NFL Draft 2012: Mock Draft – Highlander Edition
By Jason Peters
My mock drafts are like Higlander: There can only be one, and it will be of marginal quality at best. My goal was to be the last person on the internet to post a mock, and I feel I’ve come rather close. Things didn’t exactly shake down for the Titans like I hoped they would. My beloved players in the draft (Barron, DeCastro, and Floyd) were all gone by pick 20. Anyhoo, on to the mock!
1. Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck
QB, Stanford
-Already announced. One for one.
2. Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III
QB, Baylor
-Ditto. Two for two. Killing this thing.
3. Minnesota Vikings
Matt Kalil
OT, Southern California
-After reaching for Ponder last year, the front office invests in keeping him upright.
4. Cleveland Browns
Trent Richardson
RB, Alabama
-The first and last RB to go in the first round.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Morris Claiborne
CB, LSU
-Tampa Bay puts the Aquib Talib era further behind them by drafting a corner in the first round that is deserving of it.
6. St. Louis Rams
Fletcher Cox
DE, Mississippi St.
-Fisher has never been one for first round receivers, Britt notwithstanding. He continues in his efforts to make the Rams look like the Titans of old. Don’t be surprised if a trade happens.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
Stephon Gilmore
CB, South Carolina
-Mathis is on his last legs. The front office recognizes this and drafts another corner who can start for ten years.
8. Miami Dolphins
Ryan Tannenhill
QB, Texas A&M
-The reach of the draft. If they do indeed make this pick, Ireland seals his label as worst GM in the league.
Michael Brockers
DT, LSU
-With Charles Johnson prepared to rack up sacks, the Panthers get a player to defend against the run.
10. Buffalo Bills
Reilly Reiff
OT, Iowa
-While there are varying opinions as to his abilities, Buffalo has no choice but to get someone to protect their recently anointed $60 million dollar man.
11. Kansas City Chiefs
Luke Keuchly
LB, Boston College
-This guy has been shooting up the ranks recently. KC pulls the trigger and gets the highest rated linebacker on the board.
12. Seattle Seahawks
Quentin Coples
DE, North Carolina
-Seattle nabs arguably the best defensive end in the draft. It remains to be seen whether Carroll’s loose coaching style nets production out of him.
13. Arizona Cardinals
Justin Blackmon
WR, Oklahoma St.
-Blackmon tumbles out of the top ten. Cardinals remember when they had a #2 receiver who wasn’t that fast named Boldin. Cards get a great value here.
14. Dallas Cowboys
Mark Barron
S, Alabama
-Jerry Jones strikes a dagger through my heart and takes a player that, if he can remain healthy, will bolster this defense immediately.
15. Philadelphia Eagles
Melvin Ingram
DE/OLB, South Carolina
-Ingram’s stock drops a bit and the Eagles swoop in and get a versatile player to fit in to whatever Castillo decides to do on defense this year.
16. New York Jets
David DeCastro
OG, Stanford
-My immense hatred of the Jets continues as they pick arguably my favorite player in the draft.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)
Dre Kirkpatrick
CB, Alabama
-The Bengals are desperate for help at cornerback. This pick just makes sense.
18. San Diego Chargers
Michael Floyd
WR, Notre Dame
-Out goes Jackson, in comes Floyd. The last of my favorite players is stolen a mere two picks before us. *sigh*
19. Chicago Bears
Jonathan Martin
OT, Stanford
– The run on Stanford offensive line continues as the Bears try to prevent Cutler from ending up on his back every third pass play.
20. Tennessee Titans
Whitney Mercilus
DE, Illinois
-The Titans see flashes of athleticism reminiscent of JPP. Bemoaning their loss three years ago, the Titans give the go ahead on Mercilus. Not my favorite, but such is how it shook out.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
Courtney Upshaw
OLB/DE, Alabama
-With so many needs, the Bengals go BPA and improve a defense tremendously with their two first round picks.
22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)
Amini Silatolu
OG, Midwestern St.
-After drafting Richardson early on, the team gets Silatolu to form an incredible left side tandem alongside Joe Thomas.
23. Detroit Lions
Cordy Glenn
OG, Georgia
-With Stafford’s penchant for injury, FO gets him some added protection.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
Dont’a Hightower
ILB, Alabama
-The Steelers love themselves some linebacker. Hightower fills the void left by Farrior, upgrading the unit in the process.
25. Denver Broncos
Devon Still
DT, Penn St.
-With Peyton Manning being the answer for all offensive related problems in Elway’s eyes, the team looks to bolster their front line.
26. Houston Texans
Dontari Poe
DT, Memphis
-The Texans find a replacement for Shaun Cody. It remains to be seen whether they get production out of him.
27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans)
Shea McClellin
LB, Boise St.
-The Patriots look to improve a unit that has been a weakness for some time.
28. Green Bay Packers
Mike Adams
OT, Ohio St.
-With Bulaga holding it down on the right side, Green Bay hopes to find their answer to the left side in Adams.
29. Baltimore Ravens
Kendall Wright
WR, Baylor
– Wright suffers the biggest fall of the draft, as the Ravens save him from slipping into the second. FO tries to help “the best QB in the league” play as if he actually was.
30. San Francisco 49ers
Stephen Hill
WR, Georgia Tech
-Crabtree hasn’t exactly worked out, so the Niners get an insurance policy, and a fine player in his own right that has been climbing the boards.
31. New England Patriots
Jerel Worthy
DT, Michigan St.
-New England gets a talent that can learn under Wilfork, as well as help out at the #2 DT spot. May be groomed to replace Wilfork in time.
32. New York Giants
Coby Fleener
TE, Stanford
-Giants hop on the Stanford wagon in hopes to find a true replacement for Shockey.
Enjoy the draft tonight, boyos! Less than six hours to go. The whole Titan Sized staff will be live tweeting tonight, so make sure to speak your mind out there in Twitter-verse. Also, in case you’re not following any of the staff, make sure to take care of that. Twitter handles for all Titan Sized Staff are as follows:
Justin Stewart: @JustinLStewart and @Titan_Sized
Jason Peters: @TitanSizedJason
Chase Maher: @CM_titansized
Shawn Eagle: @RS1Eagle
Alberto Gonzalez: @ags_09
Philip Lytle: @philliplytle
Matias Wodner: @mati15
Russell Griffin: @rusty_griff
Talk to you guys tonight!
Follow me on Twitter @TitanSizedJason and e-mail at TitanSizedJason@yahoo.com
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