2012 NFL Rookie Watch List: Best 20 Players Taken After the 1st Round

In this slideshow I tap into my hours of film study, combining it with a customized system to bring you the top 20 guys to keep an eye on the upcoming 2012 NFL season. These are guys that were left out of the elite group of selections—no first-rounders allowed.

A lot of these rookies may end up as backups in their first year, but try to remember their names. When given an opportunity to shine, I predict solid careers for everyone mentioned here, considering I had each as a top 50 player in last April's draft.

This list is derived from a formulaic combination of film study, college production, physical tools (using a measuring system we at Draft-Hub.com created, called Draft Hub DMR), character, reputation and injury—all synced together, based off of a grading system for each category, then placing the majority of emphasis on my personal film study.

Notes:

All grades listed are based on a scale between 1-10, and are scored comparatively against over 250 scouted prospects.

DMR="Dynamic Measurement Ranking." For more information about this please see the link above.

20. Juron Criner

Team: Oakland Raiders

Pick: Round 5, 168th Pick

Position: Wide Receiver

Film Notes and Grade: 8.2

Pros: Good quickness and size combo. Can make spectacular grabs. Impressive after the catch with a nice burst and elusiveness. Can be a threat in the short passing game or stretch the field as well. Has the speed to separate from defenders.

Cons:  Struggles with drops at times. Seems like a lot of his catches come for bubble screens and quick slants. Appears to not use his size when fighting for the ball.

DMR Grade: 6.23

College Production Grade: 7.6

19. Brandon Thompson

Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: Round 3, 93rd Overall

Position: Defensive Tackle, Defensive End

Film Notes and Grade: 8.3

Pros: Very good at shedding blocks and penetrating into the backfield. Displays suddenness and impressive quick feet for his size. Anchors well. Shows good pursuit effort. Impressive athlete.

Cons: Needs to improve leverage. May lack ideal size to play interior line at next level. Inconsistent and unreliable arm tackler. Gets overpowered against double teams.

DMR Grade: 5

College Production Grade: 8

18. T.Y Hilton

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Round 3, 92nd Overall

Position: Wide Receiver

Film Notes and Grade: 8.1

Pros: Elite quickness. Shows great long speed on tape. Dangerous with the ball. Impressive vision. Reliable hands.

Cons: Very undersized frame. Will likely never be a premier receiver. Concerns about his ability and willingness to take a hit.

DMR Grade: 5

College Production Grade: 8.6

17. Andre Branch

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: Round 2, 38th Overall

Position: Defensive End

Film Notes and Grade: 8

Pros: Long arms that deliver a powerful punch. Plays with heavy hands and can hold the point of attack nicely. Strong physical player. Swallows up ball-carriers with his arms. Shows nice technique taking on blockers against the run and understands run fits well. Flashes impressive physical tools to improve and become quite a force at the next level.

Cons: Seems a bit one-dimensional with pass-rush moves. Raw as a pass-rusher. Needs to avoid getting washed out of the play when rounding the corner in pursuit of the QB.

DMR Grade: 6.8

College Production Grade: 5.5

16. Dwayne Allen

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Round 3, 64th Overall

Position: Tight End

Film Notes and Grade: 8.1

Pros: Savvy route-runner. Natural receiver, smooth runner and reliable hands. Serviceable as a blocker. Deceptively quick.

Cons: Not overly big or fast. Limited frame for growth.

DMR Grade: 6.04

College Production Grade: 7.7

15. Billy Winn

Team: Cleveland Browns

Pick: Round 6, 205th Overall

Position: Defensive End, Defensive Tackle

Film Notes and Grade: 8.4

Pros: Big effort and hustle. Explosive and sudden. Nice play-making instincts. Reliable tackler. Has good pass-rush ability from a 3-technique.

Cons: Undersized as an interior lineman and a bit too slow to play a 4-3 DE. Inconsistent with hand technique.

DMR Grade: 5.75

College Production Grade: 8.6

14. Brandon Boykin

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Pick: Round 4, 123rd Overall

Position: Cornerback, Return Specialist

Film Notes and Grade: 8.7

Pros: Impressive athlete. Fantastic ball skills. Great speed. Shows the ability to come up and tackle. Very loose and agile. Skills to match up in man coverage.

Cons: Perhaps a bit smallish for the pro level. Injury concerns. Lacks some toughness in run support.

DMR Grade: Unavailable due to injury.

College Production Grade: 8.5

13. Antonio Allen

Team: New York Jets

Pick: Round 7, 242nd Overall

Position: Strong Safety

Film Notes and Grade: 8

Pros: Dominant player as a box safety making plays up and down the line of scrimmage. One of the best tacklers in the draft. Good awareness. Shows leadership qualities. Very instinctual. Nice long frame. Big-time competitor.

Cons: Was not used much in man coverage. Questions about his ability to match up and run with defenders. Not overly fast.

DMR Grade: 5.84

College Production Grade: 9.2

12. Joe Adams

Team: Carolina Panthers

Pick: Round 4, 104th Overall

Position: Wide Receiver, Return Specialist

Film Notes and Grade: 8.8

Pros: Unbelievable skills after the catch, in space, breaking tackles and fighting to make something happen. Fully-loaded arsenal with the ball in his hand. Can change direction on a dime. Very clever faking out would-be tacklers. Can be a deadly slot option and return specialist on an NFL team.

Cons: Needs more polish as a pure receiver. Will drop balls on occasion. A bit on the small side. Has some problems with fumbles. Lacks elite straight-ahead speed.

DMR Grade: 5.25

College Production Grade: 7.2

11. Alshon Jeffery

Team: Chicago Bears

Pick: Round 2, 45th Overall

Position: Wide Receiver

Film Notes and Grade: 8.5

Pros: Big frame, grabs the ball at highest point. Very reliable hands. Big-play ability. Strong and very hard to jam at the line. Good route-runner.

Cons: Lacks speed to separate at the next level. Concerns about weight gain. Can be shut down by much smaller CBs.

DMR Grade: 6.98

College Production Grade: 7.2

10. Jared Crick

Team: Houston Texans

Pick: Round 4, 126th Overall

Position: Defensive End/ Defensive Tackle

Film Notes and Grade: 8.6

Pros: High-motor guy with big-play instincts. Penetrates the line very consistently. Big, long frame and solid tackler. Intense competitor.

Cons: Injury concerns, too lean for DT and may not be quick enough for DE.

DMR Grade: 5.44

College Production Grade: 8

9. Josh Chapman

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Round 5, 136th Overall

Position: Nose Tackle

Film Notes and Grade: 8.9

Pros: Strong physical anchor. Clogs up the middle well. Has a firm grasp of his job and how best to contribute. Shows impressive awareness and smarts. Nice use of hands. Transitions into an effective and active pass-rusher. Bulky. Controls and sheds blockers extremely well with nice push/pull, swim moves. Consistently drives blockers backwards. Most impressive DT I have seen so far this year.

Cons: Poor pursuit efforts. Stiff frame. Torn ACL and too slow to factor into pass rush. Needs more activity with hands when shedding blocks.

DMR Grade: Unavailable to due to injury (the biggest reason for his drop in the draft).

College Production Grade: 5.6

8. Coby Fleener

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Round 2, 34th Overall

Position: Tight End

Film Notes and Grade: 8.2

Pros: Quick feet, very impressive speed for his size. Crafty route-runner. Runs fluidly.

Cons: Needs to add more bulk in the upper body. Active as a blocker but technique needs to improve. Seems undersized. Doesn't stretch out for overthrown balls.

DMR Grade: Unavailable due to injury.

College Production Grade: 8.9

7. Vinny Curry

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Pick: Round 2, 59th Overall

Position: Defensive End

Film Notes and Grade: 8

Pros: Hustle, pursuit, great balance. Very quick feet and good closing speed. Some plays he looks incredibly fast and others he looks tired and slow. Good frame. Plays strong against the run most of the time and can really anchor in when he leverages himself.

Cons: Poor with his hands and can get pushed back and pancaked more than you would like to see. Looks tired and slow on some plays.

DMR Grade: 6.62

College Production Grade: 9.7

6. Kendall Reyes

Team: San Diego Chargers

Pick: Round 2, 49th Overall

Position: Defensive End/ Defensive Tackle

Film Notes and Grade: 8

Pros: Plays light for DT, uses hands well and gives great effort. Big-motor player, looks like a great 3-4 DE at the next level. Has a good nose for the ball. Plays hard and smart and is surprisingly effective at splitting double teams. Decent quickness for his size and shows some athletic skill. His length and awareness aid his ability to break up pass attempts.

Cons: Lacks bulk in his lower body necessary for anchoring inside at the next level.

DMR Grade: 6.32

College Production Grade: 9.4

5. Mychal Kendricks

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Pick: Round 2, 46th Overall

Position: Linebacker

Film Notes and Grade: 8.1

Pros: Amazing closing speed. Small-ish for the next level. Tackles well and gets the job done. Penetrates backfield successfully and aggressively. Struggles to stand ground against aggressive blockers. Has a knack for the ball and good instincts.

Cons: Sometimes struggles to get off blocks. Tackles well but not a bruiser. Struggles to stand ground against aggressive blockers. Limited potential for adding bulk to his frame and will always be undersized for an NFL linebacker.

DMR Grade: 7.42

College Production Grade: 8.4

4. Casey Hayward

Team: Green Bay Packers

Pick: Round 2, pick 62nd overall.

Position: Cornerback

Film Notes and Grade: 8.4

Pros: Long arms, shows nice ability to stay with receivers downfield. Great quickness and change of direction. Very instinctual making plays on the ball.

Cons: Avoids contact and is a poor tackler. Drops to the ground against bigger blockers. Questions about his ability to catch the ball consistently. Lacks elite long speed.

DMR Grade: 6.14

College Production Grade: 9.3

3. Devon Still

Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: Round 2, 53rd Overall

Position: Defensive Tackle

Film Notes and Grade: 8.7

Pros: Strong, powerful, heavy-handed anchor. Has good size and long arms. Shows a nice consistency in play and rarely gets driven out of gap responsibility. Very hard person to get any movement on while still showing great ability to penetrate and shoot the gaps.

Cons: Not a great athlete and plays with a glaring stiffness in the hips. Plays hard but appears to wear down late in games.

DMR Grade: Unavailable because of injury (Which is most likely the reason he fell out of the 1st round)

College Production Grade: 8.2

2. Lavonte David

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: Round 2, 58th Overall

Position: Linebacker

Film Notes and Grade: 9

Pros: Very quick. Elite awareness. Fantastic tackler who rarely misses. Very capable in coverage.

Cons: A bit undersized. Can get overpowered at times.

DMR Grade: 6.04

College Production Grade: 7.7

1. Courtney Upshaw

Team: Baltimore Ravens

Pick: Round 2, 35th overall

Position: Outside Linebacker/ Defensive End

Film Notes and Grade: 9.2

Pros: Amazing talent. Complete body strength, explosive on all levels, fast, aggressive, smart. Physically dominating, does not get moved by blockers. Shows nice awareness, surprisingly loose for a guy of his size and thickness. Bouncy muscle fibers (spring loaded). Sky is the limit.

Best "tweener" I have seen in the draft, this guy will be a dominating NFL player with few weaknesses. Will destroy pull blockers form the DE position. Dynamic versatile pass rush arsenal. Incredibly effective bull rush. Attacking and reliable tackler.

Cons: His ability to cover are in question. Questions about his cognitive aptitude—can he be a leader in the locker room? Occasionally will give up prematurely on plays and needs to improve pursuit effort. Sometimes can lose sight of the ball.

DMR Grade: 4.84 (biggest reason he fell out of the first round)

College Production Grade: 8.2

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