BeyondUSports NFL Mock Draft 2012

There’s a variety of mock drafts out there already, but here’s how we at BeyondUSports see things shaking up come April when the NFL has it’s 2012 draft. The draft order is officially decided upon, so who will highlight the top 10 picks?

nfl.com

As you would presume, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III aka RG3 will be atop the board, but what about the rest?

1. Indianapolis Colts: Owner Jim Irsay has already declared publicly that he’ll take Andrew Luck with the first pick. While he’s also claimed he won’t trade Peyton Manning, anything is possible come draft day.  Luck should be in a Colts uniform for at least a decade.
2. St. Louis Ram: They’re in desperate need of an offensive tackle since Jason Smith was a huge bust.  Enter Matt Kalil from USC who didn’t allow a single sack all season.
3. Minnesota Vikings: Sure, Justin Blackmon is a tempting pick here to pair up with Percy Harvin, but they’ll take Morris Claiborne out of LSU.  He’s a rare CB that ranks in the top 5 who is capable of anchoring an NFL secondary.
4. Cleveland Browns: Goodbye Colt McCoy, hello RG3 from Baylor. Enough said.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They need help in the secondary badly and since Claiborne will be gone, they’ll have to opt for Dre Kirkpatrick out of Alabama.  He’s the second best CB in the draft and the Bucs would be fools to let him slip.
6. Washington Redskins: Even though they don’t know who will be starting under center, that guy will have a new favorite target in Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State. If you’ve followed us all season, I don’t need to say much more about the standout WR.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Which WR to take? The answer is South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery.  Michael Floyd is tempting, but Jeffery is a more dominant, speedy receiver with better hands. He had a disappointing season due to the QB circus, but he’ll quickly become Blaine Gabbert’s new favorite toy.
8. Carolina Panthers: The more protection for Cam Newton, the happier Panthers fans will be.  This pick is a total toss up and while analysts like Penn State’s DL Devon Still here, we’re going with Stanford OL David DeCastro.  His protection of Andrew Luck this past year was key to the season the Cardinal QB had.
9. Miami Dolphins: They need to continue beefing up their defense and it’s hard to pass up on ‘Bama OLB Courtney Upshaw here.  Upshaw improves their LB core with the versatility to be a pass rusher and a reliable player in pass coverage.
10. Buffalo Bills: At this point, I don’t see Penn State’s Devon Still slipping any further.  While the Bills need pass protection, Still will help anchor the middle of that D Line in a big way that will pay big dividends.

And finally, I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t mock who my team, the New York Jets will be taking at No.15.  That man, so long as he survives his casino episode in New Orleans (that’s a must see photo), will be Alabama RB Trent Richardson.  Goodbye LT and Shonn Greene, hello Trent!

Raju Kansagra
Raju is a former Wall St. trader turned renaissance man living and working in the New York City area. He graduated from Boston College with degrees in Finance and Philosophy. Born and raised in NJ, he's traveled the globe. He's an ambitious entrepreneur who has worked with some of the brightest minds in business, IT, medicine, real estate, hospitality, law, finance, and most importantly college sports.