2012 NFL Draft Grades: Why All Teams Should Receive Incomplete Grades for Now

With the 2012 NFL draft finally over, just about everyone who follows the league gives their opinions and grades on draft picks. But the truth is, no team should receive a grade at the moment. 

Giving an incomplete grade right now is the best approach, because not a single person knows how the class of 2012 will pan out.  

Sure, it may seem like some teams stole the show on draft day or even swung and missed big time, but it's entirely too early to tell. 

I'll admit it's fun to speculate and debate throughout the draft weekend and beyond. It's part of what makes the NFL draft so great. 

But handing out grades right now is premature.

We'd all like to think that Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are going to be as good as the hype around them suggests, but we just don't know.

Just like we have no clue if Bruce Irvin is going to be a major bust for the Seattle Seahawks, if Ryan Tannehill will flop with the Miami Dolphins or if the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings were the true winners on draft day.

In time, we will know the answers, and then grades can be given. But right now, it's all a bunch of talk. 

Of course, there's nothing wrong with sharing one's opinion. People have every right to think the Seahawks and Dolphins are insane, but if that's their stance, then they better be prepared to eat their words just in case they're wrong.

Folks have often thought that teams made a splendid pick in the draft, only to have that player flop in the NFL. Even though it may seem like a franchise made a disastrous pick, there's still a chance the player shocks everyone and thrives in the league. 

It's OK to assume that a team made a good pick, simply because several players look like they're the real deal. However, fully judging a team's selections before it has a chance to coach up its new players and get them prepared for life in the NFL isn't all that fair. 

Soon we will see what these picks have to offer, and once those picked in the first round have completed their rookie campaigns, the incomplete grade can be removed and people can adequately evaluate a team's draft.