2012 NFL Draft Grades: Analyzing Most-Talked-About Picks of 4th Round

Even though most of the marquee talent had already been taken, the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft had plenty of intrigue. There were several talented players who fell further than expected and that certainly created some buzz. Not every pick was of great interest to the average fan, but some of them figure to have a big impact moving forward.

Just because a player has name recognition coming out of college doesn't mean his game will translate to the next level. Despite that, observers like to see players they have heard of and seen play get taken, and the fourth round had plenty such selections.

Here are grades based on need, talent and future projections for the most-talked-about picks to kick off the final day of the NFL draft. 

RB Lamar Miller to Miami Dolphins at No. 97

Widely regarded as a second-round talent by most, Miami running back Lamar Miller fell to the fourth round due mostly to a lack of interest in backs league-wide. There is no denying his talent, though, as he is one of the most explosive runners in the draft with 4.4 speed along with good size at 5'11" and 212 lbs.

There was some thought as recent as a month or two ago that the Cincinnati Bengals would consider taking him with one of their two first-rounders. That didn't happen, but when the Dolphins saw he was still on the board at pick No. 97, they traded up to get their man. Obviously, Miami had him high on its board and it made no mistake in selecting him.

In terms of pure talent at that spot, Miller was a great selection. At the same time, though, the Dolphins already have Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas, who was a second-round pick last year, in place, so Miller may not have much occasion to play for a couple years.

Grade: B

QB Kirk Cousins to Washington Redskins at No. 102

Entering the fourth round, there was little doubt Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins was the best signal-caller remaining on the board. He has compared favorably to earlier picks like Brock Osweiler and Nick Foles throughout the draft process, so it seemed like a matter of time before somebody selected him.

Despite having taken Baylor's Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, the Redskins opted to go quarterback again 100 picks later by nabbing Cousins. I don't buy the early hype that Cousins' selection will cause some sort of quarterback controversy, but I still question why the pick was made. Perhaps the 'Skins rated Cousins much higher than any other prospect, but this was a luxury pick.

Washington is clearly the worst team in the NFC East and is looking to get back on track, so I don't believe it has the ability to make luxury picks in the fourth round. The Redskins still have a lot of needs that have to be addressed, so taking a second quarterback was definitely ill-advised.

Grade: C

OT Bobby Massie to Arizona Cardinals at No. 112

Ranked as a definite second-rounder by most media outlets, it was quite shocking to see Mississippi offensive tackle Bobby Massie still on the board in the fourth round. It was even more surprising to see him last 17 picks into the fourth round before the Arizona Cardinals finally decided to grab him. Obviously teams saw something they didn't like, but Massie was solid in college and has a prototypical 6'6", 316-lb. frame.

The Cardinals are a team that has perpetually had issues protecting the quarterback, so Massie shouldn't be too upset about the slide as he may get a chance to play pretty quickly. Had he been drafted in the second round as projected, Massie probably would have been tabbed to be a starter right away, but since he has landed in the right situation, that may still be the case.

Getting a quality offensive lineman at any pick is always a coup, but getting one with the potential of Massie in the middle part of the fourth was simply a huge win for Arizona.

Grade: A