Ourlads' 2025 NFL Mock Draft Challenge

Misfit74 | Misfit74's Tuesday Mock 4/24/2012

Updated: 04/24/2012 3:05PM ET

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School
Round 1
1	Colts	Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford
2	Commanders F/STL	Robert Griffin III	QB	Baylor
3	Vikings	Morris Claiborne	DC	LSU
Vikings decide that an elite CB is a bigger need than OT and harder to fill in a division with such prolific passing attacks as the Packers, Lions, and Bears.
4	Browns	Trent Richardson	RB	Alabama
The Browns don't get too cute here: add possibly the best player in the draft, a generational-type running back to anchor what in 2010 was a pathetic offense with nothing at the positions until now.
5	Buccaneers	Stephon Gilmore	DC	South Carolina
Aquib Talib is in deep Kimchi after (allegedly) shooting at someone with a gun and getting caught and Ronde Barber is like 45 years old.
6	Rams	Matt Kalil	OT	Southern Cal
I guess the Rams knew what they were doing when they traded down. They fill arguably their biggest need with the best offensive tackle in the draft by far.
7	Jaguars	Justin Blackmon	WR	Oklahoma State
Contrary to popular belief, the Jaguars do the right thing by giving young, raw Blaine Gabbert a viable weapon at WR to grow with him and immediately enter the starting lineup from day one opposite journeyman Laurent Robinson.
8	Dolphins	Ryan Tannehill	QB	Texas A&M
Little doubt in my mind that the Dolphins need a franchise QB. They almost have to gamble on Tannehill here as he is the best prospect at the position left and they don't want to be left holding the bag with a Weeden or Osweiler like they did with Chad Henne in another 2nd-round QB flop scenario with a previous regime.
9	Panthers	Fletcher Cox	DT	Mississippi State
Carolina shores up arguably its biggest need with the best DT in the draft. Smiles in Panthers-land.
10	Bills	Michael Floyd	WR	Notre Dame
Bills finally add their first legitimate #1 WR since Eric Moulds, allowing Stevie Johnson to shine in a more suitable #2 WR role. The Bills whiffed on a number of FA WRs, so this makes a ton of sense. You need offense to compete with New England in your division and they already loaded up on defense in free agency with Mario Williams and Mark Anderson as well as building defensive talent through past drafts.
11	Chiefs	David DeCastro	OG	Stanford
KC rightfully replaces what they lost when Brian Waters got old and eventually left to play for New England. KC has the makings of a very good line with the addition of the best interior lineman in this draft.
12	Seahawks	Melvin Ingram	DE	South Carolina
Ingram addresses the need for additional pass-rush and is the highest-rated pass-rusher in this draft by many (myself not included) and may be too hard to pass up because he can play SLB, DE, and help out in the Leo spot with his one-man pressure package. Too bad Floyd didn't fall and Upshaw isn't on the radar this early. Someone like Mercilus could also be an outside possibility.
13	Cardinals	Riley Reiff	OT	Iowa
Arizona has neglected their offensive line for many years in terms of the offensive tackle position. Finally, they solve the RT spot here with Reiff.
14	Cowboys	Dre Kirkpatrick	DC	Alabama
Big, fast corners are the trend and Dallas has a dearth of players at the position.
15	Eagles	Mark Barron	SS	Alabama
The Eagles are set at CB already, as we well know, but Safety was a major question mark in recent seasons since Brian Dawkins left. Enter Mark Barron who can start immediately and also help with the more pass-oriented defensive packages. Mainly, he'll help pound the running games in a division with some solid run-offenses featuring players like LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray, and Ahmad Bradshaw (OK, Bradshaw sucks, but you get the idea).
16	Jets	Rueben Randle	WR	LSU
First real surprise pick goes to the Jets, who defy logic by making a quality, logical pick in very underrated stud WR Rueben Randle. Randle can start outside the hashes immediately opposite Santonio Holmes and provide a much needed weapon at all levels of the field for what has been an anemic offense throughout the Sanchez era.
17	Bengals F/OAK	Doug Martin	RB	Boise State
Cincy adds a new feature-back who can pound better than any back they've had in recent years. They have their own version of Ray Rice now in a division that requires tough, versatile, hard-nosed runners. Martin has everything Benson or BGE could ever hope to have an much more.
18	Chargers	Courtney Upshaw	OB	Alabama
Upshaw adds to the outside pass-rush for the Chargers who like a power-player of this type to stone the run and add a few slivers of pass-rush, too.
19	Bears	Whitney Mercilus	DE	Illinois
Future stud DE in training with Julius Peppers at the other bookend.
20	Titans	Vinny Curry	DE	Marshall
The Titans find a physical bookend for former first-round pick Derrick Morgan on the defensive line.
21	Bengals	Kendall Wright	WR	Baylor
Explosive offensive play-maker at WR added to pair with last year's pick of Greg Little and the earlier selection of Trent Richardson to bolster an offense held back by the noodle-armed Colt McCoy. Wright would be a fine compliment for the WCO and McCoy's skill-set.
22	Browns F/ATL	Nick Perry	DE	Southern Cal
Pass-rushing DE to pair with last year's pick of Jabaal Sheard.
23	Lions	Janoris Jenkins	DC	North Alabama
Clearly the Lions don't care a ton about character - at least not enough to add arguably the best cover corner in the draft who only falls this far due to a bevy of pot-related off-the-field incidents. He'll fit right in here.
24	Steelers	Dont'a Hightower	IB	Alabama
Inside 34 ILB pounder to upgrade the departed James Farrior.
25	Broncos	Michael Brockers	DT	LSU
Behemoth defensive tackle needed to solidify the inside of the Broncos front 4 with significant upside.
26	Texans	Dontari Poe	NT	Memphis
Poe can play the 5-tech and maybe even a Ratliff-type nose tackle in Wade Phillips' 34 defense. Big upside and versatility with the athletic marvel Poe - if it can be harnessed.
27	Patriots F/NO	Stephen Hill	WR	Georgia Tech
Deep threat to take the top off of the defense a la what Randy Moss used to do and open the underneath stuff for Welker, Gronkowski, and Hernandez.
28	Packers	Shea McClellin	DE	Boise State
Complimentary bookend to Clay Matthews at outside linebacker. Can lightening strike twice?
29	Ravens	Quinton Coples	DE	North Carolina
The rich get richer here with the addition of Coples to play on the same line as Suggs, Ngata, and Cody. A good fit here because of the solid core of defensive leaders already established Baltimore.
30	49ers	Cordy Glenn	OG	Georgia
Glenn adds a mauling guard/tackle type who can help fill holes on the offensive line for SF's run-first offense.
31	Patriots	Luke Kuechly	IB	Boston College
Brandon Spikes as a lot of limitations and Mayo isn't fit for MLB. The addition of Kuechly allows Mayo to move back outside and Spikes can be used more efficiently as a situational run-stuffer.
32	Giants	David Wilson	RB	Virginia Tech
Arguably the #2 RB in this draft, depending on who you ask. The Giants have needed a pick like this for awhile, in my view. Bradshaw has bad feet and is declining, as we saw last season and Brandon Jacobs is now with San Francisco.