The 2012 NFL Draft has wrapped up and the San Francisco 49ers made a few intriguing picks during the process. The Niners drafted wide receiver A.J. Jenkins from the University of Illinois with their first round pick. A pick that was very interesting when it was initially made. At first I did not like the Jenkins pick, to be honest I was a little angry. Later I found more information about Jenkins and I began to warm up to the pick. (more…)

Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL draft is where you start to see teams take need rather than just taking the best player available. Their are some teams that can get maximum value out of these picks and , as always, there are teams that will make you wonder if a primate is running the front office.

Overall I think teams have done really well with this year’s draft and you haven’t seen as many teams drafting furure high picks for a player they passed on earlier. That could mean teams are getting better about it, or it could just mean the Raiders don’t have the fire-power to make those kind of moves.

Winners

Indianapolis Colts- Their draft was made with the pick of Andrew Luck. They got Luck-y to have Coby Fleener fall into their laps. Teams who draft a quarterback early should always get a tight end to help him out in the middle of the field. This worked out even better because they got the best one who has already played with Luck. Their other day 2 picks were spent on getting even more weapons with TE Dwayne Allen and WR T.Y. Hilton. Allen was the 2^nd best tight end and Hilton can be a speedy slot WR that can help out in the return game.

Cincinnati Bengals- I believe they have had the best draft so far. They have gotten great value out of all their picks. In the second round (53^rd overall) they were able to add DT Devon Still who was projected to go in the first round ahead of guys like Michael Brockers and Dontari Poe. In the 3^rd they were able to add another 1^st round talent in Mohamed Sanu, you should know the name because a lot of mockers had the 49ers taking him with the 30^th overall pick. I liked Sanu better than A.J. Jenkins and with him lined up opposite A.J. Green the Bengals passing game is starting to get scary good. The Bengals also added DT Brandon Thompson late in the 3^rd, a pick they received for trading back in the first round.

St Louis Rams- If they were able to get Fletcher Cox in the first round instead of Michael Brockers their draft would rival the Bengals. They opened up the 2^nd round by taking WR Brian Quick who will be a matchup nightmare. Much like Sanu I liked him more than Jenkins. Speaking of Jenkins how about them taking CB Janoris Jenkins with their 2^nd pick in round 2? He might be the most talented corner in the draft; the problem is he has a lot of off the field issues. Definitely a risk, but a great value pick if Fisher can get more out of him than he did Pacman Jones. They added RB Pead who will provide much needed depth behind Steven Jackson. They added another corner in the 3^rd, Trumaine Johnson, which will help with the growing amount of top WR’s in the NFC West.

Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants

Losers

New England Patriots- They did great in the first round moving up and getting 2 defensive standouts. However this is grading day 2. After trading up in day 1 they only had 2 picks left for the entire draft, both in round 2. With their first they reached to draft FS Tavon Wilson. Their next pick they traded down, which they had to do with no picks thru rounds 3-7, but they didn’t get good value in the trade (traded a late 2 for a late 3 and 5). With the late 3^rd they took DE Jake Bequette which I don’t understand because there were better guys out there. For all the love Belichick gets for his drafts moves I think he missed on these.

Oakland Raiders- Sure they only had one pick the first 2 days, but they put themselves in that position. They gave up their 3^rd rounder for Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft and lost their first for the Carson Palmer trade. They lost their second when they traded the Patriots last year for picks. With all the players they got from all those picks let’s look at what they got. A washed up QB who was retired, a 3^rd string QB, and a backup running back that will never be better than a #2. With their 3^rd round compensatory pick (I think the league just threw them a bone), they drafted a tackle they could have picked up in the 5^th round. With all the players they lost in free agency I think they will regress to a 6-10 at best team.

New Orleans Saints- Well they cost themselves their 2^nd round pick, and I don’t feel sorry for them. With their 3^rd round pick they took DE Akiem Hicks. For those who don’t know he couldn’t make it at LSU and went to Canada to play college ball there. Whenever a guy can’t make it at one school and has to transfer they normally means he’s not good enough. I think he is a project and I never like taking projects early, that’s what the late round picks are for.

Dishonorable Mention: Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns

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Credit: James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

While we really don’t know how these guys are going to pan out in the NFL, people want to know how their teams stack up against the rest of the league. So without further ado here are my thoughts and grades on the first round of the 2012 draft.

1.       Indianapolis- A+. Pick QB Andrew Luck.  It was the easy, obvious choice and there really was no way to screw it up. Now they have to get him targets, protection, and oh yeah a defense. Good Luck.

2.       Washington- A. Pick QB Robert Griffin III. The only reason for an A and not an A+ is how much they gave up to get him. Sure is he turns out great it was worth it, but this team has holes and will be limited with draft moves the next couple of years.

3.       Cleveland Browns- A. Pick RB Trent Richardson. Same reason as above on the A. The Browns guaranteed they got their guy, and he comes in better than Adrian Peterson when Peterson was drafted.

4.       Minnesota Vikings- A+. Pick LT Matt Kalil. They were able to pick up 3 mid-late picks moved down one spot and got the guy they were going to draft anyway. They have 13 picks in the draft (for now).

5.       Jacksonville Jaguars- A+. Pick WR Justin Blackmon. They get the playmaker they needed and didn’t give up too much to move past St. Louis for him.

6.       Dallas Cowboys- A+. Pick CB Morris Claiborne. The Cowboys made a bold move trading from 14 to 6 to get the last elite talent left at the top of the draft. It fills a need and turns a questionable secondary into a very good, young one. Cowboys’ fans and media are smiling. I’m sure Jerry Jones is patting himself on the back.

7.       Tampa Bay Buccaneers. C-. Pick S Mark Barron. They were selecting 5^th and wanted either and wanted Richardson, they missed. Then they want Claiborne and got greedy moving back 1 pick too far, sure they can spin it saying they wanted Barron all along, but they gained only a 4^th rounder and missed out on the star CB. Barron is great, but it could have been better.

8.       Miami Dolphins. C-. Pick QB Ryan Tannehill. I don’t like this pick; Tannehill is a project quarterback that needs a lot of grooming. I don’t think he has the decision making needed for the NFL level, but the Dolphins get a C because they didn’t move up to take him and in the end they had to draft a quarterback early after missing on so many free agents.

9.       Carolina Panthers. B+. Pick LB Luke Keuchly. Carolina gets the best linebacker in the draft. They had to go defense with this pick and they did. He’s not dominating physically, but he can be the next Urlacher.

10.   Buffalo Bills. A-. Pick CB Stephon Gilmore. – Gilmore is a great player that was a safe pick at corner. He was the best player available and he fills a need for a team that couldn’t stop the pass last season.

11.   Kansas City Chiefs. B. Pick DT Pontari Poe- He isn’t dominating on tape, but this is what happens when you take over the combine. He will have good coaching, so he will have a chance to improve his field performance.

12.   Philadelhia Eagles. A. Pick DT Fletcher Cox- It is the perfect piece for their team and they didn’t have to move up as far as most thought to get him. Honestly they could have sat at 15 and landed him, but can’t be too safe.

13.   Arizona Cardinals. A+. Pick WR Michael Floyd. This makes the Arizona offense very scary. Remember how good they were with Boldin and Fitzgerald, they have a chance to match that. Now if only they had a quarterback. They also blocked the Rams from drafting him, just an added bonus.

14.   St Louis Rams. C.  Pick DT Michael Brockers. Honestly I put this grade before they even announced the selection. Yes they added a lot of high picks, but they missed out on the top 2 WR’s and that was there biggest need. Michael Brockers is a need so this grade could improve if they land a WR with the 2^nd round pick.

15.   Seattle Seahawks.  F. OLB Bruce Irvin. I’m laughing at this pick, sure it was a need, but there were about 5 other players at the position left that were better than him. He has too many red flags and they could have gotten him in the 2^nd round. They are hoping they get Aldon Smith, they are mistaken.

16.   New York Jets. A. Pick DE Quinton Coples. He goes to the right situation to succeed. Coples fell do to “motor concerns”, but Rex Ryan will get it all out of him. He is a nice value at this point in the round.