2012 NFL Draft Grades: 5 Winners and 5 Losers from Round 1 of the Draft

The Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams were winners in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, while the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw represent losers from the draft's first 32 picks. 

The first round of the NFL's annual draft kicked off with the Indianapolis Colts' unsurprising pick of Andrew Luck at No. 1 overall, and finished with the New York Giants' selection of Virginia Tech running back David Wilson. 

In between, the draft offered a few surprises and plenty of movement—eight draft-day trades, in fact—to complete the three-hour start to the league's most anticipated event of the offseason. 

Here's a breakdown of the five winners and losers from the first round. 

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Who They Picked

USC tackle Matt Kalil (No. 4 overall), Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith (No. 30)

Why They Won

Vikings GM Rick Spielman was smart early on in executing a trade with the worried Cleveland Browns, who thought another team could move up to Minnesota's third pick to take running back Trent Richardson. 

In the end, Spielman got the player he wanted all along (Kalil) while stockpiling more picks in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds.

The Vikings can now plug in Kalil at left tackle for the next 10-12 years and use the extra picks to speed up the current rebuilding process. 

Spielman then moved back into the first round to get Harrison, who should help a safety group that was probably the worst in football last season. It didn't cost the Vikings an arm and a leg, either.

Overall, in terms of low-risk, high-reward decisions, Spielman's were the very best in the first round. 

Grade: A

Loser: Seattle Seahawks

Who They Picked

West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin (No. 15 overall)

Why They Lost

Pass-rushers have become a priority in the NFL, but there's no way you can consider Seattle's selection of Irvin at No. 15 overall anything but a reach. 

The former West Virginia defensive end is clearly undersized and will likely only contribute as a situational pass-rusher at the next level.

Given how many talented defensive ends remained on the board at Seattle's pick, you have to wonder what set Irvin apart in the minds of Pete Carroll and John Schneider. 

I get the need for pass-rushers, but Seattle might have swung and missed here.

Grade: D

Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Who They Picked

Alabama safety Mark Barron (No. 7 overall), Boise State running back Doug Martin (No. 31)

Why They Won

The Buccaneers masterfully navigated both the start and end of the first round on Thursday.

They moved down from No. 5 overall once Trent Richardson was off the board, taking Barron at No. 7 overall to be the thumper safety Tampa Bay needs.

The Bucs then moved back into the first round to nab a three-down back in Martin to replace LeGarrette Blount as the team's bell-cow runner. 

The moves signal exactly how new coach Greg Schiano wants to turn the Bucs into a smash-mouth football team with an actual identity. Both Barron and Martin were home run picks in my book. 

Grade: A

Loser: Kansas City Chiefs

Who They Picked

Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe (No. 11 overall)

Why They Lost

The measurables on Poe are off the charts, but you really have to wonder if the Chiefs got more workout warrior than actual football player at No. 11 overall.

Poe was far too quiet during his time at Memphis to warrant a top-15 pick, even if the NFL combine showed one of the most athletic big men we've ever seen in Indianapolis. Poe's actual game tape doesn't mesh with the 11th overall selection. 

Romeo Crennel will find ways to make this work, but the Chiefs still reached. 

Grade: D+

Winner: New England Patriots

Who They Picked

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones (No. 21 overall), Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower (No. 25)

Why They Won

Everyone expected the Patriots to trade down from at least one of their two first-rounders, but Bill Belichick and Co. threw a couple of curveballs when New England moved up twice to get impact defensive players. 

Syracuse's Chandler Jones was the first target at No. 21 overall, and the super athletic defensive end could end up being the steal of this draft. Hightower at No. 25 gives New England another versatile pass-rusher in the front seven. 

Overall, the Patriots' No. 31-ranked defense added two players that should play significant roles next season.

There's not much more you can ask for from a team in that position than what New England pulled off on Thursday night. 

Grade: A-

Loser: Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw

Where He Was Picked

N/A

Why He Lost

Once thought of as a top-10 pick, Courtney Upshaw fell completely out of the first round. It was a tough fall, too, as a number of teams that were looking at pass-rushers passed on the former Alabama standout during the first 32 picks. 

While I don't expect Upshaw to fall considerably far into the second round, it makes you wonder what scared off teams from taking such an all-around defensive player.

Upshaw's curious attendance during pre-draft workouts could be to blame for such a hard fall down boards. 

Grade: F

Winner: St. Louis Rams

Who They Picked

LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers

Why They Won

It's hard not to love what the Rams are doing draft-wise. St. Louis has skillfully stockpiled more picks than any GM could ever imagine using, and it did so while still getting a major piece at No. 14. 

The Rams allowed the Cowboys to move and take Morris Claiborne at No. 6 overall, and then took a monster defensive tackle in Brockers with the 14th pick. 

I'm sure Jeff Fisher sees in Brockers another tackle that he can mold into a defensive force, much like he did with Albert Haynesworth in Tennessee. 

Grade: A

Loser: Browns QB Colt McCoy

Who the Browns Picked

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden (No. 22 overall)

Why McCoy Lost

The Browns' pre-draft interest in Weeden wasn't faked, but it still caught me by surprise that Cleveland would use its second first-rounder on the Oklahoma State quarterback.

What it confirms, however, is that the trust in Colt McCoy as the Browns starter is probably non-existent. 

The 28-year-old Weeden may come into camp as the favorite to win the job, meaning the short starting run McCoy had in Cleveland could be coming to an end.

At the very least, no quarterback in football will start the 2012 season with a shorter leash than McCoy.

Grade: C-

Winner: Kevin Kolb and Jake Locker

Who Cardinals/Titans Picked

Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd (No. 13 overall), Baylor receiver Kendall Wright (No. 20)

Why Kolb/Locker Won

The two young quarterbacks have to love what their respective front offices did for them on Thursday night. 

Kevin Kolb got another dynamic receiving threat in Floyd, who could team with Larry Fitzgerald to give the Cardinals a tandem that rivals the one Kurt Warner enjoyed with Fitz and Anquan Boldin. 

The Titans then gave Jake Locker (who, by all accounts, still has to win the starting job) a breathtaking playmaker in Wright just seven picks later. Wright and No. 1 receiver Kenny Britt represent a complementary young duo at receiver for Tennessee. 

2012 represents a big year for both young quarterbacks, and the first round ensured that the two won't enter the season without a pair of explosive pass-catchers at their disposal. 

Grade: B+ (ARI), A (TEN)

Loser: Denver Broncos

Who They Picked

N/A

Why They Lost

There's nothing wrong with moving down and increasing your draft capital, but I wonder if the Broncos overdid it during the first round.

Remember, Denver brought in Peyton Manning to win now, and watching a number of talented players go off the board in the first round didn't get the Broncos any closer to a championship roster.

Denver could obviously still get a big haul over the next two days, but John Elway and Co. let a number of prospects get by them on Thursday that could have helped get this team closer to where it wants to be with Manning in 2012.

Risky business.

Grade: C-