It’s time, once again, for me to look at the mock drafts of professionals and aggregate their mocks into “my own” mock. This “time” is also known as Spring.  Without further ado, further ado:

Kidding aside, everyone is just sort of stealing from everyone else. I am always very amused during NFL Mock season at how similar all of the experts’ mocks are. Are we really that much in agreement on the list of the 32 best eligible college players? No. Some poor sap has to be the first guy to publish a mock draft. That “poor sap” carries the proverbial water for every other mock draft. Writers might say that they don’t read what others write, but they’re lying to you. They’re not all getting the same info from sources. Yet rarely do you see someone straying too far from the mainstream. When one writer says, “I’m hearing that Team X really likes Player B,” every other mocker is welcome to take that piece of information and use it. And so, here we are, on draft day, and everyone’s mock looks relatively the same.

Mine will be no exception, really. These picks are a bit of a blend of what teams should do/will do. Every year, some team picks a guy no one had them targeting. Christian Ponder and Jake Locker last year. Tyson Alualu the year before. Darrius Heyward-Bey the year before that. The 2012 NFL Draft will be no different. It spoils the moment when you spend a mock draft trying to pick surprises. This ain’t March Madness. And this really ain’t a science. It’s fun (or at least should be). Now, without further ado:

1.) Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck (QB/Stanford)
I’ve been trying, desperately, to envision a doomsday scenario for the Washington Redskins, where the Colts draft Robert Griffin III and a dark cloud quickly hangs over the District. It’s not happening. Luck is the right pick.

2.) Washington Redskins select Robert Griffin III (QB/Baylor)
Never has a team so embraced the second overall pick in a draft quite like DC has embraced RGIII.  I was at a DC United game in March and people were chanting “RGIII! RGIII!”  Griffin has already appeared at a card show where he signed Redskins memorabilia. If Luck is the right pick for Indy, and he is, Griffin is the “rightest” pick for DC. He’s exactly the kind of energizing player that the Redskins fan base so fervently desires. He’ll be a marketer’s dream in the District. Time will tell how well he can play professional football.

3.) Minnesota Vikings select Matt Kalil (OT/USC)
The first two picks are sure things. Barring some terrible injury to either Luck or Griffin III (though, I sincerely believe that if RGIII (God forbid) died before the draft, the Redskins would still pick him second overall) this is where the draft will really begin.

Kalil is what most scouts would regard as the safe or “correct” pick. The Vikings desperately need a franchise Tackle. Kalil is, by most accounts, a franchise-type Tackle. The intrigue comes from two other directions. Minnesota also could use a cornerback and there’s a potential star at that position (a couple, actually. Morris Claiborne is the name you’ll see most often.). This is also a spot that a desperate, QB needy team like Miami could trade up to. But for the sake of the sanity of Vikings fans and the health of Christian Ponder, let’s go with Kalil.

4.) Cleveland Browns select Ryan Tannehill (QB/Texas A&M)
If it was my decision, I wouldn’t give up on Colt McCoy. Cleveland could use a receiver like Michael Floyd or Justin Blackmon in this spot. But you don’t make a big deal about how you couldn’t trade up to get one Quarterback (Griffin III) and then tell your incumbent (in this case, McCoy), “But, hey buddy, we really love you.”

I think Tannehill will be an enormous bust. Although, he did play WR at Texas A&M. And the Browns do have a hole at that position….

5.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Morris Claiborne (CB/Louisiana State)
He of the (reported) 4 out of 50 on the Wonderlic exam. Claiborne might not be able to tell you which number comes next in the sequence, but he can certainly play football. He’s as versatile a corner as you’ll find in this draft. And he fills a position of need for a team that plays 6 games per season against Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, and Drew Brees.

6.) St. Louis Rams select Justin Blackmon (WR/Oklahoma State)
If Blackmon is available, there’s really no need for the Rams to use any time on the clock. They should have the slip of paper ready. The Rams haven’t had a great WR since Torry Holt. Blackmon will not be as good as Torry Holt. But frankly, “not as good as Torry Holt” is a lot better than “Brandon Gibson.”

7.) Jacksonville Jaguars select Michael Floyd (WR/Notre Dame)
The Jaguars have a number of needs. They need help at each level of the defense, for example. Floyd, though, much like Blackmon with St. Louis, offers a young quarterback a really good target. Floyd is bigger and stronger than Blackmon, with less production in college because, well, Dayne Crist.

8.) Miami Dolphins select a box of tissues to fill with tears and Melvin Ingram (DE/South Carolina)
The Dolphins want Ryan Tannehill, apparently.  Michael Floyd would have been a great replacement for Brandon Marshall.  Neither is available. So what better way to excite your fan base than by drafting a defensive end? Right?

Ingram is good. Really good. But this pick will only further upset the Dolphins fan base. If there’s even a fan base left.

9.) Carolina Panthers select Luke Kuechly (LB/Boston College)
A draft board riser and a smart, stable pick for a team that really needs bodies on the defensive side of the ball.  Plus, ESPN’s Sports Science says that Kuechly is more powerful than Dwight Freeney. So that’s something.
10.) Buffalo Bills select Stephen Gilmore (CB/South Carolina)
The Bills have said they need to improve at cornerback. So, yeah…

Gilmore is one of three first-round CBs (Claiborne and Janoris Jenkins are the others) with potential star written on them. Gilmore came in to South Carolina as a highly regarded recruit, but never became a star there. People seem to believe he will be better in the pros. I’m not terribly confident.

11.) Kansas City Chiefs select David DeCastro (OG/Stanford)
KC going with the OG. DeCastro is as highly regarded as any Guard in recent memory. He’s quick. He’s a fabulous pass blocker (his college Quarterback will likely agree). He’s a solid run blocker. And he’s got, according to those who now, quite the nasty streak. In short, he might be the perfect interior lineman. There’s no reason why DeCastro won’t be an All-Pro multiple times in his career. This would be one of the smartest choices of the draft.

12.) Seattle Seahawks select Quinton Coples (DE/North Carolina)
Coples is not David DeCastro. He’s a high upside/high risk player. He’s had weight issues, run-ins with coaches, and was investigated (though exonerated) by the NCAA for attending illegal parties. He’s being taken here because of his potential and the need for a rush end in Seattle. Coples is often compared, in terms of skill level, with Julius Peppers, another former Tar Heel.  Julius Peppers is very good.

13.) Arizona Cardinals select Riley Reiff (OT/Iowa)
Arizona is a team with a huge, gaping need at OT. Reif is a huge, talented OT, who comes from a school that churns out prospects like this on a yearly basis, Robert Gallery notwithstanding.

14.) Dallas Cowboys select Trent Richardson (RB/Alabama)
Richardson is not a player of any need to Dallas. They have needs in the defensive secondary, but Richardson is a top 5 talent, who I think might fall because of the notion that you can draft Running Backs late. Jerry Jones would see the value in getting a guy like Richardson here. Dallas hasn’t had a Back like him since Emmitt Smith.

This is certainly one surprise in my mock. Most mocks I’ve seen have Richardson going in the top 5.

15.) Philadelphia Eagles select Fletcher Cox (DT/Mississippi State)
Cox is another guy I have dropping. And unlike Richardson going to Dallas, Cox would fill a big need for Philadelphia. Primarily because he’s a defensive, front 7 player. And Philadelphia doesn’t have a lot of those.

16.) New York Jets select Mark Barron (S/Alabama)
Mark Barron is a Rex Ryan-type player. He’s an Ed Reed-type safety. Enough said.

Well, actually, look for Barron to be gone if Richardson does not fall in the first round. Dallas will take him. Right away.

17.) Cincinnati Bengals select Courtney Upshaw (OLB/Alabama)
We’re in the SEC portion of the draft. Upshaw is a pass rusher extraordinaire.  He also has a domestic violence arrest on his record. So he’s the perfect fit for the Cincinnati Bengals.

18.) San Diego Chargers select Michael Brockers (DT/LSU)
Brockers is thought to be a Top 10-type talent who hasn’t fully realized his potential. Chargers GM AJ Smith must really like him then.

19.) Chicago Bears select Whitney Mercilius (DE/IL)
I have no idea who he is. I mean, c’mon, do you actually think I watch a lot of Illinois games?

20.) Tennessee Titans select Donatri Poe (DT/Memphis)
He of the underachieving, often invisible, Dontari Poe from Memphis University. You’ll remember that he had the best combine of any prospect. All of a sudden, a player with little to no consequential game tape became the prospect du jour. So someone will take him in the first round. Congratulations, Tennessee Titans fans!

21.) Cincinnati Bengals select Janoris Jenkins (CB/North Alabama)
Most scouts like Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick more than Jenkins, but that is more of a reflection of Jenkins’ off-the-field problems than his on-the-field skills. If Jenkins can keep his life together (and stop creating other lives…four children) he could be the steal of this first round. He could also continue down the path he was on at Florida, where he was eventually dismissed.

He may be the best man coverage corner in the draft. Since losing Jonathan Joseph to free agency last year, the Bengals have had a void in that department.

22.) Cleveland Browns select Stephen Hill (WR/Georgia Tech)
Hill is a lengthy speedster with a ton of upside. His college numbers weren’t great because he played in a run option offense. The Hill pick makes a world of sense for the Browns, especially if they go with Tannehill with their earlier pick. And no, I won’t make a joke about how now they’ll have two more Wide Receivers after the first round.

23.) Detroit Lions select Dre Kirkpatrick (CB/Alabama)
This has to be a dream scenario for a team with a giant hole in their secondary. Kirkpatrick could go much earlier in this draft. Kirkpatrick is a prototypical corner with enough size to be an effective shutdown corner in press coverage. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m saying that he should be good.

24.) Pittsburgh Steelers select Cordy Glenn (OT/Georgia)
Cordy Glenn has sizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

25.) Denver Broncos select Devon Still (DT/Penn State)
Denver hasn’t drafted a Defensive Tackle in Round 1 since 1997. Considering how important the DT is, that’s kind of stunning. This pick comes down to Still and Jerel Worthy. Still comes with more size, which could greatly help a team that couldn’t stop my grandmother if she was walking slowly at their front 4 with her eyes closed and cinder blocks tied to her ankles.

26.) Houston Texans select Shea McClellin (OLB/Boise State)
Mario Williams is gone. DeMecco Ryans is gone. Needing players who can rush the quarterback from the edge, Houston turns to a guy with a huge motor, much in the vein of current Texans Brooks Reed, Connor Barwin, and Brian Cushing. Of course, this pick does have me thinking that the Texans linebacker corp will have a certain kind of pale hue to it.

27.) New England Patriots select Amini Silatolu (OG/Midwestern State)
First, I have an issue with making fake draft trades. It messes with the whole nature of picking the best, most logical guy for each team. That said, if I was going to project a trade, it’d be here.

This is about as “New England Patriots” as a draft pick can get. Boring position (check). Guy no one has ever heard of (check). College no one knew existed (check). Guy getting drafted a round early (check).

28.) Green Bay Packers select Nick Perry (DE/Southern California)
The Packers are weak on the outside of the D-line. Perry is a bit undersized, but his quickness is unrivaled at this juncture in the draft. He also comes with the same USC pedigree as Clay Matthews. Teams sometimes like that stuff.

29.) Baltimore Ravens select Dont’a Hightower (ILB/Alabama)
Eventually, the Ravens will draft Ray Lewis’ heir apparent in the first round. Hightower would be a very good choice. High motor. Good run-stuffer. Smart defender. Might not have top-end quickness, but he makes up for it by not wasting steps.

30.) San Francisco 49ers select Coby Fleener (TE/Stanford)
It’s probably too easy for Harbaugh to take a Stanford player in the first round of a draft and it’s not like the Niners need another TE (Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis do the job well). Fleener is versatile enough, though, that he could serve as a hybrid type player. Harbaugh will find ways to use him. And no one knows him better.

31.) New England Patriots select Vinny Curry (DE/Marshall)
So, we’ve got an Offensive Lineman from Midwestern State and a Defensive End from Marshall. Perfect.

32.) New York Giants select Reuben Randle (WR/LSU)
Randle would be a more than adequate replacement for Mario Manningham.  There’s a fair amount of Dwayne Bowe potential with Randle.  He’s big. He’s quick enough. His numbers in college weren’t stellar, but let’s be honest, Jordan Jefferson was throwing him the football. So let’s cut him some slack and make him a first rounder.


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And that concludes the first round. Before I sign off, here are a few guys who I think can be a real sleeper at each position (that people care about. Sorry Guards.). These are players projected to go in the 4th round or later by most prognosticators. I will not be held accountable for the Patriots reaching for any of these players in the second round.

QB: Nick Foles (Arizona). I like his size. I like his mobility. I like him. Is he a “winner?” No. But he was an effective QB for a series of mediocre-to-bad Arizona teams.

RB: Terrance Ganaway (Baylor). A big, physical running back. Lacks breakaway speed. Cut in the mold of a slimmer Brandon Jacobs.

WR: T.Y. Hilton (Florida Int’l). He’s not likely to make it as a WR because of his tiny frame (5’8”, 183 LBS), but there’s definitely a future for him as a kick/punt return guy. Ran a 4.37 at the combine. Scouts tout his great vision and crisp cuts.

Defense: Duke Ihenacho (San Jose State). A low-profile school will diminish his stock, but Ihenacho has good size and great instincts at the safety position. If the Patriots are going to reach for someone in the second round, Ihenacho wouldn’t surprise me.


Enjoy the happiest evening of the year!!!!!


(Fans of the Oakland Raiders need not apply)