2012 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Lots of Offense in the Top 10
By Jason McIntyre
1. Miami Dolphins – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St. – Lowest scoring offense in the league needs a playmaker. Last WR to go this high? Calvin Johnson in 2007.
3. Indianapolis Colts – Matt Kalil, OL, USC – Many, many holes on defense. Or, they get a franchise OL to protect Peyton for his final few years.
4. Kansas City Chiefs – Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma – This is under the assumption that the new coach – as of now, I don’t see Haley getting an extension – will want his own QB. Not everyone loves Landry, though.
5. St. Louis Rams – Jonathan Martin, OL, Stanford – Sam Bradford has been sacked a league-high 18 times through four games.
6. Seattle Seahawks – Matt Barkley, QB, USC – Too high? The Pete Carroll recruit at USC will enjoy life throwing to Sidney Rice.
7. Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – Crestfallen that there’s no QB here, the Browns take the best back in the draft and decide not to pay Peyton Hillis. And yes, I realize that’s seven offensive players in a row, and highly unlikely to happen.
8. Arizona Cardinals – Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona St. – The Sun Devil stays local to bolster a meek defense. Would he punch out a Cardinal?
9. Carolina Panthers – Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan St. – 2nd worst run defense in the league starts two rookies at DT, and Worthy is better than both of them.
10. Denver Broncos – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama – Probably the best corner in the draft. Takes the baton from Champ Bailey.
11. Minnesota Vikings – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU – In a stacked LSU secondary, he doesn’t get that much publicity. But he has the potential to be a shutdown corner.
12. Oakland Raiders – Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon – Either bolster that secondary or beef up the offensive line. Don’t think his speeding ticket matters.
13. Cincinnati Bengals – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina – QB Andy Dalton would have two former SEC stars at his disposal.
14. Tampa Bay Bucs – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina – Not a huge fan of his work, but Ronde Barber turns 37 in April.
15. Tennessee Titans – Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska – Probably goes higher. Just couldn’t find a team with a major 4-3 DE need.
16. Buffalo Bills – Manti T’eo, LB, Notre Dame – Quick way to bolster that sluggish 3-4 defense.
17. Chicago Bears – Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson – I know, I know, Cutler needs protection … but the best ones are gone and the Bears are giving up 5.1 ypc.
18. Washington Redskins – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College – Would add to an increasingly-formidable defense. Leads the country in tackles with 83.
19. New York Giants – Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama – As a Jets fan, I’d hate for this to happen.
20. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons) – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina – At 6-6, 285, everyone loves him (Kiper has him No. 2 right now), but I’m not yet sold on him in the Top 10. Would be a great fit in the Browns’ 4-3.
21. San Francisco 49ers – Riley Reiff, OL, Iowa – Whoever the 49ers start at QB next year will need more protection than Alex Smith is getting.
22. New York Jets – Brandon Jenkins, LB, FSU – Very tempted to go with an offensive lineman (Georgia’s Cordy Glenn?) but Jenkins is a 6-3, 265 monster who could play OLB or possibly DE. Kiper thinks Jenkins will be a 4-3 DE, which might make me change this pick. I think Jenkins could shed 10 pounds and replace Bart Scott/Bryant Thomas.
23. San Diego Chargers – Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama – Love this guy. Major steal if he falls this far.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech – Too many corners going in the 1st round? He’d be the fifth.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers – Andrew Datko, OL, Florida State – The defense needs to get younger, but they line still isn’t protecting Big Ben (sacked 14 times so far).
26. Philadelphia Eagles – Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina – Weak linebacking crew for a Super Bowl contender. Brown is 6-2, 230 and likely would start immediately.
27. Houston Texans – Ray Ray Armstrong, Safety, Miami – Texans really have a strong nucleus, but there’s a need in the secondary.
28. Detroit Lions – Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska – It’s a DB or a RB, and I could find a tailback to go in this spot.
29. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints) – Billy Winn, DL, Boise State – The Patriots still lack a pass rush. But they’ll probably trade this pick.
30. New England Patriots – Peter Konz, OL, Wisconsin – When Belichick’s drafting, you close your eyes and throw darts when making projections. If they don’t trade the other pick, they’ll trade this one.
31. Green Bay Packers – Mike Adams, OL, Ohio State – Gotta protect the best QB in the league. Yeah, I went there.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina – Has he blown up enough to crack the first round? 6-foot-2 275-pound playmaking machine is a sick athlete with 5.5 sacks.