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2012 NFL Draft Grades
13 years ago
If there's one thing I do know, it's my football. Putting my (rarely wrong) talent evaluation skills to the test, my NFL Draft 2012 grades for all teams:
ARI B
ATL B-
BAL B+ *
BUF B-
CAR B+
CHI B-
CIN A+
CLE B-
DAL B-
DEN B-
DET B-
GB A-
HOU A-
IND A-
JAC B-
KC B-
MIA B-
MIN B-
NE B+
NO C+
NYG B
NYJ B
OAK C+
PHI A-
PIT A
SD B+ *
SF C+ *
SEA B-
STL A+
TB A-
TEN B+ *
WAS B
Some notes:
Oakland and New Orleans didn't have enough picks to do anything meaningful this year. They did each grab one or two players who could make an impact this year or next year, though.
Where I have an asterisk * by a grade, that grade is teetering between that grade and the next higher. Those grades have players in them who could potentially blow up big, which would then boost that grade into the next level.
Teams that completely killed it this year: Cincinnati and St. Louis. The depth they drafted from top to bottom is outstanding. St. Louis' draft this year could be the cornerstone for a championship team down the road. Additionally, Houston and Pittsburgh knocked it out from top to bottom, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm a Texans fan and like the Steelers; they got so much depth all over the board, and are loaded now with players that can be groomed into starters now or later. Good luck getting playing time, guys. The next tier includes Philly, Green Bay, Indy, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay; their drafts are so strong at the top it pulls the entire grade upward, and there's some potential starters later in their drafts.
Several teams had very strong early selections, but hit-or-miss picks later on that drug the grade downward: Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Washington.
Chicago and Kansas City had very high-risk, high-reward drafts that have no choice but to either look awesome down the road or below average later on.
Buffalo and Jacksonville reached early and often, but have players that could be either solid or great. Either way, it drug their draft grades down.
Everyone else in the league had no choice but to have a solid draft, given the astounding depth this year, particularly at DB, Linebacker, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, and Receiver. There are also a large number of developmental quarterbacks this year who could be solid backups later on.
And top of it all, there are a number of talented players left over to be signed in UFA; about thirty to forty in all by my estimates. Teams are gonna find gold when they sign some of those guys; a handful are starters for about a dozen teams right now. Hope the Texans grab a few of 'em.
ARI B
ATL B-
BAL B+ *
BUF B-
CAR B+
CHI B-
CIN A+
CLE B-
DAL B-
DEN B-
DET B-
GB A-
HOU A-
IND A-
JAC B-
KC B-
MIA B-
MIN B-
NE B+
NO C+
NYG B
NYJ B
OAK C+
PHI A-
PIT A
SD B+ *
SF C+ *
SEA B-
STL A+
TB A-
TEN B+ *
WAS B
Some notes:
Oakland and New Orleans didn't have enough picks to do anything meaningful this year. They did each grab one or two players who could make an impact this year or next year, though.
Where I have an asterisk * by a grade, that grade is teetering between that grade and the next higher. Those grades have players in them who could potentially blow up big, which would then boost that grade into the next level.
Teams that completely killed it this year: Cincinnati and St. Louis. The depth they drafted from top to bottom is outstanding. St. Louis' draft this year could be the cornerstone for a championship team down the road. Additionally, Houston and Pittsburgh knocked it out from top to bottom, and I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm a Texans fan and like the Steelers; they got so much depth all over the board, and are loaded now with players that can be groomed into starters now or later. Good luck getting playing time, guys. The next tier includes Philly, Green Bay, Indy, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay; their drafts are so strong at the top it pulls the entire grade upward, and there's some potential starters later in their drafts.
Several teams had very strong early selections, but hit-or-miss picks later on that drug the grade downward: Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Washington.
Chicago and Kansas City had very high-risk, high-reward drafts that have no choice but to either look awesome down the road or below average later on.
Buffalo and Jacksonville reached early and often, but have players that could be either solid or great. Either way, it drug their draft grades down.
Everyone else in the league had no choice but to have a solid draft, given the astounding depth this year, particularly at DB, Linebacker, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, and Receiver. There are also a large number of developmental quarterbacks this year who could be solid backups later on.
And top of it all, there are a number of talented players left over to be signed in UFA; about thirty to forty in all by my estimates. Teams are gonna find gold when they sign some of those guys; a handful are starters for about a dozen teams right now. Hope the Texans grab a few of 'em.
