2012 NFL Draft Grades: Teams That Impressed with Luxury Picks

Grading the NFL Draft is actually more exciting than seeing what will happen, especially when you look back in three years at what we are saying about a class now to see how much that evaluation has changed. 

The 2012 NFL Draft has a few obvious winners, some losers and a lot of teams in between that will skew one way or the other when we see how these picks actually pan out. 

For now, we want to take a look at the teams who made picks that may not have filled a glaring need right away but provided great value and will be fixtures for a long time to come. 

New York Jets

While the Jets did need help in the middle of the defensive line, picking edge-rushing specialist Quinton Coples with the 16th pick could turn out to be a great value for Rex Ryan's scheme. 

Gang Green continued to impress in areas of depth by adding potential home run threat Stephen Hill in the second round. He has a lot of development work ahead of him, but on raw talent he was a first-round pick whom the Jets got with the 43rd pick. 

Demario Davis is an underrated outside linebacker who can shine in the 3-4 defense the Jets run. He has great closing speed and is a much better tackler than you usually find in college players coming out of college. 

Adding three potential starters from any draft class is a win in itself, but adding impact pushes this class up a notch. 

Grade: A-

Carolina Panthers

While I was shocked to see them completely ignore the defensive tackle position, getting a playmaking middle linebacker like Luke Kuechly is going to make up for a lot of problems on the defensive line. 

Middle linebacker is still one of the most important positions on the field, despite what some might have you believe. Kuechly should start right away. 

Amini Silatolu was one of the best value picks in this draft. He is a run-blocking specialist who has shown the athleticism to get better in pass-blocking with more experience. 

Defensive end Frank Alexander and cornerback Josh Norman do fill needs for this team, but they also got very good value for them. 

Ultimately this class will come down to the top two players who didn't fill their biggest needs but look like potential stalwarts for a long time. 

Grade: B+

Detroit Lions

If you want to say that the Lions needed an offensive lineman in the first round, I won't argue that point. Certainly, Riley Reiff gives them youth and athleticism up front that will be a huge asset sooner rather than later. 

It was what this team did later on that has me liking the look of this team for the future. Ryan Broyles' knee injury pushed him down draft boards, but he has great hands and plays bigger than his 5'10" frame. 

Dwight Bentley fills their biggest area of need at cornerback, but it is the trio of linebackers (Ronnell Lewis, Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis) that could end up turning this defense into one of the most imposing in the NFL. 

Grade: B+

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