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NCAA Scouting
First Round Pick-by-Pick Review
by Paul Emery
April 28th 2012
 
Certainly a very interesting first frame, with a number of trades and some interesting picks! Lots of trades and a very fast pace made for a fascinating night! The biggest shock was, for the second year in a row, the Seattle Seahawks with Bruce Irvin.
 
1. Colts Andrew Luck QB Stanford. No surprise here and he will start for them for many years. Important now to surround him with some talent.
 
2. Redskins Robert Griffin III QB Baylor. Again, no surprise here. Interestingly before the Draft Mike Shanahan talked about changing his offense to fit Griffin they need to use the template the Panthers used with Cam Newton last year.
 
3. Browns Trent Richardson RB Alabama. The Vikings did a great job manipulating things and got someone to trade up with them. The Browns must have been nervous the Bucs were going to make a move. Certainly a solid fit in a blue collar division.
 
4. Vikings Matt Kalil OT USC. There was talk leading up to the Draft that the Vikings were thinking about Morris Claiborne, but with a need at left tackle and an injury prone QB they had to make this pick. Kalil has elite feet and is the only pure left tackle in the class in terms of pass protection ability. They need a nice job manipulating the board and made Cleveland so nervous they felt the need to trade up.
 
5. Jaguars Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State. The Jags leaped above the Rams to get a big time target for Blaine Gabbert/Chad Henne. Blackmon drops a few too many passes, but is extremely dangerous after the catch.
 
6. Cowboys Morris Claiborne CB LSU. The Cowboys saw Claiborne drop a touch and with the Rams looking to get out of the pick after Blackmon was taken, the trade happened. Claiborne is a shutdown corner who was in complete control in 2011 the only question was that he wasn’t tested enough. He will be at the next level.
 
7. Buccaneers Mark Barron SS Alabama. Very interesting that they have Claiborne’s college coach on staff and they moved down and missed out on him despite having a need at the position. Perhaps they got a bit too clever and didn’t predict the Cowboys move up to six? Perhaps we’ll never know. Barron was seemingly the target of many teams and he will bring a presence in the middle of the field for the Bucs.
 
8. Dolphins Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M.; Seemingly backed into a corner by the need for a QB he will struggle to beat out Matt Moore as a rookie, but has potential down the road with his arm and quick release. The problem for him is that he’s very slow to process information and make decisions. He had multiple interception games against the better opposition he faced and I view him as more of a project than Jake Locker. The difference Locker’s accuracy problems were due to footwork (easy to fix) Tannehill’s problems are in his head and he might never get out of them. Too rich for me but I understand they have a need at the position and had to address it.
 
9. Panthers Luke Kuechly MLB Boston College. At the time of writing (pre day two) the Panthers still have a need at DT. This is a problem for Kuechly as he struggles to get off blocks, so won’t be kept clean. He’s very instinctive and a better athlete than given credit for. If they get help in front of him, he’ll be ultra-productive.
 
10. Bills Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina. Gilmore was a riser after the Combine and one always has to be cautious of these kinds of selections. From tape study it was clear he’s talented, but by no means did I think he was a top 10 pick. I got the impression the South Carolina coaches were always waiting for more for him, but it never quite arrived.
 
11. Chiefs Dontari Poe NT Memphis. Poe right now is a one gap penetrator with the size and strength to develop into a guy who can hold up against the double team down the road. So seeing him go to a two gap team was a surprise, I think as a rookie he’s more likely to fly upfield than drop the anchor and eat up a double team. Certainly in the system, they could get more from last year’s sixth rounder Jerrell Powe in 2012.
 
12. Eagles Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State. There was talk the Eagles were going to move up into the top 10 for Cox, but they waited and ended paying a lesser price to move up to 12 very patient from them. Cox has long arms and is an elite athlete he’s not completely consistent, but when on he looked very good. Certainly I think the value here was more sensible than the top 10.
 
13. Cardinals Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame. This pick gives Kevin Kolb or Stephen Skelton a fine second WR. Floyd got himself sorted out off the field in 2011 and put together a fine season. He has very good hands and is a very powerful receiver. The best blocker in the WR group, he’ll also help out in the running game.
 
14. Rams Michael Brockers DT LSU. An excellent fit for Coach Fisher’s defense. Brockers only really got it for half a season, but when he did he was outstanding. He has the ability to hold up against the double team better than Poe at 11 and has long arms to help him keep blockers off him. Still developing, particularly as a pass rusher, but I think it’s a fine pick. They’ve been getting some heat for missing out on Blackmon and Floyd but there’s plenty of depth at WR this year, so no need to panic.
 
15. Seahawks Bruce Irvin DE West Virginia. The value of a situational pass rusher is higher than it was even five years ago and right now that is what Irvin is. He’s a unique athlete who has a jump cut style of move rushing the passer, where he looks like a 200 lb scat back! Productive in his two years at West Virginia, where he was out of position as a 3-3-5 defensive end. Reportedly rising with post season interviews that calmed off the field concerns, it was still a surprise as no one predicted this. A shock, but still a better pick than James Carpenter last year at least Irvin was comfortably in my top 100!
 

16. Jets – Quinton Coples DE North Carolina. Interesting pick in that I don’t know just where they will use him. It could be he plays the Haloti Ngata ‘DT’ position in the hybrid defense (which is generally a one gap role) but he’ll need to add some bulk. They have made this pick primarily from 2010 tape where Coples did play well inside but it does carry some risk. I would anticipate he will feature as a rookie mostly as a pass rusher where his lack of bulk won’t be a major issue.
 
17. Bengals – Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama. A wiry and physical corner, Kirkpatrick had better tape than Stephon Gilmore, but isn’t as good an athlete. He’ll need to adjust to the 5 yard contact rule, but he’s a gifted zone defender who is very active against the run. This is a really solid pick.
 
18. Chargers Melvin Ingram OLB South Carolina. It seems teams struggled with Ingram as he fell somewhat. A college DE, he looked best in the nickel rushing the passer from DT. Too small to do this as a pro, the Chargers saw his athletic ability as too good to pass up here. He has short arms, so will need to make it in a James Harrison manner.
 
19. Bears Shea McClellin DE Boise State. Another fascinating pick, it will be interesting to see what the Bears do with him. Bulked up after the Senior Bowl where he played 4-3 LB. Played in a multiple Boise State defense could play SLB for the Bears in base defense and then put his hand in the dirt in the nickel. Needs to get stronger.
 
20. Titans Kendall Wright WR Baylor. For all the talk of the 16% body fat, he still went fairly high. Made RG3 look good a number of times able to track the ball in the air and get behind defenses. A really nice pick.
 
21. Patriots Chandler Jones DE Syracuse. Jones has the long arms the Patriots love and flashed ability to get under his man like Aldon Smith last year. A mid-season knee injury didn’t help there, but as teams worked out his potential he started to move up boards and the Patriots got aggressive and made sure they got him.
 
22. Browns Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State. It seems the Browns changed their mind when Kendall Wright was taken at 20. They had told Colt McCoy they wouldn’t take a QB here, but with the WR they wanted gone, the second option was Weeden. He has a better arm than McCoy, but was poor when pressure got to him so he can expect zone blitzes galore from the likes of the Steelers and Ravens in division. Already older than Aaron Rodgers, the Browns have to hope he’s good enough to start right away but I don’t think he is Certainly the way they mishandled McCoy will probably mean they’ve burned bridges there and reports are they will trade him.
 
23. Lions – Riley Reiff OT/G Iowa. Reiff was seen as a top 10 pick by some, but I had his stock around here. A very solid technician until he comes up against edge speed when it disappears. Skilled as a zone read run blocker in college, he’s a right tackle or guard as a pro.
 
24. Steelers David DeCastro OG Stanford. I had DeCastro as my second rated guard and I believe a few teams also agreed with me, so I think DeCastro was slightly over rated by the media. He’s a fine athlete, who can get out and pull very well. Very physical, but often over extends and is therefore off balance too much. So, needs a little technique clean up, although with short arms it might always be an issue.
 
25. Patriots – Dont’a Hightower ILB Alabama. It would have been seen as a surprise that the Patriots kept both first round picks, but not only did they stay in the first round with both they traded up twice! If they play their 3-4 base defense he’s a nice fit but they played more 4-3 in 2011 and unless they see Hightower as a DE, I don’t think he’s a great fit due to limited lateral movement. A solid player, a classic downhill thumper, but only a 3-4 ILB for me.
 
26. Texans Whitney Mercilus OLB Illinois. After taking Brooks Reed last year to pair with Connor Barwin, this was an odd pick for me. Mercilus was a 4-3 DE in college and limited as a pass rushing specialist. With only one year of production, this was a head scratcher to a degree. A little similar to Bruce Irvin but he’s bigger and is slightly quicker in his 10 yard split time at the Combine by 0.04 seconds.
 
27. Bengals Kevin Zeitler OG Wisconsin. The Bengals had Zeitler rated above DeCastro, so manipulated the board superbly to move down with the Patriots and still get their man. Zeitler was also my top rated guard, so clearly I love the pick. He just needs to bend a little better at times in pass protection but a dominant run blocker who controlled Devon Still in the Penn State game.
 
28. Packers Nick Perry OLB USC. Plenty of pass rushers went off the board in the second half of the first round and in a weak class, the Packers decided to take another in Perry. A one dimensional college 4-3 DE he relies on his speed rush with some flashes of good hand use. Very athletic, but still raw.
 
29. Vikings Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame. I had a fourth round grade on Smith, so clearly moving up to take him is not going to get a glowing recommendation from me! I thought they manipulated the board well at pick 3 but I think they panicked here in a thin safety class. I prefer the Bruce Irvin pick as at least he made some plays in college. Smith tested out very well at the Combine, but just didn’t make enough plays for me. A limited in the box zone strong safety looks to be stiff in the hips and isn’t someone who can cover man to man. Hopefully for Vikings fans like my long suffering wife I’m wrong!
 
30. 49ers – A.J. Jenkins WR Illinois. This was a mild surprise as Jenkins wasn’t mocked this high by anyone. However, I really like him so think it’s a good pick. A very reliable hands catcher who is particularly dangerous on crossing routes.
 
31. Buccaneers – Doug Martin RB Boise State. After missing out on Trent Richardson, the Bucs decided to move up to make sure they got a RB. Martin is a do it all back that can also help returning kicks.
 
32. Giants David Wilson RB Virginia Tech. Perhaps a little surprising that three RB’s came off the board in the first frame. Wilson is a dynamic breakaway threat who needs to be a little more patient at times. Faster than Martin, he can also help returning kicks.