NFL Draft Order: Overachieving Teams That Will Regret Not Picking in the Top 10

With the end of the NFL regular season, will we be able to look forward to the 2012 NFL Draft. The annual event is going to be the first step that teams take towards building a Super Bowl contender for next year. However, some teams will not get the piece that they need because they won too many games. 

While I am not saying that I think these teams should tank games in order to get a better draft pick, if you aren't good enough to compete for a playoff spot, you have to do whatever it takes in order to get better for the future. 

Here are the teams that played over their heads in 2011 and will regret not making a top-10 pick this April. 

 

Kansas City Chiefs (6-9)

The Chiefs entered the season with high expectations following their AFC West title in 2010, but it became obvious early on that this team was not the same. A season-ending knee injury to Jamaal Charles did not help. 

They have a lot of work to do in order to repair the offense, particularly the quarterback position, and they need a big body in the middle of the defensive line that can help them stop the run. 

Since their division is mediocre, they might be able to compete for a playoff spot next year. But they are not going to be consistent until they fix those problems.

 

Arizona Cardinals (7-8)

The acquisition of Kevin Kolb was supposed to get the Cardinals back to the postseason, but he was overwhelmed by the pressure early and injuries have kept him out of action late in the season. 

His problems helped to mask other issues they had on offense, and an inconsistent defense made matters worse. A late-season surge has pushed them close to the .500 mark, though that does not mean anything heading into 2012. 

They still need playmakers on defense if they hope to compete with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, and shoring up a few positions on offense would take pressure off the defense to perform. 

 

Tennessee Titans (8-7)

Head coach Mike Munchak has done a terrific job with the Titans this season, but he might not be around next year, which leaves this team in an even bigger bind right now. 

But even if Munchak stays, this team has to figure out the direction that it wants to go. Matt Hasselbeck began the season on fire but has regressed to the player we all thought he would be. Chris Johnson is an enigma. Eventually they will have to see what they have in Jake Locker. 

Competing for a wild card spot was the worst thing that could have happened to this team in 2011, because it will make them believe that they are ready to contend next year.

They benefited from an easy schedule—six of their eight wins have come against teams under .500, and the victory over the Denver Broncos came long before Denver started playing well. 

 

Current 2012 NFL Draft Order
1. Indianapolis Colts (2-13)
2. St. Louis Rams (2-13)
3. Minnesota Vikings (3-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (4-11)
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11)
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11)
7. Washington Redskins (5-10)
8. Miami Dolphins (5-10)
9. Carolina Panthers (6-9)
10. Buffalo Bills (6-9)
11. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9)
12. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
13. Philadelphia Eagles (7-8)
14. Seattle Seahawks (7-8)
15. San Diego Chargers (7-8)
16. Chicago Bears (7-8)
17. Tennessee Titans (8-7)
18. Dallas Cowboys (8-7)
19. New York Jets (8-7)
20. Oakland Raiders (8-7)
21. New York Giants (8-7)
22. Denver Broncos (8-7)
23. Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
24. Cleveland Browns (4-11)
25. Houston Texans (10-5)
26. Detroit Lions (10-5)
27. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4)
28. Baltimore Ravens (11-4)
29. San Francisco 49ers (12-3)
30. New Orleans Saints (12-3)
31. New England Patriots (12-3)
32. Green Bay Packers (14-1)

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