clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Finhead's 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Version 12

Dan Marino still may have more talent than Miami's current crop of QBs. Will that change after the draft? (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images for EA Sports)
Dan Marino still may have more talent than Miami's current crop of QBs. Will that change after the draft? (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images for EA Sports)
Getty Images for EA Sports

Free agency has settled down a bit as teams look more towards the draft. Not a ton of free agency moves will be made over the few weeks so some of the mock drafts may start to see less changes.

1) Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB: This is about as much of a lock as you can get. We already know the Colts are drafting a QB with this pick. It'd be a complete shock if they went with any other QB not named Luck.

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, but help keeping Christian Ponder upright will help him just as much.

4) Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR: The Browns could go RB or WR here, but I give Blackmon the edge. No matter who they have at QB, the Browns will have to give them a receiving weapon. 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.

6) St. Louis Rams - Morris Claiborne, CB: The Rams have many holes to fill and while they lose on two of them with Kalil and Blackmon in this scenario, Claiborne will help fill a major hole in their defense. Getting a boatload of draft picks from the Redskins will help make up for the loss of getting the top WR or OT.

7) Jacksonville Jaguars - Quinton Coples, DE: Re-signing Jeremy Mincey doesn’t mean the Jaguars won’t be looking for a DE in the draft. The Jaguars will need to get to the QB in a division that will have Matt Schaub, Jake Locker, and Andrew Luck as rival QB's.

8) Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB: I'm still not a big fan of the pick at #8, but I have always thought Tannehill was a good prospect. He's still growing on me a bit more though with each passing week. If he is selected by the Dolphins, fans may have to be patient with him as he's not a QB I would expect to be able to start immediately.

9) Carolina Panthers - Michael Brockers, DT: The Panthers had to resort to starting Frank Kearse and Jason Shirleyat defensive tackle in 2011. While they need help at CB as well, a solid CB won't be able to do much if Carolina can't generate any pressure on the QB.

10) Buffalo Bills - Riley Reiff, OT: They signed Mario Williams, but they still need someone that can man the RE position. While there are plenty of edge rushers available, the Bills will need to fill the OT position even more as it looks like Demetrius Bell is unlikely to return. This makes Reiff the logical choice in this scenario.

11) Kansas City Chiefs - Dontari Poe, NT: It comes down to a tough decision between Poe and ILB Luke Kuechly. A stud 3-4 NT, which Poe can be, is much harder to find than a 3-4 ILB. Poe gets the nod here even though the Chiefs really couldn't go wrong with either selection.

12) Seattle Seahawks - Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB: The Seahawks really need to find a way to generate more pressure on opposing QBs. Ingram is the best solution for the Seahawks, but if he isn't around the Seahawks could look to someone like Luke Kuechly.

Previous pick: Jonathan Martin, OT

13) Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Martin, OT: The Cardinals need help at OT and OLB. Ingram could be a possibility here and Arizona could look to Courtney Upshaw as well if they choose OLB is a bigger need.

Previous pick: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB

14) Dallas Cowboys - Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB: The Cowboys have the luxury of filling a number of positions after a solid week of free agency when they shored up a number of holes, especially on the defense. While Janoris Jenkins is still a possibility even after signing Brandon Carr, they could go with Upshaw to help with their pass rush. While the Cowboys placed a franchise tender on OLB Anthony Spencer, it was likely done more because of a thin OLB market instead of him being a true franchise OLB. A platoon of Ingram/Spencer across from DeMarcus Ware would tremendously help Dallas’ defense. The Cowboys could also decide to go with S Mark Barron with this pick if they feel they need more playmakers at safety.

Previous pick: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB

15) Philadelphia Eagles - Fletcher Cox, DT: The Eagles addressed their biggest need on defense by trading for DeMeco Ryans to be their MLB. While the Eagles could go with Mark Barron to fill a need at safety, I believe they'll give their young pair of second round picks more time to develop.

Previous pick: Janoris Jenkins, CB

16) New York Jets - Michael Floyd, WR: They could also use a safety and pass rusher, but they just made Mark Sanchez the 7th highest paid QB in the NFL. Now they need to surround him with weapons to even come close to earning that paycheck.

17) Cincinnati Bengals - David DeCastro, OG: They could look at a number of CBs, but there are likely a few of them left on the board they really like. There is no guard as good as DeCastro in the draft and while rolling the dice and losing on a CB, DeCastro is about as safe a pick as any in the draft.

Previous pick: Janoris Jenkins, CB

18) San Diego Chargers - Cordy Glenn, OG/OT: The Chargers could use someone like Mark Barron at safety and could use another pass rushing OLB, but they desperately need help on the OL. Glenn would likely be targeted to fill the hole at RT, but the Chargers could move him inside if they feel they need him there more. The Chargers may hope Shaun Phillips will bounce back in 2012 and though newly signed Jarret Johnson isn’t a great pass rushing specialist, he is good enough to warrant a starting position opposite of Phillips. The Chargers will address the need for a pass rushing OLB, but it may not be in the first round.

Previous pick: David DeCastro, OG

19) Chicago Bears - Mike Adams, OT: The Bears no longer need much help at WR since landing Brandon Marshall in a trade with Miami, but they still need help protecting Jay Cutler. Cordy Glenn could be an option as well instead of Adams.

20) Tennessee Titans - Janoris Jenkins, CB: The Titans just signed Kamerion Wimbley to play DE and I don't think they're ready to give up on Derrick Morgan after two seasons. While a DE like Whitney Mercilus is a possibility, they can really use help in the secondary. The Bengals took a risk in passing up a CB and the Titans pounce on the best cover corner left on the board.

21) Cincinnati Bengals - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB: Kelly Jennings, Adam Jones, and Jason Allen? None of them are the answers at CB for the Bengals. While Leon Hall is a great CB, Nate Clements is 32 and is in the twilight of his career. Kirkpatrick could immediately compete for a position in nickel packages and eventually replace Clements. Luke Kuechly could also be a surprise pick here. They miss out on Jenkins by going with DeCastro at pick 17, but they will come out of the first round with a very good pair of prospects at major positions of need.

Previous pick: Lamar Miller, RB

22) Cleveland Browns (via Falcons) - Kendall Wright, WR: The Browns miss out on the top prospects at guard and tackle, but they fill another by selecting a great WR prospect to help Colt McCoy. The Browns could look to Lamar Miller, but he may be available to them in the second round and they fared pretty well with Montario Hardesty and Chros Ogbonnaya.

Previous pick: Cordy Glenn, OG/OT

23) Detroit Lions - Stephon Gilmore, CB: The Lions also need help on the OL and at OLB, but they desperately need help at CB. OLB Zach Brown would be the only other player worthy of consideration in this scenario. Gilmore is a big CB with good quickness and will give the Lions much needed help in the secondary.

24) Pittsburgh Steelers - Luke Kuechly, ILB: The Steelers need to get younger on defense and would love to have Poe available at this position to help replace Casey Hampton. While the Steelers could go with a number of different positions, they'd be flat out lucky to get Kuechly at this stage of the draft. Major score for Pittsburgh with this pick.

25) Denver Broncos - Jerel Worthy, DT: Denver already has solid players on the outside for the future with Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and Von Miller. Worthy could bring a solid presence in the middle to team with Broderick Bunkley to help solidify the middle of the field and strengthen Denver's run defense. Stephen Hill could be an option, but I think Denver likes Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker.

Previous pick: Devon Still, DT

26) Houston Texans - Stephen Hill, WR: Hill has great size and has put up solid big play numbers, but he lacks the great numbers of some of the other top WR's. That may be due to Georgia Tech's unconventional offensive system. Hill was able to help out his stock by turning in an outstanding combine performance. The Texans will finally find a capable WR to start opposite Andre Johnson with this pick.

Previous pick: Kendall Wright, WR

27) New England Patriots (via Saints) - Mark Barron, S: The signing of Steve Gregory lessens New England’s need for a safety, but Barron is too talented to pass up at this point. Somehow, it seems like the perfect players for the Patriots always fall to them in the draft.

Previous pick: Kendall Reyes, DT

28) Green Bay Packers - Andre Branch, DE/OLB: The Packers could use a pass rusher and a safety in case Nick Collins can't return. I believe Barron would be the pick here if he was available. Harrison Smith, the number 2 safety in the draft, just isn't good enough to be selected here over Branch.

Previous pick: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB

29) Baltimore Ravens - Harrison Smith, S: The Ravens need help along the interior offensive line after losing Ben Grubbs. Peter Konz would be a great pick here, but the Ravens just re-signed Matt Birk to a three-year deal despite his age. While they have a temporary fix at center, they can look to a safety to eventually replace Ed Reed.

Previous pick: Stephen Hill, WR

30) San Francisco 49ers - Reuben Randle, WR: The 49ers signed Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in free agency, but Moss is only a short term solution. The Niners could have the luxury of using Manningham in the slot while using Randle as the #2 WR to mix in with Moss. They could target someone on defense like Chandler Jones or Kendall Reyes as well, but they're defense was strong enough last year. They need the push on offense to get them over the top so Randle may be worth the reach.

31) New England Patriots - Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB: Another case that appears to indicate the perfect player for New England always seems to fall in their laps. It's just another reason for division rivals to hate them.

Previous pick: Vinny Curry, DE/OLB

32) New York Giants - Zebrie Sanders: The Giants offensive line has been going through transition. Look the once dominant offensive line to try and speed up their recovery by drafting Sanders. They'd love to have Glenn available and may look for Dwayne Allen at TE, but they probably feel they have enough weapons.

--------------------------------------