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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

packattack 04-10-2012 08:43 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.191 (total posts: 1)

How many idiots read this website? It seems rather obvious to those of normal intelligence that these are ideal drafts thus there may be an "ideal player" listed for several teams. Nevertheless, I love the players choosen by Green Bay and hope that reality is similar to the ideal.

CG 04-10-2012 08:05 pm xxx.xxx.xxx2.36 (total posts: 1)

You have Marvin McNutt going to both the Vikes & Rams in Rd #4

Dexxter 04-10-2012 06:33 pm xxx.xxx.xxx2.24 (total posts: 1)

Could Tannehill realistically end up with the 49ers?

After the Dolphins I count only 4 teams that might consider a QB. Bills, Chiefs, Seahawks and Cards. Even though none of these teams have locked in solid franchise QBs, they're paying a lot of money to someone... so likely won't go for a 1st round QB either.

If he makes it past the Cards at 13 it's going to be a free fall.

James 04-10-2012 05:36 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.208 (total posts: 1)

Ideal Jags Draft

1 - (trade w/ KC) Fletcher Cox DE/DT
2 - Mohamed Sanu WR
3 - Nick Toon WR
4 - Casey Heyward CB

Boltman(lol) 04-10-2012 04:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.178 (total posts: 1)

SD doesn't need a RB in 2nd round

1st, Mercilus (or Upshaw)
2nd, Zietler (or BPA O-Line)
3rd, LaMichael James (or go with Hillman later)
4th, Secondary

Ryan 04-10-2012 04:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.193 (total posts: 1)

Michael Floyd is playing for 3 different teams. And Jayron Hosley is not drafted in the first four rounds???

dave 04-10-2012 04:23 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.116 (total posts: 2)

oh and funk its because thats michael floyd's pick radius so it would be unrealistic for any lower drafting teams to hope for him...

Cincinnati Bengals 2014 NFL CHAMPIONS Browns 2016 04-10-2012 04:23 pm xxx.xxx.xxx6.83 (total posts: 2)

Stephen Hill is playing for both Houston and San Fransico.

Stephon Gilmore is playing for both Detroit and Green bay.

Mike Adams is playing for both the Brows and Rams.

So, evidently there's 3 clones...

dave 04-10-2012 04:22 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.116 (total posts: 2)

you guys are stupid its an ideal mock so the rams and browns would both hope to land mike adams (obviously only one will get it)

Funk 04-10-2012 04:20 pm xxx.xxx.xxx5.10 (total posts: 3)

Exactly how many are you expecting to draft Michael Floyd? And if players off the Board can still be "Ideal", then why wouldn't those 3 teams all have Blackmon as their "Ideal" WR and Floyd 2nd? Silly mistake...Like I have said, I suspect Walter has a GF and is going "Romo" on us.

Cincinnati Bengals 2014 NFL CHAMPIONS Browns 2016 04-10-2012 04:19 pm xxx.xxx.xxx6.83 (total posts: 2)

I actually kind of like both Bengal's and Browns picks, but for the Bengal's I'd rather have Doug Martin for David Wilson and Stephon Gilmore for Dre Kirkpatrick, else wise el perfecto.

Michael Scarn 04-10-2012 04:15 pm xxx.xxx.xxx9.67 (total posts: 1)

Mike Adams is going to be a busy man playing for both the Rams and Browns.

Neil 04-10-2012 04:03 pm xxx.xxx.xxx8.96 (total posts: 1)

So Mike Adams is going to both the Browns and the Rams??

Matt 04-10-2012 04:00 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.157 (total posts: 1)

So nobody is going to target Tannehill first 4 rounds??? I have difficulty buying that!

andres 04-10-2012 03:44 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.197 (total posts: 1)

The bengals wont trade for wallace he wants too much money

Pages: 1 2 34 5

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Other 2014 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (5/20)
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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