2012 NFL Draft Grades: Pittsburgh Steelers and Teams That Landed the Best Value

The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the group of teams that found excellent value in their picks and received high grades for the 2012 NFL draft. 

They always manage to land players who will make an immediate impact on their roster, and this year's selections were no different.

Their selection of David DeCastro with the No. 24 overall pick was nothing short of brilliant. DeCastro will start from the opening snap of training camp, and his addition to their line will significantly improve their ability to protect Ben Roethlisberger.

Then, they added another key piece to their offensive line by selecting offensive tackle Mike Adams in the second round. They desperately needed to upgrade that position, and I expect Adams to earn the starting role by the time training camp is finished.

They landed middle linebacker Sean Spence and nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu in the third and fourth rounds, and both of them have the tools to become starters either this year or next. 

Finally, they landed Chris Rainey in the fifth round to give them a Darren Sproles-type boost in their passing game.

Grade: A+

Let's take a look at the other teams that got the best value throughout the draft and how they did it.

New York Giants

Talk about the rich getting richer—the Giants destroyed the draft. 

They landed one of the most explosive and underrated running backs in the draft at the end of the first round in David Wilson. He's so good that Ahmad Bradshaw might not even start this year.

Then they landed a potential late-first round pick in Rueben Randle at the end of the second round to replace Mario Manningham's roster spot. Randle will be a perfect complement to Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and should be a starter in their three-receiver sets.

Their third-round pick of Jayron Hosley is another terrific value, and he'll boost their improving secondary right away.

The Giants then did some solid work picking up pieces for their offensive and defensive line, providing much-needed depth and competition for those positions of need.

Grade: A

Green Bay Packers

The Packers had one deficiency last year: their defense.

They went to town in the draft and drastically bolstered their roster with players who will come in and make an instant impact in 2012—the very definition of good value.

Nick Perry will prove to be a ferocious pass-rusher opposite Clay Matthews. Snagging him at the bottom of the first round was a glorious coup.

Jerel Worthy is going to be excellent on their defensive line. His ability to play multiple positions with skill sets them up for a dominant front seven.

Landing Casey Hayward at the bottom of the second round was a stroke of genius, and his addition to their roster makes Charles Woodson's inevitable switch to safety look more and more promising.

They continued adding nice pieces to their defense in the middle rounds before finally selecting someone from the offensive side of the ball in offensive tackle Andrew Datko. Datko will be a capable backup from the get-go.

They wrapped things up by selecting underrated quarterback B.J. Coleman, who has the potential to become a starter down the road with the proper coaching. 

Grade: A

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