2012 NFL Mock Draft: April 26
|This is it. It has all come down to this. Some picks have changed, some picks haven’t. I will update it again tonight.
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1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
The Colts have said they’ll be taking Andrew Luck.
2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Mike Shanahan is infatuated with Griffin, and that’s why the Redskins traded up to the No. 2 spot.
3. Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota): Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Draft day trade made to pick Richardson.
4. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland): Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Vikings can still get Kalil.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Fallout of Cleveland-Minnesota trade.
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington): Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
With Jeff Fisher at the helm the Rams are a threat to take any position on the defensive line early on in any draft. Fletcher Cox is the best player on the board here if he lasts this long.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Fallout of Cleveland-Minnesota trade.
8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
When the Dolphins struck out on Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn this offseason Tannehill became a lock to the Dolphins if he’s available at this pick. I’m a huge fan of Tannehill, and ultimately I think he’s the best long term option for the Dolphins anyways.
9. Carolina Panthers: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Fallout of Cleveland-Minnesota Trade.
10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Rieff, OT, Iowa
It has been close to a decade since the Bills took an offensive lineman in the first round. It’s shown. Rieff may ultimately be best suited at right tackle, but he can probably protect Ryan Fitzpatrick’s blindside.
11. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
It seemed like the Chiefs drafted their left guard of the future when they drafted Branden Albert, who was considered an elite prospect. Albert was so elite he was moved to left tackle, and the Chiefs still have a hole at the guard position.
12. Seattle Seahawks: Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
Cordy Glenn is a long-armed, enormous, athletic offensive lineman who will played left tackle during his senior year at Georgia, but who could be an elite right tackle or left guard in the NFL. With question marks about James Carpenter and injuries to Carpenter and John Moffitt, Glenn makes sense.
13. Arizona Cardinals: Melvin Ingram, 34OLB, South Carolina
Melvin Ingram is considered the best pass-rusher available by many. I’m not in love with him in a 3-4, but he’s a decent fit with his hand off the ground in my opinion.
14. Dallas Cowboys: Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
The Cowboys have appeared enamored with Poe, and while Poe is certainly a very good prospect, he’s a bit of a one year wonder. Some have him well into the top 10, and I highly doubt he gets past Dallas.
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Mark Barron, S, Alabama
The slide for Luke Kuechly continues in my mock. Barron has potential to be a very good playmaking safety and fits a need in Philadelphia. The Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans also, making Kuechly less necessary.
16. New York Jets: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
No matter who ends up playing quarterback in New York there is no way that Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller can catch everything that Sanchez or Tebow throw. Hill is an elite athlete in the class of Calvin Johnson, and though he’s raw his athleticism is unmatched in this draft.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland): Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
With Leon Hall coming off a torn Achilles the Bengals need help at the cornerback position. No corner has had a better draft season than Gilmore, if only in light of Morris Claiborne’s microscopic Wonderlic score.
18. San Diego Chargers: Courtney Upshaw, 34OLB, Alabama
Upshaw had a pretty ugly draft season, coming in heavy and slow. However, he’s athletic enough, and has enough good tape behind him, that he’ll still appeal to 3-4 teams, but probably only 3-4 teams.
19. Chicago Bears: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Kirkpatrick has a chance to be an absolutely elite corner, and while he may not be the best man corner in the draft his size and ball skills make him a good fit in Chicago’s Cover 2.
20. Tennessee Titans: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
Jones is probably the best athlete in this year’s draft at the end position. He’s flown up draft boards and has good bloodlines, as his two brothers are Arthur Jones who is a down lineman in Baltimore and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
I’m a big fan of Coples skills and the fact that I think he’ll be able to contribute on all downs. He’s the only defensive end in the draft with elite size and good athleticism. His motor has been questioned though, which is why the Bengals get a top 10 talent at No. 21.
22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta): Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
At the beginning of the draft season it seemed like Martin would be a top 10 pick. He didn’t work out at the combine, and was fairly lackluster at his pro day. He doesn’t seem to be quite the athlete we expected going into the draft season but should function on the right side of Cleveland’s line.
23. Detroit Lions: Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College
The Kuechly slide ends. The beneficiaries are the Lions, who get the best 4-3 linebacker in the draft, but Kuechly’s slide is a function of the league-wide reduced value at the linebacker position, and the depth there in this draft.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Michael Brockers, 34DE, LSU
Brockers is an enormous steal here, but his best value is at end in a 3-4. He may be able to play nose tackle for the Steelers for a season or two, though, while they re-tool their line. With Casey Hampton gone and their linebackers aging, Mike Tomlin may be planning a return to his native Cover 2.
25. Denver Broncos: Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn
The Broncos may be a cautionary tale of when team’s can’t decide if they’ll be a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. They’ve basically had to rebuild their front seven twice in the past half-decade. Reyes will be one of the best athletes at DT the day he puts his jersey on.
26. Houston Texans: Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
Like many very good middle linebackers in the NFL, DeMeco Ryans struggled mightily in a 3-4 last year. He simply isn’t big enough. Hightower will be able to stop the run and get to the passer on occasion also.
27. New England Patriots: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Janoris Jenkins is the most talented player left on the board. That said, he’s got enormous character concerns. The Patriots aren’t afraid to take risks on character issues though, and collect DBs like baseball cards.
28. Green Bay Packers: David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
The Packers have struggled in the run game for a couple years and Ryan Grant is a free agent. David Wilson can play on all downs and is one of the better pass-catching runningbacks in the draft this year.
29. Baltimore Ravens: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
Any team that is starting a near-400 lb Bryant McKinney has a need on their offensive line. The lockout added weight to McKinney, and ultimately will shorten his career. Mike Adams is the best OT left on the board.
30. San Francisco 49ers: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Even though Michael Crabtree is still on the roster and the 49ers signed Randy Moss this offseason, they’ll be looking to add to their receiving corps at some point in the draft. I’m not a fan of Wright’s but the hype is there keep him in the first.
31. New England Patriots: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
Konz may not necessarily be the best fit for a need position in New England, but he’s a great value and can probably play either guard position for the Patriots.
32. New York Giants: Devon Still, DT, Penn State
The Giants had Jimmy Kennedy and Rocky Bernard in their tackle rotation last year, and it is not 2006. Still is a good value here, perhaps the best player on the board, and the Giants are a team that is willing to draft BPA at some positions early in the draft.
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Poswalt
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http://twitter.com/NASORB Casey McLain
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Kage
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IRISH212
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http://twitter.com/NASORB Casey McLain
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http://profile.yahoo.com/XMD67GUMVPSB5K2ZBT26ZUYLZY David