2012 NFL Mock Draft: Arizona Cardinals Finds A Trade Partner

We're three quarter's of the way through the combine, with just the defensive backs to go, and plenty of prospects have seen their stock rise and fall due to some drills, a few runs, and a couple jumps. I think we can finally, and officially declare it to be draft season in the NFL, and over the next few weeks big boards should become clearer and more consistent. However, that doesn't rule out the craziness that is draft day, where anything can, and will, happen. In this, the seventh installment of our Revenge of the Birds mock draft, we will have the ability to trade and will mock the entire first round. So, without further delay, let's mock the boat!

The first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft is...

1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford. With Luck's "Newton"esque combine, he further proved himself to be the consensus number one pick, as if there were any doubt. (Previous Pick: Andre Luck, QB, Stanford)

2. Washington Redskins from St. Louis Rams - Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor. With RG3's "Vick"esque combine, he further proved himself worthy of the the number two pick, and the hefty price the Skins will pay. (St. Louis Previous Pick: Matt Kalil, OT, USC)

3. Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT, USC. Kalil had by far the best day of any offensive linemen, heck, he ran a faster 40 than Burfict. (Washington Previous Pick: Robert Griffin III)

4. Cleveland Browns - Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU. He didn't blow anyone away at the combine, but he proved why he's the best WR prospect, and the Browns desperately need a WR. (Previous Pick: Morris Claibourne, CB, LSU)

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claibourne, CB, LSU. He's been on record for saying he plans on running a 4.3 40 on Tuesday. Top five pick fills a need for the Bucs. (Previous Pick: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama)

6. St. Louis Rams from Washington Redskins - Michael Brockers, DT, LSU. One of the top five drafting team's scouts has said that they have to get Brockers, my bet is that Jeff Fischer pulls the trigger on this talented youngster after trading back. (Minnesota Previous Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR, OSU)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame. I don't want to weight combine numbers too heavily, but Floyd was pretty darn impressive. The Jags need some WR help for Gabbert, and Floyd looks every bit like an elite WR. (Previous Pick: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina)

8. Miami Dolphins - Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina. His motor and work ethic are going to be questioned, but his talent cannot be, he should be a top 15 draftee. (Previous Pick: Riley Rieff, OT, Iowa)

9. Carolina Panthers - Riley Rieff, OT, Iowa. Come draft day, this could very well be one of the rising DTs, but for now, Panthers go BPA with Rieff, and start to reload on an aging offensive line. (Previous Pick: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU)

10. Buffalo Bills - Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina. Ingram was very impressive at the combine, and immediately improves and energizes the Bills defense. (Previous Pick: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina)

11. Kansas City Chiefs - Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford. Martin also looked very impressive at the combine. He showed great technique and natural fluidity. If he improves his strength, he could very well be the best tackle in this class. (Cincinnati Previous Pick: David DeCastro)

12. Seattle Seahawks - Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama. Very versatile player for his size. Great motor, great lower body strength, and is no slouch in coverage. (Previous Pick: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama)

13. Cincinnati Bengals from Arizona Cardinals - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama. Arizona picks up the 17th overall pick and a second rounder from the Bengals, who trade up to fill an offensive need with an elite talent. If Richardson was this good at any other position, save guard and center, he'd be an automatic top five pick. (Arizona Previous Pick: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford)

14. Dallas Cowboys - David DeCastro, OG, Stanford. DeCastro, like Kalil, also showed why he was the top ranked guy at his position, unfortunately he plays guard, which takes him out of the top 10 picks. (Previous Pick: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama)

15. Philadelphia Eagles - Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College. His showing at the combine proved he's a top 20 pick, and the Eagles pull the trigger to fill a huge hole in their linebacking core. (Previous Pick: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College)

16. New York Jets - Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois. Mecilus looked very smooth during combine drills, and showed his natural athleticism in the 40, with a very impressive 1.56 10 yard. I'm not buying into the one year wonder hype. (Previous Pick: Devon Still, DT, Penn State)

17. Arizona Cardinals from Cincinnati Bengals - Cordy Glenn, OG/OT, Georgia. Glenn is a monster of a human being, and a physical specimen to boot. He could be a mauler on the interior line, but also has the speed and feet to play at either tackle spot. With this pick, the Cardinals give Grimm a mammoth of a lineman to coach up. (Kansas City Previous Pick: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State)

18. San Diego Chargers - Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC. Perry demonstrated his elite athleticism with great a broad jump, vertical jump, 40 yard, and 10 yard, but tight hips and his not as impressive tape, keep him out of the top 15. (Previous Pick: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame)

19. Chicago Bears - Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina. Jeffery proved reports wrong by showing up to the combine very much in shape. He's still a top 20 pick in my mind, and fills a huge need for the Bears. (Previous Pick: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina)

20. Tennessee Titans - Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina. Brown is an ideal 4-3 WLB, with great speed and coverage skill. Brown could bulk up a bit, and when he does so, he will be an elite LB. (Previous Pick: Jerel Worthy, DT, MSU)

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama. I'm not the biggest Dr. Dre fan, and he falls a bit here because of it, but an impressive showing at the combine on Tuesday might move him a bit higher on my big board. (Previous Pick: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama)

22. Cleveland Browns - Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor. At first, this pick seemed crazy to me, with the Browns taking Blackmon at number 4. But really, Wright and Blackmon would be a great duo for McCoy to work with, and if they don't stick with McCoy after this year, the next QB has two great weapons. (Previous Pick: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor)

23. Detroit Lions - Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama. Character issues, shmaracter issues. The Lions need defensive back help, and Jenkins has all the talent to improve their secondary. (Previous Pick: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin)

24. Pittsburgh Steelers - Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis. Don't look now, but Poe is on the rise. Weighing in at nearly 350 pounds, Poe ran a 4.98 40, once again, faster than Burfict. While a bit raw, Poe's has bucket loads of potential and could rise into the top 15 when all is said and done. (Previous Pick: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC)

25. Denver Broncos - Devon Still, DT, Penn State. The top 5 DTs in this draft are all exceptional prospects, and the Broncos grab another first round DT to play the 3 tech. (Previous Pick: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina)

26. Houston Texans - Jerel Worthy, DT, MSU. Worthy didn't have the greatest combine, but still is a great prospect, and gives Phillips a solid piece that he can put almost anywhere on his 3-4 front. (Previous Pick: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis)

27. New England Patriots - Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina. The Patriots secondary struggled last season, and will certainly look for defensive back prospects early in the draft. (Previous Pick: Mark Barron, S, Alabama)

28. Green Bay Packers - Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson. I had my doubts about Branch being able to make the transition to OLB, but after watching some tape, and seeing him at the combine, I have no doubts. (Previous Pick: Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina)

29. Baltimore Ravens - Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama. Burfict has been the popular choice here for the Ravens, but instead they grab a MLB prospect with a good head on his shoulders to learn from Ray Lewis. (Previous Pick: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama)

30. San Francisco 49ers - Mark Barron, S, Alabama. Barron deserves to be a first round selection, and his ability to cover the new breed of tight ends makes him a good choice for the 49ers here. (Previous Pick: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers)

31. New England Patriots - Ronnell Lewis, DE/OLB, Oklahoma. May seem like a reach here, but the Pats would love some pass rush help, and Lewis looked impressive at the combine. (Previous Pick: Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois)

32. New York Giants - Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson. Giants need a tight end. Allen is the best tight end in the draft. Its as simple as that. (Previous Pick: Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson)

There you have it. Seven RotB mocks are in the books. Let us know what you think of this mock in the comments.