengals (via OAK) (7-5)	Cordy Glenn, OG
23.	Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)	Janoris Jenkins, CB
24.	Cleveland Browns (via ATL) (7-5)	Jarvin Jones, LB
25.	Houston Texans (9-3)	Mark Barron, S
26.	Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)	Dont'a Hightower, LB
27.	Dallas Cowboys (7-5)	Devon Still, DT
28.	New England (via NO 9-3)	Chase Minnifield, CB
29.	Baltimore Ravens (9-3)	Courtney Upshaw, DE
30.	San Francisco 49ers (10-2)	Kendall Wright, WR
31.	New England Patriots (9-3)	Mohamed Sanu, WR
32.	Green Bay Packers (12-0)	Brandon Thompson, DT