2012 NFL Draft Grades: Most Overrated Classes from This Year's Draft

The instant analysis of draft classes always leads to a couple classes getting overrated and taking on a life of their own. There are plenty of different reasons for it, but most often it's one or two key players overshadowing an entire class.

Let's take a look at three teams that didn't do as well during the draft as many people have given them credit for to this point. They aren't all bad classes, but just not as good as advertised.

Minnesota Vikings

Getting a franchise left tackle like Matt Kalil was a good start for the Vikings, but things started to go downhill from there. It started by them trading back up into the first round to grab Harrison Smith, which can only be viewed as a reach due to the lack of safety depth.

Minnesota had eight more picks, but none of them provided a whole lot of value. Even though Jarius Wright wasn't a terrible pick in the fourth round, the Vikings already have a wide receiver doing his job in Percy Harvin.

The class is a perfect example of why taking the best player available strategy usually wins out. The Vikings tried to fill holes, but often had to reach to do so.

Grade: C

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck was the smart choice with the first pick and pairing him with former Stanford teammate Coby Fleener should pay off. After that, the Colts made a lot of head-scratching decisions that will ultimately slow down their turnaround.

While the offense certainly needed an overhaul with Peyton Manning gone, the defense was equally bad last season and has been a problem for the better part of a decade. The Colts didn't pick a defensive player until the fifth round and selected just two in total.

Taking two straight tight ends and wasting their final pick on another quarterback that won't likely ever play meaningful downs leave a lot to be desired about Indianapolis' draft.

Grade: C

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have been praised for adding more pieces to their offense. That was undoubtedly the right move since the defense should be an elite unit once again.

However, I question the offensive playmakers the team decided to choose.

A.J. Jenkins was a major reach at the back end of Round 1, especially with so many talented receivers still on the board like Stephen Hill and Alshon Jeffery, among others. LaMichael James isn't a sure thing at running back, either, due to his lack of size.

If draft grades were handed out based on a team's approach, the 49ers would receive high marks. But they executed poorly, and their grade should reflect that.

Grade: C-