SI: 2012 NFL Mock Draft

[Tribal Warfare]

2012 NFL Mock Draft
by Andrew Perloff

After a lackluster 2011 NFL Draft in both television ratings and quality, the hype will return next season thanks to a class loaded with talent at the offensive skill positions.

Hopefully the lockout will be a distant memory by the time Roger Goodell steps to the podium next April. The 2012 draft could be shaped by a rookie salary cap after the dust settles from the labor battle.

Here is a look at my (Way early) 2011 NFL Mock Draft from April of last year. No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks Ryan Mallett and Da'Quan Bowers looked relatively good throughout most of last college football season. Though this year's top guy seems a lot safer ...

1. Buffalo Bills: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
The Bills did well drafting Marcell Dareus, but still have too many holes on defense to improve next season. You won't find a single 2012 mock draft that doesn't list Luck No. 1. Other than injury, the only possibility he'll fall is if the bar is set too high and experts pick him apart.

2. Carolina Panthers: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Blackmon might have been the highest receiver taken in the 2011 draft, even ahead of A.J. Green, who went No. 4 overall. The Panthers will be eager to get help for Cam Newton.

3. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
The 6-foot-4 Jones has NFL size and arm strength and has proved a lot in college already. He threw 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season and should put up Sam Bradford-like numbers this season.

4. Tennessee Titans: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
The 6-6, 270-pound Coples had 10 sacks for North Carolina last season and will be the premiere pass rusher in this draft.

5. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
The Seahawks will make up for not taking a quarterback this season by reuniting Barkley with his former coach Pete Carroll.

6. Denver Broncos: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
The little brother of the Panthers' Ryan Kalil should be the first tackle taken and could go even higher depending on team needs. He's a solid technician and tough.

7. Cincinnati Bengals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
At a school known for producing good offensive linemen, Reiff might be the best of the last decade. He's got a nasty attitude and will be NFL-ready.

8. Oakland Raiders: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Kirkpatrick meets the Raiders' speed requirement and will team with Stanford Routt to give Oakland an impressive defensive backfield.

9. Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Martin, T, Stanford
Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie will be 32 at the end of the season, so Minnesota will look to the future to help protect quarterback Christian Ponder.

10. Washington Redskins: Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
Crick had 17 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks last season despite constant double-teams. His best fit in the NFL will be 3-4 end, but he could also slide over to tackle in a 4-3.

11. Dallas Cowboys: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
Harris is a bit undersized, but will fill a need here and can possibly be an explosive returner. He's similar to a young Terence Newman.

12. Detroit Lions: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
The Lions need to bolster their secondary and will take the highest rated cornerback at this spot. Gilmore still has something to prove, but could develop into a shutdown guy.

13. Miami Dolphins: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
Worthy didn't have big numbers last season (four sacks), but he takes up a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines and should develop into a productive 3-4 end.

14. Kansas City Chiefs: Nate Potter, OT, Boise State
The Chiefs need depth up front and Potter could possibly play multiple spots on the line.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
The Jaguars will be eager to add another major weapon to help Blaine Gabbert.

16. Houston Texans: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Claiborne had five interceptions last season and should fill nicely into Patrick Peterson's role. Houston surprised some folks by not going cornerback in this year's draft; it needs a lot of help in the secondary.

17. San Francisco 49ers: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas
The Niners need to find a successor to Frank Gore, and the big, physical Davis fits the bill.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
Upshaw looked good in the spring and should develop into a star this season. He'll fit in on a defense loaded with young, athletic players.

19 Arizona Cardinals: Kelechi Osemele, T/G, Iowa State
The Cardinals will want more protection for whoever takes over at quarterback. Osemele is a mauler that will start at guard but can play right tackle.

20. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
The Giants passed on an opportunity to grab an offensive lineman in the first round this season. Adams is suspended the first five games of the season for taking improper benefits, but the Giants have a strong locker room and won't be scared off by the behavior.

21. Baltimore Ravens: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
Jeffery was very productive as a sophomore, but is a little too slow to be a top-10 pick. Still, the Ravens have been trying to find a young star at this position for some time.

22. Chicago Bears: Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
A perfect, Bears-style player who can take over the mantle of great Chicago linebackers from the aging Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

23. New England Patriots: Kheeston Randall, DT, Texas
A versatile, run-stuffing defensive lineman who can play base end and even fill in at nose.

24. St. Louis Rams: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
Teams want to wait to draft 4-3 linebackers, but Lewis will be productive enough this season to overcome that handicap. The Rams could also look at North Carolina LB Zach Brown.

25. Indianapolis Colts: Ray Ray Armstrong, S, Miami
Armstrong is a big, physical safety with good ball skills who will add to the Miami defensive back legacy.

26. Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
An undersized but very productive pass rusher who seems to fit the Eagles' mold. Jenkins had 13.5 sacks in 2010.

27. San Diego Chargers: Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
The Chargers began to address their defense in this year's draft, but they would love to add a potentially explosive pass rusher like Taylor.

28. Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta Falcons): Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
Burfict's only issue is that the NFL doesn't seem to value linebackers in the draft.

29. New York Jets: Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor
Baylor coach Art Briles has been churning out first-round picks the last few years. Griffin will move up draft boards past fellow quarterbacks Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden because of his exciting style.

30. Green Bay Packers: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
Competitive at virtually every position, the Packers have a luxury pick here and finally get a home-run threat in the backfield. Gray is a tough runner with major burst through the hole.

31. New England Patriots (via the Saints): Matt Reynolds, OT, BYU
If the Patriots stay here, they have a lot of building to do on the offensive line. But they could package both their picks to move up in the first round, or once again move out of the first round. Reynolds has struggled with a shoulder injury, but will be very productive when healthy.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington
The 330-pound, four-year starter will be Casey Hampton's replacement.

[GoChiefsTinyPenis]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

Let's say they actually get things worked out and play a full schedule in 2011.

Give me 3-3 against the AFCW in 2011.

Maybe you should set your sights a little lower. A reasonable goal should be something like not having a team score 50 points on you this year.

[Mecca]

I expect the Chiefs to pick somewhere around 26...and Vontaze Burfict would be awesome in the MLB thumper role next to DJ, he's an athletic thumper though.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Mecca

I expect the Chiefs to pick somewhere around 26...

Who the hell are you, and when is Mecca coming back?

[Mile High Mania]

Originally Posted by KnowMo2724

I don't like those kinds of bets because I wouldn't want a Chiefs fan to not be able to post on their home board because of a Bronco fan.

Denver isn't a 4-12 team though. We lost 6 games last year by a touchdown or less and had the worst run of training camp injuries in NFL history. I mean Ryan Clady, Ryan Harris, Chris Kuper (our 3 best lineman), Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and Lendale White all got hurt in training camp plus we were starting two rookies on the offensive line... Then you throw in the fact that Dumervil missed the entire season.....


All we need to be a playoff type team is another starting caliber DT to pair with Kevin Vickerson. We have excellent coaches on the defensive side of the ball and we kept our OC. Denver is in pretty good shape.

Look... you've beat this drum before. Every team gets hit with injuries, Denver had it rough there last year, but it wasn't the worst in NFL history. Bad teams lose close games... and that's what McD created. Their defense has been blech for a few years now.

[Mile High Mania]

Originally Posted by GoChiefsTinyPenis

Maybe you should set your sights a little lower. A reasonable goal should be something like not having a team score 50 points on you this year.

Possibly, but to counter... the Chiefs did give up 49 (to which team?) in 2010.

[jjchieffan]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

That's interesting only because they have had wins of 4, 8, 8 and 7 the last 4 seasons. The defense overall has ranked horribly in 3 of those 4 seasons. Denver has questions with depth and solid/consistent production at RB... the QB position is less than clear and ... we haven't seen how they will address the DL situation when FA opens up, or how the rookies will pan out.

Divisional games @ KC, OAK and SD are always tough and should never be considered a Win. You can hope for one, but I always project a home/road split with the AFCW. Hell, the Broncos haven't beaten OAK in Denver since 2007.

Let's say they actually get things worked out and play a full schedule in 2011.

Give me 3-3 against the AFCW in 2011.

Home vs: Bengals, Lions, Jets, Bears, Patriots
Road vs: Titans, Packers, Dolphins, Vikings, Bills

There are easily 4 bolded games above where the Broncos should be expected to be underdogs. It may be easy to discount Cincy, Det, Ten, Mia, Min and Buf because while they have some studs (esp at RB), they could be in just as much disarray as Denver. And, at the moment each of those teams has questions at QB (who will be the starter, injuries, etc).

But, to suggest that you couldn't imagine a scenario where Denver wins fewer than 7... well, that's a bit odd. Sounds cheap, but I think 8-8 is a realistic target... with potentially 9 wins, but this team wasn't consistent enough in 2010 to expect more and we just don't know how the new coaching staff, rookies and FA's that have yet to be signed or lost will impact them.

The Broncos haven't been better than .500 at home since 2007...

Hey Milehigh, I was just wondering. How do you see fox playing the front 7 next year. It seems to me like a 4-3 is going to neutralize you best 2 rushers in Dumervil and your DT wannabe. Dumervil, much like Hali for us, has benefited tremendously from the move to a 3-4 LB. Do you think he will be as dominate as a 4-3 DE? I think in a 3-4 that your defense would be much more effective, as a 4-3 team, I think they may challenge the 2008 "Herm" Chiefs record for least sacks in a year.

[Mile High Mania]

Originally Posted by jjchieffan

Hey Milehigh, I was just wondering. How do you see fox playing the front 7 next year. It seems to me like a 4-3 is going to neutralize you best 2 rushers in Dumervil and your DT wannabe. Dumervil, much like Hali for us, has benefited tremendously from the move to a 3-4 LB. Do you think he will be as dominate as a 4-3 DE? I think in a 3-4 that your defense would be much more effective, as a 4-3 team, I think they may challenge the 2008 "Herm" Chiefs record for least sacks in a year.

Honestly, I have no idea ... which is why I'm just a loud fan and not a coach. I have to trust the fact that guys like Fox have been around the game long enough to know what they're doing. What may make sense or sound reasonable to us at times, often just doesn't turn out to be true.

Why would someone in their right mind deliberately put a system in place that limits their best existing players and then follow that up by drafting studs that will be hamstrung by the limitations of the scheme? I've read all the comments from the armchair coaches around here and ... well, I just have to trust in the fact that there's a reason some guys coach and others just comment. Not trying to be a wise ass to you, but when I read comments from people like Wendler or others... well, let's just say they have very limited experience in matters like these.

[BossChief]

Let me chime in with my armchair gm take.

I will always think that while DT was an absolutely dominant pass rusher, he could own the sack record if the Chiefs stayed in a 3-4 instead of changing to a 4-3 after iirc two years of DTs career.

DT had 20 sacks in a 3-4 (his second year in the league And last in a 3-4) and his top total in a 4-3 was like 14.

If Von Miller is supposed to be this years "next DT" then I think it will have been a mistake not to have hired a coach that specializes in the 3-4....one like, you know...Mike Nolan.

for pushing that guy out of town.

Another reason Superkid was the Chiefs favorite denver coach of all time.

[Bump]

too bad tanking this season to get luck wouldn't be a good idea, we actually have more pieces to the puzzle than normal.