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.