2012 NFL Draft Grades: Dallas Cowboys and Teams Who Dominated

The Dallas Cowboys were one team that dominated the NFL draft by either making a smart trade, a great selection, finding value in the later rounds or a combination of the three.

Having a great draft can really make a difference the following season, and help turn teams on the playoff bubble into sure-fire postseason participants.

Let's look at three teams who dominated the 2012 NFL draft.

Dallas Cowboys

Through free agency and the NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys have turned their weakness at cornerback into a real strength heading into next season.

The Cowboys swapped first-round picks and added a second-round pick in a trade with St. Louis Rams to move up from No. 14 to No. 6 so they could select LSU corner Morris Claiborne.

Claiborne will be a star in the NFL and has the potential to be a shutdown cornerback for many years. He has great ball skills, excellent coverage ability and the quickness needed to defend elite wide receivers.

With Claiborne and the newly-signed corner Brandon Carr, Dallas has a strong secondary that will help them win a lot of games in a tough NFC East division next year.

Grade: A-

New England Patriots

The Patriots did something they rarely do, and that's trade up in the first round. Head coach Bill Belichick traded up twice in the first round to grab Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones at pick No. 21, and to No. 25 to select Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower.

New England's defense was ranked 31st in the league last season and was terrible at rushing the quarterback.

Both Jones and Hightower are good pass-rushers and have the strength needed to tackle well and stop the run.

The Patriots had to upgrade their front seven and select two players who can play right away, and they accomplished this with their first-round picks.

Grade: A-

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have a ton of issues to address this offseason but they made two tremendous picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft.

With the No. 1 overall selection they chose Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who has all the tools necessary to be a star player in the NFL.

In the second round, they picked the best tight end in this draft class, Coby Fleener, Luck's teammate at Stanford. Fleener has good hands, great size and is a talented pass-catcher who can also block in the running game.

The Colts took a franchise quarterback and added his friend and reliable target in Fleener. This draft was a big part of the team's future, and so far, they are off to a good start.

Grade: A