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2012 NFL Draft Goals

Posted April 10, 2012.
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What does every team need to accomplish in the 2012 NFL Draft? We'll look at each team's goals on this page, as well as possible selections for each squad. Also see how the goals are being addressed in the 2012 NFL Mock Draft (will be updated tomorrow).

Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning is gone, so the Colts are starting over. Andrew Luck will obviously be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, so Indianapolis needs to build around him. Early selections should be spent on a receiver, a tight end and an offensive lineman. The Colts also need 3-4 personnel because they are moving to that scheme. They've addressed some of those areas in free agency (though a nose tackle is still needed), so their efforts must be spent on constructing a strong supporting cast to help Luck become the perennial Pro Bowler everyone expects him to be.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Andrew Luck, QB
2. Coby Fleener, TE
3. Alameda Ta'amu, NT
4. Juron Criner, WR

Washington Redskins
The Redskins are in the same position as the Colts, only with a better defense and running game. Robert Griffin will the choice at No. 2, so Washington needs to provide him with a target and protection. The Redskins have the personnel to contend for a playoff spot with quality quarterbacking, so they must do everything in their power to make Griffin's transition to the NFL as smooth as possible. The secondary must also be addressed.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Robert Griffin, QB
3. Casey Hayward, CB
4. Tommy Streeter, WR
4. Nate Potter, OT

Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has so many needs, but the front office has to prioritize acquiring support for Christian Ponder. The No. 12 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft has absolutely nothing to work with outside of Percy Harvin, an injured Adrian Peterson and a raw Kyle Rudolph. The offensive line is in shambles, and it must be addressed immediately. The secondary is also a mess.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Matt Kalil, OT
2. Harrison Smith, SS
3. Brandon Boykin, CB
4. Marvin McNutt, WR
4. Jaye Howard, DT
4. Shaun Prater, CB

Cleveland Browns
No one wants to play for the Browns, per certain reports. Whether you believe them or not, there's no denying that this Cleveland team doesn't appear as though it's going anywhere. There's no franchise quarterback, while the offense as a whole lacks play-makers. The 2012 NFL Draft will be all about bolstering the scoring unit.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Trent Richardson, RB
1. Kendall Wright, WR
2. Mike Adams, OT
3. Brock Osweiler, QB
4. Chase Minnifield, CB
4. Travis Lewis, OLB

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raheem Morris said it before he was fired - the offense lacks play-makers. Josh Freeman really struggled in 2012 for various reasons, one of which was a miserable supporting cast. Vincent Jackson was added in free agency, but he's not enough. The back seven of the defense also needs to be fixed.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Morris Claiborne, CB
2. Doug Martin, RB
3. Tank Carder, LB

St. Louis Rams
The Rams are in the same exact position as the Vikings: They have tons of holes and a young quarterback with a terrible supporting cast. Jeff Fisher must help Sam Bradford to prevent the Oklahoma product from becoming the next David Carr. I've seen some mocks project Fletcher Cox to St. Louis at No. 6 overall, but selecting a defensive tackle over Justin Blackmon would be disastrous.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Justin Blackmon, WR
2. Mike Adams, OT
2. Kendall Reyes, DT
3. LaMichael James, RB
4. Marvin McNutt, WR

Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville has a playoff-caliber defense and running game. It's just too bad that its quarterback situation is so miserable. If Blaine Gabbert continues to struggle, Gene Smith will be fired because he traded up for him last April. The smart move would have been to admit the mistake and attempt to move up for Robert Griffin, but that ship has sailed. Thus, Smith's only move is to give Gabbert the best supporting cast possible.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Michael Floyd, WR
2. Kevin Zeitler, G
3. Cam Johnson, DE
4. Joe Adams, WR

Miami Dolphins
Just like no one wants to play for the Browns, NFL players are avoiding the Dolphins. The owner is not a football guy, while the general manager asks prospects if their mother is a whore. This Miami franchise is in complete disarray and needs help everywhere, particularly on offense. Improving the pass rush is also a must.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Michael Floyd, WR
2. Vinny Curry, DE/OLB
3. Marvin Jones, WR
3. James Brown, OT
4. Ryan Lindley, TE

Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have their franchise quarterback in place. Now, they have to build around him and improve their defense. Upgrades can be acquired at almost every position on the stop unit.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Michael Floyd, WR
2. Kendall Reyes, DT
4. Josh Norman, CB

Buffalo Bills
Buffalo spent a ton of money this offseason revamping the defensive line. It also gave lots of cash to Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 2011 campaign. Upgrading Fitzpatrick's supporting cast is crucial at this point, especially considering that his left tackle recently signed with the Eagles. The cornerback position must also be addressed.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Riley Reiff, OT
2. Josh Robinson, CB
3. Marvin McNutt, WR
4. Ryan Lindley, QB
4. T.Y. Hilton, WR

Kansas City Chiefs
Excluding the obvious hole at quarterback, the Chiefs have two positions of weakness: interior offensive line and nose tackle. Luckily for them, they may have a choice between David DeCastro and Dontari Poe at No. 11. There are also second-round prospects at those positions (Kevin Zeitler, Alameda Ta'amu) who could be available.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. David DeCastro, G
2. Alameda Ta'amu, NT
3. Dwight Bentley, CB
4. Josh Kaddu, DE/OLB

Seattle Seahawks
Seattle filled its need at quarterback by signing Matt Flynn, so the front office can now concentrate on upgrading the front seven. The pass rush is lacking, while the linebacking corps is in shambles. Like the Chiefs, the Seahawks can upgrade both areas in the first two rounds because there will be prospects at those positions available at both selections.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Luke Kuechly, ILB
2. Vinny Curry, DE
3. Chris Polk, RB
4. Tony Bergstrom, OT-G

Arizona Cardinals
Upgrading the quarterback position is out of the question because the Cardinals just paid Kevin Kolb's $7 million option bonus. They'll have to bolster his offensive line and receiving corps instead. A pass-rusher is also needed across from Sam Acho.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. David DeCastro, G
3. Jeff Allen, OT
4. Josh Kaddu, DE/OLB

Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones said that he's done upgrading the offense after signing Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau. The thing is, neither Livings nor Bernadeau is a legitimate starter in the NFL, so maybe Jones will still select David DeCastro if he's available at No. 14. I don't see him being there anyway, so Dallas will likely focus on improving its porous defense.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Dontari Poe, NT
2. Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB
3. Jamell Fleming, CB
4. Philip Blake, C

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles don't really have many needs, so they can afford to take the best player available at almost every pick. Areas that still need to be upgraded are strongside linebacker, strong safety and cornerback depth. A big receiver and a successor for the current starting quarterback should also be considered.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Fletcher Cox, DT
2. Bobby Wagner, OLB
2. Juron Criner, WR
3. Brock Osweiler, QB
4. Ryan Steed, CB

New York Jets
The Jets have lackluster play-makers on offense and a declining defense featuring very few players who can get to the quarterback consistently. Rex Ryan can only pray that Michael Floyd falls to him so he can obtain a No. 1 receiver for Tim Tebow, but he'll likely have to spend his first few selections on upgrades for his stop unit.

Ideal 2012 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
1. Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB
2. Harrison Smith, SS
3. Marvin Jones, WR

Go to 2012 NFL Draft Goals: Picks 17-32

Sorry for cutting this into two halves; I've received complaints about load times and putting the mock draft on two pages saves bandwidth.

2012 NFL Mock Draft

2013 NFL Mock Draft

TheLeonardLeap 04-16-2012 08:14 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.108 (total posts: 1)

149

You REALLY need to get off of this Mike Wallace to the Bengals for the 21st pick thing. The guy wants Fitzgerald money..

So say we DO pay him the $15 Million a year he wants ($5-6 Million more than he's worth).. when it comes time for AJ Green to get a new contract after 2 or 3 more seasons, when the Bengals are allowed to under the new CBA. You think AJ Green will be okay getting paid less than Mike Wallace, who'd be his #2, and he clearly less talented than? No, then the Bengals would have to pay AJ Green $17-18 Million a year, and Mike Wallace $15 Million a year. That is RIDICULOUS to have $32 Million a year invested in WRs.

Get off of it and give the Bengals a REAL draft pick already.

Pats to the super bowl 04-13-2012 05:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.131 (total posts: 1)

I love the patriots mock draft

Jordan 04-12-2012 04:22 pm xxx.xxx.xxx0.70 (total posts: 1)

Juron Criner to the Eagles in the 2nd, but to the Colts in the 4th. LOL Walt.

Shaun 04-12-2012 09:04 am xxx.xxx.xxx.123 (total posts: 1)

Would love that draft for the Giants, except now that Rivers is on board give us Givens in the Third and then Donnie Fletcher in the fourth. BTW, I am so happy you didn't give the Giants DLine

Funk 04-11-2012 03:39 pm xxx.xxx.xxx5.10 (total posts: 3)

105

I appreciate this must have taken plenty of time, but the names on each list should be IDEAL taking into consideration the likelihood that the person would even be there available. This is each team's DREAM DRAFT so that is obviously where the confusion comes in because it is still formatted in Draft order.

Joe/Packattack 04-11-2012 03:34 pm xxx.xxx.xxx5.10 (total posts: 3)

1170

Taht is exactly why this method of "Ideal Draft" doesn't work...Why wouldn't every team then include Kalil/Blackmon/Richardson/DeCastro? Why doesn't MIA have Luck or RG3 first on their list? Yes, I know they have no chance of being there so it is the extreme example, but that is why this idea DOESN'T WORK.

Jamison 04-11-2012 01:23 am xxx.xxx.xxx0.70 (total posts: 1)

Ravens have no glaring need?
what about the guard position, we have nobody to take over from Grubbs. i have already explained on the mock that i hate the boynkin pick in the second round and we need a receiver to play the third spot and ultimately take over for Boldin or the 2nd WR spot
we dont need a DE at all, we have Arthur Jones (who is amazingly underrated) and parnell mcphee who had a great rookie campaign without actually starting a game
the ravens also need to draft a guard, even if we draft konz in round 1, because konz is going to be drafted ultimately to replace matt birk and we dont want to be stuck at guard again when konz is moved back to center

Pete 04-11-2012 12:30 am xxx.xxx.xxx.128 (total posts: 1)

You and Mike Wallace... Why would the Bengals hand a first-rounder over to a division opponent just for the RIGHT to pay a huge amount to a one-trick pony of a WR? Andy Dalton, who has a weak-ish arm, can't even utilize Wallace optimally. You keep harping on about that. But it won't, and shouldn't, happen.

Geoff 04-11-2012 12:11 am xxx.xxx.xxx.241 (total posts: 1)

Lol green bay's ideal approach is drafting the entire boise state defense???

Nelson's Swagg 04-11-2012 12:04 am xxx.xxx.xxx.172 (total posts: 1)

steelers getting gilmore or hightower

Cowboys 04-10-2012 10:44 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.132 (total posts: 1)

The cowboys have 2 fourth round picks...

dude 04-10-2012 10:09 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.116 (total posts: 1)

101

giants draft....
1)alson jeffrey 1a) Konz
2)lamar miller 2a)dwayne allen
3 brandon brooks 3a) tommy streeter
4) datko,ladarious green
4b)akhiem hicks, sean spence

Eagles 04-10-2012 10:05 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.110 (total posts: 1)

Eagles ideal draft would not look like that. Any prospect thats not in the top 6-7, can drop to the eagles. If M.Floyd is there hes the "ideal" pick.

1.WR M.Floyd
2.DT J. Worthy/B.Thompson
2.CB B.Boykin - Nickel/Slot CB
3.RB C. Polk -
4. ARK ST LB Demario Davis - SAM

Dave 04-10-2012 09:38 pm xxx.xxx.xxx9.33 (total posts: 1)

Mike Wallace has said that he wants a contract that surpasses the eight-year, $120 million deal that Larry Fitzgerald signed last year.The Bengals would not even consider signing Mike Wallace at this price (nor should they). You may want to change the selection for pick #21.

Joe 04-10-2012 08:49 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.185 (total posts: 1)

Guys, it's not a mock. More than one team can hope for a player in a best case scenario. Walt isn't saying player X is going to 4 different teams, he's saying that 4 different teams want to take player X in the second round.

Pages: 1 23 4 5

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 19

Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 16

2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 15

2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 3

NFL Picks - Feb. 3

NFL Draft Links:

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2012 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/26): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2012 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2012 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/26) /Pick History (4/23) /Emmitt Mock (4/19) /Not Mock (4/19) /Backward Mock (4/17) /Celebrity (4/15) /Goals (4/10) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock (4/1) /Free Agent Mock (3/6) /Greg Cox (9/9)
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2014 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 5/15): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2
Other 2014 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (5/16)
2008 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2007 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2006 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2005 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2004 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2003 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2002 NFL Draft Re-Mock

2012 NFL Draft Goals

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