A look back at the 2012 Draft/Gabriel

[RamBill]

A look back at the 2012 Draft
Posted February 14, 2015 ·

By Greg Gabriel

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/a-look-back-at-the-2012-draft/

While many draft analysts try and grade each teams draft right within a few days of the annual event, it has always been said that the true indicator of each draft is roughly three years later. That said, the players taken in the first round of the 2012 Draft have now had three complete seasons in the league. How have they done?

1 – Andrew Luck – Indianapolis – Luck has done everything expected of him. He has shown improvement every year and now can be talked about as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. With only three years of experience, his best football is in front of him.

2 – Robert Griffin III – Washington – While it may be too early to say RGIII is a bust, he is getting close to that category. After a strong rookie year, he has gone downhill. How RGIII plays in 2015 will determine his future in Washington and the NFL.

3 – Trent Richardson – Cleveland – After little more than one season, Cleveland traded Richardson to Indianapolis for a first round pick. Getting the first in return at least saved the day for the Browns as Richardson has done nothing and is a bust.

4 – Matt Kalil – Minnesota – Kalil started out strong but his play has leveled off. To be honest, he has to be labeled a disappointment

5 – Justin Blackmon – Jacksonville – Blackmon has been off the field with suspensions more than he has played. It looks as if he will never play another down in the NFL. Bust!

6 – Morris Claiborne – Dallas – Claiborne has not played up to expectations. He lost his starting job in Dallas last year, and shortly after, he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve. Not a bust yet, but darn close.

7 – Mark Barron – Tampa Bay – When Lovie Smith became head coach in Tampa Bay last year he didn’t feel Barron was a good fit for his defensive scheme. Smith traded Barron to St. Louis early in the 2014 season. While the Rams like what Barron has done, he has to be labeled a disappointment.

8 – Ryan Tannehill – Miami – Tannehill’s play has been up and down in Miami, but he came on strong the last part of the season. The jury is still out as to whether or not Tannehill was drafted higher than he should have been. We need one more year to get a complete answer.

9 – Luke Kuechly – Carolina – after Andrew Luck, Kuechly just may be the best player in the first round. He is already an All-Pro. Great pick!

10 – Stephon Gilmore – Buffalo – Gilmore has played well for Buffalo. He has had some injury issues, but overall, he was a very good pick.

11 – Dontari Poe – Kansas City – The Chiefs were second guessed a lot for this pick when it was made. The second guessers were wrong, Poe is a great inside player.

12 – Fletcher Cox – Philadelphia – Going into the draft many felt Cox was the best interior defensive linemen in the draft. While he hasn’t been that, he has been a very solid player. Good pick!

13 – Michael Floyd – Arizona – Coming into the league, Floyd had to play second fiddle to Larry Fitzgerald. Floyd is starting to come into his own and led the Cardinals in receiving yards a year ago. A solid pick.

14 – Michael Brockers – St. Louis – The Rams have more good young talent on their defensive line than any other team in the NFL. Brockers is an important part of that line. Solid pick.

15 – Bruce Irvin – Seattle – Irvin was drafted to be a pass rusher. While he does that on passing downs, he is now a linebacker and is a strong part of the Seattle defense. Solid pick.

16 – Quinton Coples – New York Jets – While Coples has shown flashes of top play, he hasn’t been consistent. To date, he has to be labeled a bit of a disappointment.

17 – Dre Kirkpatrick – Cincinnati – When a player is drafted in the middle of the first round and isn’t a solid starter by his third year he has to be labeled a disappointment.

18 – Melvin Ingram – San Diego – When Ingram has been healthy, he has been a good player. The problem is, he has missed too much time due to injury.

19 – Shea McClellin – Chicago - McClellin was drafted to be a pass rusher, he hasn’t been that. He was moved to Sam linebacker a year ago and still did little. A bust.

20 – Kendall Wright – Tennessee – With 215 receptions in three years, Wright has been a consistent performer. A good but not a great pick.

21 – Chandler Jones – New England – Jones is one of the top young players on the Super Bowl Champs. His best football is still in front of him. Solid pick.

22 – Brandon Weeden – Cleveland – The Browns had two first round picks in the 2012 first round. The Browns have gotten rid of both players and neither player is a starter for their new teams. Bust.

23 – Riley Reiff – Detroit – The Lions took some heat for this pick, but Reiff has been a solid starter. Good pick.

24 – David DeCastro – Pittsburgh – His rookie year was ruined by an ACL injury, but since his recovery he has become one of the better run blocking guards in the NFL.

25 – Dont’a Hightower – New England – Like Jones above, Hightower is a top young defensive player on the Super Bowl Champs. Very solid pick.

26 – Whitney Mercilus – Houston – Mercilus made the transition from college defensive end to a standup OLB in a 3-4 in the NFL. While he hasn’t been great, he has been a consistent performer.

27 – Kevin Zeitler – Cincinnati – Zeitler has been a solid starter at guard for the Bengals. While he has had some injury issues, he has to be graded as a solid pick.

28 – Nick Perry – Green Bay – While Perry has flashed, he still is a backup and a role player for the Pack. After being drafted in the first round, that has to be a disappointment.

29 – Harrison Smith – Minnesota – Smith isn’t flashy, just a very solid starter who keeps getting better. Has to be considered a very good pick. He should have been in the Pro Bowl after his strong 2014 season.

30 – A.J. Jenkins – San Francisco – The 49ers traded Jenkins during his second season because he was so disappointing. He has done little in Kansas City. Bust!

31 – Doug Martin – Tampa Bay – He had a great rookie year, but ever since, injuries have taken their toll. May not get back to what he once was.

32 – David Wilson – New York Giants – Never lived up to expectations. Injuries played a role in that. Wilson was waived just this week. Bust!

Looking back, the first round of the 2012 Draft doesn’t come close to comparing to the 2011 first round. As a whole. the 2012 first round was a disappointment, with some good, but very few great players.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Going into that season no reason to doubt Sam as our Qb.

RGMe was an unproven guy. Has struggled.

We hit on a lot of those picks.

 

[Boffo97]

I heard a lot at the time that Brockers was on the top of our board anyway, and if that's true, that was a fantastic draft. Traded back two times and got who we wanted anyway.

Only real misstep was trading back in the 2nd and getting Pead and Watkins.

 

[BuffaloRam]

RG3 would have been a disaster in St Louis - Fisher and co would have been regretting not trading

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Every year all of these first round talents are touted as being future NFL stars in the making and in so many years first rounds look like this one, three years later. That top ten is pathetic but I recall all of those picks being considered as good ones.

That entire first round was below unspectacular. I wouldn't even call it good.

Two things I have come to favor is BPA and football playing ability trumping pure athleticism.

 

[Tron]

Two things I have come to favor is BPA and football playing ability trumping pure athleticism.

Most accurate line ever. Especially the football playing ability. Football IQ>all.

 

[jrry32]

Every year all of these first round talents are touted as being future NFL stars in the making and in so many years first rounds look like this one, three years later. That top ten is pathetic but I recall all of those picks being considered as good ones.

It's just hard to judge because so many things come into play. Blackmon is a very good player on the field but has substance abuse problems. Barron is a good and talented player but is role and scheme specific...Tampa Bay brought in a new coach with the wrong scheme and role. Claiborne and Richardson looked like future stars in college but just don't seem to have it in the NFL. Claiborne has had some work habit issues, injury issues, and just hasn't seem to have gotten it in the NFL. Richardson's vision and decisiveness has gone to shit and he's gotten too big imo which has sapped his explosiveness and burst. Kalil came in looking great and has just regressed for inexplicable reasons. RGIII is a combination of Kalil, Claiborne, and Barron...regressed and has been placed in the wrong scheme and roles...along with injuries and work habits issues.

There are just so many variables that come into play with these guys. It's always going to be a crapshoot because of that. For example, I think Amari Cooper has the ability to be amazing. But if he gets to the NFL and suddenly decides that he doesn't give a shit anymore...or becomes addicted to coke...he'll bust. And it's not like that's something you can predict.

Now, obviously, I highly doubt that happens because Cooper's game shows a guy with outstanding work habits and a seemingly obvious love of the game but you never quite know. People are just hard to predict. Especially young people with a lot of money.

But the thing is that almost any player can be a bust if they end up in the wrong system with the wrong coaches and the wrong locker-room. It's never going to be easy to predict.

That's one thing I like about Fisher...he seems to have the coaches, system, and locker-room all nailed down...although, some might disagree about the offensive system. But at minimum, we have the coaches and locker-room. That isn't something I can say about some of our previous coaches.

 

[Warner4Prez]

It's just hard to judge because so many things come into play. Blackmon is a very good player on the field but has substance abuse problems. Barron is a good and talented player but is role and scheme specific...Tampa Bay brought in a new coach with the wrong scheme and role. Claiborne and Richardson looked like future stars in college but just don't seem to have it in the NFL. Claiborne has had some work habit issues, injury issues, and just hasn't seem to have gotten it in the NFL. Richardson's vision and decisiveness has gone to crap and he's gotten too big imo which has sapped his explosiveness and burst. Kalil came in looking great and has just regressed for inexplicable reasons. RGIII is a combination of Kalil, Claiborne, and Barron...regressed and has been placed in the wrong scheme and roles...along with injuries and work habits issues.

There are just so many variables that come into play with these guys. It's always going to be a crapshoot because of that. For example, I think Amari Cooper has the ability to be amazing. But if he gets to the NFL and suddenly decides that he doesn't give a crap anymore...or becomes addicted to coke...he'll bust. And it's not like that's something you can predict.

Now, obviously, I highly doubt that happens because Cooper's game shows a guy with outstanding work habits and a seemingly obvious love of the game but you never quite know. People are just hard to predict. Especially young people with a lot of money.

But the thing is that almost any player can be a bust if they end up in the wrong system with the wrong coaches and the wrong locker-room. It's never going to be easy to predict.

That's one thing I like about Fisher...he seems to have the coaches, system, and locker-room all nailed down...although, some might disagree about the offensive system. But at minimum, we have the coaches and locker-room. That isn't something I can say about some of our previous coaches.

That's one thing I always think is under estimated, a player's landing spot. Is Andrew Luck still the player we've come to know if he's a Brown? The amount of disfunction and instability in that organization could have sabotaged him.

Could RG3 have busted as a Ram? Sure, but I think a lot of the injury risks that have plagued him are mitigated playing in a more conservative offense.

Claiborne may have been in for a struggle regardless of where he ended up with the learning disability and all that. It's just impossible to say that if the chips fall differently, these players still end up in the same positions.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

It's just hard to judge because so many things come into play. Blackmon is a very good player on the field but has substance abuse problems. Barron is a good and talented player but is role and scheme specific...Tampa Bay brought in a new coach with the wrong scheme and role. Claiborne and Richardson looked like future stars in college but just don't seem to have it in the NFL. Claiborne has had some work habit issues, injury issues, and just hasn't seem to have gotten it in the NFL. Richardson's vision and decisiveness has gone to crap and he's gotten too big imo which has sapped his explosiveness and burst. Kalil came in looking great and has just regressed for inexplicable reasons. RGIII is a combination of Kalil, Claiborne, and Barron...regressed and has been placed in the wrong scheme and roles...along with injuries and work habits issues.

There are just so many variables that come into play with these guys. It's always going to be a crapshoot because of that. For example, I think Amari Cooper has the ability to be amazing. But if he gets to the NFL and suddenly decides that he doesn't give a crap anymore...or becomes addicted to coke...he'll bust. And it's not like that's something you can predict.

Now, obviously, I highly doubt that happens because Cooper's game shows a guy with outstanding work habits and a seemingly obvious love of the game but you never quite know. People are just hard to predict. Especially young people with a lot of money.

But the thing is that almost any player can be a bust if they end up in the wrong system with the wrong coaches and the wrong locker-room. It's never going to be easy to predict.

That's one thing I like about Fisher...he seems to have the coaches, system, and locker-room all nailed down...although, some might disagree about the offensive system. But at minimum, we have the coaches and locker-room. That isn't something I can say about some of our previous coaches.

So in reference to the part that you said about landing spot and situation. For a player to overcome a not so good situation they have to have 'IT'. J. J. Watt has 'IT'. I think that guy would be good on any team. Rey Lewis had 'IT'. There are lots of great college football players that have loads of talent but they don't have 'IT' to the same degree that certain other players, like Andrew Luck.

Maybe the confidence and leadership has been underrated in the past and teams need to figure out how to better quantify that part of players games. Anyone unfamiliar with past drafts would suspect that Watt and Lewis were number 1 overall picks. It is shocking that they lasted as long as they did. And we usually see a 2nd, 4th, or 6th round player look like they could have been a high first round pick.

The personality, mental makeup and 'FIT' of these players is a huge factor and as fans we don't have access to it (unfortunately).....but how do NFL scouts, GMs, and Coaches continue to get it wrong at such an alarming rate? I know that the NFL is starting to use a personality test but it just doesn't seem to be so complicated to me. I have always weighed character and personality (as much of it as I can gleen from interviews) in my evaluations and I am usually pretty accurate, at least on the Don't draft side of it and on the do draft with later round picks. Maybe I should contact Snead again and try to get on his staff



I do recall reports of Trent Richardsons 'eye popping' workouts and how much Fisher was awed by him and wanted a back like that on his team. I wonder how much of that was pretending on Fishers part. I think it was after the Washington trade but maybe he hoped that Richardson would be there at 6 to trade away.

 

[FrankenRam]

.....
Now, obviously, I highly doubt that happens because Cooper's game shows a guy with outstanding work habits and a seemingly obvious love of the game but you never quite know. People are just hard to predict. Especially young people with a lot of money.
......

Amen.

 

[Athos]

That's one thing I always think is under estimated, a player's landing spot. Is Andrew Luck still the player we've come to know if he's a Brown? The amount of disfunction and instability in that organization could have sabotaged him.

Who knows, but Andrew Luck to Josh Gordon would have put up Madden type #s for at least one year. I think the Browns team now, not sure about then, but now, is actually pretty good. Just dearly lacking in a competent QB. Much like us sans a healthy Bradford.

Claiborne may have been in for a struggle regardless of where he ended up with the learning disability and all that. It's just impossible to say that if the chips fall differently, these players still end up in the same positions.

I saw Claiborne get beat like a drum too many times in college, and look dumb in the process, to think he'd be anything more than average.

Anyway, 2012 was kind of a meh 1st round.

 

[Memento]

I remember laughing at the so-called "experts" on various sites that said that Claiborne was better than his teammate, Peterson. Just...no. Peterson literally shut down everyone. Claiborne, like Athos said, was beat like a drum.

I called it on Poe as well. Said that he'd be the best defensive tackle in this class (and I mean absolutely no offense to Brockers, but KC got a hell of a steal there.)

Sad to say that I was completely wrong on Kalil. I thought he'd be a top offensive tackle in the league...and he wasn't.

I'm really glad to say that I was totally wrong on Brockers, Jenkins, and Zuerlein, though.

Still, this draft has one regret for me; we took Isaiah Pead instead of Russell Wilson.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I remember laughing at the so-called "experts" on various sites that said that Claiborne was better than his teammate, Peterson. Just...no. Peterson literally shut down everyone. Claiborne, like Athos said, was beat like a drum.

I called it on Poe as well. Said that he'd be the best defensive tackle in this class (and I mean absolutely no offense to Brockers, but KC got a hell of a steal there.)

Sad to say that I was completely wrong on Kalil. I thought he'd be a top offensive tackle in the league...and he wasn't.

I'm really glad to say that I was totally wrong on Brockers, Jenkins, and Zuerlein, though.

Still, this draft has one regret for me; we took Isaiah Pead instead of Russell Wilson.

Do you mean instead of Bobby Wagner?

 

[Memento]

Do you mean instead of Bobby Wagner?

Oh, no, I'm fine with Ogletree; we wouldn't have drafted him if we had Wagner. But we still don't have that franchise quarterback.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Oh, no, I'm fine with Ogletree; we wouldn't have drafted him if we had Wagner. But we still don't have that franchise quarterback.

Actually the Rams traded back to get the fifth back and chose Pead in round two even though Fisher wanted Wagner in round 2. Russell Wilson was chosen in the third round, so Pead was not chosen over Wilson.....unless you were calling for the Rams to pick Wilson in round 2, which seems odd since Bradford was healthy at the time.

 

[Memento]

Actually the Rams traded back to get the fifth back and chose Pead in round two even though Fisher wanted Wagner in round 2. Russell Wilson was chosen in the third round, so Pead was not chosen over Wilson.....unless you were calling for the Rams to pick Wilson in round 2, which seems odd since Bradford was healthy at the time.

I wasn't...but I can see that that was a mistake on my part.