2012 NFL Draft Grades: Teams That Cost Themselves a Postseason Berth

Missing the postseason is one thing, but improving through the NFL draft is where teams can really make strides to competing in the playoffs the following year.

Unfortunately, not everyone improves via the draft to increase their postseason odds, ending up with a disappointing season. We saw it with the New York Jets in 2011 after losing two straight AFC Championship games and the Philadelphia Eagles who finished 8-8 after starting 4-8.

Here, we see franchises that failed to upgrade from the draft and ultimately cost themselves a shot at the NFL's second season.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle took the biggest reach of the draft with West Virginia's Bruce Irvin in Round 1. Irvin undoubtedly has impressive pass-rushing talent, but with limited experience against the run in the run-oriented NFC West, the Seahawks missed big time.

Ball-carries like Frank Gore and Steven Jackson will see more success in 2012 versus Seattle, and although the addition of Utah State's Bobby Wagner was decent, Chris Clemons remains the lone standout in the front seven.

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson was a great addition to the offense, but the 49ers' and Cardinals' defenses will lock down Seattle in 2012. San Francisco has arguably the NFL's best defense and Arizona has significantly improved.

The Seattle secondary will be tough with Brandon Browner and Marcus Trufant, but the interior of the front seven is vulnerable and Clemons will see a lot of double-teams. Unless Irvin quickly develops against the run and Wagner continues to improve as a pass-defender, the Seahawks won't even oust the Cardinals for second in the NFC West.

Chicago Bears

Chicago already plays in arguably the toughest division with both Green Bay and Detroit participating in the postseason a year ago. Heading into the draft, the Bears did improve the offense to be more explosive and balanced.

However, once the draft happened, Chicago didn't do as well as it could have. Shea McClellin has great potential but was a reach at No. 19 overall; especially with better pass-rushers like Courtney Upshaw and Whitney Mercilus available.

Alshon Jeffery was a good add for the offense, but getting a cornerback to help the pass defense is more important. Charles Tillman is Chicago's best cover corner and he needs a reliable complement opposite him. With Chris Conte at safety, the Bears could have completed their defensive backs with a guy like Casey Hayward, Josh Robinson, Trumaine Johnson or Brandon Boykin.

In the pass-happy NFC North, the Bears didn't significantly upgrade the pass rush or pass defense to contend with the Packers and Lions. Now it's up to Jay Cutler and the offense to score 30-plus points per game.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City's defense was nearly complete before the 2012 draft. With stud linebackers in Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson and Justin Houston, all the Chiefs needed was a interior lineman that could get a pass rush and make plays in the backfield.

So, they went with Memphis' Dontari Poe who does provide great strength and balance, but not much production considering he doesn't draw a constant double-team. K.C. passed on Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox, who not only came from the SEC West, but outperformed Poe in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, blocked kicks and forcing offenses to double-team him.

It was big miss by the Chiefs; however, getting Devon Wylie does complete the receiving corps as they did need a slot man inside of Dwayne Bowe. Elsewhere though, Kansas City didn't make any impressive additions to the offensive line for pass protection and still have health concerns.

The pass rush remains stellar, but the Chiefs will remain vulnerable to the play-action pass without a consistent interior rush. And AFC West rivals like Denver and San Diego will work between the tackles enough to setup play-action behind the second-level.

New York Jets

Rex Ryan's defense will once again be the bright side of the New York Jets. Gang Green will remain tough to move the rock on as the secondary and front seven made some good draft picks with Quinton Coples, Antonio Allen and Demario Davis.

Unfortunately, the offense will once again be the unit that costs the Jets a playoff berth. Stephen Hill does help the receiving corps in terms of downfield playmaking and run-blocking, but he only caught 28 passes in 2011 (career high).

With the Bills and Patriots making significant improvement to their defensive weaknesses, the Jets' offense will have trouble remaining balanced. Shonn Greene can hit up the gut to set up play-action, but none of the Jets' receivers will draw a double-team to open up Dustin Keller underneath.

Regardless of who's under center, New York will see a lot of outside blitzing from opponents as Sanchez lacks mobility and Tebow's strength is outside the pocket. Both Buffalo and New England have more explosive offenses and just as good of a defense to defer the Jets in 2012. That is, unless Gang Green's receivers develop faster than expected through the offseason.

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