2012 NFL Draft Grades: 7 Players Who Will Fail Thanks to Where They Landed

The NFL draft is always filled with more players who will fail rather than succeed. An unlucky group of the players fail simply because of the team that selects them. 

There are a variety of reasons why these players fail. Some are just a bad fit for their team while others are blocked from playing time because of the talent ahead of them on the depth chart.

The biggest reason, however, tends to be that they are drafted into situations with little talent around them. The NFL is a team sport and one rookie isn’t going to change everything for a franchise.

Now is as good of a time as any to reflect on the players who will fail because of the team that picked them. Each fit will be graded accordingly.

A.J. Jenkins, WR, San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers made former Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins a surprise late-first-round selection because they needed a deep threat in their passing game. The problem is the 49ers don’t have a quarterback that throws deep very often (or well).

Alex Smith isn’t exactly known for his deep-ball skills. He could improve with legitimate threats like Jenkins and Randy Moss, but that’s another problem for Jenkins—there are only so many receptions to go around.

Jenkins won’t be even the second or third option on offense with players like tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree on the field. At best, Jenkins is a decoy.

Grade: D

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins won’t fail because of his lack of talent. If anything he was one of the most NFL-ready quarterbacks to enter the draft. Cousins will fail at the next level because he will never see the field in Washington.

As predicted the Washington Redskins selected quarterback Robert Griffin III at second overall in the draft. Then unexpectedly in the fourth round the Redskins selected Cousins to be Griffin’s backup.

It’s a smart move by the organization to have a talented backup like Cousins should Griffin have health issues. It’s also a smart insurance policy in the event Griffin doesn’t pan out.

Unfortunately for Cousins, RG3 won’t fail, and will be stuck behind the Heisman winner for the foreseeable future in Washington.

Grade: C

Justin Blackmon, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Justin Blackmon was the consensus No. 1 receiver entering the draft.. The Jacksonville Jaguars desperately needed help at the position and made the Oklahoma State product the No. 5 overall pick of the 2012 draft.

At 6'1", Blackmon isn’t the biggest receiver, but he has sure hands and could develop into a top option. However, he might not see enough passes thrown his way as long as Blaine Gabbert remains under center for the Jags.

Throw in free-agent addition Laurent Robinson to compete with for targets, and Maurice Jones-Drew taking snaps in the backfield, and Blackmon's outlook becomes even worse.  

Grade: B

Dontari Poe, DT, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs needed a versatile pass-rusher and run-stuffing defensive lineman entering the 2012 NFL draft and found one in the form of Dontari Poe.

The majority of NFL fans in the know realized that Poe could be a massive bust as he shot up the draft boards as a combine freak and overhype. He had an impressive scouting combine in Indy but did little while at Memphis against questionable Conference USA competition.

That being said, Poe’s problem in Kansas City has more to do with the talent around him than anything else.

The Chiefs were horrible against the run last year, and ranked 26th to be exact. Poe won’t do much to improve that mark, as opposing teams will be able to focus on shutting him down.

Grade: C

Stephen Hill, WR, New York Jets

Stephen Hill is a wide receiver who came out of nowhere at the combine and ended up being selected by the New York Jets in the second round. He has a freakish combination of size and speed that would fit in perfectly with a team that actually threw the ball deep.

With that in mind, it’s strange to see Hill end up with the Jets. Quarterback Mark Sanchez struggles when throwing deep downfield, and Tim Tebow is more of a runner than anything. In addition, the Jets appear to be focused on primarily using a running attack the 2012-13 season.

All of these factors combine to essentially ensure that Hill will fail in New York. He will slip by the defense and find the end zone from time to time, but that will be the extent of his production. Like A.J. Jenkins in San Francisco, Hill is more of a decoy than anything.

Grade: D

Janoris Jenkins, CB, St. Louis Rams

Janoris Jenkins has had a troubled, well-documented trip to the NFL. Jeff Fisher and St. Louis Rams took a chance on him in the second round of the draft because of his immense talent.

One would think that combing Jenkins’ skill with corner Cortland Finnegan would make for an elite secondary, but that’s not likely to happen. Opposing quarterbacks will more than likely shy away from throwing at Finnegan because he has proven himself as an elite corner.

Jenkins will be picked on for the majority of his rookie year and time in St. Louis. That is, if he can remain out of trouble and on the field in the first place. Finnegan isn’t going anywhere, which means that Jenkins could have an extremely hard time these next few years.

Grade: B

Brandon Weeden, QB, Cleveland Browns

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden was a surprise first-round selection of the Cleveland Browns. The team didn’t necessarily need a new quarterback, but felt that Weeden was a potential franchise player who could turn things around.

Weeden could excel at the next level with more weapons around him, but right now the Browns don’t have a lot of talent for him to work with. Fellow first-round pick Trent Richardson has star potential at running back, but that's about it. 

The Browns offensive line is still maturing and is a few years away from being a solid unit. There are not any receiving threats to speak of outside of wide receiver Greg Little, who was wildly inconsistent in his own rookie campaign.

Weeden has inherited almost the same situation as his predecessor, Colt McCoy, and it's not a good one.

Grade: C