2012 Bills Draft
2011: The Bills started the 2011 season very well starting the season 5-2, one of those wins were against division rival the New England Patriots. What was very impressive was the points the Bills were able to put up with their spread offense led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. As the beginning of the season started off great for the Bills, they finished the season 6-11 which led them to the tenth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. As far as the 2011 rookies, they attacked the defense and drafted some real talent. Marcell Dareus led the Bills in sacks last year. LB Kelvin Sheppard is a good run stopper and coaches love him.
CB Stephon Gilmore is a really good sized corner standing at 6'1 and 195 pounds. Excellent balance and can press. Fast but sometimes doesn't play fast. Good tackler, and not afraid to be physical. Has a lot of upside. Gilmore is very durable and a consistent player.
OL Cordy Glenn a big guy from Georgia standing at 6'5 and 346 pounds. Very strong and athletic. Played guard at Georgia, but will most likely move to tackle in Buffalo. Controls the man that he is blocking. Good run blocker and will improve on his skills with good coaching. Great value for a second round pick.
WR T.J. Graham a smaller, but very fast wide receiver. Runs a mid 4.3 - 40 yard dash. Good returner in special teams, and is an electrifying type player with the ball in his hands. Drafted a little early in my opinion.
OLB Nigel Bradham Has long arms which should help him in the pass rushing game at the next level. Is a good tackler and competitor. Needs work. Will be helpful on special teams and adds good depth.
CB Ron Brooks is like the perfect example as a nickel corner in this class. Can be aggressive and a big hitter, but has good cover skills and can make plays on the ball. I like the pick.
OT Zerbie Sanders fell a little bit more than I thought he would have. Definitely needs work on his technique but can be coached. Really good size at 6'5 and 308 pounds. Can be a good reserve tackle.
ILB Tank Carder has a great character, smart, and can be effective. Will not be a starter, but will do good on special teams. Made the defensive calls at TCU. Has good instincts, but lacks quality abilities to be a starter. Gets caught up in traffic and tackling needs work.
G Mark Asper is a really big guy at 6'6, and might be a good reserve lineman if he makes the team.
K John Potter will get a chance to maybe beat out Rian Lindell for the job and make the team.
Overview: Bills went with offense a bit more in this draft as opposed to last year when they targeted defense. Still a young team, but it is very talented. I am excited to see what kind of trouble they could cause in their division and in the rest of the AFC. As far as their picks are concerned, they tried getting guys that fit their mold, and I respect that. Not about getting the more recognizable name, but getting players that can fill the roles coaches need them to fill.
GRADE: B-
2012 Dolphins Draft
2011: The 2011 season was kind of a depressing one for the Dolphins. Had quarterback issues. QB Chad Henne was on injured reserve last year, and Matt Moore had his ups and downs. The 2011 rookies effected and will make this team better for years to come starting with center Mike Pouncey. Other key players were TE Charles Clay and CB Jimmy Wilson.
2012:
QB Ryan Tannehill is the first quarterback that the Dolphins have selected in the first round since 1983 when the Dolphins selected Dan Marino. Now Tannehill is the man expected to bring Miami back to a winning franchise like when Marino was there. Tannehill is the man for the future. He may not get much playing time in his rookie season. They will probably hand him a clipboard as the Titans did with Jake Locker last year.
OT Jonathan Martin Good size and experience. Was a three year starter at Stanford. Good technique and foot work. Could be a starter from day one at right tackle. Needs to be a little quicker or possibility he could get beat from the edge. Good value pick.
OLB Oliver Vernon is an athletic tough player from Miami. Will be an OLB in the Doolphins' 3-4 defense. Needs coaching, but can be a good player. Reminds me of his new teammate Cameron Wake with his build and physical play style.
TE Michael Egnew has good size standing at 6'4 and 236 pounds, but not a good blocking TE. He is a receiving TE and that's all he will be at the next level. Will most likely come in at passing situations. Good hands. Has the ability to make all the catches. Numbers went down in 2011 compared to the season before.
RB Lamar Miller was a good value pick in the 4th round. An explosive ball carrier, but not as explosive as he can be. Does not read holes very well. Needs to get better at pass protection.
OLB Josh Kaddu is a fast aggressive linebacker from Oregon. Will start out at special teams, but once he gets his chance could become a good role player.
B.J. Cunningham has good size, but lacks the top end speed to go with his size. A possession receiver that really caught my eye as the draft came around. I am a fan of Cunningham. I love his hands and his ability to make big plays with his instincts and awareness.
DT Kheeston Randall Big guy with pass rushing ability. If he makes the team, I could see him transfer over to a 3-4 DE.
WR Rishard Matthews might end up being a surprise to everyone. Definitely has some real talent. Good hands, and versatile. Returns punts, can play slot or vertical position at wide receiver. Good instincts and awareness.
Overview: As last year was a safe draft for the Dolphins, this year's draft was riskier. No pick as big as a risk than QB Ryan Tannehill as the Dolphins try to build a franchise quarterback for the future. Had some good solid picks as well like Jonathan Martin and Oliver Vernon. This draft should help them fill most of their team needs and build a better football team.
GRADE: C+
2012 Jets Draft
2011: Going to the AFC Championship two consecutive years in a row, but falling short each times. Rex Ryan and the Jets had expected nothing less then a Super Bowl appearance and victory in the 2011 season. However, the Jets fell far short from that and finished the season 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs. Much of this failed success came from inside the locker room and wide receiver Santonio Holmes making trouble with players. There are a lot of questions regarding if Mark Sanchez is the answer or not. Muhammad Wilkerson made the biggest splash amongst their rookies.
2012:
DE Quinton Coples is a natural pass rusher. Coples is a very versatile player. Can play the run or blitz the quarterback. I question his motor and work ethic at times. He has all the ability to be a pro bowler in the NFL, but needs to work hard and adapt to the game.
WR Stephen Hill is definitely a deep threat. Very tall for WR standing at 6'5. Can run in the 4.3's in the 40. Needs more experience catching the ball. Only had 28 receptions last season and 49 total in his college career. Has dropped the football and really needs to work on hand-eye coordination. Route running is something that needs improvement as well. Caught fire at the NFL Combine.
LB Demario Davis from Arkansas state is a real reach in my opinion. More of a special teams guy right now than a role player. I think there were better guys available at this point in the draft. He is aggressive, but has his struggles in all areas of his game. Was expecting him to fall a lot more. Will see if he fits what the Jets try to do defensively.
S Josh Bush is talented yes, but going to a very talented secondary. Will need to fight for his spot and for time on the field. Could add great depth. he is smart and could learn from Jim Leonard.
Compensatory Picks: The Jets compensatory picks hold names like Terence Ganaway the power RB from Baylor who is very talented and could make this team if he makes some noise in the preseason. G Robert T. Griffin from Baylor is a big boy that will fight for a reserved spot on the offensive line. S Antonio Allen is a great pick that I was surprised to see fall as far as he did in the draft and the Jets benefited. WR Jordan White from Western Michigan is a physical receiver going to a team that needs help at receiver. He may have fell into a roster spot, but will still need to earn his time.
Overview: A very risky draft to say the least in my opinion. Coples is a boom or bust type player. He is a guy that I can see flourish in the league and is going to one of the better defensive coaches in the whole league that will be his head coach, Rex Ryan. Hill could be a steal if he becomes the next Calvin Johnson type of receiver from Georgia Tech. Not having any pick in rounds four and five really affect this class as well.
GRADE: C-
2012 Patriots Draft
2011: The Patriots surely did not disappoint in the 2011 season. Going all the way to the Super Bowl, but falling just short to the New York Giants. The AFC Champions put up great stats all season long offensively, but their defense was rather poor throughout. The 2011 rookies look to be developing into good players for the next few years. Leading the pack are OT Nate Solder and RB Stevan Ridley. Both had good rookie seasons and show signs of improvement.
2012:
DE Chandler Jones is one of the more athletic defensive ends in this class. Draft stock really rose late, and caught the Patriots' eye. Jones' good size and athletic ability will make him a good player at the next level. Jones has good instincts and can cover when asked. Only question his durability and his impact on blitzing.
LB Dont'a Hightower a big physical talent from the Crimson Tide. Has good pass rushing skills and can cause havoc for offensive-schemes. Needs coached on coverage, but nevertheless, a play maker.
S Tavon Wilson is a surprise pick in my eyes. I had better value in front of him on my board at this time in the draft. Big thing though is that he can play S or CB. So Wilson is versatile and that's what the Patriots look for like in their first two picks.
DE Jake Bequette is another big and physical player. Had 22 sacks in his career at Arkansas. A good pass rusher that can develop into a better one with coaching. Has coverage skills for a DE, and can drop back and play a flat or possibly a TE. Smart football player, but question some of his play making decisions.
DB Nate Ebner will need to show that he can be a key player on special teams in order for him to have a roster spot. Is talented, and might get some playing time as the season goes on.
CB Alfonzo Dennard use to be a high ranked player. Off-field issues dropped him to the seventh round. The most notable one being assaulting a police officer days before the NFL Draft. Talented player but questionable character.
WR Jeremy Ebert is a slot receiver that is competitive and fits in this group, but will have to fight to make the team.
Overview: Include the fact that the Patriots did not have a pick in rounds four or five, the Patriots still had an effective draft, but lost value for not having picks in those rounds. The combination of Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower should be a great one for years to come. Robert Kraft has to be happy about getting these two in the same round.
GRADE: B+
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