2012 NFL Draft Round 1

After the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Redskins selected QB Andrew Luck and QB Robert Griffin III respectively with the first two picks, the Minnesota Vikings were officially on the clock. However, they passed up their opportunity to be third a couple hours before the draft, trading their pick to the Cleveland Browns for the #4 pick and several more picks. The Browns wound up drafting RB Trent Richardson, and the Vikings took OL Matt Kalil, Carolina Panthers OL Ryan Kalil's brother.

It would be very hard to imagine the Vikings were going to take Richardson at #3 since they already have RB Adrian Peterson. Therefore, the Browns giving up all of those late picks makes no sense. They could've stayed pat at #4 and still gotten Richardson. It looked like a desperate move. The Browns can build through the draft will all of their picks if they draft wisely. However, they still have an opportunity to build as they still have a great amount of picks in the remaining rounds.

The St. Louis Rams seemed more content on stockpiling draft picks as opposed to drafting some of the best players available. It'll be interesting to see how that works out. QB Sam Bradford definitely could've used a receiver, and selecting WR Michael Floyd at #6 was probably a reach but something they needed. Instead, they take DL Michael Brockers out of LSU. Brockers was great as an interior lineman, especially against the run. However, the Rams could've used a quality player at an impact position. Let's see what the Rams do with the rest of their picks.

The Dallas Cowboys trading into the Rams spot at #6 and drafting CB Morris Claiborne was probably the best move of the first round. They only swapped first round slots with the Rams, and gave up a second-rounder. Not bad when you're drafting a supposed shut-down corner. The Cowboys also signed CB Brandon Carr from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. The secondary play was a problem last season as they gave up leads and looked awful in the finale against the champion New York Giants with the NFC East on the line.

The Philadelphia Eagles became the third team in the NFC East to trade up, swapping picks with the Seattle Seahawks, while also giving up their fourth and sixth-round picks. The Eagles selected DT Fletcher Cox, a solid interior lineman to help the Eagles with their run-stopping woes. Getting a quality linebacker probably would've been a better pick, but they picked up LB Demeco Ryans in a trade to improve that unit last month. The Eagles made a questionable move earlier this week by trading CB Asante Samuel to the Atlanta Falcons. They have now entrusted CB Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie to be the #2 corner. Let's see if the Eagles draft another corner in the later rounds.

The Browns used their second first-round pick on 28-year old QB Brandon Weeden. Everyone is waiting to see how long of a career he will have. His age certainly scared many teams away, as he put up great numbers during his time at Oklahoma State. There have already been reports now that the Browns will look to trade QB Colt McCoy. This seems like a risky move because you do not know when Weeden will be able to start and with his age, how long he'll be an NFL quarterback.

The defending AFC champions New England Patriots traded up with the Cincinnati Bengals to draft DE Chandler Jones, then drafted LB Donta Hightower several picks later. Those are two quality picks for a team that has suffered defensively while being carried by their offense. The New York Jets drafted a pass rusher they hope will help their defense when they drafted DE Quinton Coples. The Jets have used most of their draft picks in the Rex Ryan era on offense. However, they used their first-round pick last year on a pass rusher when they drafted DE Muhammad Wilkerson. Clearly, they are trying to improve that area, which seems to be the weak point of their defense.

Other notable picks of the first round include the Arizona Cardinals drafting WR Michael Floyd, the Miami Dolphins drafting QB Ryan Tannehill, and the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up to draft WR Justin Blackmon. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald urged management to draft Floyd, and they delivered. This will certainly help Fitzgerald and QB Kevin Kolb, who struggled to keep his job last year. The Dolphins certainly reached a little too far in drafting Tannehill, a guy who seems years away from being ready. Let's see if the Dolphins continue to pursue a starting quarterback in free agency, or if they stick with QB Matt Moore and Tannehill.

The Jaguars did an excellent job of drafting a talent to help QB Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert struggled a lot last year with receivers I don't even know. Drafting Blackmon gives them their #1 receiver they've been coveting for years. Hopefully Gabbert is able to make improvements to help the Jaguars improve.

The first round turned out to be more entertaining than expected with a number of trades and a couple of surprising picks. As we all know, some of these picks will turn out to perform at their expectation level or even better. However, some will perform lower than expectations, so time will tell what happens in the future.