2012 NFL Draft Grades: Cellar-Dwellers That Bolstered Playoff Odds

One good thing about coming off a terrible season in pro football is the high draft picks presented at the beginning of every round.

Well, we saw quite a few teams improve during the 2012 NFL draft, but here we're going to take a look at the 2011 cellar-dwellers that bolstered their playoff odds for this season. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a sound example, as the selection of Justin Blackmon only makes Maurice Jones-Drew more dangerous.

Now, the Jags weren't the only bottom-feeder to increase its playoffs odds via the draft, so let's check out which teams join Jacksonville on the list.

Washington Redskins

In arguably the league's most competitively-even division, the Washington Redskins made significant strides this offseason and, more importantly, via the draft to contend in the NFC East.

The obvious solution was at quarterback, and getting Baylor's Robert Griffin III at No. 2 overall. Finally, Washington has a legit franchise quarterback for the first time since Joe Theismann, and his total skill set will pay immediate dividends.

Other offensive upgrades were Josh LeRibeus at offensive line and Alfred Morris at running back. LeRibeus is a versatile player who can contribute anywhere on the interior and possesses forward quickness and strength to pave lanes for his running-backs.

Morris was a consistent performer at Florida Atlantic with over 3,500 rushing yards in the past three seasons, including 27 scores. Defensively, Washington remains stout in the front-seven and the addition of Keenan Robinson presents more speed and versatility.

Although the Redskins face a grinding schedule, the playoffs aren't out of reach in an even division after a strong offseason.

Grade: A-

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite finishing 2011 on a 10-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done nothing but improve through the 2012 offseason.

In a tough division, the Buccaneers' offense has potential to keep pace with Vincent Jackson out wide and Carl Nicks creating polished running lanes for Doug Martin. Tampa will field a balanced attack and the defense was significantly improved via the draft.

Alabama safety Mark Barron will help with run support like a blitzing linebacker, and has the ability to play over-the-top in Cover 1, 2, and 3. Linebacker Lavonte David was arguably the best selection of Round 2, because he can blitz, defend the run and is even better against the pass.

David possesses excellent speed, instincts and awareness to make plays all over the field and his total skill set gives the Bucs the option of implementing their Tampa 2 coverage.

Include West Virginia corner Keith Tandy (37 defended passes in three seasons) and the Bucs will slow down their NFC South rivals. Tampa Bay doesn't have an insanely difficult schedule either, so the Buccaneers will be in the playoff race down the stretch.

Grade: A+

Jacksonville Jaguars

Although the Jacksonville Jaguars went 5-11 in 2011, they lost five games by a touchdown or less and still had a defense that ranked inside the top 10 against both the rush and pass.

Unfortunately, Jacksonville's offense was horrific at throwing the ball despite Maurice Jones-Drew leading the NFL in rushing. Well, Blaine Gabbert has a vehemently upgraded receiving corps with Laurent Robinson, Lee Evans and, via the draft, Justin Blackmon.

Blackmon is the missing piece to the puzzle that completes Jacksonville's offensive weaponry. We'll see a lot of combination routes with either Evans or Robinson to get Blackmon mismatches, and the presence of MJD in the backfield will force defenses to mainly play man coverage.

The Jags now have a potentially explosive attack with a balanced approach and the defense is even stronger to fall back on.

Defensive end Andre Branch joins the rotation to improve Jacksonville's pass-rush, and corner Mike Harris adds talented depth to the secondary. Mel Tucker's defense will remain aggressive, but more so with press coverage and pressure from the front four.

Jacksonville plays very sound and disciplined on defense, which gives them top five potential for 2012.

Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills

Seven weeks into the 2011 NFL season the Buffalo Bills were 5-2 and atop the AFC East. Then the injury-bug came along and the Bills slipped to 6-10.

Prior to the draft, though, Buffalo spruced up its defensive front-seven and now present an intimidating pass-rush with Mario Williams and Mark Anderson.

Well, from the draft the Bills brought in two SEC cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore and Ron Brooks to lock down in coverage. Gilmore is arguably the best defensive back in the 2012 draft as he can play up to the run, get physical with bigger receivers and play safety if needed.

Brooks gets overlooked as he was part of a stellar LSU secondary, but he defended eight passes in 2011 and took both his interceptions back for scores. Just as physical and versatile of a player, Buffalo now fields a potential top-five defense.

Offensively, the Bills got Georgia's Cordy Glenn in round two to help with pass protection and create quicker-developed running lanes. Glenn's dynamics on the line will make Buffalo's play-action more dangerous and the ground game more efficient against tougher run defenses.

Grade: A

John Rozum on Twitter.