Players Who Will Benefit Most from Top 5 Pick in 2012 NFL Draft

The last two NFL seasons gave us the perfect case study on how adding one rookie to the mix can change everything for a player. 

In 2010, Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith caught just 46 passes for 554 yards and two scores—arguably the worst finish to a season in his career. 

But just one year later, and after the addition of quarterback Cam Newton as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Smith rose from the dead. At 32 years old, Smith caught 79 passes for 1,394 yards (17.6 yards/reception) and seven touchdowns—one of his best professional seasons. 

The moral of the story here: One player added in the NFL draft can change everything for other players on the roster. Most of the time, that drastic change comes from a pick inside the top five. 

In the following five slides, we break down the top five of the 2012 NFL draft to find the players who will benefit most from each respective pick. 

Indianapolis Colts

The 2011 season was a testament to just how good a receiver Reggie Wayne really is. 

Despite catching passes from 40-something-year-old Kerry Collins and shouldn't-be-a-starter Curtis Painter last year, Wayne still managed 75 receptions, 940 yards and four scores. It was a far cry from the 111, 1,355 and six he put up with Peyton Manning a year before, but impressive nonetheless. 

With No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck on board, I expect Wayne to get back over 80 catches and 1,000 yards. Indianapolis obviously drafted two tight ends high and will run the football to protect their rookie quarterback, but Wayne—despite being 33 years old—is too good not to focus a big part of the offense on. 

Another player to keep your eye on in Indianapolis is running back Donald Brown, whom the Colts may lean on as an every-down back. With a bigger workload, Brown could break out. 

Washington Redskins

Drafting quarterback Robert Griffin III is going to make the Redskins a better passing team, and you can bet the entire receiver group is going to be better for having him lead this team. 

However, don't discredit what Griffin's addition can do for the running game. When reading through John Keim's running back breakdown in the Washington Examiner, one observation jumped off the page. 

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Dan Reeves said he saw it with Michael Vick in Atlanta: the backside ends were frozen by the threat of the bootleg. That enabled the backside tackle to not worry about blocking him and instead help the guard or go right to a linebacker. It’s a little subtle, but when you’re trying to create a cutback alley it’s rather important.

"

That same dynamic could be in play for Washington next year, and if it is, Roy Helu and Tim Hightower could see jumps in effectiveness. With Hightower still recovering from an ACL injury, Helu could be one running back who is destined for a breakout season in 2012. 

Cleveland Browns

The addition of Trent Richardson would have been a big help to quarterback Colt McCoy, but the Browns went out and took Brandon Weeden later in the first round to fill that hole.

So who does Richardson help the most in Cleveland? Most likely receiver Greg Little. 

The Browns had zero running game in 2011, and the offense was so condensed with McCoy at the sticks that Little very rarely had an opportunity to make plays down the field. Richardson fixes that first problem in a hurry. 

He's also going to open up the play-action pass, something the Browns couldn't do much of (or have success with) last season without a bona-fide rushing game. Expect Little's yards per reception to go up significantly over his 11.6 in 2011.

Minnesota Vikings

Christian Ponder, the Vikings' 2011 first-round pick, showed flashes here and there of being an impact quarterback during his rookie season. Far too often, however, Ponder was picking himself off the Metrodome turf after getting hit inside the pocket. 

Instead of continuing to watch their quarterback get pummeled in Year 2, the Vikings did something about it with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

By taking USC tackle Matt Kalil, whom the Vikings hope can hold down the left tackle position for the next 10-12 years, Ponder should have the blindside protector he needs to continue his progression as the Vikings' starting quarterback. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Most of the NFL media has been hard on Jaguars' 2011 first-round pick Blaine Gabbert, and there's some definite legitimacy to those worries moving forward into 2012. 

But we also have to keep in mind whom Gabbert was targeting during his rookie season in Jacksonville. 

Mike Thomas led the Jaguars' receivers with 44 catches for 415 yards, and no other receiver was over 400. Jason Hill, Jarrett Dillard and Chastin West made up the rest of the Jaguars' no-name receiving core. 

Jacksonville GM Gene Smith went about to solve that problem in the draft, taking Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon No. 5 overall. Some have compared Blackmon to Terrell Owens, but Gabbert will be happy to just get anything above 400 yards from him in Year 1. 

At the very least, Gabbert shouldn't possess the excuse of having no one to throw to in 2012.