In a division with elite arms Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Jay Cutler, the Vikings were forced to draft a franchise arm in last year’s draft with Christian Ponder. Whether or not he will live up to expectations remains to be seen, but it was clear in the 2012 draft that each team was focused on either upgrading their pass rush (Green Bay and Chicago) or upgrading their pass protection (Detroit and Minnesota).
The most active GM’s were Green Bay’s Ted Thompson, who jumped up twice in the second round, and Minnesota’s Rick Spielman, who moved up and down the board throughout the draft. The Vikings clearly are the weakest link, but it seems they’re headed in the right direction. Will the Lions be able to put it all together and make a playoff push this coming season? And how quickly can Phil Emery implement his philosophy and plan for the future as the new Bears GM? Which team bettered themselves most in this year’s draft? Let’s find out.
Green Bay Packers
28. Nick Perry, defensive end, USC
51. Jerel Worthy, defensive tackle, Michigan State
62. Casey Hayward, cornerback, Vanderbilt
132. Mike Daniels, defensive tackle, Iowa
133. Jerron McMillian, strong safety, Maine
163. Terrell Manning, outside linebacker, North Carolina State
241. Andrew Datko, offensive tackle, Florida State
243. B.J. Coleman, quarterback, Tennessee-Chattanooga
Summary: With each of the Packer’s first 6 picks on the defensive side of the ball, GM Ted Thompson made it a priority to add both talent and depth to the NFL’s worst defense, in terms of yards allowed per game. By adding Nick Perry from USC to play 3-4 outside linebacker opposite Clay Matthews, the Packers now have one of the more formidable pass rushing duos in the NFC North. Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward were sliding down the 2nd round board, and the Packers deftly maneuvered up the draft board to select both players. The Packers moved up 8 slots from pick 59 to 51 during round 2 to select Worthy while surrendering just a 4th round selection, and in order to draft Hayward, the Packers moved up from pick 90 to 62 by giving up a 5th rounder. Worthy will serve to replace Cullen Jenkins production from the 5-technique position, and Hayward provides an excellent nickel or dime corner early, with the ability to develop into an outside starter.
Mike Daniels from Iowa serves as another quality, rotational 5 technique piece, Jeron McMillian of Maine has upside as a developmental in-the-box safety and immediate special teams contributor, and Terrell Manning will likely kick inside at linebacker. Aside from Worthy and Hayward in round 2, the Packers got the best value with their 7th round selections of Andrew Datko, a highly touted left tackle coming off shoulder surgery and had Day 2 grades from most scouts prior to his senior season, and B.J. Coleman, a strong armed, pocket QB that has a plus mental makeup and patterns his game after Peyton Manning. Coleman is another Matt Flynn in that the Packers will work to develop him for future trade value, only this time they hope to reap a return for the player.
The Packers signed a notable undrafted free agent as well; Dale Moss from South Dakota State is an extraordinary talent and raw wide receiver, having only played one season of college football as a 4-year letterman in basketball; Moss posted what would have been the fastest 3-cone time in NFL Combine history had he been invited, at his pro day with a time of 6.32. Moss’ length and ability to separate vertically at the point of the catch to snag passes high and away, make him one of the more unique and special UDFA’s to pay close attention to as the 2012 season approaches.
All in all, the Packers addressed glaring needs on the defensive side of the football, adding another premiere rusher, replacing Jenkins, and refueling their secondary with talent, and deserve an A grade for the value of each pick.
Grade: A-
Detroit Lions
23. Riley Reiff, offensive tackle, Iowa
54. Ryan Broyles, wide receiver, Oklahoma
85. Dwight Bentley, cornerback, Louisiana-Lafayette
125. Ronnell Lewis, outside linebacker/defensive end, Oklahoma
138. Tahir Whitehead, outside linebacker, Temple
148. Chris Greenwood, cornerback, Albion
196. Jonte Green, defensive back, New Mexico State
223. Travis Lewis, outside linebacker, Oklahoma
Summary: In this draft, the Lions really stuck to their board and never strayed away from the best player available approach. Riley Reiff in round one gives the Lions a swing tackle who’s productive and very well coached at Kirk Ferentz’s school of linemen at Iowa. Ryan Broyles is arguably the most polished and NFL ready slot receiver, and will be a plug and play number 3 or 4 receiver in doubles or trips formations; the only concern being his return from a torn ACL, which he has remarkably recovered from in a very timely fashion. Corner Dwight Bentley will fight for a starting job and will be counted upon as a rookie to contribute on nickel and dime passing downs.
When asked by the Detroit media what position Ronnell Lewis would be playing for head coach Jim Schwartz’s defense, Schwartz responded by saying, “The hammer position.” This couldn’t be a more accurate description of Lewis’ play style, as he is an explosive, powerful hitter that runs on an incredible motor. An out of the box, core special teamer that slid down the board due to off field concerns regarding lack of commitment in the classroom, Lewis is a tweener that lacks the prototypical end height but more than compensates with his overall strength and athleticism. He’ll play a hybrid role and you can expect this player to be an impact on special teams coverage units.
Tahir Whitehead adds another special teams player and backup material right away at either the Sam or Will outside backer positions. The Lions were most impressed with cornerback Chris Greenwood’s height, weight, speed combo and loved his physical attributes as a developmental player. Travis Lewis of Oklahoma gave great value in the 7th round, and figures to get reps at will and mike linebacker positions.
The Lions did not reach for a corner in the first two rounds, and instead drafted NFL ready offensive players Reiff and Broyles. General Manager Martin Mayhew remained consistent with his draft philosophy of best player available and still addressed the need of secondary by adding a quicker than fast slot corner in Bentley and height, weight, speed project in Greenwood. For these reasons, this draft earns a solid B from me. Oh and to the Boise State die hard fans reading this, the signing of Kellen Moore did NOT factor into my final grade, although he will make for an excellent sideline clipboard holder and assistant coach.
Grade: B
Chicago Bears
19. Shea McClellin, defensive end, Boise State
45. Alshon Jeffery, wide receiver, South Carolina
79. Brandon Hardin, safety, Oregon State
111. Evan Rodriguez, tight end, Temple
184. Isaiah Frey, cornerback, Nevada
220. Greg McCoy, cornerback, TCU
Summary: In his first draft as the Bears GM, Phil Emery didn’t make a single trade and also didn’t address needs along the offensive line. Emery instead worked to improve the Bears pass defense to counter their rival, the Green Bay Packers and the NFL’s top quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Shea McClellin will have to win 1 on 1 matchups to apply pressure, as Julius Peppers will continue to be double teamed by opposing teams; a pass rush threat opposite Peppers has been a major need for the past few seasons and McClellin’s rare size, speed, and coordination as a rusher are the tools the Bears coveted in this draft. McClellin’s athleticism could even lend to some looks at Sam backer on early run downs.
Alshon Jeffery in the latter part of round 2 could prove to be a very solid value pick; Jeffery and recently added Brandon Marshall give the Bears two big targets that can separate at the point of the catch with length and physicality. Brandon Hardin is coming off a missed season due to injury, but if healthy, Hardin can contribute immediately as a special teams ace and can spot start in the back half of the Bears Cover-2 heavy scheme. Evan Rodriguez is a movable offensive piece that can contribute in a variety of ways from the H-Back position, while the two corners Greg McCoy and Isaiah Frey are developmental players only at this point.
The Bears had a huge need up front on the offensive line and failed to address the issue in either the draft or free agency. Keeping Jay Cutler upright and alive ought to be the main area of focus in a division with edge rushers Jared Allen, Clay Matthews, Cliff Avril, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. That being said, Phil Emery didn’t allow need to trump value in this draft, and for that reason, I’ll give the Bears a C+.
Grade: C+
Minnesota Vikings
4. Matt Kalil, offensive tackle, USC
29. Harrison Smith, safety, Notre Dame
66. Josh Robinson, cornerback, Central Florida
118. Jarius Wright, wide receiver, Arkansas
128. Rhett Ellison, tight end/h-back, USC
134. Greg Childs, wide receiver, Arkansas
139. Robert Blanton, cornerback, Notre Dame
175. Blair Walsh, kicker, Georgia
210. Audie Cole, inside linebacker, North Carolina State
219. Trevor Guyton, defensive end, Cal
Summary: Before I even talk about the picks themselves, GM Rick Spielman deserves a ton of credit for going out and selling the number 3 pick; although I have my own doubts as to the real interest in the pick, the Vikings were still able to trade down from pick 3 to 4, netting picks 118, 139, and 211. Taking their 2nd rounder and original 4th rounder, they then traded back into the first round to close the first day with 2 selections. Very active throughout the draft, Spielman did a great job of controlling the draft instead passively following the flow of action.
Surrounding quarterback Christian Ponder with weapons to succeed seemed to be the mantra for the Vikings 2012 draft plan, as they drafted the only elite left tackle, Matt Kalil from USC, along with Kalil’s teammate and USC team captain, H-Back Rhett Ellison. At 6’5, 251 Ellison provides position flexibility as an in-line Y and more importantly, as an H-Back that can pass protect, run block, and occupy the flats as a check down option. Additionally, GM Rick Spielman bolstered the wide receiving corps by adding two Arkansas Razorbacks to serve two vastly different roles; Jarius Wright will line up opposite Percy Harvin in the slot to create further mismatches inside, and Greg Childs has the height, weight, speed combo to potentially start outside if he can remain healthy.
The defensive side of the ball was also greatly improved, specifically the secondary. While I disagree with the trade up to 29 to draft safety Harrison Smith from a pure value standpoint, as I personally gave Smith a mid 2nd round grade, I do believe the Vikings filled a huge need in the back half of the defense with a player that fits well within their Tampa-2 scheme. The Vikings also upgraded their corner talent with speedster Josh Robinson, a zone savvy corner from Central Florida, and cover 2-press specialist Robert Blanton from Notre Dame, an extremely physical player that could even be given an opportunity to work at safety. Audie Cole and Trevor Guyton are depth players as of now and will be asked to contribute on special teams right away. The drafting of Blair Walsh ultimately signals the end of the Ryan Longwell era.
As mentioned above, the Harrison Smith trade up selection didn’t make much sense to me in terms of value, however the Vikings addressed multiple needs, added depth at receiver, valuable pieces to the defensive backfield, and a franchise left tackle to protect their quarterback. This was a solid B grade draft that could produce 6 starters.
Grade: B
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