Star Ledger: 2012 Mock Draft

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First glance at 2012 NFL Draft

Published: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 6:42 PM Updated: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 6:55 PM

Michael J. Fensom/The Star-Ledger By Michael J. Fensom/The Star-Ledger

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There is still no certainty the 2011 NFL season will be contested anywhere besides a courtroom. And when (or if) a new collective bargaining agreement is reached between players and the league, free agency, trades and a host of games will reshape the NFL landscape.

Nevertheless, draft prognosticators, as if entranced by the Mayan calendar, can't stop thinking about 2012 — simulating the 2011 season and projecting where teams will fall in the cue for the next crop of college prospects.

Three mock 2012 drafts have been posted on the web this week, each one taking a stab at team records, weaknesses and personnel shortcomings. It's an exercise in futility, really. As difficult as it is to nail down a mock draft days before Roger Goodell takes the stage at Radio City Music Hall (just ask The Star-Ledger's Zach Berman), it is infinitely more difficult — impossible is probably a better word — to project the draft 51 weeks in advance.

So, consider this a whimsical distraction from researching the Norris-LaGuardia Act.

Andrew Perloff, SI.com

Giants: Perloff has the Giants selecting at No. 20 overall, which means he picking the team to miss the postseason for a third straight season — most likely after another late season collapse. Mike Adams, the Ohio State tackle (and one of the Buckeyes entangled in the merch-for-ink scandal that means a five-game suspension to start 2011), is the pick. The reason: They waited until the fourth round last week to add a young hog up front.

Jets: The Jets will pick at No. 29, Perloff predicts, after another trip to the AFC Chmpionship Game. There, the Jets will select Robert Griffin, the uber-athletic Baylor quarterback, a surprise selection considering the solid standing an development of franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Perloff suspects Griffin will slide into the role occupied by Brad Smith, a pending free agent, even if this seems like a high pick to take chance on such a player.

Of note: Perloff taps a common thread in the three mock drafts analyzed here: Quarterbacks going early and often. Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback, is the unanimous No. 1 overall selection. Oklahoma's Landry Jones is headed to the Browns at No. 3 and Matt Barkley, from USC, will reunite with former Trojans coach Pete Carroll in Seattle at No. 5. Griffin is the fourth quarterback taken in the round.

Todd McShay, ESPN.com (You'll need ESPN Insider to view this, unfortunately)

Giants: McShay envisions the Giants drafting No. 23 (he sees them as a playoff team) and selecting Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson. McShay labels Robinson "maybe the most underrated defensive prospect in the nation," which, in this hypothetical realm, is a complement to the draft acumen of the Reese-Ross tandem. Still, the other two draft nerds don't have Robinson in Round 1, meaning Robinson might be playing the role of Clint Sintim's little brother starting at training camp 2012.

Jets: McShay's crystal ball is sending the message that the Jets will pick at No. 25 and address the pass rush. The team will pick Florida State defensive end Brandon Jenkins, convert him to outside linebacker and blitz his 6-3, 234-pound frame around the end. As a sophomore last season, Jenkins had 13 1/2 sacks.

Of note: McShay is giddy about the North Carolina defense. Three North Carolina defensive players were selected in the first two rounds last week and in 2012 McShay projects three to be taken in the top 18. Defensive ends Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss will go Nos. 2 and 6, respectively.

Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com

Giants: Schrager echoes Perloff's assessment of the Giants — the team will narrowly miss the playoffs and eye an offensive lineman in the opening round. The lineman, in this case, is Boise State's Nate Potter, a third-team All-American as a junior. In Schrager's assessment, Potter is the No. 3 offensive lineman off the board, behind the Matts, Kalil (USC) and Reynolds (BYU).

Jets: The Jets will miss the playoffs, thinks Schrager, meaning Rex Ryan can tack an addendum to his autobiography as he explores how to spend the No. 16 overall pick. Based on Tannenbaum's tendency to move up the draft board, they are within Top 10 territory here. Schrager, though, has them staying put and selecting North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, an indoor track champion who will add athleticism to the edge pass rush.

Of note: Schrager certainly has an imagination. He accounts for 2011 personnel moves — Donovan McNabb heading to the Cardinals, who then draft a San Diego State quarterback No. 6 overall (woof) — and puts a premium on physical prowess. Schrager slots the draft's best athlete, Oregon cornerback/return specialist Cliff Harris, as the No. 4 pick even though he doesn't play his position very well, by some accounts (see McShay). Also, Schrager has Rutgers wideout Mohamed Sanu headed to the Patriots at No. 30 overall.

Michael J. Fensom: mfensom@starledger.com

[nj devil316]

First glance at 2012 NFL Draft

Published: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 6:42 PM Updated: Thursday, May 05, 2011, 6:55 PM

Michael J. Fensom/The Star-Ledger By Michael J. Fensom/The Star-Ledger

Follow

There is still no certainty the 2011 NFL season will be contested anywhere besides a courtroom. And when (or if) a new collective bargaining agreement is reached between players and the league, free agency, trades and a host of games will reshape the NFL landscape.

Nevertheless, draft prognosticators, as if entranced by the Mayan calendar, can't stop thinking about 2012 — simulating the 2011 season and projecting where teams will fall in the cue for the next crop of college prospects.

Three mock 2012 drafts have been posted on the web this week, each one taking a stab at team records, weaknesses and personnel shortcomings. It's an exercise in futility, really. As difficult as it is to nail down a mock draft days before Roger Goodell takes the stage at Radio City Music Hall (just ask The Star-Ledger's Zach Berman), it is infinitely more difficult — impossible is probably a better word — to project the draft 51 weeks in advance.

So, consider this a whimsical distraction from researching the Norris-LaGuardia Act.

Andrew Perloff, SI.com

Giants: Perloff has the Giants selecting at No. 20 overall, which means he picking the team to miss the postseason for a third straight season — most likely after another late season collapse. Mike Adams, the Ohio State tackle (and one of the Buckeyes entangled in the merch-for-ink scandal that means a five-game suspension to start 2011), is the pick. The reason: They waited until the fourth round last week to add a young hog up front.

Jets: The Jets will pick at No. 29, Perloff predicts, after another trip to the AFC Chmpionship Game. There, the Jets will select Robert Griffin, the uber-athletic Baylor quarterback, a surprise selection considering the solid standing an development of franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Perloff suspects Griffin will slide into the role occupied by Brad Smith, a pending free agent, even if this seems like a high pick to take chance on such a player.

Of note: Perloff taps a common thread in the three mock drafts analyzed here: Quarterbacks going early and often. Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback, is the unanimous No. 1 overall selection. Oklahoma's Landry Jones is headed to the Browns at No. 3 and Matt Barkley, from USC, will reunite with former Trojans coach Pete Carroll in Seattle at No. 5. Griffin is the fourth quarterback taken in the round.

Todd McShay, ESPN.com (You'll need ESPN Insider to view this, unfortunately)

Giants: McShay envisions the Giants drafting No. 23 (he sees them as a playoff team) and selecting Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson. McShay labels Robinson "maybe the most underrated defensive prospect in the nation," which, in this hypothetical realm, is a complement to the draft acumen of the Reese-Ross tandem. Still, the other two draft nerds don't have Robinson in Round 1, meaning Robinson might be playing the role of Clint Sintim's little brother starting at training camp 2012.

Jets: McShay's crystal ball is sending the message that the Jets will pick at No. 25 and address the pass rush. The team will pick Florida State defensive end Brandon Jenkins, convert him to outside linebacker and blitz his 6-3, 234-pound frame around the end. As a sophomore last season, Jenkins had 13 1/2 sacks.

Of note: McShay is giddy about the North Carolina defense. Three North Carolina defensive players were selected in the first two rounds last week and in 2012 McShay projects three to be taken in the top 18. Defensive ends Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss will go Nos. 2 and 6, respectively.

Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com

Giants: Schrager echoes Perloff's assessment of the Giants — the team will narrowly miss the playoffs and eye an offensive lineman in the opening round. The lineman, in this case, is Boise State's Nate Potter, a third-team All-American as a junior. In Schrager's assessment, Potter is the No. 3 offensive lineman off the board, behind the Matts, Kalil (USC) and Reynolds (BYU).

Jets: The Jets will miss the playoffs, thinks Schrager, meaning Rex Ryan can tack an addendum to his autobiography as he explores how to spend the No. 16 overall pick. Based on Tannenbaum's tendency to move up the draft board, they are within Top 10 territory here. Schrager, though, has them staying put and selecting North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, an indoor track champion who will add athleticism to the edge pass rush.

Of note: Schrager certainly has an imagination. He accounts for 2011 personnel moves — Donovan McNabb heading to the Cardinals, who then draft a San Diego State quarterback No. 6 overall (woof) — and puts a premium on physical prowess. Schrager slots the draft's best athlete, Oregon cornerback/return specialist Cliff Harris, as the No. 4 pick even though he doesn't play his position very well, by some accounts (see McShay). Also, Schrager has Rutgers wideout Mohamed Sanu headed to the Patriots at No. 30 overall.

Michael J. Fensom: mfensom@starledger.com

All wrong!!!! We're winning the superbowl bitches!!!!!!!!!!