FIRST ROUND
Pewter Report takes a look at the first 32 players off the 2012 NFL Draft board and finds help for franchise QB Josh Freeman.

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck QB/Stanford
Luck is one of the best quarterbacks to ever come out of college. He has all the tools needed to be a great NFL quarterback. This should be the pick unless something crazy happens before April. 

2. St. Louis Rams – Matt Kalil OT/USC
If the Rams can’t keep former first-round pick Sam Bradford upright and healthy, they could be picking in the same spot next year. Kalil is a technically sound tackle that will be hard to pass up on draft day.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Morris Claiborne CB/LSU
The Vikings could go in a few different directions with this pick, but it would be wise of them to shore up their secondary. Claiborne could start from Day One and become an instant impact player for the Vikings.

4. Cleveland Browns – Robert Griffin QB/Baylor
Griffin is a phenomenal athlete and has a huge arm. Colt McCoy doesn’t look to be the franchise signal-caller for the Browns, so Griffin would be a good pick for Cleveland. The Browns might consider trading this pick if they aren’t interested in him.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Justin Blackmon WR/Oklahoma State
The Buccaneers could take Blackmon to bolster their lackluster receiving corps. Tampa Bay could also select Alabama running back Trent Richardson with this pick. Another option in this scenario would be to trade down, but the Oklahoma State standout is a dominant number one receiver that could help get quarterback Josh Freeman back on track. Opposing defenses tried to shut down Blackmon all year by using double-teams, but he continued to produce despite the extra coverage. Blackmon is a game-changer that has wonderful leaping ability and body control to go along with impressive route-running and great hands. He would be a nice addition to the Tampa Bay passing game.

6. Washington Redskins – Ryan Tannehill QB/Texas A&M
The Redskins can’t go into next year with Rex Grossman and John Beck again. They need to find a quarterback later, and Tannehill would be a great fit in the Redskins offense. Mike Shanahan loves mobile quarterbacks.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jonathan Martin OT/Stanford
Jacksonville needs to help out Blaine Gabbert in any way they can. They need a receiver badly, but there are none that are worth the seventh overall selection in this mock. Drafting a tackle like Martin would take some of the heat off of Gabbert.
 
8. Miami Dolphins – Quinton Coples DE/North Carolina
Miami appears to be switching to a 4-3 base defense, which means they will need a pass rusher opposite Cameron Wake. The Dolphins could draft Coples to be their left end and Wake could be their right end. They would have a quality defensive line made up by Jared Odrick, Cameron Wake and Coples.

9. Carolina Panthers* - Dre Kirkpatrick CB/Alabama
The Panthers can’t rely on Cam Newton to score 30 points a game. They need to shore up their defense some more. Getting Jon Beason back will be huge for Carolina, and drafting a cornerback like Kirkpatrick would help out even more.

10. Buffalo Bills – Whitney Mercilus DE/Illinois
Buffalo still has no outside pass-rushers. The middle of its line is set with Marcel Dareus and Kyle Williams. The next step is to get an edge rusher. A defensive end like Mercilus could put up big numbers as a rookie. 

11. Kansas City Chiefs* - David DeCastro OG/Stanford
It will be very hard for the Chiefs to pass up on the big Stanford offensive lineman. DeCastro is one of the most dominant guards to enter the draft in a long time. He’s extremely athletic and is a bulldozer in the ground game. DeCastro has even been compared to All-Pro offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson.
 
12. Seattle Seahawks* - Devon Still DT/Penn State
The Seahawks upgraded their offensive line last year, and this year’s plan should be to shore up the defensive line. Still is a very strong defensive tackle that would take some of the pressure off of defensive end Chris Clemons.

13. Arizona Cardinals – Riley Reiff OT/Iowa
Arizona will be targeting offensive lineman early in the draft, and Reiff would be good value for the Cardinals at this selection. Reiff was a very solid left tackle for Iowa, and he could make the switch to right tackle if need be.

14. Dallas Cowboys – Janoris Jenkins CB/North Alabama
It is uncertain if Mike Jenkins will be ready for the start of the season due to injury, so the Cowboys will be looking to upgrade their secondary. Janoris Jenkins had a good Senior Bowl week, where he showed great natural coverage ability and quickness. Jenkins would be a good fit in Dallas’ defense.

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuechly LB/Boston College
Philadelphia desperately needs linebackers. If the draft plays out like this, they would be able to select the top-rated inside linebacker from Boston College. Kuechly is a tackling machine and would greatly help the Eagles defense.

16. New York Jets – Courtney Upshaw LB/Alabama
The Jets could take a receiver here, but in the end it will be too hard for Rex Ryan and the Jets to pass up on a linebacker like Upshaw.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (f/OAK) – Trent Richardson RB/Alabama
Cedric Benson is a free agent this offseason, and it seems unlikely that the Bengals will re-sign him. Richardson is fantastic value at this selection.

18. San Diego Chargers – Nick Perry LB/USC
Perry is somewhat raw, but would fill a big need for the Chargers. Larry English was a failure and they don’t have a legitimate option opposite of Shaun Phillips. 

19. Chicago Bears – Michael Floyd WR/Notre Dame
The Bears need to get some receivers for Jay Cutler. Michael Floyd is a big-time wide receiver. He is an extremely talented receiver that runs good routes, possesses soft hands, and is a good blocker in the run game. He makes plays all over the field, and would be a great target for Jay Cutler.

20. Tennessee Titans – Peter Konz OC/Wisconsin
The Titans offensive line hasn’t been the same since Kevin Mawae retired two years ago. Normally, centers do not warrant top-20 grades, but Konz is an exception. The Wisconsin junior is a dominant center that would be a great run blocker for Chris Johnson.
 
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Mark Barron S/Alabama
The Bengals need some help in the secondary, as Reggie Nelson will be a free agent this offseason. Barron is by far the best safety in this draft class. He’s a big-hitter that is also good in coverage. Barron played in an NFL-style defense at Alabama which will also help his cause.

22. Cleveland Browns (f/ATL) – Alshon Jeffery WR/South Carolina
Jeffery could fall a little bit on draft day. The South Carolina receiver was underused during his junior campaign and didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but he’s a big-play receiver that can stretch the field. The Browns would be happy to land a big receiver for RGIII to throw to.

23. Detroit Lions – Zach Brown LB/North Carolina
Detroit’s defense needs playmakers. Unfortunately, there are no defensive backs worth this selection, so the Lions take the extremely athletic Brown with this selection. The Lions haven’t been afraid to take the best player available in the past few years.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordy Glenn OT/Georgia
Glenn is a crushing run blocker that can play both the tackle position or guard position. The Steelers were exposed by opposing edge rushers this year, so they will need to shore up the offensive front if they want to continue their recent success.

25. Denver Broncos – Michael Brockers DT/LSU
Last year, the Broncos decided to take Von Miller instead of Marcel Dareus. Miller had a stellar season and now it’s time for Denver to strengthen the middle of its defensive line. Brockers was a big part of LSU’s defensive success last season. He is an ideal 4-3 defensive tackle that can stop the run and rush the passer.

26. Houston Texans – Kendall Wright WR/Baylor
Houston has needed a receiver to line up across from Andre Johnson for quite some time now. Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter are not the long-term answers. The Texans offense would be stacked if the team were to draft Wright. Imagine having to game plan for Arian Foster, Johnson and Wright.

27. New England Patriots (f/NO) – Melvin Ingram DE/LB/South Carolina
Melvin Ingram is a perfect fit for the Patriots defense. He’s extremely versatile, which is something Bill Belichick covets. He could play defensive end, defensive tackle, and even linebacker. Ingram could rise because of his versatility.

28. Green Bay Packers – Chase Minnifield CB/Virginia
The Packers need to add some talent in the secondary. Charles Woodson isn’t getting any younger and Tramon Williams didn’t have his best year in 2011. Minnifield is a cover corner that could rise during the pre-draft process.

29. Baltimore Ravens – Vontaze Burfict LB/Arizona State
The Ravens go after controversial linebacker in Burfict with their first round selection. Burfict is an emotional football player, there is no denying that. Landing in Baltimore would be great for the Arizona State linebacker, as he would have the chance to be mentored by Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis.

30. San Francisco 49ers – Mohammed Sanu WR/Rutgers
San Francisco needs a receiver to pair with Michael Crabtree. Josh Morgan, Ted Ginn and Braylon Edwards are all slated to be free agents this offseason. Sanu is raw, but he has a ton of upside. The 49ers weren’t afraid of taking some raw prospects like Aldon Smith and Colin Kaepernick last year.

31. New England Patriots – Alfonzo Dennard CB/Nebraska
The Patriots defense was atrocious last season. New England was ranked 31st against the pass, so upgrades need to be made in the secondary. Dennard is a physical corner who excels in press coverage situations. After a poor Senior Bowl week, Dennard’s stock has taken quite a tumble.

32. New York Giants – Dont’a Hightower LB/Alabama
The Giants don’t many impact linebackers on their roster. Jonathan Goff will be a free agent this offseason and there isn’t much depth behind him. Hightower is a big, physical inside linebacker that would bolster the New York run defense.

SECOND ROUND
Pewter Report takes a look at the players chosen in the second round as Tampa Bay addresses a much-needed position in this round – cornerback.

33. St. Louis Rams – Juron Criner WR/Arizona
Quarterback Sam Bradford needs some receivers to throw to. Veteran Brandon Lloyd is a free agent and is expected to land elsewhere. Last year, the team invested picks in Austin Pettis and Greg Salas, but neither proved they could be reliable receiving options. Criner isn’t a burner, but he has solid hands and is a great route runner. He looks like a solid number two wide receiver at the next level.

34. Indianapolis Colts – Dontari Poe DT/Memphis
The Colts appear to be headed to a 3-4 base defense under new head coach Chuck Pagano. Indianapolis will need a true nose tackle that can anchor the defense. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 350 pounds, Poe would be a great run-stuffer for the Colts' new defense.
 
35. Minnesota Vikings – Mike Adams OT/Ohio State
The Vikings must upgrade the left tackle position this offseason. Charlie Johnson was not good last season and failed to keep the heat off of Christian Ponder. Adams will look very good in shorts at the combine, and that should help raise his stock into the first round. He’s a raw prospect, but teams will be very interested in him because of his size. Adams compares to New England Patriots tackle Nate Solder, who was selected in the first round last year. 

36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Stephon Gilmore CB/South Carolina
The Buccaneers need to add some talent to their secondary. With Aqib Talib facing legal issues in March, Ronde Barber unlikely to return, and E.J. Biggers underwhelming in 2011, Tampa Bay should be looking to add another cornerback to its roster. Former third-round selection Myron Lewis has struggled to stay healthy, and when he’s played he hasn’t been an impact performer. Anthony Gaitor barely got his feet wet during his rookie season and is a developmental project. South Carolina's Gilmore is a raw but talented defensive back that could get some first-round consideration. Gilmore had some ups and downs during his junior season, but he displayed a tremendous amount of upside. He is quick to react to thrown balls and has solid closing speed. The South Carolina cornerback is a good tackler that is physical in run defense, which is an attribute that the Buccaneers cornerbacks lacked in 2011. Gilmore tended to over commit to the run on play-action passing plays, and was somewhat of a “gambler” during his time at South Carolina. The junior was often used as a blitzer, which will be appealing to teams that like to send pressure from the outside. Although Gilmore will need some extra coaching at the next level, he has the talent to develop into a solid NFL cornerback.

37. Cleveland Browns – Lavonte David LB/Nebraska
The Browns continue their great draft by selecting an outside linebacker in David. Cleveland could draft David to be the weakside linebacker in their 4-3 defense. David isn’t very big, but he has been one of the best linebackers in the nation over the last two years.
 
38. Jacksonville Jaguars – Rueben Randle WR/LSU
Jacksonville finally gets a receiver to help Blaine Gabbert. Much like Alshon Jeffery, Randle didn’t get any help from LSU’s quarterbacks. Randle was severely underused and didn’t get a whole lot of opportunities to make plays for the Tigers. He’s a big, fast receiver that will need to work out some small kinks in his game before he breaks out.

39. Washington Redskins – Jeff Allen OT/Illinois
Allen is a guy that could rise up draft boards in the coming months. He had a great Senior Bowl week and is very versatile. The Illinois senior looked natural at multiple different positions in Mike Shanahan’s offense at the Senior Bowl.

40. Carolina Panthers – Fletcher Cox DT/Mississippi State
The Panthers need to add some impact players to the middle of their defense. Adding an inside presence like Cox would help the likes of Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy.

41. Buffalo Bills – Dwayne Allen TE/Clemson
Scott Chandler isn’t the long-term answer at the tight end position. The Bills could draft the top tight end in the draft to help out quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

42. Miami Dolphins – Coby Fleener TE/Stanford
Fleener is a complete tight end who excels in both the running and passing game. Miami has needed to upgrade the tight end position for a few years now. Anthony Fasano is nothing special and Charles Clay is more of an “H” back. With the success of tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, teams will be hunting for the next great playmaking tight end.

43. Seattle Seahawks – Vinny Curry DE/Marshall
The Seahawks could use another pass-rusher to line up across from Chris Clemons, as defensive ends Raheem Brock and Red Bryant are both slated to become free agents this offseason. Curry is an athletic edge-rusher that could fit in a 4-3 as a defensive end or a pass-rushing linebacker in a 3-4.
 
44. Kansas City Chiefs – Lamar Miller RB/Miami
Jamaal Charles is coming off a major knee injury and the Chiefs don’t have great depth behind him. Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones are both slated to hit free agency. If Charles were to go down again, don’t think the Chiefs would feel comfortable having Dexter McCluster carry the load. Miller would be a great value pick for Kansas City in the second round.

45. Dallas Cowboys – Ben Jones OC/Georgia
The Cowboys shuffled centers all season. They will surely make an attempt to upgrade this position this offseason. If they chose to draft one, Georgia’s Jones would be a great selection in the second round.

46. Philadelphia Eagles – Kelechi Osemele OT/Iowa State
Osemele is a huge, powerful offensive lineman that would help out the Eagles offensive line, who struggled last season. Andy Reid loves big offensive linemen, so this would make a lot of sense. Osemele could play tackle or guard at the next level, but would probably fit best as a guard.

47. New York Jets – Alameda Ta’amu DT/Washington
Nose tackle Sione Pouha is a free agent this offseason, and the Jets will need to find a replacement if they are unable to re-sign him. Ta’amu is a good run defender, but will need to improve his pass-rushing skills to succeed in the NFL.
 
48. New England Patriots (f/OAK) – Markelle Martin S/Oklahoma State
New England’s defense was atrocious last season. Bill Belichick will be looking to upgrade the team’s secondary. Markelle Martin had a decent Senior Bowl week and was a big part of Oklahoma State’s defensive success last season. In a weak 2012 safety draft class, Martin is the second-best safety in this draft class behind Alabama’s Mark Barron.

49. San Diego Chargers – Jayron Hosley CB/Virginia Tech
Quentin Jammer isn’t getting any younger and the rest of cornerbacks on the roster haven’t wowed. Hosley is a small, playmaking cornerback that would be a good fit for the Chargers defense.

50. Chicago Bears – Kevin Zeitler OG/Wisconsin
Zeitler would reunite with former Wisconsin teammate Gabe Carimi in this situation. The Bears offensive line allowed 49 sacks in 2011, which was the fifth-most in the league. Chicago will need to upgrade its offensive line this offseason.

51. Philadelphia Eagles (f/ARI) – T.Y. Hilton WR/Florida International
Desean Jackson will be a free agent and there is little depth on the roster behind Jeremy Maclin. Philadelphia likes to take smaller, faster receivers, so Hilton would fit the Eagles mold.

52. Tennessee Titans – Cam Johnson DE/Virginia
The Titans ranked 31st in sacks last season, edging out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by five sacks. Tennessee didn’t get much production from their defensive ends. They will be looking to upgrade their front four this offseason.

53. Cincinnati Bengals – Casey Hayward CB/Vanderbilt
Leon Hall suffered a major injury last year which ended his season early. It is uncertain if he will able to play in the season opener, so the Bengals should acquire a cornerback as a backup plan. Hayward is a ball-hawking corner would excel in a zone oriented scheme.

54. Atlanta Falcons – Brandon Boykin CB/Georgia
The Falcons might not bring back Brent Grimes, so replacing him will be a big priority for Atlanta this offseason. Boykin is an undersized cornerback who is a playmaker. He would be a good fit in Atlanta’s defense.

55. Detroit Lions – Zebrie Sanders OT/Florida State
The Lions can’t ignore their need for offensive lineman much longer. Gosder Cherilus and Jeff Backus could be upgraded, and Sanders would be a nice fit for Detroit. Sanders played both the left and right tackle positions for Florida State, which will be appealing to NFL teams. Sanders needs to get a little stronger, but his versatility and technique will carry him.

56. Pittsburgh Steelers – David Wilson RB/Virginia Tech
Wilson will be hard for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers to pass on with this selection. The Pittsburgh running back stable lacks speed and explosiveness, which is exactly what Wilson would bring to the table.

57. Denver Broncos – Doug Martin RB/Boise State
The Broncos need a long-term solution at running back. Doug Martin is a three-down back that will be able to contribute right away. Even though he is a smaller back, he runs with power and aggression. Martin told PewterReport.com at the Senior Bowl that he models his game after Baltimore’s Ray Rice.

58. Houston Texans – Josh Chapman DT/Alabama
Chapman is a monstrous nose tackle that could be the anchor of the Texans 3-4 defense. The senior nose tackle was a key component to the success of Alabama’s defense.

59. New Orleans Saints – Bobby Wagner LB/Utah State
The Saints could upgrade their outside linebackers by drafting Wagner. The Utah State senior amassed 147 tackles last season, which was good enough for eighth in the nation. His stock is on the rise following a great Senior Bowl week.
 
60. Green Bay Packers – Andre Branch DE/Clemson
The Packers don’t have a legitimate outside linebacker across from Clay Matthews. Branch is a speedy edge rusher who looks like he can make the transition to a 3-4 defense as an outside linebacker.

61. San Francisco 49ers – Bobby Massie OT/Ole Miss
San Francisco could upgrade the right side of their offensive line. Massie is an underrated prospect that could sneak into the second round. He had a great year at right tackle for the Rebels.

62. Baltimore Ravens – Ronnell Lewis DE/Oklahoma
Baltimore could use another outside pass rusher to line up across from Terrell Suggs. Lewis would be a great fit as a pass rusher in Baltimore’s hybrid defense. 

63. New England Patriots – Joe Adams WR/Arkansas
The Patriots need a deep threat. New England has receivers and tight ends that work the middle of the field well, but there is nobody that can stretch the defense. Adams is a speedster that would help solve this issue for the Patriots.

64. New York Giants – Orson Charles TE/Georgia
Tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum both suffered major injuries during the Giants’ Super Bowl Victory. It is uncertain if they will be ready to play in September, so adding a tight end is a must for the Giants this offseason. A receiving tight end like Charles would add a new element to the New York offense.