NFL Power Rankings: Analyzing Post-Draft Contenders and Pretenders

The 2012 NFL draft is in the books, and while there are still some free agents remaining that could make an impact on NFL rosters, we have a pretty good idea what each of the league's teams will look like when September rolls around and the regular season gets underway.

With that said, it's never too early to take a look at how the National Football League's 32 teams stack up against one another this year, so here's a top to bottom glance at power rankings for the 2012 NFL season.

1. Green Bay Packers (15-1)

The Packers nearly perfect season went for naught a year ago, and the team took significant steps to address the NFL's worst defense from 2011 in the draft, using six picks on upgrading that side of the ball.

2. New England Patriots (13-3)

Much like the Packers, the New England Patriots were a juggernaut on offense and a sieve on defense in 2011, and much like the Packers the Patriots spent half a dozen picks in the draft on improving defensively.

3. New York Giants (9-7)

The Giants were able to add some offensive firepower in running back David Wilson and wide receiver Rueben Randle, but an aging offensive front may be the team's biggest question mark heading into 2012.

4. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

After San Francisco wide receivers caught all of one pass in their NFC title game loss the 49ers took major steps to overhaul the position, adding Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in free agency and A.J. Jenkins in the draft.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

The Steelers made big strides towards upgrading the offensive front with the additions of guard David DeCastro and tackle Mike Adams, and nose tackle Alameda Ta' amu should be able to step in immediately if Casey Hampton isn't ready for the start of the season.

6. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

The defending AFC North champions came up one game short of the Super Bowl in 2011, and the team made some shrewd choices in April's draft, including getting excellent values in Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw and Iowa State offensive guard Kelechi Osemele after trading out of the first round. 

However, the loss of leading pass-rusher and 2011 NFL defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs to an Achilles injury is a crushing blow that could shift the balance of power in the division, although as Suggs recently told The Baltimore Sun, he's hopeful of returning to action this season.

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“It's amazing people are starting to write me off already, the entire season,” said Suggs, who has missed only three games in his nine-year NFL career, all coming in 2009 due to a knee injury. “It will take three or four months to heal. Well, it's still three months before training camp, and then another month of training camp. At the minimum, I'll be back in October, and at the maximum, most definitely back in November.”

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7. Houston Texans (10-6)

The Texans addressed the loss of outside linebacker Mario Williams in free agency with the addition of 2011 NCAA sack leader Whitney Mercilus, and the return of a healthy Matt Schaub under center makes Houston the prohibitive favorites in the AFC South. 

8. Detroit Lions (10-6)

For the first time in over a decade the Lions returned to the postseason last year, and there's no reason to think that Detroit can't make it two years in a row if their patchwork secondary holds together.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)

The Eagles took steps to improve a defense that was susceptible up the middle a year ago with the addition of middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans via trade, and the team continued the defensive overhaul by using their first three draft picks on that side of the ball. 

10. New Orleans Saints (13-3)

The New Orleans Saints can either use the fallout and suspensions from "Bountygate" as a rallying cry to bring the team together or allow all the fallout and distractions to tear the team apart, but at this point it's hard to consider them serious Super Bowl contenders.

11. Denver Broncos (8-8)

After a surprising run to the AFC West championship last year, and with the addition of quarterback Peyton Manning in free agency expectations are a Mile High in Denver, but Manning's arrival won't magically solve all the Broncos' problems.

12. Chicago Bears (8-8)

After a disappointing 2011 season the Chicago Bears were aggressive in both free agency and the NFL draft, reuniting quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall via a trade with the Miami Dolphins and signing free-agent running back Michael Bush as insurance against a holdout by Matt Forte.

A protracted holdout by Forte would be a big blow to the Bears given how significant a part of the offense the fifth-year pro was a season ago, but as Matt Bowen of The Chicago Tribune recently pointed out, it's a little early to be hitting the panic button.

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Forte could end up missing the entire offseason if he believes it will lead to a long-term contract. Maybe he'll get that deal. Or maybe not. There is plenty of time left for that to play out and for negotiations to take place.

But come August, it is time to go to work. Business takes a back seat to football. As much as players will tolerate an absence in spring, it is hard to stomach when a key veteran misses even a day of training camp.

Then it will be a story — and a distraction.

But today (and tomorrow) let's not make this bigger than it needs to be. It's only April.

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13. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)

Cincinnati was one of the surprise teams in the National Football League last season, and after a solid draft a young and improving Bengals squad should be able to build on last year's success.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)

The Cowboys overhauled a secondary that was the weak spot of the defense with the addition of free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr and first-round pick Morris Claiborne, and Dallas should be right in the thick of things in the NFC East.

15. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

The Falcons were relatively quiet this offseason, and while even after losing middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, the team should be good enough to contend for the playoffs. Unless something unforeseen happens, Atlanta seems primed for another first-round playoff exit.

16. San Diego Chargers (8-8)

Quarterback Philip Rivers struggled through a miserable 2011 season by his standards, and although the loss of top wide receiver Vincent Jackson in free agency doesn't help, the addition of Robert Meachem and rookie tight end Ladarius Green should lessen the sting of Jackson's departure.

17. Tennessee Titans (9-7)

The Titans gave their fans some room for optimism with nine wins in 2011, but the team somewhat puzzlingly did very little to address either the offensive or defensive lines in the draft and free agency.

18. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

After getting off to an absolutely dismal start in 2011 the Arizona Cardinals came on strong down the stretch last year, winning seven of their last nine contests and giving supporters of the club some reason for optimism heading into 2012.

Only one team in the National Football League allowed more sacks last year than the Cardinals, but the addition of a trio of offensive tackles in the draft should improve the offensive line, while quarterback Kevin Kolb recently told The Tucson Citizen that he thinks first-round pick Michael Floyd will help open up the passing game.

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“He seems like a guy who fits us well,” he said. “One thing that’s going to help him in our system is the way he attacks the ball. He’ll be (learning) behind Larry (Fitzgerald), who is the best in the business at it.”

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19. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)

The Seattle Seahawks looked great at times last year and completely lost at others, and with a new quarterback in town, a retooled front seven on defense and a running back coming off a career year, there are a number of question marks hovering over the Emerald City.

20. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)

Injuries decimated the Chiefs in 2011, but a solid draft and the return of running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry should have Kansas City primed for a bounce-back year, especially if quarterback Matt Cassel finally starts earning all that money the Chiefs have been paying him.

21. Buffalo Bills (6-10)

The Bills were very aggressive in filling needs in free agency and the draft, adding veteran defensive end Mario Williams and rookies Stephon Gilmore and Cordy Glenn, which has made Buffalo a trendy pick as a "sleeper" team entering this season.

22. Carolina Panthers (6-10)

With all the uncertainty swirling around the Saints and the stagnation of the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, the Carolina Panthers could be set to take a step forward in the NFC South this year if the defense can play better.

23. New York Jets (8-8)

I'll confess that I have no idea what's going on inside the heads of head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum, as the addition of quarterback Tim Tebow and selection of defensive end Quinton Coples in the first round of April's draft seem like personnel disasters waiting to happen.

24. Washington Redskins (5-11)

It cost the Washington Redskins a king's ransom to do it, but the team finally has the franchise quarterback it coveted, as the Redskins traded up in April's draft to select Baylor signal-caller Robert Griffin second overall.

The Redskins also took steps to improve the weapons at Griffin's disposal, adding wide receivers Josh Morgan and Pierre Garcon in free agency, and while there are apt to be growing pains, Redskins quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur sees a lot to like in the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner's game, according to The Washington Post.

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“With what we gave up to get him, we see something very special about him. First of all, he is a passer first, a runner second. He’s got very good footwork, he plays with a great base, and he’s a natural thrower, very balanced in the pocket. He’s accurate down the field, he’s got a big arm, and he’s got the vision to see down the field. The one real bonus that he has that not a lot of quarterbacks have, is he’s got that 4.3 speed or 4.4 speed so when things break down, he can make an off-scheduled play. This is a tough league where the pass rush is very intense and you need a guy that can escape the pocket and extend plays and give you the chance to make some explosive plays down the field.”

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25. Oakland Raiders (8-8)

Due to salary cap restrictions and a lack of draft picks as a result of the Carson Palmer robbery, the Oakland Raiders didn't have much room to address needs on either side of the ball, and that will likely show on the gridiron this season.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)

The 2011 season was an unmitigated disaster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due in large part to a defense that allowed the most yards per play in the NFL, and new head coach Greg Schiano used four of the team's first five picks in an effort to bolster the defense.

27. Miami Dolphins (6-10)

It probably won't take long for Dolphins fans to begin clamoring to see rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill get some game action, but given Tannehill's limited collegiate resume, Miami would be well advised to bring the youngster along slowly.

28. St. Louis Rams (2-14)

The 2011 Rams were an absolute mess, and although the team did little to upgrade one of the worst wide receiver corps in the National Football League, an improved defense and completely overhauled secondary should help St. Louis begin the climb back to respectability.

29. Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

As if the Minnesota Vikings season wasn't going badly enough, last year star tailback Adrian Peterson tore his ACL late in the season, and how "AD" looks heading into this year will have a huge impact on the Vikings' fortunes in 2012.

30. Indianapolis Colts (2-14)

The Indianapolis Colts blew up their roster in the offseason, and given all the holes on Indy's roster, there's a very good chance that the first year of the Andrew Luck era is going to look a lot like the first year of the Peyton Manning era...ugly.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

Everything that you need to know about the Jacksonville Jaguars confidence in their offense can be summed up in one sentence. The Jaguars drafted a punter in the third round of April's draft.

32. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

The addition of third overall pick Trent Richardson will certainly bolster a Cleveland ground game that was pathetic a year ago, but by the time the team gets a competitive roster built around 28-year-old rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden, he'll be old enough to collect Social Security,

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