2012 DSA Player Rankings 1.0

After working way too much at my bill paying job, it is finally time to put forth the first DSA Player Rankings for the 2012 NFL Draft. After collecting data from mock drafts of all kinds, there are a number of things that are as certain as you are going to see this early in any draft year:

Andrew Luck is going #1 Overall to the Indianapolis Colts. With the announcement today of Peyton Manning and the Colts parting ways, there is no doubt now that Luck will be the first player taken in the draft.

Robert Griffin III is going #2 Overall, but to whom no one is certain yet. The St. Louis Rams are openly shopping the pick, and who makes the deal will be influenced by who signs the newly free agented Manning. I see the Cleveland Browns trading up to take Griffin, not just because they want the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback but also because the Rams are targeting Justin Blackmon, the dynamic playmaking wide receiver, and going any further down the draft board than 4th puts Tampa Bay into play in possibly selecting Blackmon. The Rams had problems on the offensive line, but that was mostly due to injuries. With a healthy Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith to provide time for Sam Bradford, St. Louis sees Blackmon as this years' A.J. Green, and after seeing how well Green and Andy Dalton worked together in Cincinnati they can only hope for similar results in St. Louis.

Matt Kalil is going to Minnesota with the #3 Overall pick. Christian Ponder showed promise at the end of the 2011 season for the Vikings, and putting Kalil at left tackle will only make him better. Plus, with Adrian Peterson coming back from knee surgery, Minnesota will need the anchor on the left side to protect their young quarterback and to open holes for their all-pro running back.

There are players who are already widely ranging up and down the mock draft boards. Trent Richardson is as high as #4 and as low as #17. Riley Reiff can be found up at #6 and down at #29. Janoris Jenkins is listed at #9 in one mock draft and not even in the first round in two others. While the top of the draft is what I call an Ivory Soap Lock (99 44/100%), the rest of the first round looks to be as unpredictable as ever. So here is the 2012 DSA Player Rankings 1.0:

1) Andrew Luck 1.0
2) Robert Griffin III 2.0
3) Matt Kalil 3.0
4) Justin Blackmon 4.60
5) Morris Claiborne 5.10
6) Quinton Coples 8.00
7) Melvin Ingram 9.60
8) Trent Richardson 10.00
9) Riley Reiff 11.20
10) Courtney Upshaw 13.80
11) Luke Kuechly 14.10
12) David DeCastro 14.80
13) Dre Kirkpatrick 15.60
14) Jonathon Martin 16.00
15) Dontari Poe 16.30
16) Michael Floyd 16.40
17) Michael Brockers 17.90
18) Cordy Glenn 19.10
19) Nick Perry 20.00
20) Ryan Tannehill 20.40
21) Janoris Jenkins 21.10
22) Whitney Mercilus 21.40
23) Fletcher Cox 23.20
24) Devon Still 23.30
25) Mark Barron 24.70
26) Mike Adams 25.90
27) Kendall Wright 26.10
28) Peter Konz 29.50
29) Dont'a Hightower 30.20
30) Jerel Worthy 30.30
31) Zach Brown 30.30
32) Coby Fleener 31.10
33) Stephen Gilmore 31.80
34) Andre Branch 32.70
35) Stephen Hill 34.40


In the next few days, it will be interesting to see what happens to the draft stock of Ryan Tannehill. Where Peyton Manning lands and who trades for the second pick to take Robert Griffin III will determine where Tannehill might land. I see the Browns moving up to take Griffin, and Manning going to a team with a better chance to win now. In the top 10, that would be Miami more than any other team, and I'm starting to get that gut feeling that the team he will land at in San Francisco. Great defense, weapons on offense and one of the best offensive lines in the league. I currently have Tannehill going #6 to Washington, and if everything falls into place the Redskins may be his new home simply because they could not get the other quarterbacks they wanted.

The 2012 NFL Draft season is starting to warm up. I for one am looking forward to it.