NFL Draft 2012: Assessing the Draft's Best and Worst Positions

With that pesky Super Bowl out of the way, we can now turn our attention to the most important event in the NFL offseason: the 2012 NFL Draft.

Over the next few months there will be plenty of gabbing around these parts regarding who will land where, for how long and why.

This early in the process, I find it very helpful to take a look at the overall class of incoming players and see where the strengths of it are and where the weaknesses lie.

Every year this changes, and whereas one year sees an exceptional group of running backs emerge, another will see a weak class of running backs and a strong group of defensive linemen.

This year is no exception, though we once again see several groups remaining strong as they have for the last few years.

Who would that be? Well, that's what the next few pages are for.

So without further ado, here are the positional groups for the 2012 NFL Draft, graded and ranked from worst to first.

Safety: C-

I felt the safety and cornerback positions are different enough to warrant splitting them in a way I won't with the offensive or defensive lines or linebacker group.

The safety class is very shallow, with very little early round talent beyond Alabama's Mark Barron and far too many question marks. Undoubtedly there are some diamonds in the rough here, but many of the players at both the free and strong safety positions will be Day Three selections, if they get picked at all.

Any team feeling as though they are in desperate need of a safety had better go early, otherwise they might as well roll the dice late and hope for the best.

Tight Ends: C

Overall this is an okay group but nothing to write home about. There's no real game changer at the tight end position, which is made up mostly of solid possession guys and blockers.

You won't find the next Antonio Gates or Rob Gronkowski here—rather you can keep your eye out for an Alge Crumpler or Kevin Boss.

Solid but unspectacular, this is a group that nobody will be killing themselves to pick over.

Quarterbacks: C+

Ideally, I want a quarterback class with three or four very good prospects as well as a few potential value picks later.

In 2012, I get two top shelf prospects (Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III), one borderline first rounder (Ryan Tannehill) and a lot of dart throws.

Too many of the quarterbacks outside the top three have huge question marks or dings against them. Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden is too old. Boise State's Kellen Moore's arm is too weak. Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers, is too inconsistent.

It's not to say any of these guys (or one I haven't mentioned) can't develop into solid quarterbacks, but far too many of them look like they might take a long time just to get up to "back-up."

Despite having Luck and RGIII at the top of the class, this group grades out as too shallow and too risky to grade very high overall.

Linebackers: B-

The linebacker position group is an okay bunch. Not a ton of top talent, but a lot of potential depth in the middle rounds—at least at the outside position. Inside Linebacker, as is often the case, leaves a lot to be desired past the first few players and drags the overall group grade down a tad.

Obviously Melvin Ingram and Courtney Upshaw are the class of the group, with North Carolina's Zach Brown a real threat to slip into the first round as well.

Ultimately when we look at this group three or four years from now, what will make or break the class is the middle rounds which are deep with potential, especially at the outside position.

If a few guys like Oregon's Josh Kaddu or Troy's Jonathan Massaquoi play above expectations and develop into solid players, we may look at the group more favorably.

A lot might hinge on those second and third tier players, but there is plenty of potential there.

Wide Receivers: B-

This group has some similarities to the previous position in that there is some real talent up top, but the key to its value hinges on how successful the middle of the pack is.

We're relatively sure about guys like Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and Baylor's Kendall Wright. However, many of the others in this class have some big question marks about whether they will be able to make the transition from college stud to Pro player.

To be honest, even guys like Notre Dame wide receiver Micheal Floyd carry some big question marks—in Floyd's case, three off-field incidents involving alcohol make you wonder if his head is screwed on straight.

Appalachian State's Brian Quick played well on film, but struggled during Senior Bowl, while Iowa's Marvin McNutt started off slow in Mobile but recovered by week's end.

Players like Cal's Marvin Jones or Arizona State's Gerell Robinson got on Scout's radars during All-Star games and now have to carry that over into the Combine and workouts.

It's these middle guys who will tell the tale long term here. Again, like the linebackers, I see a ton of potential at the position, along with a fair amount of risk.

Cornerbacks: B

I really like this position group and feel like it has a lot going for it. It has some top shelf talent in LSU's Morris Claiborne, Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick and North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins.

It also has a great deal of depth in the second and third tiers as well. This group rolls deep, and if you miss out on the cream of the crop, there is plenty to like later in the Draft.

If there is one thing that pulls it back from a higher grade, it's some questions I have about the small school prospects littering the middle of the position group.

Sure, it seems provincial to say I worry about them making the transition and adapting to bigger, faster and stronger wide receivers at the Pro level, but I do have that concern.

Can guys from Furman, Louisiana-Lafayette and UCF compete against the NFL's best? It's a fair question in my mind. There is plenty of bigger-school talent as well, and lots of talent to choose from.

This group is deep, and ultimately, I don't think teams will go wrong with most of the players here.

Defensive Line: B

Both the defensive ends and defensive tackles in this position group are incredibly talented. The top end—guys like North Carolina's Quinton Coples, Penn State's Devon Still and Jerel Worthy of Michigan State—is just the tip of the iceberg here, and the depth across the board is very, very good.

Here is another group who, if you miss one of the top prospects, there are plenty more where they came from. The difference between the defensive line group and the previous positions is that the top end is so good, you might be kicking yourself even if your third or fourth round prospect pans out marvelously.

The top end is good enough to where even a successful later pick might seem a little less successful.

Running Backs: B

Every year now, it seems there is a tremendous debate about whether the running back position group lacks top end talent or if the emergence of multi-back systems in the NFL has watered down the overall value.

For me, it's more the second, as teams are willing to wait on running backs to fill out one of several spots in their backfield, which in turn lowers the need to grab even a talent like Trent Richardson early.

Richardson is tremendously talented—touted by some as the best back to come out since Adrian Peterson—but he could slide in the Draft because there isn't a premium placed on his position.

All that being said, where you get drafted is not always an indication of talent or lack thereof.

This group may not appear to have a lot of top shelf talent, but it is very deep with players who will be able to step in and have an immediate positive impact for their team.

Guys like Boise State's Doug Martin or Oregon's LaMichael James may not go on the first day, but both bring a lot of skill into the NFL and could very well perform as a top talent, even if they don't go where you expect one to.

A lot of the value here may depend on the scheme the players land in as well. A team who drafts James, for example, and tries to run him as a bell cow, every-down back is not going to be happy.

However, if they use him as part of a two-back system, paired with a bigger, bruising back, James will be a success.

That's true for many of the players in this position group. There is plenty of talent here, and in my opinion, years from now no other position's grade will be as impacted by where a player lands as this one.

Offensive Line: A-

I feel as though the offensive line group has been the most consistently-talented position over the last four or five years, and it's not even close. This has certainly been impacted by the realization by teams that their franchise quarterbacks need to be upright to complete a pass.

Sometimes it IS rocket science.

All kidding aside, the talent has been such in the last few Drafts that teams are consistently grabbing offensive linemen—especially tackles—early and often in the Draft.

This year is no different as all three spots—guards, centers and tackles—are strong across the board.

The class of the group are of course the tackles, led by USC's Matt Kalil, Iowa's Riley Reiff and Stanford's Jonathan Martin. All three players could easily step in for their teams on day one, probably at the all-important left tackle, to boot.

Even the middle tiers look very good, guys like Auburn's Brandon Mosley, Illinois' Jeff Allen and Utah's Tony Bergstrom.

While the guards and centers aren't as deep as the tackles, there is plenty of talent there as well. Stanford's David DeCastro is a great blind side guard, and Wisconsin's Peter Konz is a fantastic center.

Both are followed closely by players who may not be quite as talented as the middle tiers of tackles, but have plenty of skills and upside to spare.

Without a doubt, the offensive line is the position most likely to produce talent and success early and often next NFL season and for years to come.