2012 NFL Draft Grades: Teams That Dominated in Late Rounds

Some teams are better than others at drafting players in the late rounds of the NFL Draft.

The 2012 NFL Draft was one of the best I've watched in years. The pace was fast and furious and there were too many trades to count.

Most people know a lot about the players that were taken at the top half of the draft, but when you start getting into the fourth round and beyond, the players become more unfamiliar to the average fan. 

That is why scouts get paid: to search out the hidden gems in the latter rounds. Here are the teams whose scouts allowed them to ace Rounds 4 through seven.

Cleveland Browns

I know most Browns fans are ready to jump off a cliff after their first round selection of Brandon Weeden. That being said, the team did a fantastic job adding talent to their roster in the late rounds.

First, they selected wide receiver Travis Benjamin in the fourth round out of Miami. Benjamin is a track star who NationalFootballPost.com compares to DeSean Jackson and Titus Young—both of whom are big-time playmakers for their teams.

Later on in the fourth round they selected middle linebacker James-Michael Johnson out of Nevada. Johson is a compact linebacker who will make tons of plays on special teams until he's ready to step in as a starter.

Then, in the fifth round, the Browns selected guard Ryan Miller out of Colorado. Miller is a huge man, at 6'7" and 321 pounds, and will compete for a starting role right away.

Where the Browns really did the best work was in the sixth round, selecting outside linebacker Emmanuel Acho out of Texas and defensive end Billy Winn out of Boise State in succession—both of whom were compensatory picks and will compete for playing time immediately.

Finally, the Browns took cornerback Trevin Wade out of Arizona and tight end Brad Smelley out of Alabama at the end of the seventh round. Wade will get a chance to fight for playing time on Sundays right off the bat.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are one of the best franchises in the NFL at drafting studs in the late rounds. This year was no different, and they kicked off the fourth round by selecting one of the best nose tackle prospects in the draft in Alameda Ta'amu out of Washington. He will become Casey Hampton's eventual replacement.

They then took running back Chris Rainey out of Florida—a scat back who will end up being a Darren Sproles-type player in the passing game. 

The Steelers then went on a shopping spree in the seventh round.

First they selected underrated wide receiver Toney Clemons out of Colorado—a big receiver with blazing speed who could become another late-round steal a la Antonio Brown.

Then they took tight end David Paulson out of Oregon. He won't be a huge factor in their running game, but he could end up becoming a lot like Heath Miller in the passing game.

They finished their work by drafting cornerback Terrence Frederick out of Texas A&M and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum to add depth to both positions.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins didn't have as many picks as the Steelers and Browns, but the ones they did have were carefully and thoughtfully selected.

They got one of the steals in the draft when they moved up to land Lamar Miller out of Miami to come in and backup/compete with Reggie Bush.

Then, in the fifth round they landed outside linebacker Josh Kaddu out of Oregon. Kaddu is a fast man and he'll compete for playing time in their defensive rotation and help out tremendously on special teams.

The Dolphins continued to add to their offensive weapons in the sixth round by adding wide receiver B.J. Cunningham out of Michigan State. Cunningham isn't particularly explosive off the line, but he could become a Marques Colston-type player for the Dolphins in the future and will be helpful in the red zone.

The Dolphins had two more selections in the seventh round, and they made the most of their opportunities by selecting defensive tackle Kheeston Randall out of Texas—a big, strong defender who has the talent to start—and wide receiver Rishard Matthews out of Nevada. 

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