As is the case every year, now that the 2012 NFL Draft is finally in the books it’s time to grade each team’s draft class. Admittedly, it’s premature to label a group as an A+ or F before they’ve even took part in a mini camp. But it’s not an entirely futile exercise. It’s nice to get a general idea of how each team did, and to get begin to develop what the expectations will be for each rookie class.
The first division we’ll look at is the AFC North. It’s a division that has seen two franchises in Pittsburgh and Baltimore become consistent forces primarily through excellent drafting. Both Cincinnati and Cleveland are trying to close the gap with good drafting of their own. Did they get any closer, or did the Steelers and Ravens simply widen the gap?
Baltimore Ravens
35. Courtney Upshaw, linebacker, Alabama
60. Kelechi Osemele, offensive tackle, Iowa State
84. Bernard Pierce, running back, Temple
98. Gino Gradkowski, offensive guard, Delaware
130. Christian Thompson, safety, South Carolina State
198. Tommy Streeter, wide receiver, Miami
236. Deangelo Tyson, defensive end, Georgia
Analysis: As has become a yearly occurrence, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome did a great job of acquiring talent at great value throughout the draft. Although the traded out of the first round, Baltimore still got a first round player in Courtney Upshaw, who figures to thrive in the Ravens’ defense. Bernard Peirce is a guy with injury concerns, but is an outstanding player otherwise. He’ll benefit from seeing less carries by being paired with Ray Rice, and Peirce should be able to make a big impact when he’s in the game. Wide receiver Tommy Streeter is raw, but possesses tons of talent and probably should have been taken earlier in the draft.
Grade: B+
Cincinnati Bengals
17. Dre Kirkpatrick, cornerback, Alabama
27. Kevin Zeitler, offensive guard, Wisconsin
53. Devon Still, defensive tackle, Penn State
83. Mohamed Sanu, wide receiver, Rutgers
93. Brandon Thompson, defensive tackle, Clemson
116. Orson Charles, tight end, Georgia
156. Shaun Prater, cornerback, Iowa
166. Marvin Jones, wide receiver, California
167. Georga Iloka, safety, Boise State
191. Dan Herron, running back, Ohio State
Analysis: Cincinnati has been criticized in the past for their blunders in the draft, but that won’t happen this year. The Bengals had one of the best drafts of the year. Their first three picks of Dre Kirkpatrick, Kevin Zeitler, and Devon Still are all first round talents that should start sooner than later. Mohamed Sanu and Brandon Thompson were expected to go much earlier than they did, and also should be early contributors. Even with all of those picks, the steal of their draft was getting Marvin Jones in the fifth round. In reality he’s a second or third round player and adds more firepower to an offense that will be young and talented in 2012.
Grade: A
Cleveland Browns
3. Trent Richardson, running back, Alabama
22. Brandon Weeden, quarterback, Oklahoma State
37. Mitchell Schwartz, offensive tackle, California
87. John Hughes, defensive tackle, Cincinnati
100. Travis Benjamin, wide receiver, Miami
120. James Michael-Johnson, linebacker, Nevada
160. Ryan Miller, offensive guard, Colorado
204. Emmanuel Acho, linebacker, Texas
205. Billy Wynn, defensive tackle, Boise State
245. Trevin Wade, cornerback, Arizona
247. Brad Smelley, tight end, Alabama
Analysis: The Browns drafted an elite talent at running back (Trent Richardson), a franchise quarterback (Brandon Weeden), and a solid offensive tackle (Mitchell Schwartz) with their first three picks in their draft, and that alone makes their weekend a success. Unfortunately, they made several confusing selections following those, which will hurt their overall grade. John Hughes was drafted several rounds too early with many better defensive tackles left still on the board. Travis Benjamin wasn’t even the best wide receiver from Miami in the draft, and the more talent former Hurricane Tommy Streeter went nearly one hundred selections after Benjamin. Cleveland made some nice selections in Billy Wynn and James Michael-Johnson, but their numerous reaches keep their grade low considering what they got at the top of the draft.
Grade: B-
Pittsburgh Steelers
24. David DeCastro, offensive guard, Stanford
56. Mike Adams, offensive tackle, Ohio State
86. Sean Spence, linebacker, Miami
109. Alameda Ta’amu, defensive tackle, Washington
159. Chris Rainey, running back, Florida
240. David Paulson, tight end, Oregon
246. Terrence Frederick, cornerback, Texas A&M
248. Kelvin Beachum, offensive tackle, Southern Methodist
Analysis: It almost doesn’t seem fair how franchises like Pittsburgh seem to dominate drafts ever year, but they did it again this year. It was a small miracle that David DeCastro fell to the Steelers, and he’s a perfect fit there. Mike Adams has some character issues but if he overcomes those, Pittsburgh will have fixed their chronic offensive line problems in one draft. Finding Alameda Ta’amu at 109 overall is an outstanding value, and he’ll be a very capable replacement for Casey Hampton in the heart of their defense. The only complaint about this draft is that they weren’t able to address their secondary sooner, but Terrence Frederick is an outstanding value in the seventh round.
Grade: A-
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