2012 NFL Draft Grades: Winners and Losers from Late Rounds

The NFL draft has some late drama wherein the later rounds several teams will find the key players that are the building blocks of their respective franchises. Those of you might remember three-time Super Bowl Champion, two-time NFL MVP quarterback Tom Brady was pick No. 199 in the sixth round back in 2000.

Even further back, in the year 1996, two-time Super Bowl Champion and 2,000-yard running back Terrell Davis was pick No. 196 in the sixth round.

I can go on and on, but there are definitely teams that find key players to develop and teams that reach too much and you never hear from the player again. In this year's 2012 NFL draft there were three winners and three losers of the later rounds.

Winners

Philadelphia Eagles: Grade A

After losing cornerback Asante Samuel to free agency, the Eagles grabbed Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin in the fourth round. Boykin has exceptional speed and will likely play in the nickel slot. Because of his speed he has some return skills as well, so he can fill in for depth on the cornerback spot and give DeSean Jackson a breather on punt returns.

Philadelphia also needed to upgrade its offensive line and got Purdue offensive tackle Dennis Kelly in the fifth round and Miami offensive guard Brandon Washington in the sixth round. Both are massive guys that will provide much-needed protection for that high-flying Philadelphia Eagles offensive attack.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Grade B+

Tampa Bay was looking for a cornerback, running back and tight end. Tampa Bay selected West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy, who can make plays in coverage. Additionally, to add some needed depth at running back, Tampa Bay selected Utah State running back Michael Smith in the seventh round.

Smith has a chance to take it to the house each time he touches the ball and is a triple threat: in running, catching and the return game. Then, later in the seventh round, Tampa Bay added some depth to the tight end spot drafting hybrid fullback/tight end Drake Dunsmore from Northwestern.

Cincinnati Bengals: Grade B+

Cincinnati had major holes to fill at wide receiver, safety, and cornerback and addressed all three of the needs in the fifth round. The Bengals were able to get Iowa cornerback Shaun Prater, who will provide depth and is a good run-stopper. Then in back-to-back picks the Bengals selected California wide receiver Marvin Jones, a solid route-runner, and Boise State safety George Iloka, who has great size and a ton of potential.

Losers

New Orleans Saints: Grade C-

Due to Bountygate the Saints had no second-round pick and no input by most of their staff on suspension. As a result, this led to reaches and inability to fill holes at certain positions. Among the positions the Saints needed help at were defensive end, cornerback, defensive tackle and linebacker.

They filled none of those spots instead going with Wisconsin wide receiver Nick Toon, son of former NFL receiver Al Toon, and two offensive linemen. Toon is a good pick up as he is another big target and replaces Robert Meachem who was lost to free agency, but Saints could have done a lot better if they had a full staff to help draft.

Oakland Raiders: Grade D+

Now the Raiders really needed to find a tight end and failed in that regard miserably, unable to draft one late. Getting San Diego State linebacker Miles Burris was a solid pick in the fourth round, but there were no other impact players selected in the later rounds for the Raiders.

Seattle Seahawks: Grade D

The Seahawks reached mostly all three days of the draft, and Day 3 was no different. Getting Utah State running back Robert Turbin in the fourth round was a good pick, as he can complement Marshawn Lynch, but every other pick lacked any strength and explosiveness.