The Buffalo Bills have a strange variation of the problem the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars have already dealt with: Whatever they do in a 2012 NFL Mock Draft is really a referendum on their quarterback. In this case it isn't a talented rookie, it's Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose big contract has already come under fire after his hot start cooled off in 2011. In this particular mock draft, they have further problems—the players they're most often connected to, Michae Floyd and Riley Reiff, are already gone.
With Mario Williams in the fold their last excuse to draft a defensive player is wiped out, and with Floyd and Reiff out they're in trouble. Just as Ryan Tannehill seems likely to fall from his current overheated mock-drafting perch, I think Jonathan Martin's stock is likely to go up in the weeks before the draft. Martin was the top o-line prospect behind Matt Kalil until a poor combine performance set him back. As the combine recedes from memory, a team like the Bills might decide to take him ahead of a fast riser like David DeCastro.
SB Nation St. Louis's 2012 NFL Mock Draft will move from No. 1 to 32 in the days leading up the real draft. Follow along at our draft storystream, or read more mock draft analysis in our mock draft recap storystream.
Last: No. 9 overall, Carolina Panthers
SB Nation St. Louis 2012 NFL Mock Draft
Next: No. 11 overall, Kansas City Chiefs