2012 NFL Draft Grades: Teams That Could Have Done Better in Round One

Round 1 of the 2012 NFL draft had some surprises, not to mention all the trades as well.

At No. 15 overall, the Seattle Seahawks took West Virginia's Bruce Irvin to upgrade the front-seven for defensive end Chris Clemons.

Well, Irvin isn't a complete defender and was an expected late-second/early third-round choice. In addition, let's check out where some other franchises went wrong on day one.

Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB (Texas A&M)

Ryan Tannehill to Miami was expected, but that doesn't excuse this from being a risky selection. For one, Tannehill has limited experience as a quarterback and is coming from a non-pro-style system.

Therefore, his learning curve to getting acclimated under center will take longer and the Dolphins don't have much to offer around him. Last season, Miami gave up 52 sacks and the passing game wasn't consistent enough to field a balanced offense.

The running game came on late, so taking a receiver or interior offensive lineman would have been much better.

Not to mention that Matt Moore proved he deserved to enter 2012 as the starter. Now with Tannehill, Miami has a quarterback controversy and if their latest high first-round pick flops (which is reasonable to suspect), the Dolphins will be set back for quite a while longer.

Grade: D

Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe, DT (Memphis)

Kansas City definitely went with the correct position in getting a defensive tackle. However, Dontari Poe was a reach at No. 11 overall.

Although his size fits well for the Chiefs' 3-4 front, Poe didn't produce much of a pass-rush at Memphis. Now, he has the ability to control two gaps and clog running lanes, but this area still remains inconsistent.

If anything, Poe will dominate in one-on-one situations, as he did record 101 tackles in three seasons. K.C. simply has to hope that Poe can get consistent at drawing double-teams, otherwise passing up on Fletcher Cox will haunt them for long time.

Cox went right after the Chiefs picked at to the Eagles at No. 12, and has a knack for forcing two linemen to block him. Even more impressively, Cox can beat double-teams and be a constant backfield menace; which is another area where Poe must significantly develop.

Grade: C

Seattle Seahawks: Bruce Irvin, LB/DE (West Virginia)

The Seahawks made the right move in getting a complement to Chris Clemons in the front-seven. Unfortunately, Bruce Irvin is not the consistently reliable answer Seattle's looking for.

Yes, Irvin can get quarterback pressure as evidenced by 22 sacks between 2010 and 2011. But, Irvin didn't get many tackles aside from sacks, collecting just 61 altogether.

He must make drastic improvements in defending the run, gaining experience against the run and learning to recognize quicker developing plays. Irvin possesses decent size to come off the edge against tackles, but double-teams will isolate him and pocket-wary quarterbacks will escape easily.

Now, Irvin does know how to force fumbles (five in two seasons), but he won't be much of a factor in short-yardage situations or any time against the run; thus making him susceptible to draws, screens and play-action.

Grade: D-

San Francisco 49ers: A.J. Jenkins, WR (Illinois)

San Francisco definitely needed to find a long-term solution at receiver, because with Randy Moss being 35 years old, time is of the essence.

Well, the 49ers took Illinois' A.J. Jenkins in round one, and despite having a strong 2011 season with 1,276 yards on 90 catches; he's a little undersized and doesn't fit the mold to develop as a No. 1 receiver.

Jenkins does bring solid improvement through his college days, but he needs to become more reliable over the middle and in clutch situations. A guy like Georgia Tech's Stephen Hill would have been a better option as he's bigger and a more dependable run-blocker.

The main difference can be between Jenkins' and Hill's production. However, Jenkins was shut down hard against tougher defenses while Hill was a more consistent playmaker despite only making 28 receptions in 2011 in a run-heavy offense.

Grade: C-

John Rozum on Twitter.