Daniel's 2012 NFL Mock Draft- 4/18/12

Daniel’s 2012 NFL Mock Draft

(4/18/12)

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Round 1

1. Indianapolis (2-14)- Andrew Luck- QB- Stanford

- Jim Irsay can say all of the PC things he wants about weighing his options for the #1 pick, but this decision has been made for months now. With all the hype and the “Suck for Luck” drama of the Colts awful fall from grace, they really have no choice but to go with Luck. This is a good bind to be in.

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2. Washington - from St. Louis (2-14)- Robert Griffin lll- QB- Baylor

- RG lll is the ultimate competitor and it’s killing him that no matter how much he shines and dominates his tests and drills that he simply CAN NOT be the first overall pick. However, he needs to suck up and accept that he is walking into a possibly better situation in the nation’s capital and move on. Great pick, great player.

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3. Minnesota (3-13)-Matt Kalil- OT- Southern Cal (USC)

- Kalil is a premium player at a position of premium value (LT) that the Vikings would be foolish to pass on- and won’t. He would be the #1 player selected in many draft years, but this one happens to have 2 “sure-fire” franchise QBs, so Kalil goes #3.

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4. Cleveland (4-12)- Trent Richardson- RB- Alabama

- This seems like more of a no-brainer than the experts are saying…. The Browns are in a smash mouth in a cold weather climate, who NEED to be able to run the football. And they just let Peyton Hillis go, so they appear to be a perfect landing spot for Richardson.

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5. Tampa Bay (4-12)- Morris Claiborne- CB- LSU

- The word is out that Claiborne is the best cover corner prospect in years, and that’s worth a lot in the NFL these days. So his Wonderlic scores prove that he’s not a Rhodes Scholar….so what? This does NOT mean that he’s slow or incapable of learning, he’s clearly made it to this point. The Bucs are lucky to get him with a CB tandem of a repeat criminal (Talilb) and a soon-to-be spokesman for the National Replacement Hip council (Rhonde Barber)

6. St. Louis - from Washington (5-11)- Justin Blackmon- WR- Oklahoma St.

- This worked out perfectly for the Rams as they would have taken Blackmon #2 if not for the Redskins zeal to find a franchise QB. So the Rams received a king’s ransom for this year and the future and still got Sam Bradford- a solid, if not spectacular QB in his own right- a true #1 WR weapon. Blackmon isn’t a Calvin or an Andre Johnson by his build and raw attributes, but he has the same Beast Mode mentality and desire to change the game.

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7. Jacksonville (5-11)- Quinton Coples- DE- North Carolina

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8. Miami (6-10)- Ryan Tannehill- QB- Texas A&M

- This is truly a shame, and a real flaw in the new CBA. With the lower rookie salary cap and the more “reasonable” pay scale for draft picks, QB’s included, it makes much more sense for owners to totally roll the dice on talented but unproven, Potential, franchise QB’s. Their payroll commitment is comparable to drafting a DT and the upside is huge. Unfortunately, this is likely to lead to more Joey Harrington and David Carr-type results than Cam Newton success stories. Truly, I hope the best for Mr. Tannehill and he may just prove me wrong, but I feel like this would be almost a FULL round too early for a QB that is more familiar with the wide receiver position and needs at least 1 year behind a quality veteran- but he won’t get that chance if drafted here.

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9. Carolina (6-10)- Michael Floyd- WR- Notre Dame

- Carolina got the most out of a “character-issue” prospect in Cam Newton last season, and I can easily see them doing it again with the extremely talented but sometimes unmotivated Floyd. He doesn’t have elite speed, but is very strong and a precise route-runner for a player not yet professional. I’m a Michigan Wolverine fan, and trust me- I hate this guy! He’s can be really, really good; as good as he wants to be!

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10. Buffalo (6-10)- Riley Reiff- OT- Iowa

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11. Kansas City (7-9)- David DeCastro- OG- Stanford

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12. Seattle (7-9)- Luke Kuechly- ILB- Boston College

- When the initial prospect lists were being formed and pro draft prospects assigned to the best players, Kuechly was amongst those listed commonly. However, he was pigeon-holed as a Dan Morgan or London Fletcher type of cerebral, marginally talented technician who just made plays, but did you see his workout numbers?! Dude’s a monster! With his size, athleticism and intellect, Kuechly just may be the prospect in this draft who is most prepared and best suited for his prospective position.

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13. Arizona (8-8)- Fletcher Cox- DT- Mississippi St.

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14. Dallas (8-8)- Dre Kirkpatrick- CB- Alabama

- This is a typical Jerry Jones pick. Stephon Gilmore is coming on strong and appears to be every bit the player that Kirkpatrick is, and a Far more certain thing. However, Kirkpatrick is a tall, rangy, physical specimen who could either burn out quickly or become THE best cornerback in all of football in a short time. A true Boom or Bust pick

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15. Philadelphia (8-8)- Dontari Poe- DT- Memphis

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16. New York Jets (8-8)- Melvin Ingram- DE/OLB- South Carolina

- Ingram doesn’t have the brute size or wingspan that Coples has, but he has risen even and to some, higher than Coples of their mocks. He is either a tremendously strong OLB or a uniquely agile and explosive DE. Or Both.

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17. Cincinnati - from Oakland (8-8)- Stephon Gilmore- CB- South Carolina

- The Bengals get one of the hottest risers on the draft board, and it’s for a refreshing reason: Yes, Gilmore has displayed the size and athleticism that are found in all the best CBs, but the reason for his rise is that he is a GOOD guy! And he’s a good enough player that even the Bengals, who seem to not like good guys, will draft him here.

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18. San Diego (8-8)- Stephen Hill- WR- Georgia Tech

- “With the 2^nd most overhyped player in the 2012 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers select…..” Stephen Hill. Other than Ryan Tannehill, no player in the 1^st round will be drafted based more on pure potential than Stephen Hill. However, his tremendous size/speed combo make him a great prospect. And what he has going for him are the Gerogia Tech physical specimen wideouts, Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas’, success stories. Robert Meachum is an insufficient replacement for the Charchers #1, Vincent Jackson, and they will want another Jumbo weapon for Phillip Rivers to throw to.

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19. Chicago (8-8)- Mike Adams- OT- Ohio State

- My GOD, do I hate Ohio State!! I despise their smug attitudes, as if they deserve any victory, football or basketball, when such a large part of their athletic budget is somehow concealed and allocated to coerce these elite athletes to come play for this sh….! OOPS! (Sometimes I’m accused of too often letting my feelings show. But I don’t know…..). Anyways, Adams is a good football player :)

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20. Tennessee (9-7)- Courtney Upshaw- DE/OLB- Alabama

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21. Cincinnati* (9-7)- Cordy Glenn- OG/OT- Georgia

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22. Cleveland - from Atlanta* (10-6)- Kendall Wright- WR- Baylor

23. Philadelphia- *from Detroit* (10-6)- Chandler Jones- DE- Syracuse

I would challenge ANY one of these guys I’m listing to a straight up bare-knuckles brawl before I even gave a sideways glance at Chandler Jones. “Chandler, I’m sure that you’re a great guy and we would probably be best buds”, but this dude has got a nasty pedigree!! For one thing, he’s 6’5”, 265 lbs of explosive, quick-twitch muscle and he was a dominant football player much of his career at Syracuse; but there’s also the fact he’s still alive after being knocked around by his big brother, Jon “Bones” Jones, the baddest SOB in all of Mixed Martial Arts!! Chandler Jones is a raw prospect but he has the size, wingspan, and athleticism that any coaching staff would love to mold to their system. (Reminds me of Jason Pierre-Paul when he entered the draft).

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24. Pittsburgh* (12-4)- Dont’a Hightower- ILB- Alabama

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25. Denver* (8-8)- Michael Brockers- DT- LSU

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26. Houston* (10-6)- Alshon Jeffrey- WR- South Carolina

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27. New England - from New Orleans* (13-3)- Mark Barron- S- Alabama

- Often teams try to build a dynamic pass defense by drafting and paying big money for top-end Cornerbacks, but it often doesn’t work….(cough!..Eagles!..). Look at the best defenses in the past. Clearly there are the Steelers and Ravens, with Troy Polomalu and Ed Reed respectively. But even look at the Saints, who granted didn’t go from worst to first in defensive stats, but they did go from mere Playoff contenders to Super Bowl Champs, in large part, by simply adding an aging Roman Harper to be the quarterback for the defense. The Patriots have been sorely missing this type of defensive stability (just gave up on the Merriweather experiment and cut him) and they would be thrilled to get Barron here. (The Patriots may even consider trading up to get him if that’s what it takes)

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28. Green Bay* (15-1)- Josh Robinson- CB- Coastal Carolina

- Charles Woodson, for as great as he is (my favorite player of all time), and as seemingly timeless, IS getting old in the tooth and the Packers are going to need to find a replacement for him shortly. Robinson was the fastest player at the combine and his stock is skyrocketing. But only if the Packers scouts find him to be the real deal (and still a diamond in the rough to an extent) will they draft him here.

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29. Baltimore* (12-4)- Jonathan Martin- OT- Stanford

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30. San Francisco* (13-3)- Rueben Randle- WR- LSU

Look at how quickly Alex Smith went from being a total bust to THE MAN at QB, that the from office is going to supply with weapons and Coach Harbaugh will build the offense around! Amazing. So they have 1 legit receiving weapon in TE Vernon Davis and1 really good, but possibly injury prone, WR in Michael Crabtree. The Niners need another big, strong, fast WR to allow Smith to prove his passing ability and take the load off of Frank Gore. And Rueben Randle might be that guy.

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31. New England* (13-3)- Nick Perry- DE/OLB- Southern Cal. (USC)

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32. New York Giants* (9-7)- Coby Fleener- TE- Stanford

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Round 2

33. St. Louis (2-14)- Zebrie Sanders- OT- Florida St.

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34. Indianapolis (2-14)- Mohammad Sanu- WR- Rutgers

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35. Minnesota (3-13) Whitney Mercilus- DE- Illinois

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36. Tampa Bay (4-12) Doug Martin- RB- Boise State

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37. Cleveland (4-12)- Brock Oswieler- QB- Arizona State

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38. Jacksonville (5-11) Shea McClellin- OLB- Boise State

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39. St. Louis - from Washington (5-11) Kendall Reyes- DT- Connecticut

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40. Carolina (6-10) Jerel Worthy- DT- Michigan St.

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41. Buffalo (6-10) Peter Konz- C/OG- Wisconsin

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42. Miami (6-10) Kevin Zeitler- OG- Wisconsin

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43. Seattle (7-9) Kirk Cousins- QB- Michigan St.

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44. Kansas City (7-9) David Wilson- RB- Virginia Tech

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45. Dallas (8-8) Ronnell Lewis- OLB/DE- Oklahoma

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46. Detroit- *from Philadelphia (8-8) LaMichael James- RB- Oregon

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- What? Crazy? We’ll see!! Just think about this offense with a nearly elite QB in Matt Stafford, a dynamite playmaker like James flaring out of the backfield (perhaps even as an H-back if LeShoure is back and healthy), Calvin and Titus Young stretching the field, and Pettigrew demanding attention in the middle!! Who ya gonna cover? How would you stop that?!!

47. New York Jets (8-8)- LaVonte David- OLB- Nebraska

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48. New England - from Oakland (8-8) Janoris Jenkins- CB- North Alabama

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49. San Diego (8-8) Andre Branch- DE/OLB- Clemson

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50. Chicago (8-8) Brian Quick- WR- Appalachia State

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51. Detroit * from Phil. via Ari.- (8-8) Amini Silatalu- OT/OG- Midwestern St.

- The Lions are in an enviable position. They are filled with young talent that will keep them amongst the NFL elite for years to come…… IF they can keep their (super)Star players Paid and Healthy.Matthew Stafford is a border-line Elite QB in this league and he has proven that he can make the Lions’ offense a force to be reckoned with, but he needs some amount of time in the pocket and more importantly to the keep the monster DE’s of the NFC North (Peppers, Allen, Matthews) from pile-driving him every other play. Also, Martin Mayhew, the GM, subscribes to the best-player-available concept and I feel, though under the radar, Silatalu is that guy with this pick.. And, as a Lions’ fan, while it’s frustrating to see a backup QB light them up for record numbers, I have no problem with building Strength on Strength. We’ll see…..

52. Tennessee (9-7) Jayron Hosely- CB- Virginia Tech

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53. Cincinnati* (9-7) LaMarr Miller- RB- Miami

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54. Detroit* (10-6)- Trumaine Johnson- CB/S- Montana

Whew!! The Lions finally get a Cornerback, which was a long time coming. The Lions made out like kings by trading the #23 pick to the Eagles for 2 2^nd rounders this year and a 2^nd rounder in 2013 (at least!- in my scenario). This way they not only got the much needed OT and CB positions, but an explosive playmaker as well in the first 2 rounds. Trumaine Johnson is a big, fluid, small school player with a tremendous ceiling at CB, and at worst, a big upgrade at FS over Amari Spivey.

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55. Atlanta* (10-6) Brandon Thompson- DT- Clemson

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56. Pittsburgh* (12-4) Alameda Ta'amu- NT- Washington

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57. Denver* (8-8) Harrison Smith- S- Notre Dame

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58. Houston* (10-6) Kelechi Osemele- OT/OG- Iowa State

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59. New Orleans* (13-3) Zach Brown- OLB- North Carolina

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60. Green Bay* (15-1) Brandon Weeden- QB- Oklahoma State

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61. Baltimore* (12-4) Bobby Wagner- ILB- Utah State

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62. San Francisco* (13-3) Chris Polk- RB- Washington

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63. New England* (13-3) Bobby Massie- OT- Mississippi

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64. New York Giants* (9-7) Brandon Taylor- S- LSU

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