2012 NFL Draft Grades: Teams That Excelled in Later Rounds

Franchises distinguish themselves from the pack with their ability to draft well in the later rounds of the NFL draft. Some of the best franchises in the NFL find hidden gems in the fourth, fifth, six and seventh rounds.

Several teams excelled in this area on Saturday, but here are four that I will focus on.

Minnesota Vikings

Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, Robert Blanton, Audie Cole, Blair Walsh and Trevor Guyton are great value picks for the Vikings. They all have talent that is capable of playing in the NFL.

Childs and Wright are talented wide receivers who will help on the perimeter. Guyton is a defensive end that was highly underrated, and he will have a great opportunity to succeed in Minnesota. 

Minnesota had a great draft overall, but I was extremely impressed with what they did on Saturday.

Draft grade: A

Pittsburgh Steelers

Alameda Ta'amu and Chris Rainey were two picks that will help the Pittsburgh Steelers down the line. Rainey may receive some carries in 2012, but Ta'amu will be the future nose tackle when Casey Hampton is gone.

I love those two picks, especially Ta'amu.

Pittsburgh's defense is based from its linebackers. However, those linebackers have been freed up by Hampton and his space-eating frame on the line. He takes on multiple blockers, eats up space and can contribute solid push from the line of scrimmage.

Rashard Mendenhall may never be the same after his ACL injury, so drafting a young running back makes sense for Kevin Colbert and the Steelers.

Another quality draft for the Steelers. They never disappoint.

Draft grade: A-

Philadelphia Eagles

I absolutely love Marvin McNutt as a potential wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. He has solid size, good experience he produced at a high level for the Hawkeyes last season. He recorded 82 receptions, 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2011.

Another area Philadelphia needed to address was cornerback. Brandon Boykin from Georgia is a player who competed in the best conference in college football. He went up against the best wide receivers in America in his career and played well in large stretches.

He is good at reading and predicting routes, he has good hands and he was highly productive in college.

I love what the Eagles did on Saturday.

Draft grade: B+

Arizona Cardinals

Offensive lineman Bobby Massie fell to the 112th pick in the draft, and Arizona didn't take long selecting the big man up front. They needed offensive line help, and they received a gift when he was still on the board.

Michael Floyd was drafted in the first round to take some pressure off of Larry Fitzgerald, but there is still one glaring weakness—quarterback.

There is no clear future at the quarterback position for the Cardinals, but they attempted to address the situation with Ryan Lindley of San Diego State.

He is a guy who didn't receive a ton of love, but he could become a future starter if groomed in the right way. Lindley has good size at 6'3" and 229 pounds; he can start in the NFL.

Draft grade: B+