2012 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Projections with Colts Out of Cellar

Thanks to the Indianapolis Colts earning the second straight win on Thursday, the 2012 NFL Draft landscape does change a bit.

Now, obviously with 15 other games yet to play out this week and Week 17 having to commence, a lot more can change. But until then, here are some things that will be different because of Indy's upset win.

Rams Move Up to No. 1 Overall, Take Justin Blackmon

The Colts may sit at 2-13 while the Rams are still 2-12, but St. Louis has to play at Pittsburgh this week and then home to San Francisco in Week 17.

So, the Rams will finish 2-14 and get the No. 1 overall pick. They can really mess up some stuff if they go with Andrew Luck. However, drafting Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon is the sensible pick.

In already having Sam Bradford who does have potential, the Rams need a stud WR. Brandon Lloyd is solid but he's not good enough to dominate alone. That said, Blackmon will take the lead and Lloyd will be a great complement.

Blackmon's size and strength allows him to stretch and widen the field, his ability to go across the middle adds a dimension to the offense, and he'll be a great run-blocker for Steven Jackson on the outside.

Keeping the defense honest and deriving attention from defenders to blitz, St. Louis' offense opens up a lot with a WR who can do it all.

Colts Take Andrew Luck with No. 2 Overall Pick

As long as the Rams don't throw a wrench in the 2012 NFL Draft by taking Andrew Luck, he'll be left open for the Indianapolis Colts.

And regardless of Peyton Manning's situation, Luck is the perfect pick.

If need be, Luck is good enough to be the starter from day one and because of the Colts having an array of solid/well-established receiving targets, he will produce quite well.

Not to mention Indy's pass protection is better than given credit for.

However, if Manning does return under center, they should still take Luck as Peyton has to retire at some point. Think about the Green Bay Packers right now.

Aaron Rodgers was their first-round draft pick in 2005, sat behind Brett Favre for three years and since taking center stage at Lambeau Field in 2008, Green Bay has risen quickly to the top.

Same goes for Luck sitting behind Manning. Let's just hope Manning doesn't have Favre's off the field issues.

Jaguars Gain Confidence, Draft Slightly Lower

It's an indirect result from Indy upsetting Houston but nonetheless, changing the draft.

In Week 1 the Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans at home 16-14 and then the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 12-7.

So, it's for certain that the Jaguars can play with some formidable opponents despite having literally no passing offense. Well, in Week 15 the Titans were upset by the Colts 27-13 which gave Indy its first win.

And although the Jags were demolished by Atlanta, losing to the Falcons is much more credible than losing to the Colts. That being said, heading into their Week 16 matchup, Jacksonville has much more confidence than Tennessee.

The Titans will likely miss the playoffs even if they win out and have been extremely inconsistent this season. The ground game has yet to really take off and the defense continues to disappoint.

As for Jacksonville, RB Maurice Jones-Drew leads the NFL in rushing with zero help around him offensively. The Jags' defense has played much better than that of Tennessee, so Jacksonville gets the win here and then over Indy at home in Week 17.

Finishing 6-10, the Jags drop a bit in the draft which will change their approach. However, they still need a stud WR to help out MJD and QB Blaine Gabbert.

With Justin Blackmon gone to St. Louis, either Michael Floyd from Notre Dame or Alshon Jeffery from South Carolina will be available. Either would improve the Jags, so it's a win-win.

Texans Lose Confidence, End Up with Higher Pick

More from the AFC South, this loss to Indy just killed the Texans' confidence.

Their topnotch defense allows Dan Orlovsky to throw for almost 250 yards, one TD and an 81.8 QB rating. If you're a top-five defense, that doesn't happen.

Additionally, the offensive explosion lacked thanks to the injuries. Arian Foster did work on the ground, but the Colts proved to minimize his damage and forced TJ Yates to beat them.

Needless to say, Yates went 13-of-16 for 132 yards; however, he lost a fumble, was sacked four times and was hit another three. Not to mention Houston went 1-for-10 on third down which kills momentum in any game against any opponent.

All together the Texans only mustered up 14 first downs to Indy's 24, was penalized 11 times for 84 yards, and ultimately failed to put the Colts away in the second half when winning 13-6.

This will carry over into next week and even if they manage to beat a non-confident Titans team, don't expect Houston to win in the Wild-Card round, especially with a performance like this. Hence, they get a higher draft pick and for as great as 2011 was, it ends in disappointment.

2012 First-Round NFL Mock Draft

1. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)	17. Chicago Bears: Nick Toon, WR (Wisconsin)
2. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)	18. Tennessee Titans: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)	19. New York Giants: Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)	20. Cincinnati Bengals: Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
5. Cleveland Browns: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)	21. Dallas Cowboys: Chase Minnifield, CB (UVA)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars: Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)	22. Houston Texans: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)
7. Miami Dolphins: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)	23. Denver Broncos: Jayron Hosley, CB (Virginia Tech)
8. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin, QB (Baylor)	24. Detroit Lions: Zach Brown, LB (UNC)
9. Carolina Panthers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)	25. New York Jets: Brandon Thompson, DE (Clemson)
10. Philadelphia Eagles: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Alabama)	26. San Francisco 49ers: Mark Barron, S (Alabama)
11. Buffalo Bills: Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)	27. Cleveland (From ATL): Vontaze Burfict, LB (ASU)
12. Kansas City Chiefs: Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)	28. Baltimore Ravens: Dont'a Hightower, LB (Alabama)
13. San Diego Chargers: Luke Kuechly, LB (Boston College)	29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)
14. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, G (Stanford)	30. New England Patriots (From NO): Stephon Gilmore, CB (South Carolina)
15. Seattle Seahawks: Quinton Coples, DE (UNC)	31. New England Patriots: Cam Johnson, DE (UVA)
16. Cincinnati (From OAK): Cordy Glenn, OG (UGA)	32. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)

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