NFL Draft Results 2012: Bold First-Round Moves That Will Payoff Big

The 2012 NFL draft is in the books and several teams made decisive moves that will benefit their franchise for years to come.

The Washington Redskins started the trend by moving up to the second spot long before draft day.

Here are four other teams that made deals to get a player than can make an immediate impact.

Cleveland Browns: Traded up to get Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden

Cleveland ranked 29th in the NFL in total offense last season, but that will all change once Trent Richardson from Alabama gets on the field. 

The Browns moved from the No. 4 pick to the Minnesota Vikings' spot at No. 3 by offering them their first, fourth, fifth and seventh round picks. 

This may seem like a lot to move up just one spot, but the deal ensured that no other team jumped ahead of the Browns to steal Richardson. He is one of the best running backs to come out of the draft in years and, barring an injury, Richardson will be a star.

Cleveland also addressed their problems at quarterback after another subpar season from Colt McCoy. It's difficult to blame McCoy for the Browns' offensive deficiencies due to their lack of talent at the skill positions, but some competition at QB will be a great help to the team in 2012.

Picking Brandon Weeden out of Oklahoma State at No. 22 was the reward of a bold move from last year's draft in which the Browns moved down via a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, who took Julio Jones with Cleveland's pick.

These two players will lift the Browns' offense out of the bottom-tier and help the team compete for a playoff spot.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Traded up to take Justin Blackmon

The Jacksonville Jaguars used to have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, but last year they ranked dead-last in passing yards.

Wide receiver was the team's biggest need and they traded up to take the best one available—Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State.

The Jags were able to jump up two spots to Tampa Bay's position at No. 5 by swapping their first-rounder and giving up their fourth-round pick to the Buccaneers. 

This move will give Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne (whichever one wins the starting job) the talent they need to succeed.

Dallas Cowboys: Traded up to take Morris Claiborne

True cover corners are rare in today's NFL and Morris Claiborne has the potential to become one of the best.

Terence Newman left Dallas in free agency and the Cowboys reloaded in a big way by signing Brandon Carr and drafting Claiborne. 

Talents like the LSU corner don't come cheap, and Dallas gave up its first and second-round picks to St. Louis to take over the No. 6 spot. 

With a star-studded secondary the Cowboys are ready to return to the postseason in 2012.

New England Patriots: Traded up to take Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower

New England reached the Super Bowl last year in spite of their defense, which finished as the 31st ranked team.

Bill Belichick needed to add talent to the unit in a hurry to maintain his reputation as a defensive genius. He did just that by executing trades with the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos to secure the No. 21 and No. 25 selections.

New England gave up the No. 27 pick in the draft and a third-rounder to the Bengals, while letting go of the No. 31 pick and their fourth-round choice for the Broncos' selection.

The Pats took Chandler Jones out of Syracuse with their first pick and he will provide pressure off the edge. Next, they grabbed Dont'a Hightower, an instinctive player who can do a little bit of everything.

Adding two big, strong, athletic players to the front seven will keep the Patriots' defense from being awful for a second consecutive year, and that is all the offense needs to make this team a contender.