2012 NFL Mock Draft: Playmakers Who Will Rescue Struggling Offenses

When it comes to the NFL, the saying goes that defense wins championships.

However, you still hear people say that the best defense is a good offense. You can't really argue with either approach.

While defense may represent a safer path to a championship, one thing we know for sure is that offensive playmakers are always going to be hard to find. The Adrian Petersons and Calvin Johnsons of the world don't exactly grow on trees, for good or ill.

Teams looking for offensive playmakers will look to find them in the NFL draft. In 2012, some will succeed, and some won't.

Let's talk about the teams that will. In my latest mock, I have four teams picking game-changing offensive players who will make a difference right away, and one of them will be lucky enough to find two.

Let's discuss.

Cleveland Browns Draft Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd

You know that pick the Browns acquired from the Atlanta Falcons so they could draft Julio Jones in 2011?

Oddly enough, I have them selecting a wide receiver with it, as I'm projecting the Browns to grab Notre Dame's Michael Floyd with the No. 26 pick in the draft.

With all respect to talented rookie Greg Little, the Browns need a true star at the wide receiver position. As anybody who has watched him can vouch, Floyd has star potential. He's big, strong and fast, and he's put up good numbers at South Bend despite playing with sub-par quarterbacks.

Is Colt McCoy the answer for the Browns at quarterback? I honestly have my doubts about the idea. However, the Browns can only make McCoy better if they surround him with top-shelf talent.

It won't start with Floyd, though. More on that in a moment.

Washington Redskins Draft Baylor QB Robert Griffin III

We will now shoot way up the draft board, where I have the Washington Redskins selecting Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the No. 7 overall pick.

I've been saying all season that the Redskins are a good quarterback away from being a playoff contender, and this is the second time I've projected them to pick RG3. He just strikes me as a great fit for Washington.

This has a lot to do with Mike Shanahan's presence. RG3 is a mobile quarterback, and we've seen Shanahan enjoy some good success with mobile quarterbacks. If the formula ain't broke, why fix it?

As if the Redskins needed more incentive to draft RG3, whose ceiling is sky-high, he would be an immediate upgrade over both Rex Grossman and John Beck. 

That's not saying much, of course. But still...

Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon

I think Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson said it best when he called Jacksonville's wide receivers "[effing] jokes."

Drafting a wide receiver is the only way the Jaguars are going to solve this problem, and luckily for them they're going to have options. If they can't get Alshon Jeffery, they'll get Justin Blackmon, and vice versa.

I have the Jags selecting Blackmon with the No. 5 overall pick. This is contingent on the Rams taking Jeffery with the No. 2 overall pick, but the Jags should be happy with Blackmon if they get him. He's already a polished player, and he projects as an elite possession receiver.

Blaine Gabbert could use one of those. Blackmon will get open for him, resulting (hopefully) in more completed passes and fewer sacks. 

The Jags will need Gabbert to take the next step for this partnership to work out, but they'll put it together first and worry about it working out later.

Cleveland Browns Draft Alabama RB Trent Richardson

Yeah, the Browns are going to make out like thieves in the first round.

Before they go solving their wide receiver problem, the Browns will solve their running back problem. They'll do this by saying goodbye to Peyton Hillis at the end of the season, and then they'll go draft Alabama's Trent Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.

Richardson is not unlike Hillis in that he is a strong, powerful runner. The key difference is that Richardson also has some speed, not to mention some elusiveness. He's basically a bundle of all the things you look for in a running back.

I mentioned above that I'm not sold on McCoy, but the truth is that he's been asked to do far too much this season. If the Browns revive their rushing attack by drafting Richardson, McCoy can go back to being a game manager, a la Alex Smith.

Given McCoy's limited potential, that's what the Browns should want.

St. Louis Rams Draft South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery

Some think Justin Blackmon is a better fit for the Rams, as he's a precise player who will mesh well with Sam Bradford's precise style.

I disagree. With the offensive line Bradford has in front of him, he doesn't need a crafty wide receiver. He needs a wide receiver that he can chuck it up for grabs to.

That's more Jeffery's style. He's got a lot of Calvin Johnson in him, and a player like that would be of use for Bradford. We've seen Matthew Stafford throw it in Megatron's general direction whenever he feels the heat, and Bradford could do the same with Jeffery.

The Rams will still have work to do after they draft Jeffery. But with him in the fold, the Rams offense will be much more dangerous than it is right now.

No.	Team (Record)	Player, Pos.
1.	Indianapolis Colts (1-13)	Andrew Luck, QB
2.	St. Louis Rams (2-12)	Alshon Jeffery, WR
3.	Minnesota Vikings (2-12)	Matt Kalil, OT
4.	Cleveland Browns (4-10)	Trent Richardson, RB
5.	Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)	Justin Blackmon, WR
6.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10)	Morris Claiborne, CB
7.	Washington Redskins (5-9)	Robert Griffin III, QB
8.	Miami Dolphins (5-9)	Matt Barkley, QB
9.	Buffalo Bills (5-9)	Quinton Coples, DE
10.	Carolina Panthers (5-9)	Dre Kirkpatrick, CB
11.	Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)	Riley Reiff, OT
12.	Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)	Vontaze Burfict, ILB
13.	Arizona Cardinals (7-7)	Jonathan Martin, OT
14.	Tennessee Titans (7-7)	Zach Brown, OLB
15.	San Diego Chargers (7-7)	Cordy Glenn, G/T
16.	Seattle Seahawks (7-7)	Landry Jones, QB
17.	Chicago Bears (7-7)	Mike Adams, OT
18.	Cincinnati Bengals (via 7-7 OAK)	Lamar Miller, RB
19.	New York Giants (7-7)	David DeCastro, G
20.	Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)	Alfonzo Dennard, CB
21.	Detroit Lions (9-5)	Stephon Gilmore, CB
22.	New York Jets (8-6)	Courtney Upshaw, OLB
23.	Denver Broncos (8-6)	Devon Still, DT
24.	Dallas Cowboys (8-6)	Janoris Jenkins, CB
25.	Houston Texans (10-4)	Kendall Wright, WR
26.	Cleveland Browns (via 9-5 ATL)	Michael Floyd, WR
27.	Baltimore Ravens (10-4)	Dont'a Hightower, OLB
28.	San Francisco 49ers (10-3)	Nick Toon, WR
29.	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)	Levy Adcock, OT
30.	New England Patriots (via 11-3 NO)	Jared Crick, DE
31.	New England Patriots (11-3)	Markelle Martin, S
32.	Green Bay Packers (13-1)	Melvin Ingram, DE