The First 10 Picks of the 2012 NFL Draft

Talk about an interesting first several picks in the 2012 NFL Draft. With the first two picks being locked, it seemed things were going to be a little lacking in the excitement department. All in all, 4 of the first 5 picks were traded. Here is the recap.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2 and surprised nobody. About half an hour before the draft started, the Vikings traded the 3rd pick to the Browns, who selected Alabama do it all back Trent Richardson. Minnesota selected Kalil at 4 and Jacksonville moved up to 5th and finally got a receiver in Justin Blackmon. Dallas moved up from 14th by trading with the Rams and got LSU standout Morris Claiborne. Tampa Bay ended up with Mark Barron from Alabama and, in a move that shocked nobody, the Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill.  Rounding out the top 10 were the Panthers, who selected Luke Kuechly, and the Bills, who added Stephon Gilmore of South Carolina.

Biggest Surprises: St. Louis traded down yet again and the Cowboys paid a big price to move up. St. Louis gave the Cowboys the 6th pick while gaining the 14th overall pick and the 45th pick (2nd).

Riskiest Pick: This is easily the Dolphins. Tannehill is a quarterback with a ton of question marks. It will be interesting to see how he does in Miami.

Take it to the Bank: Both the Colts and the Redskins got their quarterbacks. Both of these guys are going to be great to watch and should make an immediate impact on two terrible teams. The same can be said for the Panthers and Kuechly. Kuechly will be a productive and intelligent player for the Panthers who will be a tackling machine.

Charger Madness 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 1.0 Picks 11-20

Today we continue our first mock draft with picks 11-20.

11) Kansas City Chiefs- David DeCastro (G, Standford)


Kansas City brought in Eric Winston to fill a void at tackle, but they could really use some help with the interior of their offensive line. DeCastro is an elite guard, drawing comparisons to Steve Hutchinson. The Chiefs are still a very heavy running team, and DeCastro can be a great player for years to come. Kansas City has a good collection of weapons at the skill positions for Matt Cassel to work with, so keeping him upright and clearing holes for Jamaal Charles.

12) Seattle Seahawks- Luke Kuechly (LB, Boston College)

Seattle has a big need at linebacker. They have struggled for the last few years at the position. Luke Kuechly can solve some of those issues. Kuechly is one of the best linebackers to come out in the last several years. The kid can line up at any spot, but fits the middle the best. Many thought that he would run a slow 40 time and hurt his draft stock. He did the opposite and made a great case for being a top 15 selection. He is a smart linebacker with a great motor and will be a great defender for the Seahawks.

13) Arizona Cardinals- Johnathan Martin (T, Stanford)

Arizona has one of the worst lines in football at the moment. While they did resign Levi Brown, there are holes all over the place on this line. Martin can play on both the right or left side, giving the Cardinals some flexibility. The team may not be sold on Brown anyways. Martin would help keep whoever wins the quarterback battle in Arizona between last years big trade Kevin Kolb or Fordham's little guy that could John Skelton upright.