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.

TMG Draft Zone Mock Draft 2012 1.0

The NFL off-season is well into free agency, and with a month before the draft the teams have been filling holes in their rosters with veterans before they get the chance to select their future rookies. The mock draft season has been going on even longer, and I waited to see who would sign where before putting my first mock out here. I've also been way too busy with work, but I've been able to piece together where the picks are going to fall. So here is the TMG DraftZone Mock Draft 1.0 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 Quinton Coples
8) Miami Ryan Tannehill
9) Carolina Melvin Ingram
10) Buffalo Riley Reiff
11) Kansas City David DeCastro
12) Seattle Luke Kuechly
13) Arizona Jonathon Martin
14) Dallas Janoris Jenkins
15) Philadelphia Courtney Upshaw
16) NY Jets Michael Floyd
17) Cincinnati Dre Kirkpatrick
18) San Diego Dontari Poe
19) Chicago Stephen Hill
20) Tennessee Whitney Mercilus
21) Cincinnati Cordy Glenn
22) Cleveland Stephon Gilmore
23) Detroit Mike Adams
24) Pittsburgh Nick Perry
25) Denver Fletcher Cox
26) Houston Kendall Wright
27) New England Michael Brockers
28) Green Bay Peter Konz
29) Baltimore Mark Barron
30) San Francisco Coby Flenner
31) New England Lamar Miller
32) NY Giants David Wilson

The top three picks appear to be set. Cleveland holds the key to the rest of the first round. Although many mock draft have Ryan Tannehill going there, I believe the Browns will look to continue their tradition of power running and select Trent Richardson. The smart pick for Cleveland might be Justin Blackmon, but I see them going after the replacement for Peyton Hillis instead. I also have the Browns selecting Stephon Gilmore with their second pick in Round 1, and the pairing of him with Joe Haden could become the premier cornerback pair in the NFL.

St. Louis has had Blackmon on their radar since before the trade with Washington, and if he is still there at #6 then they will make out like bandits. The pick they acquired from Washington along with their own will go a long way to filling holes on their defense after getting the playmaking receiver for Sam Bradford to throw to in Round 1.

The NFL Draft is in four weeks. There are going to be many more mock drafts hitting the net in that time. I'll be putting one more out before my final mock draft the day before the NFL Draft. If Ryan Tannehill has a stellar pro day, I wonder if Cleveland will be looking to take him at #4. If so, then there will be more shuffling in mock drafts than with cards at a blackjack table in Vegas. We shall see.

The Big Trade

It will become official next week when the NFL business years begins, but the Washington Redskins are the ones who will be making the trade up to #2 in the upcoming NFL Draft. Robert Griffin III will be making his way to the nation's capital courtesy of a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Rams.

The trade is one that people will be talking for a long time. To move up four spots and most likely select the Heisman Trophy winner, Washington will be sending to St. Louis the #6 pick in the draft this year, their second round pick this year (39th overall), plus #1 picks the next two seasons. To say the least, it is a hefty ransom to pay for the reigning king of college football.

If Griffin can live up to his potential and make the Redskins winners again, then Washington will be seen as making a good deal in the long run. But for now, the two teams I see as reaping the biggest rewards are St. Louis and Cleveland.

The Rams are targeting Justin Blackmon so that Sam Bradford can have a playmaking target on the outside. At #6, there is a good chance he will still be there when they pick in the slot formerly held by Washington. Now they have their own pick at the top of the second round as well as the one just acquired by trade. That give them three picks in which to select building blocks for the future. Wide receiver to throw to, offensive lineman to block for Bradford and Steven Jackson, and a cornerback to shore up a secondary that was devastated by injury in 2011. With Jeff Fisher running the show in St. Louis, if the Rams can stay somewhat healthy, they may be able to make another dramatic turnaround just as they did in 2010.

I thought that Cleveland would be the team that would make the trade to move up and acquire Griffin. But by not trading they are a winner as well. They hold their own pick at #4 overall, and the #22 pick they acquired from Atlanta in the Julio Jones trade from last year. And with the 37th overall pick, they also hold three high draft picks this year. Running back is going to be a focal point with Peyton Hillis hitting the free agent market, and Trent Richardson is the prototypical power back that Cleveland has featured for years. His ability to catch passes out of the backfield makes him a valuable asset for the Browns and their West Coast offense.

At #22, they could select a top flight receiver for Colt McCoy to throw to, perhaps Michael Floyd or Kendall Wright. Or even another cornerback to play opposite Joe Haden or an offensive lineman to compliment Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach. Taking one here and another in Round 2 will strengthen Cleveland, and in the AFC North they are going to need a lot of help in this draft. But one player they could get with either one of these picks could be Ryan Tannehill, the strong armed quarterback fro Texas A&M.

Any team that does not get Peyton Manning and who does not already have a solid quarterback situation will look at Tannehill. The team outside of the top 10 who fills this bill is Seattle. Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst were both seen as the answer, but both have only brought about questions about their ability to lead the Seahawks past the resurgent San Francisco 49ers. If they do not take Tannehill at #12, they may want to trade up and get him late in the first round. Or Cleveland could land him at #22. Colt McCoy has shown flashes of talent, but has suffered enough concussions to make one worry about his long term viability. If Cleveland gets Richardson, Tannehill and perhaps Alshon Jeffrey, their offense will become very formidable in the years to come.

The two biggest offseason questions were who was trading for Robert Griffin III and where will Peyton Manning land. One has been answered. The other will come about soon enough. The landscape of the 2012 NFL Draft is starting to blossom. The picture will become much more clear in the next few days.