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With most of the 2011 NCAA season in the books and the NFL hierarchy continuing to take shape, it’s about that time to start projecting ahead to the 2012 NFL Draft in April. Like markets, drafts can easily be articulated; some are rather top-heavy with talent (aka the Christina Hendricks market), some are rather proportionately thicker in the middle (the apple-shape, known here as the Kate Winslet market), or the bottom-heavy markets (represented by J-Lo, obviously).

The 2011 Draft was very J-Lo — most of the talent was grouped together in the bottom, and there really wasn’t a clear upper class hierarchy. This year, however, there is a clear pecking order, but because lots of juniors chose not to enter the draft last year due to the NFL's labor uncertainty, this year is one of the best senior classes in quite some time. Meanwhile, given the new rookie wage scale, some prospects are deciding to head back to school in the hopes of improving their draft stock, and likewise seeing more guaranteed money (e.g. Matt Barkley Landry Jones. Yet even without the underclassman, the 2012 NFL Draft has the makings of one of the better talent pools in the past five years, especially along the defensive line, OLB, and wide receivers.

TheFanHub Senior Writer Dave Jacober and lead football writer Terry Long will go back and forth a few times over the next few month with multiple mock drafts. As of now, here is the Post-Bowl version, with Dave handling the odd-numbered picks and Terry selecting for evens. (Note: for the purpose of this mock, the TheFanHub held its own coin flip for picks 8 & 9, and 11 &12 which will be highlight by **)

1. Indianapolis Colts
Needs: QB, LT, RT, DT, CB, S, WR

Credit: Chris Morrison-US Presswire

For anyone who suggests that Peyton Manning can return at full strength in 2012 and catapult the Colts to 10-6 record or better, that individual needs to asked one simple question: Do you believe in fairies? Peyton Manning might be one of the best quarterbacks ever to lace em' up, but even he couldn’t perform miracles with this current Colts roster. Most of Tony Dungy's staff has either been replaced or has moved on, and Indianapolis is certainly more than a quarterback short in regaining their strangle hold on the AFC South. As such, new Colts GM Ryan Grigson would be wise to shop this pick for no reason other than that Colts need more talent up and down their entire roster.

According to Jim Irsay, he and his staff are still doing their due diligence. Riiiiiiight. The obvious pick is Andrew Luck. The Polian's are gone, which means a new regime, which usually carries with it a new quarterback, and most likely a new coach (in this case Jim Caldwell gets the Manningless pass, but he enters next season on the hot seat). The only way Luck doesn't wind up in Indy is if Dolphins owner Jeffery Ross and crew decide to splurge away half their draft to move up either from 8 or 9 and overpay for the pick. Whispers are that the Dolphins feel they are an elite quarterback away from being a consistent AFC East contender year in and year out, and as we saw last year with Atlanta, some teams aren't shy about aggressively moving up to take a player they feel is the missing piece. Miami has does have assets in terms of players and picks to make a monster move to grab Luck No. 1 overall.

Pick: Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

2) St. Louis Rams
Needs: WR, LT, RT, DT, OLB, CB

Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

When you look at St. Louis, this is a team with plenty of holes to fill, and one that is holding a very important pick in this draft. With Sam Bradford already in the mix, there is no need for quarterback. But the Rams' brass had to be the most excited bunch when news broke that Baylor QB Robert Griffin III declared for the draft, as it means that there will be plenty of teams calling them to see what it will take to get this pick. Teams like Washington, Cleveland, and Miami will be working the phones on draft day and before to try and see what it will take to land it. I do believe the Rams will trade out, but if they stay at #2, look for them to take their LT of the future in Matt Kalil out of USC. Many believe that Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon could be the pick here, which I can't fully argue with, but they have invested too much into Bradford to not keep him upright. WRs can come later on, but franchise left tackles are too good to pass up.

Pick: Matt Kalil, LT USC

3. Minnesota Vikings
Needs: LT, WR, DT, CB, DE

Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

If it turns out that St. Louis goes with the left tackle, then the Vikings will have shot to take without question the most complete receiver to come out of college since Calvin Johnson in 2007. Justin Blackmon has been compared to Dez Bryant, but as Warren Moon pointed out, is void of the character concerns that Bryant was labeled with. The Vikings need an elite left tackle just as much as they need a legit weapon for Christian Ponder. The good news for Viking fans, if you miss you out on Blackmon, there are still more than viable options at receiver latter in the draft. Jeff Fuller (Texas A&M), Mohamed Sanu (Rutgers), Nick Toon (Wisconsin), and Kendall Wright (Baylor) might not be Justin Blackmon, but they are all highly touted prospects who could be impact receivers at the next level, and will most likely be available in the early parts of the second and third rounds. The Vikings offense ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of YPG, and PPG, and while Jared Allen was dominant, the Vikings defense yield the second most points per game as well as the ranking 21st in yards allowed. The draft is not as deep at corner as it is at receiver or tackle, so another name that could be a possibility is LSU's Morris Claiborne.

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

4) Cleveland Browns
Needs: RB, QB, RT, DE, OLB, S, CB

Credit: Brendan Maloney

The Browns are another team that has plenty of holes to fill, but if for some reason Robert Griffin III falls to them at #4 (which I’d be shocked to see), then they would have to pounce. The current Heisman Trophy winner is the complete package at the QB position. He may not be Andrew Luck, but he is good enough to even possibly tempt the Colts at #1. Current Browns QB Colt McCoy is serviceable, but if the Browns ever want to compete in the AFC North, let alone contend for the AFC title, they need a major star at the most important position on the field. The Browns could be tempted to take Trent Richardson out of Alabama, but when it comes down to it, you take the QB over the RB every day that ends in a "y". I hate to disappoint the Browns' fans out there, but if they want to land Griffin, they are going to need to trade up to #2 with St. Louis before someone else does.

Pick: Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Needs: MLB, CB, WLB, S

Credit: Derick E. Hingle

The Bucs spent much of their draft last year trying to address their defense. Guess what? It didn't help! Tampa yielded 30.9 PPG, the worst in the NFL. They were also the worst team in the NFL against the run, giving up 156.1 YPG. As of today the Bucs have yet to name a new coach, so philosophy will certainly impact this pick. Josh Freeman is still an NFL caliber quarterback (we think) and it's not quite sure how much of their struggles came from a lack of talent or poor coaching — I think the latter. If the draft shakes out with Morris Claiborne on the board, then Tampa has some real soul searching to do. Aquib Talib's future in Tampa Bay is uncertain at best, and Ronde Barber is at the end of what might be the most underrated careers in the NFL. They play in the NFC South with teams who can put points up on the board through the air, so logic would suggest that taking the best cornerback in the draft would be a no brainer…right? Of all the free agent acquisitions last season, the one which went quietly under the radar was Tampa losing Barrett Ruud to Tennesse. They had have no real replacement, and Boston College's Luke Kuechly is the alpha dog middle linebacker that could instantly help their front seven and give them a playmaker up the middle. Unfortunately the 2012 Draft is a little Christina Hendricks in the MLB and corner markets, so unlike at receiver, DE, or OT the chances of addressing both those needs with top tier prospects are slim.

Pick: Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

6. Washington Redskins
Needs: QB, RT, G, WR, CB

Credit: Chris Morrison

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 2012 NFL Draft's first reach. We've seen it done last year with Christian Ponder to the Vikings, and we'll see it again this year with the Redskins' selection of Nick Foles out of Arizona. The Redskins are in dire need for a QB, and if they can't pull off a trade with St. Louis at #2, this is their best chance to land one. The Rex Grossman / John Beck experiment was a disgrace this past season, but rest assured, head coach Mike Shanahan will demand they use this pick of the QB of his choosing, and I believe it will be Foles. Some may think it will be Tannenhill, but I am not sold on him yet. Foles is the more complete QB in my opinion, with the size, accuracy, and arm strength that you look for in a signal caller. His best attribute is the fact that he has been labeled a "film rat" and is the type of leader a team can build around.

Jacober, on the other hand, thinks the Redskins are going to land a trade for Peyton Manning. I hate to break it to you Dave, but Manning is going nowhere. Mark my words, he will remain on the Colts roster in 2012 and will eventually retire as an Indianapolis Colt.

Pick: Nick Foles, QB Arizona

7. Jacksonville Jaguars
Needs: WR, LT, DE, OLB, CB,S

Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

If I were the Jaguars new Owner Shahid Khan, I would make one of the following moves: trade Maurice Jones-Drew and literally rebuild from the ground up, or call Denver and offer almost anything for Tim Tebow. I'm being dead serious! Besides from the clear unintentional comedy of having a devout Christian playing for a Muslim owner, the move actually makes the utmost business sense. Jacksonville's gate revenue ranks in the bottom half of the league; games have been subject to blackouts, and frankly I don't blame the Jaguars fans for wanting to stay home. The product has been abysmal for years, and at times it seemed former owner Wayne Weaver seemed aloof to the idea of revamping the Jags, almost as if he was trying to pull a Major League and drive attendance so low that he could move the team to LA. I'm not sure anyone is sold on Blaine Gabbert as an NFL quarterback, and Tebow in Jacksonville would be like JimmerFredette getting to play in Utah — some things just make sense. Aside from the Tebow move, Quinton Coples could be the big-time pass rusher the Jaguars could use to alleviate their defense, which ranked 25th in sacks last season. Coples is a freak athlete, and anyone who saw the Tar Heels play this year saw the kid’s non-stop motor. He has the frame to put on a few more pounds, but whose comparison at a pure glance could be to Jason Pierre Paul (without the backflips).

Pick: Quinton Coples, DE UNC

8) Carolina Panthers
Needs: WR, G, DT, LB, CB

Credit: John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

I was tempted to go wide receiver here, but I think Cam Newton can work with just about any receiver, so I feel like that position can be addressed later on in the draft. The Panthers need a stud cornerback that can shut down the big boys in the NFC South. Current corners Chris Gamble and Darius Butler are solid, but the addition of Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick will pay huge dividends for the Panthers in terms of being able to stay in games and not have to force Newton to win every game for them. Kirkpatrick had a spectacular showing in the National Championship this past week against LSU, as Alabama's defense shut out the Tigers 21-0, reconfirming their place in the discussion of the greatest defenses in NCAA history. I don't know about you, but a struggling defense in the NFL could use a few Crimson Tide on their side.

Pick: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

9. Miami Dolphins
Needs: QB, MLB, S, WR, RB, RT

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Steven Ross could be crossing over into ‘worst NFL owner’ territory. The Dolphins are beginning to resemble a franshice that is more dysfunctional than a Kardashian relationship. When you look at their record of 6-10 it makes your scratch your head. They have more talent on paper than the New York Jets, and have most of the pieces in place to contend in the AFC East. A big time pass rusher? Check. An elite LT? Check. An elite WR? Check! Impact players on special teams? Check. Maybe it was poor coaching, poor QB play, injuries, or any combination of elements which hindered the Dolphins this season. However, the consensus around Miami is that a good quarterback could propel them out of the NFL no man’s land. Both Luck and RGIII will definitely be off the board by the 8th selection, so Miami has three choices: go 2011 Atlanta style and dramatically overpay (trade up) for either quarterback; stay put and take the best player available, and then draft Kellen Moore in the second round; or stay put and try solve the problem via free agency — Matt Flynn (unrestricted), Chase Daniels, or Bryan Hoyer (both restricted free agents), could all be available this spring. And the best player available here is Trent Richardson. Last season Miami could have drafted Mark Ingram, and Daniel Thomas had lackluster rookie campaign. Reggie Bush is a good change-of-pace back, but Richardson is the complete package. He can block, catch the ball out of the backfield, and runs like sledgehammer. Miami needs playmakers, and while running back isn't a superior need, Richardson is without question one of the elite playmakers in this year's draft.

Pick: Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

10) Buffalo Bills
Needs: WR, LT, DE, OLB, CB

Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

As you saw with my #8 selection, a struggling defense needs a few Crimson Tide on their side. Well, the Buffalo Bills can get just that with pass rushing OLB Courtney Upshaw. Upshaw will team up with former teammate and Bills #3 overall draft pick Marcell Dareus, whom they selected in 2011. Upshaw also had a night to remember against LSU, notching 6 tackles and 1 sack. The Bills can't find an identity right now in terms of whether or not they are going to run the 3-4 or the 4-3, but Upshaw, in my opinion, can fit both schemes and give the Bills that pass rusher that they so desperately need. One could argue that the Bills need to address the LT position, but let's not forget how high they are on former Clemson LT Chris Hairston. If Stevie Johnson is not brought back (which I believe he will be), then the Bills could go the receiver route, but at the end of the day, their biggest need is a pass rusher and Upshaw is the best one in this draft. Jacober is a fan of DE Andre Brach out of Clemson, but I see him more as a 4-3 DE. If the Bills go back to the 4-3 under new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, then it’s a possibility, but my gut is telling me that Upshaw is the man they will target.

Pick: Courtney Upshaw, OLB Alabama

Picks 11-20 —>