AFC 2012 NFL Draft Grades

Baltimore Ravens

2.03 (35) - Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
2.28 (60) - Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa St.
3.21 (84) -  Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple
4.03 (98) - Gino Gradkowski, OG, Delaware
4.35 (130) - Christian Thompson, FS, South Carolina St.
5.34 (169) - Asa Jackson, CB, Cal Poly
6.28 (198) - Tommy Streeter, WR, Miami
7.29 (236) - DeAngelo Tyson, DT, Georgia

My grade: C+

The Ravens didn’t have a selection in the first round after trading their pick to the Vikings for Minnesota’s second and fourth round picks.  Luckily (or strategically) for them, standout Alabama product Courtney Upshaw was on the board.  Upshaw will be forced into the lineup sooner than expected due to the recent injury of 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs, who will be lucky to see any playing time in 2012.  Baltimore found a complement for bowling ball Ray Rice in the third round with Temple RB Bernard Pierce.  Other than Pierce and Upshaw, I’m not a huge fan of their draft, but they rarely miss up high.

Buffalo Bills 

1.10 (10) - Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
2.09 (41) - Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
3.06 (69) - T.J. Graham, WR, North Carolina St.
4.10 (105) - Nigel Bradham, LB, Florida St.
4.29 (124) - Ron Brooks, CB, LSU
5.09 (144) - Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida St.
5.12 (147) - Tank Carder, ILB, TCU
6.08 (178) - Mark Asper, OG, Oregon
7.44 (251) - John Potter, K, Western Michigan

My grade: B

If the Buffalo Bills want to make the playoffs anytime soon, they’ll need to slow down the dynamic passing attack of Tom Brady & co. in New England. Stephon Gilmore from South Carolina will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal. Gilmore can play press-man as well as zone and uses his large frame to defend balls in the air. With their second pick they grabbed a great value in Georgia offensive tackle Cordy Glenn; Glenn is more suited for the right side at the NFL level and can play both tackle and guard. Receiver T.J. Graham was a bit of a reach in the third round, but “he can fly,” in the words of NFL.com analyst Mike Mayock.

Cincinnati Bengals 

1.17 (17) - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

1.27 (27) - Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin
2.21 (53) - Devon Still, DT, Penn St.
3.20 (83) - Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
3.30 (93) - Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
4.21 (116) - Orson Charles, TE, Georgia
5.21 (156) - Shaun Prater, CB, Iowa
5.31 (166) - Marvin Jones, WR, California
5.32 (167) - George Iloka, FS, Boise St.
6.21 (191) - Dan Herron, RB, Ohio St.

My grade: A+

This is the only A+ I’m giving out, and the last team I thought I’d be giving it to was the Cincinnati Bengals.  But, alas, here we are.  I am handing out an A+ to a Mike Brown-ran football team.  The Bengals had five picks in the top 100, and used them to address needs in the secondary, offensive line, defensive line, and receiving corps. First round pick Dre Kirkpatrick fills a void left by Jonathan Joseph, and second rounders Kevin Zeitler and Devon Still are “plug and play” football players who add depth to the offensive and defensive lines, respectively.  Cincinnati added lanky free safety George Iloka from Boise St. in the fifth round, a player some analysts had going on the second day.  The Bengals took two rookie pro bowlers last year in A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, and they can expect many pro bowls from this 2012 draft class.

Cleveland Browns

1.03 (3) - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
1.22 (22) - Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma St.
2.05 (37) - Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
3.24 (87) - John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
4.05 (100) - Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami
4.25 (120) - James-Michael Johnson, ILB, Nevada
5.25 (160) - Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
6.34 (204) - Emmanuel Acho, ILB, Texas
6.35 (205) - Billy Winn, DE, Boise St.
7.38 (245) - Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
7.40 (247) - Brad Smelley, FB, Alabama

My grade: B

You either love this draft for the Browns or you hate it.  As a big Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden fan, I am of the latter group.  Trent Richardson is the best running back to come out of college since Adrian Peterson.  He adds toughness to the toughest division in football and will help keep the Browns in favorable down and distance situations.  With their second round pick they took 28 year-old QB Brandon Weeden; if you don’t know the story, Weeden played baseball out of high school and only started college in 2007.  Despite his age, Weeden still has the ability to play QB at a high level for enough years to justify the selection.  The Browns used the later rounds and compensatory selections to stock up on players who slid in the draft, including Boise State’s Billy Winn and Arizona’s Trevin Wade.

Denver Broncos

2.04 (36) - Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati
2.25 (57) - Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona St.
3.04 (67) - Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego St.
4.06 (101) - Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona St.
4.13 (108) - Philip Blake, C, Baylor
5.02 (137) - Malik Jackson, DE, Tennessee
6.18 (188) - Danny Trevathan, OLB, Kentucky

My grade: C-

Not a huge fan of the Broncos’ draft.  They filled a big need by going defensive line in the second round, selecting Cincinnati’s Derek Wolfe, but I would have rather seen them go with UCONN’s Kendall Reyes or Michigan State’s Jerel Worthy.  In the second round they took the heir-apparent to Peyton Manning, the 6’7” Arizona State product Brock Osweiler.  Osweiler is a bit of a project with high upside, and will learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Ronnie Hillman is an ideal third-down back for the Manning-led offense that can protect the passer and produce in the screen game. Blake was a decent value pick in the fourth round and will push third year player J.D. Walton for the starting center position.

Houston Texans

1.26 (26) - Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois
3.05 (68) - DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio St.
3.13 (76) - Brandon Brooks, OG, Miami (OH)
4.04 (99) - Ben Jones, C, Georgia
4.26 121) - Keshawn Martin, WR, Michigan St.
4.31 (126) - Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska 
5.26 (161) - Randy Bullock, K, Texas A&M
6.25 (195) - Nick Mondek, OT, Purdue

My grade: B

I was amazed at some of the responses to Houston’s first round pick--Illinois stud pass-rusher Whitney Mercilus. So many analysts had an offensive player penciled in at the 26^th overall slot, and when Houston went defense they were left scratching their heads.  Houston made a great pick here.  They’re losing Mario Williams in free agency and will likely lose OLB Connor Barwin during next year’s free agency.  Mercilus had the most productive year from any first round pass rusher and should fit in nicely in Wade Phillip’s 3-4 scheme.  In the second round the Texans tried to select a complement to Andre Johnson in Ohio State’s DeVier Posey.  Not sure that Posey was the best available wide receiver here, but he’s better than what Houston’s got.  Houston went to the Big-10 receiver well again in the fourth round when they took Michigan State’s Keshawn Martin, an undersized speedster who should contribute in the return game now that Houston is without Jacoby Jones.  I’m surprised Houston didn’t take a cornerback in the draft; I would assume they are expecting 2010 first round pick Kareem Jackson to step his game up.

Indianapolis Colts

1.01 (1) - Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2.02 (34) - Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
3.01 (64) - Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson 
3.29 (92) - T.Y. Hilton, WR, Florida International
5.01 (136) - Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama 
5.35 (170) - Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi St.
6.36 (206) - LaVon Brazill, WR, Ohio
7.01 (208) - Justin Anderson, OT, Georgia
7.07 (214) - Tim Fugger, DE, Vanderbilt
7.46 (203) - Chandler Harnish, QB, Northern Illinois

My grade: B+

The best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning.  The best quarterback prospect since John Elway.  The best quarterback prospect ever.  I’ve seen all three of these superlatives used when describing Indianapolis’ #1 overall pick, quarterback Andrew Luck.  I’m not quite as high on him as the rest of the world; I think he will max out as a top-ten quarterback in the league, never reaching MVP-status.  However, he most definitely is the safer quarterback between him and Andrew Luck due to his conventional playing style and uncanny accuracy.  I love that the Colts stayed true to their draft board and went offensive skill positions with the next three picks instead of reaching for defense.  The best thing you can do to help our your young quarterback is surround him with weapons, and the Colts did just that in selecting tight ends Fleener and Allen along with the speedy small school wide receiver T.Y. Hilton with their second, third, and fourth selections.

Jacksonville Jaguars

1.05 (5) - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St. 
2.06 (38) - Andre Branch, DE, Clemson 
3.07 (70) - Bryan Anger, P, California
5.07 (142) - Brandon Marshall, OLB, Nevada
6.06 (176) - Mike Harris, CB, Florida St.
7.21 (228) - Jeris Pendleton, DT, Ashland

My grade: B-

Do not adjust your computer screens.  You are reading this correctly: The Jaguars selected a punter in the third round.  Crazy, right?  Well, not entirely crazy.  The Jaguars have a pretty terrible offense, and will be playing the field-position game more often than not.  Anger is the best punter in the draft and an excellent directional kicker.  If you watched the Super Bowl (and if you’re reading this blog, I assume you have) you saw Giants punter Steve Weatherford execute a number of perfect directional punts that forced fair catches and left the Patriots offense with long fields on nearly every possession.  But, the third round is way too early for a punter.  I do like what they did in the first round, however, trading up from 7 to 5 to get wide receiver Justin Blackmon, one of my favorite players in the draft.  Blackmon is right up there with Griffin III and Richardson as the most fun players to watch.  He reminds me so much of Terrell Owens; big and strong, incredibly difficult to tackle, and an unbelievable work ethic.  His only problem is that Blaine Gabbert is his quarterback.  In the second round Jacksonville selected explosive pass rusher Andre Branch from Clemson, a player worthy of the selection who fills a big need.

Kansas City Chiefs

1.11 (11) - Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
2.12 (44) - Jeff Allen, OT, Illinois 
3.11 (74) - Donald Stephenson, OT, Oklahoma
4.12 (107) - Devon Wylie, WR, Fresno St.
5.11 (146) - DeQuan Menzie, CB, Alabama
6.12 (182) - Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M 
7.11 (218) - Jerome Long, DT, San Diego St.
7.31 (238) - Junior Hemingway, WR, Michigan

My grade: C+

The Chiefs selected Mr. Poe(tential) at the #11 spot, the mammoth-like Memphis defensive tackle.  Poe fits a clear need in the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense and is an incredible athlete for a man of his stature.  However, with that size and athleticism, he should have been a dominant player in college, especially playing in Conference-USA.  Some people chalked it up to Poe not being asked to rush the passer, while others claimed he’s just a workout wonder.  My sentiments lie somewhere in between: I feel Poe will be a solid defensive lineman for the Chiefs, but that it’s going to take a few years of seasoning before he can start to reach any level of dominance. In rounds two and three the Chiefs went offensive line, then transitioning to a trio of speedsters in rounds four, five and six. 

Miami Dolphins

1.08 (8) - Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
2.10 (42) - Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford 
3.09 (72) - Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami
3.15 (78) - Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri
4.02 (97) - Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
5.20 (155) - Josh Kaddu, OLB, Oregon
6.13 (183) - B.J. Cunningham, WR, Michigan St.
7.08 (215) - Kheeston Randall, DT, Texas
7.20 (227) - Rishard Matthews, WR, Nevada

My grade: D+

This grade is heavily based on the selection of Ryan Tannehill eighth overall.  Basically, I don’t believe he is worthy of a first round draft choice.  He played wide receiver longer than he played quarterback at Texas A&M, and when the game was on the line, he played his worst.  He’s a very good athlete and will wow you with some athletic plays, but he is far too inconsistent and careless with the football to ever be a franchise quarterback.  Jonathan Martin should start opposite Jake Long in the very near future.  Lamar Miller dropped because of some medical issues and was picked up by his hometown team.  He’s an explosive player and a threat to go the distance each time he carries the ball but needs to work on his pass-protection skills before he can see extended playing time.

New England Patriots

1.21 (21) - Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse 
1.25 (25) - Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama 
2.16 (48) - Tavon Wilson, FS, Illinois
3.27 (90) - Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas
6.27 (197) - Nate Ebner, DB, Ohio St.
7.17 (224) - Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
7.28 (235) - Jeremy Ebert, WR, Northwestern

My grade: B-

Much like the Green Bay Packers, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots targeted defensive players heading into the draft.  They left with six defensive selections out of a possible seven, headlined by Syracuse pass rusher Chandler Jones and Alabama thumper Dont’a Hightower in the first round.  Tavon Wilson was a huge surprise in the second round; most draft websites did not have him in the database.  Alfonzo Dennard was once regarded as a possible early-round draft choice until he started being an idiot.  Under the right leadership and in the proper locker room, he could flourish.

New York Jets

1.16 (16) - Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina 
2.11 (43) - Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech 
3.14 (77) - Demario Davis, OLB, Arkansas St.
6.17 (187) - Josh Bush, FS, Wake Forest
6.32 (202) - Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
6.33 (203) - Robert T. Griffin, OG, Baylor
7.35 (242) - Antonio Allen, SS, South Carolina
7.37 (244) - Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan

My grade: B

Quinton Coples is one of the most talented players in the draft.  Arguably a top-5 talent.  He shut it down his senior year so he wouldn’t get injured, which is somewhat understandable.  The Jets were able to grab him with their first round selection (pick #16), one spot after Bruce Irvin went to Seattle.  Rex Ryan is going to have dreams about what he can do with a 6’6”, 285 lb. specimen like Quinton Coples in his defense.  Coples can set the edge as a five-technique end in the base 3-4, rush the passer off the edge in the 4-3, or play in a two point stance as an outside linebacker in the 3-4.  The Jets traded up in round two to select Stephen “Thrill” Hill, the latest in a line of wide receivers to come out of triple-option Georgia Tech than can freaking fly.  Hill is 6’4” and ran a 4.36, which compares favorably to 2007 #2 overall pick Calvin Johnson (also of Georgia Tech) who is 6’5” and ran a 4.35.  That’s where the comparisons end, though, as Calvin has much better hands and a far more developed route tree. With five selections in the sixth and seventh rounds, the Jets grabbed a little bit of everything to help with depth.

Oakland Raiders

3.32 (95) - Tony Bergstrom, OT, Utah
4.34 (129) - Miles Burris, OLB, San Diego St.
5.23 (158) - Jack Crawford, DE, Penn St.
5.33 (168) - Juron Criner, WR, Arizona 
6.19 (189) - Christo Bilukidi, DE, Georgia St.
7.23 (230) - Nathan Stupar, OLB, Penn St.

My grade: C-

The draft cupboards were pretty bare for first year general manager Reggie McKenzie after 2011 head coach/de facto general manager Hue Jackson traded away the team’s 2012 first round selection and 2013 second round selection to the Bengals for Carson Palmer.  That trade is pretty heavily slanted toward the Bengals at the moment, although that could change if Palmer can return to form and cut down on his mistakes.  No flashy names here for the Raiders, but a lot of guys that should improve depth along the offensive and defensive lines as well as a steal in the fifth round with Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner.

Pittsburgh Steelers

1.24 (24) - David DeCastro, G, Stanford 
2.24 (56) - Mike Adams, OT, Ohio St. 
3.23 (86) - Sean Spence, OLB, Miami 
4.14 (109) - Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington
5.24 (159) - Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
7.24 (231) - Toney Clemons, WR, Colorado
7.33 (240) - David Paulson, TE, Oregon
7.39 (246) - Terrence Frederick, CB, Texas A&M
7.41 (248) - Kelvin Beachum, OG, Southern Methodist

My grade: B+

And David DeCastro falls right into Kevin Colbert’s lap.  I wonder if they even thought about trading out of this pick or if they handed in the card in record time.  David DeCastro is arguably one of the safest picks in this draft; he has ‘plug-and-play’ written all over him.  The Steelers have had nothing but underwhelming play on the offensive line for a number of years, and DeCastro as well as second-round offensive tackle Mike Adams will go along way to change that.  Adams has a few red flags as far as character goes (failed drug test at the combine and sold memorabilia) but he’s a gifted athlete with NFL left-tackle position.  Everyone is slobbering over the fact they drafted Alameda Ta’amu from Washington in the fourth round, but there’s a reason he went in the fourth round.  A man of his stature should not be so easily moved around in the running game.  Go put on the Baylor or Stanford tape from Washington’s 2011 season when the Dawgs were rushed on for more than 400 yards in each of those games.  Ta’ama was consistently washed out of plays and showed questionable effort.  If he can play up to his potential he will be a great pick here, but let’s not go crazy yet, he’s got a long ways to go.

San Diego Chargers

1.18 (18) - Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
2.17 (49) - Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut 
3.10 (73) - Brandon Taylor, SS, LSU 
4.15 (110) - Ladarius Green, TE, Louisiana-Lafayette
5.14 (149) - Johnnie Troutman, OG, Penn St.
7.19 (226) - David Molk, C, Michigan
7.43 (250) - Edwin Baker, RB, Michigan St.

My grade: A-

A terrific, terrific job done by A.J. Smith and Norv Turner here.  Melvin Ingram fell right into their laps and they did the prudent thing in selecting the outstanding South Carolina pass rusher.  A bit undersized at 6’1”, Ingram can line up and produce at nearly every spot on the defensive side of the ball.  Hell, he can even play running back!  The Chargers’ defense has not been the same since Shawne Merriman became ineffective; they are hoping Ingram can be Merriman v2.0 only without the steroid issues.  The rich got richer in the second round with UCONN defensive lineman Kendall Reyes, an interior guy in college who will kick out to five-technique in the pros and then back inside in the sub-packages.  Brandon Taylor was among the top safeties in the class (which really says more about the lack of depth at the position than anything else) and Ladarius Green is a matchup nightmare at the tight end position.

Tennessee Titans

1.20 (20) - Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor 
2.20 (52) - Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina 
3.19 (82) - Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
4.20 (115) - Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Clemson
5.10 (145) - Taylor Thompson, DE, Southern Methodist
6.20 (190) - Markelle Martin, FS, Oklahoma St.
7.04 (211) - Scott Solomon, DE, Rice

My grade: B-

I was screaming for David DeCastro at the #20 spot but the Titans instead selected the speedy Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright.  Wright is a bit of an enigma; he played lightning-quick in college but tested very poorly at the combine and then was reported to have a very high body fat content.  Regardless, he’s an explosive weapon that will instantly contribute in the receiving and return game.  Also, I think this is a precursor to Jake Locker winning the quarterback spot out of training camp.  Why else would you draft a deep threat wide receiver unless you’re going to pair him with a quarterback able to throw the deep ball?  I like Matt Hasselbeck but he can’t fully utilize Wright the way Locker can.  In the second round Tennessee took Brown out of UNC, an amazing athlete who’s somewhat of an underachiever.  So much was expected out of him because of his freakish speed (4.50 40 yard dash at 244 lbs.) and when he didn’t make all the highlight-reel plays a lot of scouts soured on him.  Regardless, he’ll have the chance to prove himself immediately if he can lock down the weakside linebacker position out of training camp.  Mike Martin is a prototypical three-technique under tackle that will shoot the B-gap and get in the quarterbacks face.