2012 NFL Mock Draft: Where Will College Football's Best Players Land?

With the 2011 college football regular season done, a bowl game is the only thing standing in front of the majority of the nation's top players before the pressure-packed NFL draft process. 

After they've officially entered the draft, they'll be under an extreme microscope before April.

Everything from their speed and strength to their interview answers and Wonderlic test score will factor into their ultimate draft stock.

After that grueling process, where will the nation's best players land?  

Andrew Luck

Luck didn't win the Heisman, but his stock certainly didn't drop in 2011. 

He completed 70 percent of his passes, threw 35 touchdowns with only nine interceptions and his led his Stanford team to a BCS Bowl game. 

The Colts are essentially a lock to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, and, initially, drafting Luck seemed nearly as certain. But with heightened awareness around Robert Griffin III, which ultimately resulted in the Baylor quarterback winning the Heisman, there's thought that he could possibly jump Luck for the top spot. 

Nothing against RGIII, because, like Luck, he's intelligent and has the hunger to get better. However, when Indianapolis' front office meets with Luck, they'll see a young Peyton Manning and make him the first overall pick.

It just makes too much sense for the Colts not to.  

Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III is a tremendous athlete, a gifted thrower of the football and probably even a better person. He graduated early from Baylor and has all the football IQ a coach could ever dream of in a kid coming out of college. 

This year's Heisman winner threw for nearly 4,000 yards and completed more than 72 percent of his passes while tossing 36 passes to only six interceptions. Don't forget, he also ran for 644 yards with six ground touchdowns. 

He's certainly more risky than the more traditional Luck, but he represents the new-age NFL quarterback—something like a hybrid between Michael Vick and Cam Newton. 

If the Washington Redskins finish with a top five selection, it'll be hard for them to pass on Griffin III. However, USC's Matt Barkley is an outstanding prospect in his own right and could be a better fit for Mike Shanahan's offense. 

Some team is going to be incredibly fortunate to be able to land Griffin III. He's a special talent with unlimited upside. 

Trent Richardson

Teams are unquestionably more reluctant to use high picks on running backs today, but Richardson is such an elite running back prospect that he'll definitely be a top 20 pick. 

His three years of solid production in the SEC cannot be ignored. Richardson's chiseled 5'11'', 225-pound frame won't be overlooked either.

The two teams in Ohio seem like ideal fits. 

Cincinnati would love to add another back with the future of Cedric Benson unsure, and the same goes for Cleveland and Peyton Hillis. Both clubs have two first-round picks, so don't be surprised if the bruising back from Alabama has orange on his NFL helmet next season. 

Justin Blackmon

Pegging where Blackmon lands is more difficult at this point. 

There's no questioning his physicality and production in the Big 12 over the past two seasons. The guy had six games of 10 or more catches this year and caught 15 touchdown passes.

However, the Big 12 isn't exactly known for its defense.

Then again, there are multitude of teams that are in desperate need of a big-play, ultra-aggressive wide receiver.

That's Blackmon.

If the Rams finish with a top three selection, they may almost be forced to take Blackmon, mainly because he's instant help for Sam Bradford and because there's not a stud defender to take in that position.

If not, he'll be scooped up in the top 15 by a team like Buffalo, Jacksonville or the Browns.

2012 NFL Mock Draft

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