2012 NFL Mock Draft: Predicting Where Heisman Finalists Will Land

Baylor quarterback Robert Griiffin III won the 77th Heisman Trophy on Saturday, marking the conclusion to one of the more fascinating Heisman races in recent years. 

Part of the intrigue of this year's trophy presentation was that there was a case to be made for each of the five finalists—Trent Richardson, Montee Ball, Tyrann Mathieu, Andrew Luck and Griffin. 

The Heisman presentation is just one step on these player's path, however. The next step is the 2012 NFL Draft.

Let's run down where the finalists may land in next April's draft.  

Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Very few players in the 2012 NFL Draft helped their stock as much as Griffin did this season.

On his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, Griffin established himself as a dangerous downfield passer with touch and accuracy. Griffin combines that passing prowess with elite-level athleticism.

There's a good chance that Griffin is going to blow teams away during the draft process with his workouts and interviews. If that's the case, Griffin could end up being a top-five pick. 

The Redskins, Browns, Seahawks, Dolphins and Jaguars figure to all have heavy interest in Griffin this April.  

Andrew Luck, Stanford

Nine out of 10 NFL scouts will tell you that Andrew Luck is the best quarterback they've scouted since Peyton Manning.

He didn't win the Heisman Trophy—finishing second in back-to-back years—but Luck is still regarded as the best player available in the 2012 NFL Draft. With the Indianapolis Colts close to locking up the first overall pick, it looks likely that Luck will be a Colt in April.

Unless a quarterback-needy team makes a drastic move with Indianapolis to get the No. 1 overall pick, expect Luck to be wearing blue and white next season.

Trent Richardson, Alabama

Like his former teammate, Mark Ingram, last offseason, Alabama running back Trent Richardson is widely considered the top running back in the 2012 draft class. 

Richardson combines a mix of power, speed and lateral burst that every NFL team covets at the position. While running back has been somewhat devalued in today's NFL landscape, there should still be a first-round market for Richardson come April. 

Look for teams like the Browns, Dolphins, Bengals and Broncos to be heavily interested in Richardson as we get closer to the 2012 draft.

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Given one of the best nicknames we've seen in a while, Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu took college football by storm in 2011 with game-changing touchdowns on defense and special teams for the nation's top team. 

Just a sophomore, Mathieu was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is given to college football's top defensive player. Former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson won the award in 2010. 

However, Mathieu is still a young player and will return to LSU for his junior season. We'll have to wait another year to talk about Mathieu's draft stock. One more year of Honey Badger in college football isn't the worst thing.  

Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Owner of 38 total touchdowns this season, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball will likely enter his name into the 2012 NFL Draft as the second- or third-best back behind Richardson. 

Scouts' opinions on Ball vary, however. Some think he could sneak into the latter part of the first round. Other think he's a solid second-rounder. And then there's even other scouts who think he's a third-to-fourth rounder at best. 

Either way, plenty of teams should be in the running for Ball's services. At the end of the first round, the Bengals and Patriots make a certain amount of sense. The Packers, Broncos and Browns could be teams to watch in the second or third round. 

2012 NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck	17. Cincinnati Bengals: Trent Richardson
2. St. Louis Rams: Alshon Jeffery	18. Chicago Bears: Michael Floyd
3. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III	19. Denver Broncos: Lamar Miller
4. Carolina Panthers: Matt Kalil	20. Cleveland Browns: Dwight Jones
5. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin	21. New York Giants: Janoris Jenkins
6. Minnesota Vikings: Morris Claiborne	22. New York Jets: Alameda Ta'Amu
7. Cleveland Browns: Vontaze Burfict	23. Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Minnifield
8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon	24. Baltimore Ravens: Luke Kuechly
9. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley	25. Houston Texans: Jerel Worthy
10. Miami Dolphins: Landry Jones	26. Detroit Lions: Alfonzo Dennard
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Riley Reiff	27. Dallas Cowboys: Stephon Gilmore
12. San Diego Chargers: David DeCastro	28. New England Patriots: Courtney Upshaw
13. Buffalo Bills: Zach Brown	29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cordy Glenn
14. Tennessee Titans: Melvin Ingram	30. San Francisco 49ers: Devon Still
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dre Kirkpatrick	31. New England Patriots: Quinton Coples
16. Philadelphia Eagles: Dont'a Hightower	32. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Jenkins