Recapping the First Round; One of the Craziest

[Andy]

The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was one of the wildest in recent memories setting records with most trades in the top 10 and 16 of the 32 teams changing places at least once.

The draft started with the Colts pick of Andrew Luck, which was an obvious one. The pick was the official start to the Andrew Luck era. The exact same can be same about the Redskins and Robert Griffin III, and that his era has officially begun.

Then the first trade happened.

The Browns moved up to the #3 and selected Trent Richardson, who is one of the best running backs since Adrian Peterson. This should help their biggest need while also getting arguably the best player on the board. Their offense got better with that pick.

The Vikings moved from #3 to #4, but it didn't matter because they still took Matt Kalil, who is a stud left tackle, and one of the best we've seen in the last couple of years. He has the potential to be one of the better ones in this league. With 3 great quarterbacks in that division, they'll need to give Ponder anything he could get just to have a chance with those guys.

The Jaguars picked next. They moved from #7 to #5, and got their receiver. Justin Blackmon, the best receiver in the country, was picked by the Jags after their owner Khan experessed interest in him. They got him and they helped out Blaine Gabbert a lot. They just added a big piece to their offense.

The first big shocker of the night came when the Cowboys moved from #14 to #6 to select the best player on the board: Morris Claiborne. Claiborne was hands down the best cornerback in college last year, and has the potential to be like a Darelle Revis. The Cowboys gave Rex Ryan a playmaker and with the signing of Chris Carr in the offseason, the CB spot is not a need anymore.

The Bucs then chose Mark Barron, helping their secondary and giving Greg Schiano a player they could build their defense around. Barron is one of the best safeties in recent memory, and is extremely well-rounded. They helped their defense significantly.

Then, the Dolphins chose. Owner Stephen Ross knew that if he didn't pick Ryan Tannehill that the Dolphins' fans would ask for his head. Although Tannehill is a risky pick, they needed to pick him as he tremendous potential. He won't be starting anytime soon. The more logical choice was to go with Michael Floyd to help out their receiving core.

The Panthers chose after that and (slightly) surprised everyone by picking Luke Kuechly, a linebacker, when eveyone expected them to pick a defensive tackle, whether it be Fletcher Cox, Michael Brockers or Dontari Poe. With Jon Beason at weak-side linebacker, Thomas Davis returning from ACL injury, and now Kuechly, the Panthers have one of the best linebacking cores in the league.

The Buffalo Bills were next. They could have gone in many directions, like helping their offensive line, helping their secondary, or helping their receiving core. They went with the secondary and picked Stephon Gilmore, a player who's draft stock had been rising for the last few weeks. Gilmore should be the starter there.

Then, the Chiefs went. They went with a simple choice in Dontari Poe. The athletic freak had been rising since his combine, and the Chiefs just couldn't ignore him. They lost Kelly Gregg, their old nose tackle and they needed a new one as it's hard to have a good 3-4 defense with a bad nose tackle.

Then the Eagles picked. The traded picks with the Seahawks. The Eagles decided to help their defensive line by picking Fletcher Cox, a great pass rushing defensive tackle. WIth him on the Eagles, the Eagles should have the best pass rush in football.

After that, the Cardinals and Rams (remember, they traded with the Cowboys) went. The Cardinals chose Michael Floyd, a big fast receiver to compliment Larry Fitzgerald, the best receiver in the league. The Rams helped their defensive line by picking Michael Brockers, a good all around defensive tackle.

The Seahawks chose, and made the most shocking move of the draft. They picked Bruce Irvin, a defensive end. Irvin was projected to go in the late 2nd round, but in typical Seahawks fashion, they reach for players in the first round. Irvin is a very fast defensive end who possesses some good potential.

Then, the Jets and Bengals went. The Jets chose Quinton Coples, an athletically gifted monster, who unfortunately possesses an inconsistent motor (he'll take plays off). He should help their pass rush. The Bengals then chose Dre Kirkpatrick to help their secondary; to help compliment Leon Hall.

The Chargers and Bears went after that, and both addressed their pass rush with the Chargers taking Melvin Ingram, a player who arguably has top 10 talent, and the Bears took Shea McClellin, a versatile outside linebacker who could play defensive end. He should compliment Julius Peppers.

The Titans then went after that and took Kendall Wright, a small quick receiver from Baylor. He should compliment Kenny Britt and be a good target for Jake Locker.

Then the Patriots showed up to the party.

They traded up to the 21 spot and took Chandler, an athletic pass rushing defensive end from Clemson. Jones' stock was rising quickly after a good combine and solid pro day. Athleticism runs in his family, with his brother Arthur playing for the Baltimore Ravens, and his other brother Jon, who is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and most athletic fighter to ever be in the UFC.

After that, the Browns took 28 year old Brandon Weeden, who had 2 impressive seasons in his junior and senior year. He should compete with Colt McCoy for the starting spot.

The Lions and Steelers were next. The Lions addressed their offensive line issues by taking Riley Reiff, a player who I projected as the 2nd best offensive tackle. He should take over the left tackle job after Jeff Backus retires. The Steelers then got one of the biggest steals of the draft. They took the best guard to come of college in a long time: David Decastro. Offensive guard is one of their biggest needs and Decastro should help that. Decastro should be an all-pro very soon, and the hall of fame could be where he is heading.

Then the Patriots struck again.

They took Dont'a Hightower, a very big athletic linebacker from Alabama. He should help their front 7 along with Chandler Jones. He should play next to Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes, making a linebacking core that could be dangerous in a few years.

The Texans and Bengals (getting the pick and switching with the Patriots) were after that. The Houston Texans took Whitney Mercelius, a defensive end, with the expectations to take over Mario Williams' old role. He should be moved to outside linebacker, where he would rush the quarterback. The Bengals then took Kevin Zeitler, which was a slight reach, but Zeitler is a solid guard who should be a solid addition to the Bengals.

The Packers were next. They took Nick Perry, which was an easy pick. He will compliment Clay Matthews and should give opposing tackles nightmares with his quickness and explosiveness.

The Vikings then traded to the 29 spot and took safety Harrison Smith. Smith has some faults, but has raw skills and could become a very solid safety in the NFL. He should help their below average defense.

The 49ers then shocked many.

AJ Jenkins, a late 2nd round, early 3rd round pick, was then picked by the 49ers. The 6 foot wide receiver is a solid receiver who should have a great NFL career, but no one expected him to go in the 1st round, especially with Stephen Hill still on the board. He should compliment Michael Crabtree.

The Buccaneers (who traded up) and Giants closed out the first round by taking running backs. The Buccaneers took Doug Martin, an athletic 3 down back from Boise State. Martin's stock has been rising exponentially. The Giants then took David Wilson, a solid all around running back from Virginia Tech. He should take over Brandon Jacobs' role as the #2 running back.

So ends the first round; one of the craziest first rounds in last several years. It featured many teams trading and some teams making shocking picks.

The fans wanted excitement back in the draft, and they definitely got it.

[-JJ-]

Nice write up but a few paragraph separations would have been nice:)

Is the rookie salary cap in place now? Must be if Belichick moved up.

I watched it late and said huh..no patriot pick at 31st...rats he did it again and move down.

oops wow..he move up for a change:)

[bap1331]

Cowboys was the most surprising...

everyone surely thought they were moving up to get a quarterback or something. That would have been crazy. Tony Romo's heart mustve stopped for a couple of minutes...lol

My analysis is that they were so threatened by RG3 pick by the Redskins, they needed a backup plan...lol.

[chad72]

Nice write up but a few paragraph separations would have been nice:)

Is the rookie salary cap in place now? Must be if Belichick moved up.

I watched it late and said huh..no patriot pick at 31st...rats he did it again and move down.

oops wow..he move up for a change:)

Belichick finally realized that stockpiling picks continually by moving back is like letting a stock appreciate and never cashing it in. He finally came to his senses, and thanks to the rookie wage scale, cashed both of his first round picks at the right time.

Regardless, smart execution at the right time though I hate to admit it .

[-JJ-]

Belichick finally realized that stockpiling picks continually by moving back is like letting a stock appreciate and never cashing it in. He finally came to his senses, and thanks to the rookie wage scale, cashed both of his first round picks at the right time.

Regardless, smart execution at the right time though I hate to admit it .

A little while ago they compared the Giants draft picks and NE's over the years. The Giants had half as many as NE but kept most of them while NE had more busts with lower rounds and letting them go.

However the bottom line came out they were pretty even in overall production. So I guess vanilla or chocolate:)

[wig]

Belichick finally realized that stockpiling picks continually by moving back is like letting a stock appreciate and never cashing it in. He finally came to his senses, and thanks to the rookie wage scale, cashed both of his first round picks at the right time.

Regardless, smart execution at the right time though I hate to admit it .

He finally came to his senses? I think his track record says that he's known what he's doing all along.