The 2012 NFL Draft is now less than a few days away. Thursday night fans will be waiting with bated breath to see who is the newest addition to their team. SB Nation released their latest mock draft on Monday and the Florida teams look to be selecting defense fairly high.
Starting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 5 overall draft pick, SB Nation predicts them to choose cornerback Morris Claiborne of LSU.
This certainly looks like the dream scenario for Tampa. If Claiborne and Richardson are gone, they could certainly justify Kalil here, moving Donald Penn over to the right side.
The Bucs seem to have no shortage of moves they can make at No. 5. They already have a quarterback they are confident in with Josh Freeman, so they can look to help out their skill position players, their offensive line or the secondary with this pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are also a team that has been wringing their hands, trying to figure out who would make the most sense. If Ryan Tannehill is available at No. 7, don't be surprised to hear NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell say that a trade has been made and the Jaguars go down in the first round. However, this mock draft has Tannehill going to the Browns at No. 4.
So if he's off the board that early, who does Jacksonville choose at No. 7? The prediction here is defensive end Melvin Ingram of South Carolina.
You can never have too many pass rushers, and Ingram looks like the best in the class. He pairs nicely with Jeremy Mincey on the other side. Jacksonville would love to trade out of this spot, and some team might be willing to move up for Ingram or other players.
Ingram could be a player that comes in and makes immediate impact for the Jaguars defense. They could use anyone that brings more excitement to Jacksonville going forward.
Now what of the Miami Dolphins? If Tannehill is off the board here as was predicted, where do they go? Do they trade out and try to stockpile picks and address their quarterback needs in later rounds? Or do they look for someone to help the two quarterbacks they have now? With this mock draft, they are predicted to select Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd with the No. 8 overall draft pick.
Brandon Marshall is gone. Miami needs a No. 1 receiver to replace him, and they'll pick Floyd over Blackmon with both on the board.
Someone like Floyd will help with the quarterbacks they have under contract now, so there is a good chance that they will try to help them if they cannot get their quarterback of the future in the first eight picks.
The NFL Draft is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars, visit Big Cat Country. For more on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, visit Bucs Nation. For more on the Miami Dolphins, visit The Phinsider. For more on all of the Florida teams, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay.