2012 NFL Draft Grades: Grading Every Trade Made on Day 2 of the NFL Draft
With Day 2 of the 2012 NFL Draft now in the books, there has been another flurry of trade activity. No established NFL players changed hands today (although the Colt McCoy rumors have started to fly after Brandon Weeden's arrival in Cleveland), but many picks have moved around.
Here are some grades for the transactions that occurred throughout the second and third rounds.
New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks
1 of 10Jets Receive: 43rd overall pick
Seahawks Receive: 47th, 154th and 232nd overall picks
The Jets moved up to grab Stephen Hill, the talented speedster receiver out of Georgia Tech. Hill has similar talents to Pittsburgh wideout Mike Wallace, so he could bring a new dimension to the Jets' offense and make Santonio Holmes even more dangerous.
The Seahawks garnered two extra late picks and turned that 47th pick into Bobby Wagner, the inside linebacker from Utah State. Carroll wanted to make his defense more dynamic and bring more big plays to Seattle. He's done that.
Grade: A
Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams
2 of 10Bears Receive: 45th overall pick
Rams Receive: 50th and 150th overall picks
The Bears turned this move into Alshon Jeffery, a talented receiver from South Carolina. The Bears haven't had an explosive set of receivers in this century, so getting a guy to complement Brandon Marshall is going to make Jay Cutler a very happy (and hopefully even more effective) quarterback.
For the Rams, this was yet another deal. They've been incredibly active this draft and have moved around a lot. They've managed to accumulate a lot of picks, something Jeff Fisher needs as he tries to retool a roster with plenty of holes.
The Rams grabbed Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead with the 50th pick. The running back will form a formidable duo with Steven Jackson, who's been tasked with doing all the heavy lifting alone for most of his career. This will be a nice move for the Rams, allowing them to get more production from the backfield with less wear and tear.
Grade: A
Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles
3 of 10Packers Receive: 51st overall pick
Eagles Receive: 59th and 123rd overall picks
The Packers selected Jerel Worthy with their half of this trade, but I'm not sold on him. He's very inconsistent, something that already plagues the Green Bay defense. That could end up being a very bad draft pick and essentially a waste of two choices.
The Eagles did a little better by nabbing Vinny Curry. Curry has great burst and will make some plays, but he isn't a flashy defensive end. He'll beef up the Eagles' front a little and give them a nice pass-rush specialist, something they covet.
Grade: C+ (the Eagles alone would get a B+)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans
4 of 10Buccaneers Receive: 58th and 233rd overall picks
Texans Receive: 68th and 126th overall picks
The Bucs took linebacker Lavonte David, a pass-rusher, with their first of the two picks in the trade. David is a good player with some potential, but I'm not sure that he wouldn't have slid down a little further if they hadn't moved up and gotten him.
The Texans took DeVier Posey, a wide receiver, with their pick. They needed another target to go with their current receivers, and Posey could be either a great value or a miss. There are some questions surrounding his character and injuries, so there's plenty of room for errors here.
Grade: B
Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots
5 of 10Packers Receive: 62nd overall pick
Patriots Receive: 90th and 163rd overall pick
The Packers have been very active with trades. They bumped back in the second round to select Casey Heyward from Vanderbilt. The young corner fits very well with what the Packers need. They spent 2011 getting torched by quarterback after quarterback. Now, they are working to rebuild that.
The Patriots turned the first half of this trade into Jake Bequette, a promising—if a bit unknown—defensive end. New England is another team that needs defensive help in bunches, and they've done a lot in two days to put the pieces together for success.
Grade: A
Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns
6 of 10Broncos Receive: 67th overall pick
Browns Receive: 87th and 120th overall picks
The Broncos moved in and addressed their running-back situation with Ronnie Hillman. Hillman isn't one of the backs you've heard a lot about, but he can't hurt a team that has a 30-year old workhorse (Willis McGahee) and an injury-prone bust (to this point) in Knowshon Moreno. The Broncos need to surround their new quarterback with some weapons.
The Browns, who've been questionable in the draft-intelligence department, picked up an extra pick and acquired John Hughes, a Casey Hampton-type defensive tackle with the ability to anchor the middle of a line (literally) and make the occasional big play. He'll be a nice addition to the roster.
Grade: A
Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins
7 of 10Bills Receive: 69th overall pick
Redskins Receive: 72nd and 217th overall picks
The Bills wanted another target for Ryan Fitzpatrick and got T.J. Graham after moving up in the third round. Graham has great potential and blazing speed. He needs to be coached up to fine-tune his mechanics and routes, but he's got great potential to team with Stevie Johnson.
The Redskins grabbed Josh LeRibeus with their first pick of this group. They needed an extra pick, if possible, because they sent so much to the Rams for Robert Griffin III. LeRibeus will improve the rushing attack and help block for the new quarterback.
Grade: B+
San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins
8 of 10Chargers Receive: 73rd overall pick
Dolphins Receive: 78th and 183rd overall picks
The Chargers were another team that was torched a lot in 2011. They also didn't make many stops on critical plays during the season and lacked a safety that could make those plays. San Diego may have found one in Brandon Taylor. He should be a big run-stuffer with some limited playmaking ability against the passing game.
The Dolphins have shifted around some this year and nabbed Michael Egnew, a pass-catching tight end, with the first part of this pickup. Egnew could be a factor for Matt Moore/David Garrard/Ryan Tannehill once he develops, but his blocking stinks right now.
Grade: B-
Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons
9 of 10Ravens Receive: 84th overall pick
Falcons Receive: 91st and 164th overall picks
These two teams have been pretty quiet, but have been talking trades a lot. The Ravens nabbed Bernard Pierce with their pick to give Ray Rice a backfield mate. Rice carries the whole load for the Ravens right now, but he'll get a break from that if Pierce is as advertised.
The Falcons got a good project tackle in Lamar Holmes. He should eventually slot in on the right side, but he needs to brush up on his fundamentals. He could eventually be a starter, but I wouldn't expect to see him this season. Overall, a good pick.
Grade: A-
Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers
10 of 10Colts Receive: 92nd overall pick
49ers Receive: 97th overall pick in 2012 and fifth-round pick in 2013
The Colts grabbed receiver T. Y. Hilton (sounds like a hotel chain) with their pick. He's another speedster, but he's tiny. I don't see him as more than a situational threat, but he has home-run speed. This isn't a bad pickup for a team that needs weapons.
The 49ers haven't used either pick yet, so we can't really grade them. They don't have a ton of holes, so they can afford to jump back and accumulate some draft wealth.
Grade: Incomplete
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