5 players who will be gone by pick #12

Published March 3, 2013 | By Brian Catanzaro

I’ll confess.. March is my favorite month on the NFL calendar, even more than September when the season begins.

The Dolphins will pick #12 in the NFL Draft next month in what figures to be make-or-break pick for GM Jeff Ireland.

We have 53 days to talk about who WILL be there at each selection. First, let’s take a minute to remove 5 players from conversation:

Luke Joeckel 150x150 5 players who will be gone by pick #12

Luke Joeckel is a top flight prospect

1) OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M* (6-6, 306)
Player Notes: Perfect blend of size, arm-length, and feet.. near flawless tape against top level SEC competition… likely would have been taken over 2012 #4 pick Matt Kalil had Kalil stayed for his senior year.Board Outlook: Odds-on-favorite to be the #1 pick (Chiefs) and unlikely to get past the Eagles at #4.
Prediction: #1 (Chiefs)

2) OT Eric Fisher, Central Michigan (6-7, 306)
Player Notes: Carbon copy LT challenging Joeckel for top OT ranking.. elite measurables: 5.05/40 with 27 bench press reps at 6’7 – 306… long arms, anchor ability, and can get downfield in a ZBS.. didn’t do it against top-level competition, as Joeckel did, which could be the only thing that separates the two.

Board Outlook: Fisher is universally regarded as a top-3 player in this draft. I have him going #4 to the Eagles, with the Cardinals a worst-case scenario at #7. Don’t be surprised if the Chargers (#11) trade up for him to protect Philip Rivers’ blinside for the next 10 years.
Prediction: #4 (Eagles)

3) DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida* (6-3, 297)
Player Notes: Has risen from late-1st-rounder to potential Top-3 pick in the last month because teams have been able to see how dominant this underclassman actually is… penetrating 4-3 DT in the Geno Atkins mold.

Board Outlook: The Jaguars, Raiders, and Eagles are in desperate need at DT in the top 4. Floyd won’t get past the Titans at #10 in a worst-case scenario.
Prediction: #2 (Jaguars)

4) DE Dion Jordan, Oregon (6-6, 248)
Player Notes: Rare combination of size, speed, versatility, and intellegence.. his 12.5 sacks and 4 FF’s in 2011 and 2012 would’ve been more is… naturally gifted athlete initially recruited to Oregon as a WR.

Board Outlook: Jordan won’t make it past the Browns at #6. Four teams picking between 2 and 6 (Jaguars, Raiders, Eagles, Lions) are aching for pass-rushers with only the Lions’ Cliff Avril recording more than 8+ sacks among these four teams. New Eagles HC Chip Kelly could select Jordan with the #4 pick.
Prediction: #6 (Browns)

5) CB Dee Milliner, Alabama* (6-0, 201)

Player Notes: Well-coached, technically sound boundary CB with great size…he’s not Patrick Peterson in terms of athleticism and/or playmaking skills (5 INT’s in 3 years), but has checkmarks across the board in size, speed, intellegence, and production against big-time competition in the SEC.

Board Outlook: Milliner is a popular choice for the CB-starved teams drafting between 3 and 5 (Raiders, Eagles, Lions). If he makes it out of the top 5, the Browns would gladly pair him with Joe Haden with the #6 pick.
Prediction: #5 (Lions)

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Brian is a 29-year-old Sales/Marketing Manager in St. Louis by day, but an NFL blogger and commentator by night. Follow me on Twitter @BrianCat13.