2012 NFL Draft Grades: Final Marks for Every Round 1 Pick

The first round of the 2012 NFL draft passed in record time. A flurry of trades, thanks to the new rookie wage scale, made this year’s draft arguably the most interesting to date. The round was about as unpredictable as it was entertaining.

Now that the dust is settling around the chaos, it’s time to decide how each team fared. Some front offices managed to improve their franchises drastically while others made some head-scratching decisions that could set their team back years.

Let’s see how each team graded out in the first round this year.

1.Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

This was an obvious choice. Luck is a once-in-a-generation prospect who will quickly reshape the landscape of the NFL. He’ll provide an amazing piece to build around for the future in Indianapolis.

Grade: A+

2.Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Another pick that was known before the draft kicked off, RGIII will be a game-changer for Washington. The Redskins were a decent team a year ago, but were missing an effective quarterback. Griffin is dynamic enough to have a similar impact in Washington to what Cam Newton did in Carolina last year.

Grade: A+

3.Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota) - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Smart move here by the Browns to move up one spot to ensure they get the best running back in the draft. Richardson is a special player that will help change the culture in Cleveland. He fits perfectly in the AFC North.

Grade: A

4.Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland) - Matt Kalil, OT, USC

A strong pick here for Minnesota. Not only did they get an amazing left tackle prospect, they managed to trade down and accumulate more picks to build for the future in the process.

Grade: A

5.Jacksonville Jaguars (from Tampa Bay) - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

An easy to predict pick here. Justin Blackmon is a good prospect who gives second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert a legit receiving threat. It’s hard to imagine the Jags needed to move up to snag him though.

Grade: B

6.Dallas Cowboys (from Washington via St. Louis) - Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

This might be the best pick of the draft. The Cowboys were in dire need of secondary help. When they realized the best corner in the draft was slipping and close to being taken, they made their move. Excellent work by the front office in Dallas.

Grade: A+

7.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Jacksonville) - Mark Barron, S, Alabama

The Buccaneers were expected to grab some secondary help here, but not with Mark Barron. His stock has wildly fluctuated because of injuries, so this could have been a reach. Tampa Bay was probably better off going with the next cornerback available, but they did land some more picks after moving down.

Grade: C

8.Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

This one hurts. It was also predicted by everyone. The Dolphins were in need of a quarterback, so Tannehill was the only viable option. The problem is, Tannehill isn’t worthy of being taken this high. Miami would have been much better off taking the best player available here or trading down.

Grade: D

9.Carolina Panthers - Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College

This is an interesting pick to say the least. Kuechly was easily the best inside linebacker available. He will upgrade an already solid defensive unit. Could the Panthers have addressed a more direct need? Possibly.

Grade: B

10.  Buffalo Bills - Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

This is a great move for Buffalo. They landed the gem of free agency in Mario Williams. Now Williams will be free to rush the passer while Gilmore shuts down anyone trying to get open behind him.

Grade: A

11.  Kansas City Chiefs - Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

Kansas City makes a strange call here with Poe. He’s only on the board this high because of his combine performance. At Memphis he did little against horrible competition. Fletcher Cox would have been a much better selection.

Grade: C

12.  Philadelphia Eagles (from Seattle) - Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

Speaking of Cox, it’s hard to imagine the looks on the faces of the folks in the Eagles’ war room when the Chiefs took Poe. Philadelphia improves drastically here by moving up and grabbing the best tackle in the draft.

Grade: A

13.  Arizona Cardinals - Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

This one is a bit out of left field. Floyd is arguably the best receiver in the draft, but Arizona wasn’t high on his list of predicted landing spots. He’ll team up with Larry Fitzgerald to create an elite offense down in the desert.

Grade: B+

14.  St. Louis Rams (from Dallas) - Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Have to give the Rams credit for knowing what they wanted going in and moving down to do so. They pick up a ridiculous amount of picks to build for the future and still get their guy in Brockers.

Grade: B

15.  Seattle Seahawks (from Philadelphia) - Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia

At some point, one team had to make a horrendous decision. Kudos to Seattle for that. There were a variety of great pass-rushers on the board here that should have been taken before Irvin. He’s a situational player. You don’t draft situational players this high—you draft starters.

Grade: D

16.  New York Jets - Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

This seemed obvious enough. The Jets needed a legit starting defensive end, and Coples fills that need perfectly. Whether they’ll be able to motivate him enough to keep him productive is a different story.

Grade: B

17.  Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland) - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

This was an easy one as well. Kirkpatrick fills a massive need for Cincinnati and has the ability to play multiple positions. He’ll be a mainstay in the Bengals’ secondary for a long time.

Grade: A

18.  San Diego Chargers - Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina

It’s hard to imagine the Chargers predicted the best outside linebacker would fall to them here, but he did. San Diego needed an impact player on defense, and Ingram is just that and so much more.

Grade: A

19.  Chicago Bears - Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State

Chicago could have addressed a couple of needs here, but adding to an already impressive defense works as well. McClellin is a great prospect who will see playing time early while learning from Brian Urlacher.

Grade: B

20.  Tennessee Titans - Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

The Titans needed some consistency at receiver, and they find some by selecting Baylor’s all-time receiving leader in Wright. He’s been called slow and out of shape, but his great all-around game will silence the critics.

Grade: B+

21.  New England Patriots (from Cincinnati) - Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

No reason to question Bill Belichick here. He traded up instead of down, so Jones must be a special player. That should be good enough for just about anyone.

Grade: A

22.  Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta) - Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

Let the chaos in Cleveland ensue. Instead of continuing the positive momentum after selecting Trent Richardson the Browns take a step back. The Browns could have made another pick here to build around Colt McCoy but instead opt to replace him. Horrible decision here.

Grade: D

23.  Detroit Lions - Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

The Lions land Reiff here and do a major service for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Reiff was slated to go in the Top 15, so this is great value. He’ll start right away and provide some consistency on the line.

Grade: B

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers - David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Speaking of consistency on the offensive line from a prospect who was supposed to go in the Top 15, the Steelers land the best guard in the draft. DeCastro is likely the surest prospect in this draft and the rich get richer here.

Grade: A

25.  New England Patriots (from Denver) - Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

The Patriots move up again for a prospect they covet. New England needed to rebuild their defense and are doing a great job thus far. Hightower has a great game overall and will be a piece of the defense.

Grade: A

26.  Houston Texans - Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

The Texans already had an elite defense, so this selection seems a bit unfair. Mercilus will fit right in with the “Bulls on Parade” and make sure no quarterback in the league can sleep at night during the season.

Grade: A

27.  Cincinnati Bengals (from New Orleans via New England) - Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin

Cincinnati does a great job of grabbing an extra pick by moving back and still landing an elite offensive line prospect in Zeitler. The gap between him and David DeCastro isn’t as large as some are making it out to be. Zeitler is a good fit for the Bengals’ blocking schemes and starts from day one.

Grade: A

28.  Green Bay Packers - Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

The Packers needed another pass-rushing presence opposite of Clay Matthews and get just that in Perry. He’s a ridiculously gifted athlete that can get to the quarterback from a variety of positions. He and Matthews are going to cause some problems this season.

Grade: A

29.  Minnesota Vikings (from Baltimore Ravens) - Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame

Smart move by the Vikings here to trade up and grab a player that will provide some stability in their fragile secondary. They missed out on Morris Claiborne, but trade back up into the first to land one of the best safety prospects in Smith.

Grade: B

30.  San Francisco 49ers - A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois

This is an interesting pick by the 49ers because they could have went with a few different receivers. Jenkins isn’t well-known and is a bit of a reach at this point. He’s a solid deep threat that might have an impact during his first year.

Grade: C

31.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from New England, via Denver) - Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

The Bucs needed an added dimension to their running game going into the draft and find one in Martin. He has the ability to catch passes as well as run between the tackles. The cost to trade up was small, so great move here.

Grade: B

32.  New York Giants - David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

The Giants didn’t have many holes that needed addressing here, so this is a luxury pick. Wilson is a game-breaking back that will only further the Giants’ chances of making a repeat trip to the Super Bowl.

Grade: A

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