NFL Draft Rankings 2012: Top 5 Teams Heading into Round 2

The 2012 NFL draft got started the way we all expected, as Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went first and second overall to the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, respectively.

After that, the chips started to fall accordingly, and Rounds 2 and 3, set to air on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. EST today, are primed to be very intriguing as teams begin to fill their needs and show their knowledge of the lower-level prospects.

Although it's entirely too early to grade the entire draft, we can grade Round 1, so here are the top five teams' drafts heading into the next phase tonight.

1. New England Patriots—While it's very un-Belichick-like to trade up for a prospect, the Patriots did it twice last night, moving up to Nos. 21 and 25,. They then selected pass-rusher Chandler Jones from Syracuse and linebacker Dont'a Hightower from Alabama.

These are two immediate impact guys on the defense to work with, which was the weak point last year. With Brandon Lloyd added on offense, they could afford to give up some late-round picks to get the key guys they think can help right now.

2. Cincinnati Bengals—Could it be that the Bengals got even better on defense? With Dre Kirkpatrick, they got another talented secondary piece to throw into existing coverages and then got interior line help with Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler.

With Andy Dalton and A.J. Green on offense, and the return of a stout defense, Cincinnati knows what it's doing in the war room this year.

3. Denver Broncos—Does anyone want to take odds that Peyton Manning is in the war room? Although the Broncos didn't make a first-round selection, they made two separate trades, picked up two additional draft picks and lost only 11 spots.

With the overhaul on offense to build around Manning and the commitment to youth and athleticism on defense, I love what the Broncos did on the first night. They are now set up to be one of the teams to watch over the next few rounds.

4. Dallas Cowboys—For whatever reason, what Dallas does is always going to be at the top of the national spectrum. Chalk it up to Jerry Jones or folklore, but this team is always in the spotlight.

They got it right on this one, trading up eight spots and giving St. Louis their second-round pick to draft premier cornerback Morris Claiborne from LSU. Secondary has long been a weakness of the Cowboys, and they now have four legitimate starting candidates if you include Brandon Carr, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers—Waiting patiently paid off for the Steelers. They got a great interior lineman in Stanford's David DeCastro and didn't have to give anything away to get him.

Pairing him with Maurkice Pouncey in the middle should be one of the best center-guard tandems in the AFC. Now, with that area solved, they can focus on finding a new linebacker and a defensive lineman in the spirit of what they are most known for.