Let's Make a Deal--2012 version

The 1st Round of the 2012 NFL Draft has come to an end. Give me a minute and as soon as my head stops spinning from all the trades I should be able to continue. The biggest impact on this draft was not the players but the rookie salary cap. With the new collective bargaining agreement, it is actually lower this year than last. What that meant was that moving up in the draft would cost you a draft pick or 2 but not much money. When the draft rolled around, Monty Hall might as well have calling the picks instead of Roger Goddell. The top 6 picks went as most everyone foresaw, with a little shuffling. Cleveland moved up one spot to get their man in Trent Richardson, and Matt Kalil fell one spot to #4. Jacksonville made the first bold move by moving up in front of St. Louis to get Justin Blackmon, and Dallas made an even bigger move to get Morris Claiborne. Tampa Bay got the best safety of the draft in mark Barron and Miami made a bold move of their own by not moving and selecting Ryan Tannehill. St. Louis seemed to be a step behind and kept missing out on the wide receiver they were looking for to get some help for Sam Bradford. After Jacksonville picked Blackmon, the Rams missed out on Michael Floyd when Arizona selected him at #13. But St. Louis has the first pick of Round 2, and do not be surprised if they take Stephen Hill there, and with two other picks in the round they will be able to fill a lot of holes on Day 2. The big shocker came at #15. Philadelphia moved up from there to #12 to select Fletcher Cox, and Seattle picked Bruce Irvin. Irvin is seen as a pass rushing only specialist, and perhaps as a mid-second rounder at best. Irvin can get to the quarterback, but if the Seahawks are playing from behind then the pick of Irvin may come back to haunt them. Another big surprise came from the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick has made a living out of trading down in the draft and stockpiling picks, this year they move up twice to shore up their defense. Chandler Jones is an excellent outside linebacker, and Dont'a Hightower will anchor the middle for years to come. As for my own mock draft, I had 25 out of the 32 players from my picks selected in the first round. The DSA Player Rankings had 26 out of 32. If anyone out there had A.J. Jenkins going in the 1st Round I give you mad props for that. As for Round 2 tomorrow night, there are 17 players who got first round grades that were listed on the DSA Player Rankings at one time this year who are still available. With the exception of Irvin and Jenkins, there were no real reaches in Round 1. With the talent still available, overall draft grades will be solidified by who the do or do not pick on Friday. Day 1 is done. Let's get ready for Day 2.

TMG DraftZone Final Mock Draft 2012

Greetings and Salutations to all It's just under 3 hours until the 2012 NFL Draft, and it's time for the final TMG DraftZone Mock Draft. Watching the pre-draft coverage and the trade talks going around makes me think there will be some shuffling at the top, but there's not a lot I can do about it. So here is my final Mock Draft for 2012: 1) Indianapolis--Andrew Luck 2) Washington--Robert Griffin III 3) Minnesota--Matt Kalil 4) Cleveland--Trent Richardson 5) Tampa Bay--Morris Claiborne 6) St. Louis--Justin Blackmon 7) Jacksonville--Melvin Ingram 8) Miami--Ryan Tannehill 9) Carolina--Fletcher Cox 10) Buffalo--Michael Floyd 11) Kansas City--David DeCastro 12) Seattle--Luke Kuechly 13) Arizona--Riley Reiff 14) Dallas--Mark Barron 15) Philadelphia--Quinton Coples 16) NY Jets--Courtney Upshaw 17) Cincinnati--Stephon Gilmore 18) San Diego--Dontari Poe 19) Chicago--Jonathon Martin 20) Tennessee--Whitney Mercilus 21) Cincinnati--Cordy Glenn 22) Cleveland--Kendall Wright 23) Detroit--Dre Kirkpatrick 24) Pittsburgh--Dont'a Hightower 25) Denver--Michael Brockers 26) Houston--Stephen Hill 27) New England--Shea McClellin 28) Green Bay--Nick Perry 29) Baltimore--Peter Konz 30) San Francisco--Coby Fleener 31) New England--Harrison Smith 32) NY Giants--Mike Adams I'm looking forward to seening how the first round develops, who has made the bold moves and who will be making the picks people will be talking and blogging about until next year.

DSA Player Rankings 4.0--2012 Final

It's the Night Before the NFL Draft, and all through Radio City Music Hall There are college football players waiting to hear the call. The Commissioner is at the podium with card in hand In a few moments they will know where they stand. Some years the Colts would feel like they have a pick with which they are stuck But this year they will get a quarterback for the future named Andrew Luck. Washington is next and they approach the stage with glee As they get their own franchise qaurterback named RG3. The experts all think they know which players will have team uniforms to be worn When Mr. Goddell announces the names Kalil, Richardson, Blackmon and Claiborne. From here on in is where the the fun starts to come into sight When the 2012 NFL Draft commences at 8 pm tomorrow night. It is time for the final TMG DraftZone DSA Player Rankings of 2012. All of my research has shown that the draft is going to really start when the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock with the 7th Overall selection. The first six picks seem to be set. There has been some dissention in the ranks concerning picks 3-6, but for the most part only a shuffling of the deck. There are possibilities that some players may move into the top 6, but if that is the case then who is going to fall out? Most draftniks ar saying that Minnesota might seelct Morris Claiborne at #3, but as bad as they need to shore up their secondary, protecting Christian Ponder and blocking for Adrian Peterson may be a bigger priority. If St. Louis passing on him, Janoris Jenkins may still be available at the top of Round 2. A Kalil/Jenkins draft pairing would be better than a match of Claiborne and any other tackle, even if Mike Adams is still there at #35. Of course you have to take into account whether Minnesota wants another player with a checkered background now that they have signed Jerome Simpson right after he finished serving a 15 day jail sentence and who will miss the first 3 games of 2012 for violating the league personal conduct policy. With everything else that has been discussed concerning the draft, what I do know is that it is time for the final DSA Player Rankings of 2012. I'm looking forward to seeing how they match up with the pick tomorrow night. 1) Andrew Luck 1.00 2) Robert Griffin III 2.00 3) Matt Kalil 3.30 4) Trent Richardson 4.10 5) Morris Claiborne 4.90 6) Justin Blackmon 6.00 7) Ryan Tannehill 8.00 8) Fletcher Cox 8.70 9) Luck Kuechly 10.70 10) Melvin Ingram 12.80 11) Stephon Gilmore 12.80 12) Mark Barron 12.90 13) Michael Floyd 13.10 14) Quinton Coples 14.10 15) David DeCastro 14.50 16) Dontari Poe 16.10 17) Riley Reiff 16.90 18) Dre Kirkpatrick 19.80 19) Michael Brockers 20.20 20) Whitney Mercilus 20.70 21) Chandler Jones 23.40 22) Courtney Upshaw 23.40 23) Jonathon Martin 24.20 24) Dont'a Hightower 24.40 25) Cordy Glenn 24.80 26) Kendall Wright 25.70 27) Stephen Hill 27.60 28) Shea McClellin 27.90 29) Nick Perry 28.40 30) Coby Fleener 31.40 31) Peter Konz 32.00 32) Harrison Smith 32.50 I will be posting the final TMG DraftZone tomorrow, right before the draft. I have my picks on NFL.com and I'm looking forward to winning that trip to the Super Bowl. Or I might be looking forward to winning it next year. Whichever, I hope you are looking forward to the NFL Draft as much as I am. Let's get the cards up to the Commish and get this thing going. I can't wait.

DSA Player Rankings 3.0 2012

The 2012 NFL Draft is just 5 days away, and there are some things we know for certain, others we think we know, and a whole lot that you just never know about. We know that Andrew Luck is going first overall to the Indianapolis Colts. We also know that Robert Griffin III is going second to Washington. We think we know that Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne and Justin Blackmon are going to be the next four picks. But what you never know about is who will be making the last minute trade to leapfrog the competition and take the player they covet the most. But until those trades are made, there is quite a bit of certainty amongst my fellow draftniks as to who will be going where. In this edition of the DSA Player Rankings, the top 6 were unanimous for their slots. Ryan Tannehill was as well going to Miami at #8. And there were a number of players who moved up and down the list, and two new players who are getting a lot of love in mock drafts. So here is the TMG DraftZone DSA Player Rankings 3.0 for the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft: 1) Andrew Luck 1.00 2) Robert Griffin III 2.00 3) Matt Kalil 3.00 4) Trent Richardson 4.00 5) Morris Claiborne 5.00 6) Justin Blackmon 6.00 7) Ryan Tannehill 8.00 8) Fletcher Cox 9.00 9) Melvin Ingram 9.70 10) Luke Kuechly 11.30 11) Michael Floyd 11.50 12) Riley Reiff 12.40 13) Quinton Coples 13.70 14) David DeCastro 13.90 15) Jonathon Martin 17.70 16) Stephon Gilmore 16.70 17) Dontari Poe 17.80 18) Courtney Upshaw 18.70 19) Dre Kirkpatrick 19.50 20) Michael Brockers 21.80 21) Cordy Glenn 22.00 22) Kendall Wright 23.20 23) Whitney Mercilus 24.90 24) Dont'a Hightower 25.00 25) Jonathon Martin 25.20 26) Chandler Jones 27.00 27) Mike Adams 28.60 28) Stephen Hill 29.10 29) Shea McClellin 29.50 30) Nick Perry 29.60 31) Coby Flenner 31.60 32) Peter Konz 31.60 From out of nowhere, Chandler Jones and Shea McClellin have entered the draft picture. This was the first time I found either one of them listed on a mock draft. A premium is always placed on quarterbacks, but when the draft rolls around the ability to get to the quarterback is valued just as much. Just look at Fletcher Cox. He was 18th on the last DSA Rankings, and now he is 8th. Quinton Coples has fallen from 7th to 13th, but I see him as another Carlos Dunlap. Criticized for not giving maximum effort but a freakish athlete. Dunlap fell all the way into the middle of Round 2 in 2010 to Cincinnati, but he has been a force for the young Bengals defense when he has been on the field. Coples is nearly a mirror image size wise to Dunlap, and teams that pass on him may regret it down the road. With players rising up the board, there are those who fall. Janoris Jenkins is seen as perhaps too much of an off field problem, and now it has been announced that Mike Adams tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine back in February. There is no denying their ability, but teams may be taking less of a chance on players with too much baggage. Players who are suspended don't exactly contribute much when they are on the sidelines. I will be posting my final DSA Player Rankings and Mock Draft right before Round 1 on Thursday. Perhaps there will be a trade or 2. Who knows. What we do know is that, for all intents and purposes, the Minnesota Vikings are on the clock. Let's get the NFL Draft rolling. I can't wait.

Great Expectations

And with the first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Ryan Tannehill, quarterback, Texas A & M.

OK, we're not going to hear that from Mr. Commish Roger Goddell, but the way teams are fawning over the Aggie signal caller you would think it might just happen. With the addition of Tannehill to the top of the draft along with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, it is going to be a heavily scrutinized draft. The great expectations on all three will by far surpass that of 1999, when Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith went 1-2-3 and harken back to the days of 1971, when Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini were the first three names off the board.

There is a strong possibility that Miami may just trade up to #3 and get the pick currently held by Minnesota so they can take Tannehill. The Washington Redskins have already mortgaged a good bit of their future to move up to the second pick, and the Dolphins will have to do the same if they want to insure that Tannehill is their man. The question is 'Will he be worth it?' In both cases, I believe it will be.

Griffin is a rare talent, and proved it during his final year at Baylor. Physically gifted and even more so intellectually, Griffin and Luck will be competing for not only titles but the hearts and minds of football fans for years to come. Tannehill is more of a project, but Miami is the best landing point for him. His college coach is the offensive coordinator, and the new head coach runs a system that suits his talents. He has a veteran in Matt Moore already on the roster who is capable of holding the fort until it is time for Tannehill to take over.

But once again, great expectations may get in the way. It is the expectations of Dolphins fans looking for a quarterback to take over for Dan Marino. They have been waiting for 13 years. Now they have to wait 12 more days to see if their Dolphins either make the move up to #3 or have Tannehill fall to them at #8. If they are lucky, they won't have to sell the farm to get him. We shall see.

2012 DSA Player Rankings 2.0

Last year, Da'Quan Bowers had a free fall down through the draft boards that was pretty much unprecedented. He was seen as a possible #1 Overall pick, and because of injury concerns he would up going #51 to Tampa Bay. This year, Ryan Tannehill is the Reverse Bowers. When I tabulated the first DSA Player Rankings of 2012, Tannehill was at #20. A little too raw for a high first round pick, but talented enough for a selection late in the round. Then a combination of draft room panic and an excellent pro day has seen his stock shooting up to the top. Tannehill has risen 12 places to #8, and he could conceivably go higher the closer we get to the 2012 NFL Draft. But for now here is the 2012 DSA Player Rankings 2.0:

1) Andrew Luck 1.00
2) Robert Griffin 2.00
3) Matt Kalil 3.00
4) Morris Claiborne 5.30
5) Trent Richardson 5.40
6) Justin Blackmon 5.80
7) Quinton Coples 9.30
8) Ryan Tannehill 9.70
9) Riley Reiff 10.60
10) Melvin Ingram 10.90
11) Dontari Poe 11.20
12) David Decastro 12.60
13) Michael Floyd 14.30
14) Luke Kuechly 14.70
15) Jonathon Martin 17.70
16) Michael Brockers 17.90
17) Dre Kirkpatrick 18.90
18) Fletcher Cox 19.20
19) Courtney Upshaw 19.50
20) Cordy Glenn 21.60
21) Whitney Mercilus 22.00
22) Kendall Wright 22.30
23) Stephon Gilmore 22.40
24) Janoris Jenkins 23.00
25) Mark Barron 23.40
26) Mike Adams 26.20
27) Stephen Hill 27.40
28) Nick Perry 27.60
29) Devon Still 28.80
30) Dont'a Hightower 28.80
31) Jerel Worthy 30.80
32) Peter Konz 30.90


The player whose draft stock is going to be affected the most by the rise of Ryan Tannehill is going to be Trent Richardson. If Cleveland passes on him and selects Tannehill, and if Tampa Bay goes defense with Morris Claiborne, Richardson could fall all the way to Cincinnati at #17. But one thing I can say is that I'd hate to face a power running back with a chip on his shoulder simply because they didn't pick him in the draft. Richardson could very easily be that player, and the Bengals would be the very happy recipients of Cleveland going quarterback instead of running back. The 2012 NFL Draft is in 3 1/2 weeks. We shall see.