2012 NFL Mock Draft: Landing Places for the Top QB Prospects

When it comes to the NFL draft, the only thing most people seem to care about is where the top quarterback prospects are going to end up.

And that's understandable.

It has become abundantly clear that you just can't win in the NFL without a top-flight quarterback, and the best way to get one of those is to draft one and then develop him.

Teams on the lookout for a young quarterback this year are in luck, as there are several young studs projected to go in the first round of the 2012 draft. We all know about Andrew Luck, but he's not alone.

Where will the best QB prospects end up?

That's something we need to discuss in greater detail.

Landry Jones: Seattle Seahawks (No. 15)

There was a time not too long ago when Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones was projected to be the second quarterback taken in the 2012 draft.

Those days have passed, and Jones has nobody but himself to blame for that. He really struggled in Oklahoma's last three regular season games, and now scouts are questioning whether or not he's as good as his career stats indicate.

Even so, I don't think Jones is going to fall out of the first round, as there are too many QB-needy teams he would have to pass by.

One such team is the Seattle Seahawks. They have Tarvaris Jackson, but they should know by now that he's not the answer. Pete Carroll needs to bring in a young quarterback to build around, and Jones is a guy he can work with.

Make no mistake: Jones is going to be a project. But at the very least, he's a better long-term solution than Jackson.

Matt Barkley: Miami Dolphins (No. 13)

Matt Barkley is pretty much the exact opposite of Landry Jones.

Whereas Jones struggled down the stretch and showed some serious flaws, Barkley finished hot and wiped away pretty much all of the questions scouts had about his accuracy and decision-making.

Any other year, Barkley would be a Top Five pick. But I see things shaking out in a way that has the QB-needy teams moving down the pecking order a little bit, so Barkley will have to settle for going outside the Top 10 to the Miami Dolphins.

I should point out that it's possible that the Dolphins will conclude that they are just fine with Matt Moore under center, but I think the odds of that are relatively slim. They need a quarterback with a much higher ceiling, and to find one, they'll have to hit the draft.

Barkley's ceiling is most definitely high.

If you put him in an offense with Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall, he could succeed right away. With Tom Brady nearing the end of his career in New England, don't be surprised if the Dolphins become the new power in the AFC East with Barkley at the controls.

Robert Griffin III: Washington Redskins (No. 10)

Some scouts have dared to compare Robert Griffin III to Cam Newton.

And you know what? These comparisons are justified.

RG3 is an athlete playing the quarterback position, but the thing you have to love about him is just how precise he is with his passes. We're talking about a guy who completed 72.4 percent of his passes this year, and that was no accident. RG3 routinely hits his receivers right in the hands, and he oftentimes makes it look too easy.

A guy like this will come in handy for the Washington Redskins, who have had to bear witness to some awful quarterback play in recent seasons. If you put RG3 in their offense, which already includes talented youngsters like Roy Helu and Leonard Hankerson, the Redskins will be scary.

Keep in mind that the Redskins already have a defense that they can contend with. All they need is a little bit of offense, and RG3 is a player who can provide it.

And then some.

Andrew Luck: Indianapolis Colts (No. 1)

This one's a no-brainer.

Because Andrew Luck has declared himself ready for the NFL, he may as well start negotiating with the Indianapolis Colts. They're a lock for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and drafting Luck makes too much sense for them.

The time to prepare for life after Peyton Manning is now, folks.

If the Colts want to do that right, they need to jump on the best quarterback prospect in generations and pair him with the one of the best quarterbacks ever for a few years of training.

When Luck is ready, he's going to be ready. Think Aaron Rodgers, except possibly better. 

Note: Draft order is a modified version of my Week 14 Power Rankings, adjusted to account for playoff projections.

Pick	Team	Player
1	Indianapolis Colts	Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)
2	St. Louis Rams	Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)
3	Minnesota Vikings	Matt Kalil, OT (USC)
4	Jacksonville Jaguars	Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)
5	Cleveland Browns	Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)
6	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)
7	San Diego Chargers	Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
8	Kansas City Chiefs	Jonathan Martin, OT (Iowa)
9	Philadelphia Eagles	Manti Te'o, ILB (Notre Dame)
10	Washington Redskins	Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)
11	Carolina Panthers	Zach Brown, OLB (North Carolina)
12	Arizona Cardinals	Vontaze Burfict, ILB (Arizona State)
13	Miami Dolphins	Matt Barkley, QB (USC)
14	Buffalo Bills	Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)
15	Seattle Seahawks	Landry Jones, QB (Oklahoma)
16	New York Giants	David DeCastro, G (Stanford)
17	Tennessee Titans	Luke Kuechly, ILB (Boston College)
18	Chicago Bears	Cordy Glenn, G (Georgia)
19	New York Jets	Courtney Upshaw, OLB (Alabama)
20	Cincinnati Bengals	Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)
21	Detroit Lions	Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)
22	Cincinnati Bengals (via Oakland Raiders)	Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)
23	Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta Falcons)	Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)
24	Dallas Cowboys	Stephon Gilmore, CB (South Carolina)
25	Denver Broncos	Devon Still, DT (Penn State)
26	Houston Texans	Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
27	New England Patriots	Jared Crick, DE (Nebraska)
28	Pittsburgh Steelers	Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)
29	New England Patriots (via New Orleans Saints)	Markelle Martin, FS (Oklahoma State)
30	San Francisco 49ers	Nick Toon, WR (Wisconsin)
31	Baltimore Ravens	Dwayne Allen, TE (Clemson)
32	Green Bay Packers	Quinton Coples, DE (North Carolina)