Monday, April 30, 2012

NFL Draft Review

The 2012 Draft has come and gone with some obvious picks and some surprise picks. Before we look ahead to rookie camps and training camps, let's look at some of the picks round by round by that made sense and those that made you scratch your head.
1st Round:
Best Pick- Arizona picks Notre Dame WR, Michael Floyd 13th overall. This is a steal in the first round for the Cardinals, Floyd is a big body who has good speed and will go up and fight for the ball. Playing with Larry Fitzgerald will only make him better and those two will be a nightmare for opposing corners. The Cardinals need to have a quarterback first.
Worst Pick- Kansas City picks Memphis DT, Dontari Poe 11th overall. I get the fact that Poe had great numbers at the combine for someone his size, but that doesn't mean you're going to produce at the next level. Poe played in Conference USA and had only 1 sack this past season. I'm not saying he's going to be a bust but his film does not show how dominant he should be. At 6'4" 345lbs Poe has a chance to be long time pro if he can produce.
2nd Round:
Best Pick- San Francisco picks Oregon RB, LaMichael James 61st overall. This is a sleeper pick in a way, James had a very productive career while at Oregon including being a Heisman finalist. He has great speed and quickness and once he gets in the open space, not too many people can catch him. Frank Gore has been injured and you don't know how long he can remain an every down back so having a back up like James will be very beneficial. He can also be key on special teams.
Worst Pick- St. Louis picks North Alabama CB, Janoris Jenkins 39th overall. This is more of a questionable pick rather than a bad pick. This could go two ways, either Jenkins gets his act together and plays like the top 15 pick he could have been, or he brings all the baggage he had in college and you never hear his name. Jenkins got kicked off the Florida squad but still had an impact on the field. Keep an eye on this one.
3rd Round:
Best Picks- This round had two picks that were very good. First, the Houston Texans pick Ohio State WR, DeVier Posey 68th overall. Posey had one of those careers that might have gone unnoticed to some people. He has great hands, good size, and good speed. He can play the slot along side Andre Johnson. Second, the Pittsburgh Steelers pick Miami OLB, Sean Spence 86th overall. Spence is one of those players who's numbers at the combine don't show how good he really is. He is quick and is strong. He had an up and down career while at Miami. Playing behind James Harrison will be very good for Spence who is only 5'11" and Harrison has shown that you don't have to be the biggest guy to be the best.
Worst Pick- Philadelphia Eagles pick Arizona QB, Nick Foles 88th overall. This is not a bad pick because Foles is a bad player, it's a bad pick because the Eagles need to address other things before a quarterback. They need to address their offensive line so they can protect their starting quarterback Michael Vick, who could be one hit away from being on the shelf.
4th Round:
Best Pick- Miami picks Miami RB, Lamar Miller 97th overall. Miller is in my mind one of the steals of the draft. Miller has great speed and good size for a running back. At 5'11" and 212lbs and running a 4.40, Miller can make an immediate impact for the Dolphins. He is very good in open space and can break tackles, he does have some fumbling issues but if he takes care of that he has the chance to be a top back.
Worst Pick- Houston picks Nebraska DL, Jared Crick 126th overall. Crick was considered a top 10 pick before he got hurt early in the season. It's a concerning pick because we aren't sure how healthy Crick is going to be coming into rookie camp. He has the potential to be dominate like he was in college, but it's a waiting game now.
5th Round:
Best Pick- Washington picks Iowa OG, Adam Gettis 141st overall. Gettis might not start right away but he has the chance to make the team in camps and be a back up. He has good size and strength for a guard. Having started for 3 years in a run first, zone blocking team at Iowa, Gettis could come in and make a name for himself and surprise people.
Worst Pick- Denver picks Tennessee DE, Malik Jackson 137th overall. Jackson started off at USC then transferred to Tennessee and got more playing time. He did produce but he is the type of the player who should produce more for how good he can be. Can you get the productivity from him where he can constant threat to free up Von Miller? Or will he take plays off? Another waiting game player
6th Round:
Best Pick- Kansas City picks Texas A&M RB, Cyrus Gray 182nd overall. This is a team player. Who also is very fast, which people tend to look past. Very compact with a big upper body. The Chiefs do have two backs already but Gray can come in and compete while giving a leadership type role, always motivating his teammates is a great attribute he has.
Worst Pick- Cincinnati picks Ohio State RB, Dan "Boom" Herron 191st overall. Not necessarily a bad pick, but another one of those players who comes in from college with baggage. Suspended for the first 5 games of his senior season while at Ohio State, Herron does display good attributes. He is a strong kid who has decent speed, finds the hole very well. If he's put his college days behind him, can be a solid back.
7th Round:
Best Pick- San Diego picks Michigan State RB, Edwin Baker 250th overall. Baker had a very solid career while in East Lansing, a small back in size but is strong for being 5'8" 204 and is deceivingly fast. The Chargers do have Ryan Matthews, but he has not been the back they were hoping he was going to be. Baker might not come in and start but he has the chance to compete. San Diego was pretty successful with Darren Sproles who was only 5'6".
Worst Pick- Indianapolis picks Northern Illinois QB, Chandler Harnish 253rd overall. They took a quarterback with the first pick, and they take one with the last. Both the Colts and the Redskins took two quarterbacks, which might not have been needed. If you're the Colts, you helped Andrew Luck a little bit on offense, but you need to help him more on defense so he doesn't have to be on the field all the time. A little questionable, but then again, I'm not an expert so what do I know.

There was also my most disappointing player. Arizona State LB Vontaze Burfict. Projected a first round pick coming into this past season, but he has a lot of baggage and takes a lot of plays off. He has all the talent which could have made him a top 10 pick. Burfict didn't crack the 5.00 at the combine, he signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent. Lets hope Marvin Lewis can make him realize he should have been a first round pick.

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