2012 NFL Mock Draft

The drafters-

Jeremy Tannenbaum (Soon to be Holt), NY. Jets fans. My loyal readers will remember Jeremy's "Super Bowl from a Jets fan's perspective" piece he wrote back in January.

Matt Wilson, MA. College friend/classmate. Track & Field connoisseur. Knows his shit.

James Brown, MA. The author if this blog. Read more in the ":About me" section.




        2012 NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford (Brown)

This is a no brainer. Luck would have gone #1 overall last year, but decided to return to college for another year. He's the hands-down best prospect since Peyton Manning, & the colts will look to re-build and strike gold like they did when selecting Manning #1 overall back in 97.Suck for Luck Indeed. 

2. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (Wilson)

Lay up #2. The Redskins practically pulled the old "Trade your whole draft for Ricky Williams" trick except they thought dealing multiple first rounders would make more sense. It might pay off if RGIII is as good as advertised and those 1st rounders they dealt come at the end of the round. RGIII is a better version of Michael Vick coming out of school and he is a beast at the hurdles. 

See a video of Griffin dominating in track at Baylor-  http://www.flotrack.org/article/9390-Robert-Griffin-III-In-the-Beginning-There-Was-Track 

3. Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT, USC (Tannenbomb)

They need a lot of help on their offensive line, They want to protect their young QB Ponder who they took in the 1st round last year. It all starts with the guys protecting him up front. He can start right out of the gate and should develop into one of the better O-linemen in the league

4. Cleveland Browns- Trent Richardson, RB, Roll Tide (Brown)

The pick here is probably needs to be a skill player, and I think Holmgren will take the best RB in the draft, Trent Richardson. (Browns lost Peyton Hillis in Free agency to the Chiefs). Nicknamed both the freak AND the beast, he looks to me like the next AP.  Richardson who by all reports is completely healthy,  and with the departure of the moose Peyton Hillis, this seems like a perfect fit. I can picture Richardson now, carrying the rock 30 times weekly vs tough defenses like the Steelers and Ravens.   

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU (Wilson)

I actually think they will end up with Trent Richardson, but this mock draft has thrown me for a loop already. Aqib Talib made the brilliant decision to try to kill a guy, so they could probably use another corner. I'm not sure grabbing a guy with a four on the Wonderlic is an upgrade on intelligence, but secondary help in a division with the Saints and Falcons is important so Claiborne will be the pick.

6. St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU (Tannenbomb)

Man-crush alert! Blackmon is a stud. I still think Sam Bradford can be a pretty good QB in the NFL, and to do so he is going to need some weapons around him. Blackmon has been the best wideout in college for 2 straight years, and I see his success carrying over into the NFL. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina (Brown)

Ultimately I think the Jags desperately want Blackmon to help their QB Blaine Gabbert and his woeful passing attack, so they may try to trade up or hope Blackmon falls- but if they stay at this pick and he is off the board, look for the Jags to look toward the other side of the ball and draft a much needed Pass rusher. 

8. Miami Dolphins- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M (Wilson)

Could the Dolphins possibly screw up their QB position again? I'm not sure Tannehill is the answer, but their fans might kill someone if they don't do something other than Matt Moore. They screwed up Peyton Manning, they screwed up Matt Flynn...these things tend to come in threes...but I have faith they will go with Tannehill. It's harder for him to duck the organization. But who can blame QBs from avoiding Miami like the plague, look at this list.

9. Carolina Panthers- Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis (Tannenbomb)

6'3 246 lbs and he ran the 40 in just under 5 seconds. I'm no track coach (Wilson...) but for that size, that seems ridiculous. The Panthers have a young and exciting offense now with Cam Newton and the resurgence of Steve Smith, but their defense is flat out bad. This should help the rebuild on defense, and eventually help them get back to their winning ways.

10. Buffalo Bills- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa (Brown)

This move is all about providing Fitzpatrick the protection he needs to suceed. The Bills have committed to RF so they need to get him weapons & protection. I think this would be a reach to grab WR Floyd, and if Reiff is there at 10, the Bills should take him. He is a quick lineman who can play right away and protect Fitzpatrick's blind side. 

11. Kansas City Chiefs- Fletcher Cox, DT, MIssissippi State (Wilson)

I really like Romeo Crennel as a coach. I don't know why, I just do. With Haley out of the way, Pioli and Crennel can officially try to make the Patriots of the Midwest. The first step is solidifying the defense with a DT like Fletcher Cox. The real Patriots entire defense runs through Vince Wilfork and the Chiefs need their own centerpiece. The Chiefs really need a quarterback, but there are no other realistic options available at this point so upgrading their young defense will be the move.

12. Seattle Seahawks- Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College (Tannenbomb)

 The Seahawks in my opinion have a pretty solid defense already. There one weakness on the defensive side of the ball is at LB. They dealt away Curry last year and lost Hawthorne to free agency. While they could grab Floyd and give Flynn/Jackson a new weapon, I don't think that move would help their bad offense as much as taking Kuechly would improve their already good defense. Plus, Kuechly is a monster. 

13. Arizona Cardinals- Quinton Coples, DE, UNC (Brown)

D line is hardly the most pressing need for the Cards, but Coples is a very talented high ceiling guy that I just don't see dropping past this point. The Cardinals need Offensive lineman and a complimentary WR for Larry Fitz, but with a guy like Coples there I think one of these teams will roll the dice and take him. (I say roll the dice because even though he is supremely talented, Coples' work ethic and motivation has been questioned)

14. Dallas Cowboys- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Roll Tide (Wilson)

Kirkpatrick might be the most talented corner in the draft, but his questionable life decisions have allowed his mock stock to fall. Ever since the Cowboys passed on Randy Moss in the draft, Jerry Jones has thrown "character" out the window. This is the team that got Pac Man Jones back involved right after he made it rain and ignored character concerns on Dez Bryant. With an increasingly pass heavy league, the Cowboys will snag a naturally talented corner to potentially capitalize on the pressure generated by Demarcus Ware.

15. Philadelphia Eagles- Mark Barron, S, Roll Tide (Tannenbomb)

This has been a need for them for a few years now, ever since Dawkins left. Barron is easily the best safety in the draft. I think the Eagles would have preferred someone to help against the run, like Cox if he was still available. Barron should be a solid all around safety that can help this Eagles defense. 

Upshaw-Barron-Kirkpatrick. Picks 14-15-16 in this draft.

16. New York Jets- Courtney Upshaw, DE/LB, Roll Tide(Tannenbomb)

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!! The fans finally have something to cheer for again. I said at the end of the BCS Championship game that I wanted the Jets to draft Upshaw and I am sticking with it. The Jets need a lot of things, and the top of that list is a pass rusher, something they have lacked for years now. He is ideal for the defense Rex Ryan likes to run. Maybe the days of announcing Aaron Maybin as a starter and listing his position as a "designate pass rusher" are over. 

17. Cincinnati Bengals- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina (Brown)

The Bengals are going to have a lot of options at this point in the draft, and will most likely take the best player available. They need a Corner (Leon Hall is hurt and Clements is going to be 32), and Gilmore rates outstanding across the board. He may not be a playmaker at the NFL level but he is only half a step behind consensus top 5 pick Claiborne. 

18. San Diego Chargers- Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame (Wilson)

Vincent Jackson is gone. I loved Robert Meachem in college, but I just am not sure I believe the Chargers would be content with him as their "#1". You need to play to your strengths and their passing game is their strength. The defense has been more than serviceable the last few years; the Chargers just need to make sure they continue to score points. Floyd could go much higher than this, so San Diego will be happy to snag their #1 WR of the future in the second half of the first round. 

19. Chicago Bears- Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford (Tannenbomb)

They need to protect Jay Cutler to keep him healthy and on top of his game. They can really upgrade their LT position here and protect Cutler's blind side. I think they could easily go CB here but with Kirkpatrick and Gilmore off the board, this pick makes the most sense.

20. Tennessee Titans- Whitney Mercilus, DE, ILL-INI (Brown)

The Titans grabbed a couple inside D lineman last year, and I expect a defensive-heavy draft again from these guys. If one of the previously taken Corners falls to this spot, the Titans will likely go that way, but if they don't trade up and Kirkpatrick and Gilmore are gone, Mercilus is the pick. He only had 1 really dominating year of Pro-worthy football in college, but this guy is a stud.

21. Cincinnati Bengals- David DeCastro, OT, Stanford (Wilson)

The Bengals already addressed corner in our mock draft, so now it is time to make sure they keep Andy Dalton up right. DeCastro probably should have gone off the board earlier, but the Bengals luck into the best guard in the draft. If the Bengals end up with Gilmore and DeCastro, Mel Kiper will definitely rate their draft an "A". Therefore, we know our mock can't possibly be right. DeCastro, a Stanford guy, has too much character for the Bengals, but there are no convicts on DeCastro's level.

22. Cleveland Browns- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor (Tannenbomb)

The way this mock draft has gone, it will make perfect sense for the Browns to draft Wright in this spot. They went offense with grabbing the best RB in the draft with their first pick in Richardson. While passing on Tannehill, they will try to make it work with McCoy. To do so, he needs weapons to throw too. This is a good start. 

23. Detroit Lions- Mike Adams, OT, THE Ohio State University  (Brown)

Stafford is on the brink of entering the upper-echelon of QBs. Hes a proven injury risk, and the only way to protect this franchise is to protect Matthew Stafford. Mike Adams is the best Offensive lineman available and should pan out to be a wise, solid, if not splashy pick by the Lions.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Cordy Glenn, OT/G, Georgia (Wilson)

Is it just me or do Steelers games come with a guarantee of talking about their offensive line problems? Willie Colon is always on TV. To fix this, the Steelers should grab Glenn here. Based on his combine, Glenn could go higher than this, which would mean it's a nice value pick for Pittsburgh. If they could keep the parts healthy, Glenn and Pouncey would form a nice inside core of the offensive line for the foreseeable future.

25. Denver Broncos- Michael Brockers, DT, LSU (Tannenbomb)

The Broncos made the playoffs last year, and have now upgraded their offense from Tebow to Peyton Manning. Their defense seems like it is very close to being one of the top units in the league with veterans in the secondary and young guys like Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil in the front 7. They are very weak up the middle though, and getting Brockers can plug up that hole against the run. 

26. Houston Texans- Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Roll Tide (Brown)

The Texans would ideally like a skilled WR to fall to this spot, so if someone like Wright slips this far, expect the Texans to draft him. However, the Texans are looking to fill spots on their D, and the dynamic HIghtower is an excellent fit. He tore is ACL a couple years ago but by all account this guy is a freak in the gym and a hard worker. Could be a steal at the end of the 26th round. Also of note... this is the FIFTH Alabama player selected in this 1st round mock! Crazy. 

27. New England Patriots- Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse (Brown)

There are rumors that the Patriots will actually couple their late 1st rounders and move up in the draft for a high-impact defensive player. Belichick loves cover guys, & is on record of saying that "in today's NFL you cant have enough cover guys" so he may want to move up and grab Gilmore or Kirkpatirick. To follow this mock, with Jones on the board, it's an easy choice. I don't see how Belichick would pass on him in this situation. Pats NEED another pass rusher. Jones may not fall this far in the draft... if he does expect the Pats to look at someone like Nick Perry or even Courtney Upshaw if either of THEM fall this far on draft day. 

28. Green Bay Packers- Nick Perry, OLB, USC (Wilson)

For the record, I'm looking for Whitney Mercilus or Donta Hightower here. Pass rush is a big issue. The Pack committed a lot of bonus money to AJ Hawk, so he's not going anywhere, but he could move to outside backer if Hightower is available. Alas, he is not in this mock and the Packers usually pick for value. By all accounts, Nick Perry can play in a 3-4, though I have my doubts on forcing him into coverage. Still, he's a pass rush kind of guy that could make things a little easier on Clay Matthews. I'd rather see the Pack grab David Wilson to pair up with James Starks, but don't believe it will happen. It's actually likely they trade out of this spot.

29. Baltimore Ravens- Peter Konz, C, Teach me how to Bucky  (Tannenbomb)


Konz is the best Center in the draft and the Ravens certainly have O-Line concerns, especially with their depth. Matt Birk is getting up their in age also, so it'd be nice to have his replacement lined up. I think they would've liked Hightower here but he's off the board. They may decide to trade down as well, but for this mock's purposes taking Konz is a fairly safe and smart pick.

30. San Francisco 49ers- Doug Martin RB, Boise State (Brown)


Do you know who Ray Rice is? This is the next Ray Rice. 

31. New England Patriots- Shea  McClellin, LB, Boise State  (Brown)


Dude is rising on the NFL draft boards. Read an article today about the Chargers, Cowboys, AND Browns all have high interest. Would love the versatility of this guy on the Pats. Bring it!

32. New York Giants-  (Wilson)


Giants Suck DIck. Truth.