The best thing about the NFL Draft is that you can literally begin talking about next year's event just moments after the last one wraps up. As many here on The Phinsider have mentioned over the last two weeks, the 2013 NFL Draft will be a milestone for the Dolphins, as it will be the first draft in over a decade where the quarterback position isn't Miami's top need. That's a pretty exciting notion unto itself. For once, the Dolphins can actually hunker down and focus on bringing in high-round draft picks to bolster the pass rush, solidify the secondary and further add a lethal element to the receiver corps. Cue the heavy applause.

With an eye on bettering this team next season, yesterday I took some time to check out Mel Kiper's first 2013 Big Board. Aside from my usual reaction whenever reading an initial big board (I almost always question just how many of the listed underclassmen will actually come out), I have to admit how impressed I was with some of the Dolphins-ready talent on the board. I've repeatedly stated my early man-crush on NC State cornerback wunderkind David Amerson, but that's not to say I'd be averse to the Dolphins going with one of the three pass-rush barons (Georgia's Jarvis Jones, LSU's Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery) who will be available next spring. Not surprisingly, all four of these players are in the top eight of Kiper's Big Board.

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That's right, we are one day away from the 2012 NFL Draft, and the 2013 NFL Mock Drafts are starting. Over at Mocking the Draft, SB Nation's Mock Draft blog, they posted a 2013 NFL Mock Draft this morning, taking a look at some of the prospects who should be picked in the first round next April.

To be fair, they state that it is way too early to have any idea how next April's draft will go, and that they randomized the teams to come up with the draft order. With that randomization, they have the Miami Dolphins selecting seventh. They also say that the goal with this mock draft was not necessarily to look at a team's needs and match them up (the Cleveland Browns, picking third take Matt Barkley, a year after taking Brandon Weeden in the first round), but rather get an idea of where a 2013 prospect could go in the draft.

Let's take a look at the projected seventh overall pick for the Miami Dolphins in 2013:

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Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been very much incognito. Well, not really. For the better part of the last three weeks I’ve been travelling throughout Europe on my spring break. Before I left on my trip, I told myself I was going to disconnect my life from Twitter, Facebook, and even The Phinsider in order for me to enjoy the outskirts of Italy and the French nightlife without any distractions from the real world. Unfortunately, like many of you, I check this site religiously and so I couldn’t get away.

As I scrolled on my iPhone past who the 36^th best player in Dolphins history was and what news I may have missed, I stumbled onto one of Matty’s mock drafts. As I nostalgically read his insightful mock, I had a sudden realization that stunned me. During the months before official draft time, I hadn’t made one single mock draft! So, with only one day left until D-Day, I figured I’d squeeze one in just in time. So here’s my first and last mock draft.

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The 2012 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night and the rumors, "leaks," and craziness are all starting to increase as we all try to wade our through the misinformation and smoke screens, SB Nation has posted their final 2012 NFL Mock Draft , and the Miami Dolphins pick has changed substantially.

Obviously, the first two picks are nearly set in stone. The Indianapolis Colts are going to take Andrew Luck with the first overall pick, followed by the Washington Redskins selecting Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. After that, however, things could potentially get thrown into chaos.

With all of the talk about owner Stephen Ross wanting the Dolphins to selet quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and the obvious attraction between Miami offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, Tannehill's head coach at Texas A&M, and the former Aggies quarterback, the SB Nation projection has Miami selecting...well, not Ryan Tannehill.

Instead, they predict the Cleveland Browns will takenTannehill with the fourth overall pick, writing:

"Call me cynical, but at the very least Mike Holmgren and Pat Shurmur could buy themselves another year in Cleveland if they draft a quarterback. At least they can say they're trying. No need to rush Tannehill, let Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace work another year."

Related Video: Ryan Tannehill Scouting Report

So, with Tannehill off the board, who will the Dolphins select?

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The NFL Draft will be held this week in Radio City Music Hall this week in New York City. All I can say is that it's about time. The NFL Draft won't address all of our questions or ease all the concerns, but it'll at least change the direction of conversation we've had over the past month. I'm also a bit relieved this is the final mock draft. Of all that I have done, I think it's entirely safe to say that none of them will be accurate. I'd settle if I got 40% of the picks correct even. There will be surprise moves and trades. Regardless of who Miami selects, there will be plenty of people that don't agree with the pick. That just shows how many holes Miami has on their roster. Now to the final mock...

1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: I don't think this pick will be one of those surprising moves I mentioned... This is a free pick towards my 40% mark.

2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB: The Redskins paid a hefty price for Griffin. Now they better hope he pans out or their franchise will be in a hole.

3) Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT: He is easily the best OT prospect in the draft. The Vikings could use help at WR and it would not be surprising to see them go with Justin Blackmon. There should be a few impact tackles available early in the second, but there should also be a few good WR's available as well.

4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge.Colt McCoy lacks talent all around him and the Browns are not blind to the fact. Blackmon may be the first of many prospects to face scrutiny over his value, in part because of the combine performances of other WR prospects, but he is still the top WR prospect in the draft.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Trent Richardson, RB: Greg Schiano will be looking to run the ball a lot and Richardson gives him a tremendous RB prospect to do it with. Richardson is a more versatile weapon than LeGarrette Blount and will help form a very good RB duo. It may be surprising to many to see a RB picked in the top 5, but Richardson is the best RB prospect in the NFL Draft since Adrian Peterson.

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With just two weeks to go before the NFL Draft, I thought I would update my mock draft a little bit. We are smack dab in the middle of the annual "smokescreen" season. It's nearly impossible to discern the total B.S. from what may actually be accurate. But trying to wade through the dung can be fun - even if it's fruitless.

With that said, I give you version two of my mock draft:

1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
This one is obvious - and kind of unfair - as the Colts once again step in a nice pile of poop at just the right time. Colts suck in 1997, land #1 pick in '98 and draft Peyton Manning. Now they suck in 2011, land the #1 pick in '12 and can get Luck - the best QB prospect since Manning - to replace Manning.

2. Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
The Redskins made the bold move up in the draft to select their franchise QB - kind of like what Dolphins fans were hoping to see their team do. And for what it's worth, I'm a huge believer in RG3. I like Andrew Luck more. But Griffin is going to be a star.

3. Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT, USC
There are only 2 ways I see the Vikings not taking Kalil. One would be if they choose to go with Morris Claiborne. The other would be if a team ponies up a nice package to trade up into the #3 pick. Otherwise, these first three picks are locked in already.

4. Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
The Browns could go in a number of directions here. Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon, or Ryan Tannehill are all on the table. They need offensive firepower and all three of these guys would provide that. Right now, I think they take Richardson because he can be a workhorse and take pressure off whoever their QB is going to be. He makes an immediate impact and gives this Browns offense a legitimate play-maker.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
In Greg Schiano's first draft, look for Tampa to boost the talent level of their defense. Schiano is a defensive coach at heart and Claiborne is possibly the best defensive player in the draft.

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Over on SBNation.com, they have been running a pick-by-pick 2012 NFL Mock Draft. Similar to our community mock draft, this set of predicitions come from the managing editor on each NFL SB Nation blog. For example, I made the Miami Dolphins' selection at pick eight.

It probably doesn't come as a shock that my projection was quarterback Ryan Tannehill for the Dolphins. I'm not sure I would make that same pick today, if asked again, but, head over to thefull first round mock draft to see my explanation of that pick, and all of the other picks.

ESPN's Todd McShay has once again updated his 2012 NFL Mock Draft. In this round of his mock draft, McShay takes a look at each team, and considers the possible scenarios that could happen, leading to different possible picks.

Here is McShay's intro to his predicitions:

With two weeks remaining until the 2012 NFL draft kicks off, my final board is taking its final shape, but solidifying my prospect rankings doesn't mean the intrigue is subsiding for NFL teams.

There are still plenty of things up in the air as team needs are adjusted and players make final visits to NFL cities, working out for teams and interviewing with coaches, scouts and front-office personnel.

With that in mind, it's time for my annual scenario-based mock draft. I've broken down the possibilities for every first-round pick based on what I believe would be each team's ideal situation (within reason). That ideal is presented as Scenario 1, with others based on options for filling needs and the players available in this projection.

Some teams -- such as the Colts, Redskins and Buccaneers -- have two clear options, while trades and other considerations give some teams as many as five scenarios.

Here's how I see the first round unfolding as draft day approaches.

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