2012 NFL Draft Grades: Indianapolis Colts and Teams That Did Best to Fill Needs

The old "rule of thumb" in the NFL draft dictates that a team should put finding the best players available before filling needs, since the whole thing is such a crapshoot in the first place.

But what if a team can select for both at the same time? What if a team can plop itself down at the intersection of value and need?

Ask these three teams, each of which did a solid job of navigating through such a treacherous task.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts needed a quarterback after parting ways with Peyton Manning and ended up with Andrew Luck, who might be the best prospect at the position to come out of the collegiate ranks since, well, Peyton Manning.

The real wonder of Indy's draft class, though, lies in the moves GM Ryan Grigson and his staff made to set Luck up for success from Day 1. Luck spent much of his time at Stanford throwing to tight ends, so the Colts picked up two of the best tight ends in the draft, including Coby Fleener, with whom Luck already had an extensive rapport.

Of course, Luck will need to be able to connect with wide receivers in the NFL, as well. As such, Indy picked up a pair—FIU's TY Hilton and Ohio's LaVon Brazill—alongside whom Luck can grow, all the while relying on the incumbent Reggie Wayne as a security blanket of sorts.

The addition of Vick Ballard, a bruising 'back out of Mississippi State, should also serve to ease the burden on Luck's shoulders as a rookie.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles had no choice but to get stronger up the middle, particularly on defense, if they were ever going to improve on last year's Dream/Nightmare season.

And that they did, moving up to No. 12 to nab Fletcher Cox, the top defensive tackle in the draft, and snatching Mychal Kendricks to bolster their burgeoning bunch of inside 'backers at No. 46.

The additions of Arizona quarterback Nick Foles (No. 88), Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt (No. 194) and Kansas State running back Bryce Brown (No. 229) provide head coach Andy Reid with some depth to develop behind his current stars at those spots.

Philly could've done more to shore up a shoddy offensive line, though the front office still did well to pick up a tackle (Dennis Kelly) and a guard (Brandon Washington) on Saturday.

Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati was already well ahead of schedule, after making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback (Andy Dalton) under center, but didn't rest on its laurels in this year's draft. First-rounder Dre Kirkpatrick won't solve all their problems at corner, particularly with Leon Hall still questionable, but has the requisite talent to contribute right away. Iowa's Shaun Prater, a fifth-rounder, should help in that regard as well.

Mohamed Sanu, whom the Bengals added in the third round, and Marvin Jones, who came on in the fifth, will provide some depth at wide receiver opposite AJ Green and should be plenty productive as a result.

The Bengals didn't necessarily need as much help at defensive tackle as they picked up, though you can never have too many big, athletic bodies in the middle, and Devon Still and Brandon Thompson certainly fit the bill.

Most importantly, Cincy went out and found protection for Dalton in Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler and tight end Orson Charles, whose skill set at the position is as complete as any in this class.

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