The 2012 NFL draft is just under two weeks away. This time of the year, you will see many different mock drafts and projections for each college player hoping to take the next step into the NFL brotherhood. Being an NFL fan, I have decided to create my own mock draft. Here is my early three-round predictions of April 26th's draft.
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| Andrew Luck is the consensus 1st overall pick this April |
Mock Draft
1st Round
1.
Indianapolis
Colts: Andrew
Luck (QB, Stanford)- Is there any
doubt? This kid has had all the hype in the world on being the next John Elway
and if I was a Colts fan, I would say that he better live up to all the hype.
2.
Washington
Redskins (from the St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin (QB, Baylor)- They made this trade for nobody but to take a
potential franchise QB. Has all the tools to be a pocket passer with accuracy
but can move around in the pocket without thinking of tucking it in and
running.
3.
Minnesota
Vikings: Matt Kalil (LT, USC)- Best rated prospect after the two QBs. Could take
Justin Blackmon or Morris Claiborne, but they can’t let Christian Ponder take
all the hits he has been taking the last year.
4.
Cleveland
Browns: Trent
Richardson (RB, Alabama)- After
losing out on Robert Griffin, the Browns replace Peyton Hillis with a RB that
was actually better than former teammate and first round pick Mark Ingram.
Hopefully Richardson doesn’t burn out with how many carries he is going to get.
5.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne (CB, LSU)- The Bucs are in a tough position, they have their
franchise QB, they feel comfortable with their WRs, and they have a good CB on
the roster, but they need to take BPA because they are drafting 5th
overall for a reason, and Claiborne is the BPA and there is plenty of doubt of
Aquib Talib in terms of his legal problems.
6.
St.
Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State)- The Rams were put in the best position ever for a
2-14 team. They get two first round picks the next two years because they
already have their franchise QB and they get the guy they wanted in the first
place. Should give Sam Bradford a great target to continue building the team
around Bradford.
7.
Jacksonville
Jaguars: Michael Floyd (WR, Notre Dame)- The Jaguars will probably
reach like they normally do, but Floyd is a top ten talent. Probably should go
with an offensive lineman here with how much Blaine Gabbert was hit last year,
but it sounds like the Jaguars want to surround him with talent first to also
take a load off of Maurice Jones-Drew.
8.
Miami
Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill (QB, Texas A&M)- Big reach
at this point, but Miami is desperate for a QB. Tannehill does have good
attributes, but taking at #8 is pushing the bill. Could also take Quinton Couples with the
switch to a 4-3 scheme.
9.
Carolina
Panthers: Quentin Couples (DE, North Carolina)- With Miami and Jacksonville passing on Couples,
the Panthers take the best pass rusher off the board and begin to build their
defense that was very bad last year in a lot of areas.
10.
Buffalo
Bills: Riley Rieff (OT, Iowa)- The Bills
could trade down and get a player like Cordy Glenn or even Stephen Hill. With
the acquisition of Mario Williams, that takes the need for pass rusher off the
board, leaving the hole at left tackle left by the departure of Demetrius Bell
to Philadelphia.
11.
Kansas
City Chiefs: David DeCastro (OG/C, Stanford)- Could be a reach at 11th overall
because of the value a guard really brings, but DeCastro is the best guard
prospect since Alan Faneca. The Chiefs
do need to shore up the interior line and DeCastro gets them to do what they do
best with running the football.
12.
Seattle
Seahawks: Dontari Poe (DT, Memphis)- Rose rapidly with an unheard of combine. Seattle may take a chance on him and build
the defense from the inside. Watch for Luke Keuchly here also.
13.
Arizona
Cardinals: Luke Keuchly (LB, Boston College)- Arizona needs to shore up the linebacking corps.
Sure they could use offensive lineman, but Keuchly is a huge upgrade and will
make their defense instantly better.
14.
Dallas
Cowboys: Dre Kirkpatrick (DB, Alabama)- The
run on corners begin with the Cowboys. Sure they signed Brandon Carr, but they
release Terrence Newman and are still not sure on Mike Jenkins. Could also take
Mark Barron to shore up the back end of the secondary.
15.
Philadelphia
Eagles: Fletcher Cox (DT, Miss. State)- Much was criticized on the Eagles “wide nine”
defense, but to run that defense with the good defensive ends, you need a good
interior DT and good LBs to fill. With the acquisition of Demeco Ryans and Luke
Keuchly off the board, they get the interior lineman.
16.
New
York Jets: Courtney Upshaw (DE/OLB, Alabama)- I hate the Jets. You would know that if you knew
me. I wanted to give them a new QB or even a punter here because I hate them so
much. But being realistic, they take Upshaw to get their overrated defense a
better pass rush.
17.
Cincinnati
Bengals (from the Oakland Raiders):
Cordy
Glenn (OG/OT, Georgia)- Bengals
use their first first round pick on Glenn to give their line an upgrade. Glenn
can play guard or tackle, which makes him very valuable.
18.
San
Diego Chargers: Melvin Ingram (DE/OLB, South Carolina)- The Chargers are a very inconsistent team. That
being said the most inconsistent part is their pass rush. With Peyton Manning
now in the division, it would be nice to find that pass rusher to get after
him. Ingram has taken criticism for his size, but the talent is there.
19.
Chicago
Bears: Whitney
Mercilus (DE, Illinois)- The
Bears added Brandon Marshall and Michael Bush in free agency to attempt to
better their offense. They need an offensive lineman but I don’t think they
take that route because they could also get younger on defense and the Tampa
Two depends mightily on a consistent pass rush.
20.
Tennessee
Titans: Stephon
Gilmore (CB, South Carolina)- Might
be a reach even though Gilmore has risen on some boards. The Titans would
probably like to get a new corner to keep building a defense that keeps taking
hits in free agency.
21.
Cincinnati
Bengals: Mark Barron (S, Alabama)- The Bengals should probably go
corner here, but I think they have had enough of players with bad character, so
Janoris Jenkins is out of the question. Barron is one of the top players on the
board and can really help Cincinnati.
22.
Cleveland
Browns (from the Atlanta Falcons): Kendall Wright (WR, Baylor)- Could take Jonathan Martin but they already have
the best left tackle in the game in Joe Thomas. They do need to find more
weapons even if they don’t believe in Colt McCoy.
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| Stanford LT Jonathan Martin would be perfect for the Lions. |
23.
Detroit
Lions: Jonathan
Martin (LT, Stanford)- He is up
and down on some boards for some reason, and with a run on corners and pass
rushers, Martin falls into the Lions lap. Sure, they need corners badly, and
most of the corners I mentioned earlier could drop to them, but they need to
find Jeff Backus’ replacement now, even if he just signed a 2 year contract. If
Martin is not available, the pick will be Mike Adams out of Ohio State.
24.
Pittsburgh
Steelers: Donta Hightower (LB, Alabama)- The Steelers always draft defense, even when the
greater need is on offense. They did just release James Farrior, opening a hole
at inside linebacker, so Hightower does make sense here.
25.
Denver
Broncos: Jerel Worthy (DT, Michigan State)-
The Broncos need to build their defense more because last year when they
played good offenses, they struggled. Worthy gives them an inside presence to
compliment the outside rushers of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil.
26.
Houston
Texans: Stephen
Hill (WR, Georgia Tech)- The
Texans did what I told them to last year and got the pass rushers that fit a
3-4, and they were very successful. Now the offense needs a little more work
with no real WR threat outside of the aging Andre Johnson.
27.
New
England Patriots (from the New Orleans Saints): Michael Brockers (DT, LSU)- The
Patriots would like to improve their defense, and Brockers is in free fall
because of the rise of Poe and the demand for corners. Gives them another
inside presence with Vince Wilfork.
28.
Green
Bay Packers: Nick Perry (DE, USC)-
The Packers not having much a pass rush really hurt the Packers down the
stretch. Perry is also a fall on some boards because of a run on corners.
29.
Baltimore
Ravens: Vontaze
Burfict (LB, Arizona State)- The Ravens could go with an offensive
lineman here, or they can go and find Ray Lewis’ replacement. Burfict has taken
a lot of criticism during this process, but to have at least a year under the
wing of one of the greats is a great experience.
30.
San
Francisco 49ers: Alshon Jeffery (WR, South Carolina)- Apparently, the 49ers still believe in Alex
Smith. So in that case might as well give him weapons so he has no excuse
right? Jeffery has been up and down on a few boards, and this is no lock for the 49ers because they signed Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in the offseason.
31.
New
England Patriots: David Wilson (RB, Virginia Tech)- The Patriots do not have a legit feature back.
That being said, the Patriots take Wilson to build their running game which
they needed in the Super Bowl.
32.
New
York Giants: Peter Konz (C, Wisconsin)- This pick is in the
Giants favor because the Browns, Lions, Steelers, Ravens and Packers would all
have passed on this very good interior line talent. The Giants finished last in
the league in rushing until the playoffs came around and they ran the ball to
death. They will want to upgrade their
line so they can be able to run the football more efficiently.
2nd
Round
33.
St.
Louis Rams: Mike Adams (OT, Ohio State)- The
Rams have tried many times to find their left tackle, but have failed plenty of
times. Adams has been deemed lazy, but he is listed to be a first round pick,
and the Rams would happily take him with their second pick.
34.
Indianapolis
Colts: Kendall
Reyes (DT, Connecticut)- The Colts have plenty of needs. They could
try and find weapons for their new franchise QB, but they need an interior
presence to compliment the edge rushing of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
Reyes would be perfect for the Colts at this point in the draft.
35.
Minnesota
Vikings: Bobby Massie (OT, Ole Miss)- Probably should try and find a
weapon for Ponder, or even a DB, but even with the acquisition of Kalil, that
leaves four other offensive line spots where play is ineffective. Ponder and
Peterson would love the protection that this combination could provide.
36.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers: Zach Brown (OLB, North Carolina)-The Bucs go
with a linebacker to make their defense better. Size has affected Browns draft
status a little, but the talent is there.
37.
Cleveland
Browns: Kevin
Zeitler (G, Wisconsin)- The Browns got their weapons for the
offense, now to help All-Pros Joe Thomas and Alex Mack on the offensive line.
Zeitler was part of an offensive line that was dominant in college, and he can
be part of a dominating offensive line in Cleveland with the names mentioned.
38.
Jacksonville
Jaguars: Jared Crick (DL, Nebraska)- With not much left in o-line to
find protection for Gabbert, the Jags try and find more of a pass rush. Crick
is a good prospect and will help getting after Schaub, Locker and Luck in the
next few years.
39.
St.
Louis Rams: Doug Martin (RB, Boise State)- The
overhaul on offense continues for the Rams as now they got Bradford a wide
weapon in Blackmon and a lineman to protect him. Now they grab another weapon
that can give Stephen Jackson a break and gives them a change of pace back.
40.
Carolina
Panthers: Juron Criner (WR, Arizona)- The Panthers
surprised with Cam Newton’s athleticism last season. Now the rules of drafting
a QB 1st overall apply, get him some weapons. Criner could be that
weapon with his size.
41.
Buffalo
Bills: Janoris
Jenkins (CB, North Alabama)- The Bills don’t care about his off the
field issues if he falls to them at 41, he is too talented. Is a very good
athlete and is a potential star.
42.
Miami
Dolphins: Andre Branch (DE, Clemson)- Very good talent
and was a potential first round pick in February. The Dolphins are switching to
a 4-3, so they will need players that fit their system.
43.
Seattle
Seahawks: Lavonte David (LB, Nebraska)- Seattle will
need to build their linebacking corps again with the loss of David Hawthorne
and with Aaron Curry turning out to be a bust. David went to Nebraska, so he is
built to be a good NFL defender.
44.
Kansas
City Chiefs: Brandon Weeden (QB, Oklahoma State)- The only
knock on Weeden is that he is 28. Other than that, he will probably be a good
qb in the league. The clock is ticking on Matt Cassel, and Weeden will either
push him, or end his Chiefs career.
45.
Dallas
Cowboys: Phillip Blake (C, Baylor)- The
Cowboys need interior lineman because the guys they got suck. Blake fills a need that will improve the run
game mightily with Demarco Murray coming off an ankle injury.
46.
Philadelphia
Eagles: Keleche Osemele (G, Iowa State)- Michael
Vick got hit a lot last year, and Osemele will change that. Also, Lesean McCoy
has got to be rubbing his hands together if this pick happens.
47.
New
York Jets: Markelle Martin (S, Oklahoma State)- No punter
this time either. However, the Jets grab a safety to give Rex Ryan another tool
to make him look good.
48.
New
England Patriots: Josh Robinson (CB, UCF)- The Patriots should
build the defense around this draft, even though they will probably trade this
pick. Robinson will help in the secondary and give the Patriots four highly
drafted, highly productive corners (Arrington, McCourty, Dowling)
49.
San
Diego Chargers: Amini Silatolu (G, Midwestern State)- The
Chargers are looking for more help on the o-line with the retirement of Kris
Dielman and the loss of free agent Marcus McNeil, they need to upgrade the line
and help Phillip Rivers a little more.
50.
Chicago
Bears: Orson
Charles (TE, Georgia)- The Bears still don’t address the offensive
line with the pick of Charles. The Bears still don’t have a good tight end on
the roster, and they use their second pick to get the best one in the draft.
51.
Philadelphia
Eagles: Harrison
Smith (S, Notre Dame)- Andy Reid loves him some defensive backs. But
since they are set at corner, they will probably upgrade at safety. Smith is
the second best safety in the draft.
52.
Tennessee
Titans: Devon
Still (DT, Penn State)- The Titans are surprised he fell to the 52nd
overall pick. He is talented and fills a need on the Titans d-line and gives
them the presence they have not felt since Albert Haynesworth left.
53.
Cincinnati
Bengals: Lamar Miller (RB, Miami)- The Bengals take Miller to be
their feature back because he is the best remaining running back. Plus, the
Bengals are looking for a back to fill the spot left by departure Cedric
Benson.
54.
Detroit
Lions: Mychal
Kendricks (LB, California)- Shocker! The Lions don’t fill the need
at corner again but improve the front seven even more. Kendricks wowed at the
combine with his blazing speed and good athleticism, and he will be a tackling
machine behind Suh, Fairley and Avril to compliment Tulloch and Levy.
55.
Atlanta
Falcons: Coby Fleener (TE, Stanford)- This is the first pick for the
Falcons thanks to Julio Jones. With this pick, they find a replacement for one
of the greats in Tony Gonzalez. Fleener could be picked in the first round, so
selecting him at 55th overall is very good value.
56.
Pittsburgh
Steelers: Rueben Randle (WR, LSU)- With the retirement
of Hines Ward, the Steelers select Randle to give them more depth out wide.
Could turn into the possession receiver Ward was.
57.
Denver
Broncos: Shea McClellin (LB, Boise State)- The Broncos continue
their building project on defense with their second straight defender selected.
McClellin is the best linebacker remaining and will more likely bring depth to
Denver’s corps.
58.
Houston
Texans: Keenan
Robinson (LB, Texas)- The Texans got their OLB/DE’s needed to run a
3-4 scheme last year with J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed. Now with the surprising
trade of Demeco Ryans, the Texans will need to get an inside linebacker to team
up with Brian Cushing.
59.
Green
Bay Packers: Chris Polk (RB, Washington)- The Packers will
look to balance their offense a little more to prevent the embarrassment of
losing on their homefield in their first playoff game in cold weather with
Polk. Ryan Grant has been inconsistent following his injury and James Starks is
coming off an injury of his own, so the Packers will take Polk for a good depth
RB.
60.
Baltimore
Ravens: Ben
Jones (C, Georgia)- Might be a reach in the second round, but the
Ravens have time to groom Jones. Baltimore will be looking to replace Matt Birk
within the next couple of years, and Jones is a guy that could do that.
61.
San
Francisco 49ers: Mohamed Sanu (WR, Rutgers)- The 49ers use
back-to-back picks on wide receivers, but Sanu is too talented to turn
down. After the selection of these two
wide recievers to go with Crabtree and Davis, there are no excuses for Alex
Smith to fail.
62.
New
England Patriots: Brandon Brooks (G, Miami of Ohio)- The
Patriots could find a WR here, but with an aging offensive line, they need to
try and find future replacements. If they can develop Brooks here, the team
will be able to continue their solid play from the offensive line.
63.
New
York Giants: Andre Branch (LB, Clemson)-The Giants could
find more depth at linebacker so they don’t have to go into free agency in the
middle of the season (even though Chase Blackburn did help them down the
stretch). Branch could also be a good project to eventually make a starter.
3rd Round
64.
Indianapolis
Colts: Laderius
Green (TE, Louisiana-Lafayette)
65.
St.
Louis Rams: Chandler Jones (DE, Syracuse)
66.
Minnesota
Vikings: Trumaine Johnson (DB, Montana)
67.
Cleveland
Browns: Chris Givens (WR, Wake Forest)
68.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneers: Jeff Allen (OT, Illinois)
69.
Washington
Redskins: Zebrie Zanders (OT, Florida State)
70.
Jacksonville
Jaguars: Brandon Thompson (DT, Clemson)
71.
Buffalo
Bills: Jamell Fleming (CB, Oklahoma)
72.
Miami
Dolphins: Rishard Matthews (WR, UNR)
73.
Miami
Dolphins: Bobby Wagner (LB, Utah State)
74.
Kansas
City Chiefs: Alphonso Dennard (CB, Nebraska)
75.
Seattle
Seahawks: Robert Turbin (RB, Utah State)
76.
Houston
Texans: Ryan Broyles (WR, Oklahoma)
77.
New
York Jets: Hebron Fangupu (DT, BYU)
78.
San
Diego Chargers: George IIoka (S, Boise State)
79.
Chicago
Bears: Audie Cole (LB, North Carolina State)
80.
Arizona
Cardinals: Mike Martin (DT, Michigan)
81.
Dallas
Cowboys: Brandon Mosley (OT, Auburn)
82.
Tennessee
Titans: Jake Bequette (DE, Arkansas)
83.
Cincinnati
Bengals: Casey Hayward (CB, Vanderbilt)
84.
Atlanta
Falcons: Coryell Judie (CB, Texas A&M)
85.
Detroit
Lions: Brandon Boykin (CB, Georgia)
86.
Pittsburgh
Steelers: Malik Jackson (DE, Tennessee)
87.
Denver
Broncos: Nick Toon (WR, Wisconsin)
88.
Philadelphia
Eagles: Tony Bergstrom (OT, Utah)
89.
New
Orleans Saints: Trevor Guyton (DE, California)
90.
Green
Bay Packers: Josh Norman (CB, Coastal Carolina)
91.
Baltimore
Ravens: Kyle Wilbur (LB, Wake Forest)
92.
San
Francisco 49ers: Brandon Washington (G, Miami)
93.
New
England Patriots: Sean Spence (LB, Miami)
94.
New
York Giants: Isaiah Pead (RB, Cincinnati)
95.
Oakland
Raiders: Micheal Egnew (TE, Missouri)
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