AP

We mostly knew how the first round of the 2012 NFL draft would look already, but it’s worth noting the NFL made the first round official on Tuesday.

Note that two spots still remain subject to a coin flip.

Yep, it’s officially draft season. And free agent season. And the “offseason” but that’s not really how we treat it at PFT.

1. Indianapolis Colts

2. St. Louis Rams

3. Minnesota Vikings

4. Cleveland Browns

5. Tampa Bay Buccanneers

6. Washington Redskins

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

8/9. Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers

10. Buffalo Bills

11/12. Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks

13. Arizona Cardinals

14. Dallas Cowboys

15. Philadelphia Eagles

16. New York Jets

17. Cincinnati Bengals (Acquired from Oakland)

18. San Diego Chargers

19. Chicago Bears

20. Tennessee Titans

21. Cincinnati Bengals

22. Cleveland Browns (Acquired from Atlanta)

23. Detroit Lions

24. Pittsburgh Steelers

25. Denver Broncos

26. Houston Texans

27. New England Patriots (acquired from Saints)

28. Green Bay Packers

29. Baltimore Ravens

30. San Francisco 49ers

31. New England Patriots

32. New York Giants

AP

Michael Floyd of Notre Dame is widely considered a top-three receiver prospect for the 2012 draft. He missed last week’s Senior Bowl for previously undisclosed reasons, but revealed in a Wednesday interview with the Chicago Tribune that a rib injury prevented him from participating in Mobile.

Speaking to the Tribune‘s Vaughn McClure, Floyd disclosed that the injury occurred during Notre Dame’s Champs Sports Bowl loss to Florida State. (Floyd did not finish that game because of the injured rib.) Floyd said he does plan to participate in February’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Floyd also revealed that he recently measured 6-foot-3 1/2 and 220 pounds at the Gatorade Institute in Indianapolis, where Floyd is training before the draft. Floyd has shed nearly ten pounds since last spring, when he was measured at 6-foot-3, even, and 229 pounds. Even after slimming down, Floyd has a size advantage on fellow top draft-eligible receivers Kendall Wright of Baylor and Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State.

Asked by McClure whether he’d like to play for the Bears, Floyd replied, “Chicago would be great. But you never know how things go.”

Floyd is a projected top-20 pick in April’s draft. The Bears are scheduled to pick 19th.

AP

At age 28, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden is a different sort of draft prospect. That doesn’t mean he won’t intrigue NFL scouts after a strong Senior Bowl week.

Weeden has been the best quarterback in Mobile, according to Russ Lande of the Sporting News. ESPN’s Todd McShay agreed with that sentiment. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said Weeden looked “pro ready” compared to some other passers in Mobile.

There is a vacuum in this year’s quarterback crop behind Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Ryan Tannehill. Mayock wasn’t ready to make a quarterback rankings list after the top three, saying a group of five had to sort itself out: Weeden, Brock Osweiler (Arizona State), Nick Foles (Arizona), Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), and Ryan Lindley (San Diego State.)

Weeden, who has a strong arm, appears to have outplayed Foles, Lindley, and Cousins in Mobile. The question is whether his age will knock him out of consideration for a pick in the first or second round.

Teams may knock Weeden because they don’t think he can improve much. Then again, perhaps some teams will like the idea that he could be ready to play sooner than the other quarterbacks.

He better be ready soon, because he’ll be 32 years old by the time his rookie contract is up.

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We may now have a new favorite for the Raiders head coaching job.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will have a second interview with Oakland. The interview will take place in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl.

Allen also interviewed with the Rams. It’s believed he’ll be the first candidate to speak for a second time with the Raiders. Marty Mornhingweg and Winston Moss were also believed to be strong candidates for the Oakland job.

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was also expected to meet with the Raiders.

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SI.com draft guru Tony Pauline reported late Monday that Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd will not participate in next week’s Senior Bowl.

Along with Baylor’s Kendall Wright, Floyd is one of the top rated senior receivers for the 2012 NFL draft. The reasons for Floyd’s absence are unclear, but it appears Senior Bowl management was aware he wouldn’t attend all along.

The all-star game’s website lists nine wideouts on its 2012 roster, and none of them are Floyd.

Pauline indicates that Gerell Robinson of Arizona State will be Floyd’s Senior Bowl replacement. Robinson is coming off a career-best game, having racked up 13 receptions for 241 yards and a touchdown in the Sun Devils’ Las Vegas Bowl loss to Boise State.

AP

Morris Claiborne may be the second LSU cornerback in as many years to go in the top five of the NFL Draft.

Claiborne will announce he’s going pro Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Some analysts believe Claiborne could be a better prospect than Patrick Peterson a year ago. No matter who you prefer, Claiborne’s draft stock should have him taken very early like Peterson was in 2011. Claiborne won the Jim Thorpe award as college football’s top defensive back.

A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. Defensive lineman Michael Brockers will also announce his plans then.

UPDATE 1:40 p.m. ET: Brockers will go pro as well, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

AP

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III made official on Wednesday what had long been assumed by draftniks and drooling NFL executives.

He’s going pro.

Wearing some stylish purple Barney socks for the occasion, Griffin told the world he was ready to go to the next level.

“It was a tough decision, I love the people at this university, love my coach for giving me a chance to be a quarterback,” Griffin said.

The question now becomes where he will go in the draft. At this point, it’d be a big surprise if he slipped out of the top six picks.  With St. Louis (No. 2) and Minnesota (No. 3) saying they are happy with their starting quarterbacks, the trade speculation this year figures to be off the charts.

Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Matt Barkley and Landry Jones’ decisions to return to school.

The talented, high ceiling prospect looks like the third quarterback in this draft, with some analysts believing he could go as early as the top ten picks.

He was a player we were looking forward to seeing at the Senior Bowl, but it appears he won’t be there. Tony Pauline of SI.com and DraftInsider reports that Tannehill suffered a “significant” foot injury that will prevent him from practicing in Mobile.

I would write more, but it’s confusing to mix draft hype with playoff hype and my brain is feeble.

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Warren Moon made a cottage industry for himself leading up to last year’s draft with his full-throated defense of Cam Newton against critics of the eventual first overall pick.

He’s moved on to this year’s draft crop and his pet this time around seems to be Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Moon is a big fan of a player projected to go high in the first round and he’s using another Oklahoma State wideout as a measuring stick for how good he thinks Blackmon will be as a professional.

“He’s a beast, isn’t he? He’s like Dez Bryant with all of his brain cells,” Moon told KIRO-AM 710 in Seattle, via FoxSportSouthwest.com. “He’s a guy that has all those skills that Dez Bryant has but he’s not the knucklehead that Dez Bryant has turned out to be with Dallas. And a much better route runner than Dez Bryant is, but a very tremendous talent.”

Moon probably could have complimented Blackmon without throwing mud on Bryant, but he gives a pretty good assessment of the way the football world views Bryant after two seasons. He’s shown tremendous talent, but it has been mitigated by off-field issues and a sense that he hasn’t progressed as far as he could in things like learning the playbook because he isn’t as focused on the mental parts of the game as he should be at this point in his career.

If Blackmon does turn out to be “Bryant with all of his brain cells,” someone is going to get a really good receiver this April.

AP

Three days after losing to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson announced that he’ll be entering the NFL Draft this year.

Wilson made the announcement at a press conference in Blacksburg on Friday afternoon with Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer standing by his side. Andy Bitter of the Virginian-Pilot was at the announcement and reports that Wilson was given a second round grade by the NFL draft advisory board and that Wilson said he hopes to improve upon that standing with strong work at the combine.

Wilson ran for 1,709 yards and nine touchdowns during his junior season and was named second team All-American. Wilson also fumbled seven times, a concern he’ll likely have to address with NFL teams if he hopes to move into the first round come April.

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The 2011 NFL Draft has added another likely first round wide receiver.

ESPN’s Joe Schad reports that South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffrey will declare for the draft. Jeffrey’s numbers declined dramatically in his junior season, but he had a huge 148-yard effort in his final bowl game.

He won the game’s MVP award despite getting kicked out of the game.

Jeffrey has the size (6’4, 229-pound) to be a high pick in the first round if he enjoys a strong draft season.

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The Stanford Cardinal could be well represented in the first round of the 2012 Draft.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com reports that guard David DeCastro will follow his quarterback Andrew Luck in forgoing his senior season. DeCastro, like all Stanford players, has been asked to put off meetings with agents until after the Fiesta Bowl, but a source tells Rang that “it isn’t a matter of if, but when” DeCastro officially throws his hat in the ring.

DeCastro was a first-team All-American this season and was a two-time member of the Pac-10/12 all-conference team. That kind of productivity is why it isn’t surprising to see DeCastro buck trends as an interior offensive lineman going pro.

Maurkice Pouncey, Branden Albert and Chilo Rachel are the only ones to get drafted since 2008, but DeCastro gets high grades from many draft forecasters who see him as a possible first-round pick. His experience clearing holes for a pro-style run offense will likely make him appealing to teams early in the selection process. If tackle Jonathan Martin also decides to go pro, there’s a good chance that Stanford will have three players off the board before the end of the first round.

Reuters

Robert Griffin III hasn’t said whether or not he plans to return to Baylor next season after taking home the Heisman last weekend, but a report from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports might give us a hint about his leanings.

Cole reports that Griffin’s parents have been interviewing agents in order to protect Griffin should he decide to return to school. While that’s a possibility, it doesn’t seem like a very good one given the season Griffin had and the number of teams in the NFL who need a franchise quarterback.

Andrew Luck remains everyone’s clubhouse favorite for the first overall pick, but RG3 and Matt Barkley will probably be shaking Roger Goodell’s hand a short time later if they decide to come out. Teams like the Dolphins, Redskins and Seahawks are sure to be interested in adding a potential franchise quarterback come April and Griffin has the kind of talent and intangibles to make one of them move heaven and Earth to bring him to town.

AP

One of the major early questions about the upcoming draft has been answered.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that USC tackle Matt Kalil has decided to go pro. Mort believes Kalil is a top-five pick, potentially the premier left tackle in this draft.  Matt’s brother Ryan plays for the Panthers and is the highest paid center in football.

We still haven’t heard about USC quarterback Matt Barkley’s status yet. It was believed that whether Kalil stayed would be a bellwether for Barkley’s future. We’d expect Barkley to declare his status sooner than later.

Reuters

Robert Griffin III will graduate from Baylor with a 3.67 GPA. He just won the Heisman Trophy and his NFL stock will never be higher.

Griffin has another year of eligibility, but there’s little reason to think he’ll return to school. So what will his draft stock look like? Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News, one of the foremost draft analysts, thinks Griffin will be a top-ten pick.

“[NFL scouts] are looking at what Tim Tebow and Cam Newton are doing, this is a better version of Cam Newton and Tim Tebow,” Gosselin says.

It’s very early in the process, but top-ten may be conservative. There are at least some analysts that think Griffin is a better prospect than Andrew Luck, so he already sounds like a decent bet for the top-five.  Griffin seems like a kid that will only impress teams more the more they talk to him.

ESPN’s Jon Gruden couldn’t contain his excitement over RGIII during Monday’s telecast. Gruden indicated that the Rams, for instance, should look very hard at Griffin despite the presence of Sam Bradford on the roster.

We suspect there will be enough people that agree with Gruden to inspire a lot of Luck vs. Griffin debates next year.