NFL Power Rankings: Teams Trending Upward After 2012 Draft Weekend
The 2012 NFL draft has concluded, and over 250 new faces are now in the National Football League and preparing to help their new teams improve in the upcoming season.
As is the case every year some, teams made better use of their draft picks than others. Some picks were just bizarre, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars decision to select a punter in the third round.
However, some teams did an excellent job of addressing needs and adding talent, and these teams certainly appear to be heading in the right direction as the offseason progresses.
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St. Louis Rams
After a catastrophic 2011 season that saw the Rams win only two games there really wasn't anywhere for St. Louis to go but up. But that doesn't mean that the Rams don't deserve kudos for attempting the shorten the length of the rebound with a solid 2012 draft.
After dealing the second overall pick to the Washington Redskins several weeks ago the Rams once again traded down in the first round, grabbing an extra second-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for moving back to the 14th spot, at which point the team improved the defensive front with the addition of tackle Michael Brockers.
With three second- and an early third-round choice the Rams were able to add a number of players capable of making an early impact. Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead is an excellent backup for and potential heir to Steven Jackon.
Small-school standout Brian Quick will help improve a woeful group of wide receivers in St. Louis, while cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins both have considerable talent if they can keep their heads on straight.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are widely regarded as one of the best-run franchises in the National Football League, and the team once again demonstrated why the Pittsburgh front office is held in such high esteem after the Steelers put together yet another solid draft.
After surrendering 42 sacks a season ago the offensive front was a major area of concern for the Steelers entering the draft. The team addressed those concerns in a big way by adding two players who can make an immediate impact on the offensive line in Stanford guard David DeCastro and Ohio State tackle Mike Adams.
The Steelers also procured a potential replacement for 34-year-old nose tackle Casey Hampton by trading up in the fourth round to select Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu. The addition of Florida running back Chris Rainey will add a degree of explosiveness in the offensive backfield.
The Green Bay Packers lost only one game in the regular season in 2011. Then, they were unceremoniously booted from the playoffs in the first round by the New York Giants, due in large part to a leaky defense that ranked dead last in the NFL last year.
The Packers made overhauling that defense a priority in the draft, using their first six picks on that side of the ball beginning with Nick Perry of USC. He will make the move to outside linebacker after leading the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks a season ago.
Green Bay also upgraded the defensive line by selecting defensive tackles Jerel Worthy of Michigan State and Iowa's Mike Daniels in the second and fourth rounds, respectively. The team sandwiched some help for the secondary between those two big uglies in the third round, snatching up talented cornerback Casey Hayward of Vanderbilt.
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