Mock Draft picks 21-32

It is now time to finish up my mock draft for this 2012 offseason. In the previous posts I have outlined the first 20 picks and today I finish things up. Only twelve picks left to announce so let’s get to it.

21 – Cincinnati Bengals – Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina – The Bengals have already addressed one need taking Peter Konz five picks ago and now they can address another position of need and land another top prospect. What was once a position of strength has turned into a major weakness. Top corner Leon Hall will miss all of next season with a ruptured achilles and even after signing Jason Allen and Pacman Jones the CB spot definitely needs help. Gilmore is a highly athletic corner with a lot of potential without the baggage that Janoris Jenkins has. The Bengals have to be happy with being able to address two huge needs in the 1^st round of the draft.

22 – Cleveland Browns – Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M – I honestly don’t think Tannehill will fall this far, but he should. Tannehill will immediately challenge Colt McCoy for the starting spot and give the Browns some much needed hope. With the addition of Trent Richardson earlier they can rely on him more than Tannehill. If this were to happen the Browns would be pinching themselves thinking it was a dream!

23 – Detroit Lions – Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama – The Lions really need a CB and they get an incredibly talented one in Jenkins. Jenkins comes with a lot of off the field problems, but his talent is just too much to ignore at this point. He will immediately upgrade the loss of Eric Wright and give the Lions a potential shut down corner.

24 – Pittsburgh Steelers – Dontari Poe DL Memphis – The Steelers are in utter shock that Poe has fallen so drastically. They don’t waste any time getting to the podium to announce this pick. Poe has everything you look for in a NT and the Steelers are in need of one with Casey Hampton nearing the end of his career. This is about the spot Poe needs to go. As I said earlier he has all the measurables, but no production. The Steelers would be the prime location and they can sit him and allow him to develop correctly rather than thrusting him into the lineup immediately.

25 – Denver Broncos – Michael Brockers DT LSU – Surprisingly the Broncos have quite a few needs, however the addition of Peyton Manning hides a lot of them. They can focus on their defense and they really need some defensive tackles and the prospect with maybe the most potential is waiting to hear his name called. Brockers instantly fills a huge void in the middle of that defensive line.

26 – Houston Texans – Dont’a Hightower ILB Alabama – I originally had WR Stephen Hill here, but after thinking about it a bit more I decided to change it. The Texans traded away stud LB DeMeco Ryans leaving a void in the middle of their D. Right now they only have Brian Cushing and Darryl Sharpton as ILB’s. Cushing is a clear cut starter, but Sharpton is still an unknown coming out of Miami. Hightower is superiorly talented to Sharpton and much better suited for the SILB spot. Plug him in to replace Ryans and the defense doesn’t take a step back.

27 – New England Patriots – Andre Branch OLB/DE Clemson – The Patriots really need to add to their pass rush. They lost Mark Anderson and Andre Carter is injured and getting older. Branch has the athletic ability and the pass rush ability that the Patriots look for. Adding a young prospect to this defense is just what the doctor ordered.

28 – Green Bay Packers – Nick Perry OLB/DE USC – While Perry projects better as a pass rushing defensive end he does have plenty of athletic ability to move to the outside linebacker position. The Packers need another pass rusher opposite of Clay Mathews and Perry can certainly get that job done.

29 – Baltimore Ravens – Mike Adams OT Ohio St – The Ravens could look to add another WR to give Flacco some more help however they also have to keep him upright in order for him to throw the ball. Bryant McKinnie was their starting LT last year if that tells you anything. Adding Adams gives the Ravens a potential long term solution at the position. Although Adams is raw, he has a lot of potential.

30 – San Fransisco 49ers – Coby Fleener TE Stanford – While TE isn’t much of a need with Vernon Davis adding a threat like Fleener can’t hurt. Look at what the Patriots have done with their two tight ends and this is a copycat league. Adding Fleener gives Alex Smith another weapon which never hurts. The 49ers need to address the right side of their OL, but they can afford to wait with as deep of class as guards as it is.

31 – New England Patriots – Kendall Reyes DE UConn – The Patriots need another defensive end that can also move inside to defensive tackle when they go to their 4-3 look. Reyes is an intriguing prospect for the fact that he is flying under the radar and is seldom heard about. Reyes as everything you look for in 3-4 defensive end and the Patriots are happy to add him to their defense.

32 – New York Giants – Doug Martin RB Boise St – The Giants released Brandon Jacobs earlier this offseason and only have Ahmed Bradshaw as a legitimate running threat heading into next season. Bradshaw is injury prone and has issues holding onto the ball so giving him some competition as well as someone to share the load is a good idea. Martin is one of my favorite players in the draft and I think he will be an outstanding back in the NFL.

That concludes my version of the 2012 NFL mock draft. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did putting it together. 

-J