Ted Bartlett evaluates draft-eligible prospects in his spare time, among a number of activities he pursues, including golf, MBA classes, and smirking about how much he's outkicked his coverage on the girlfriend front. When his kindergarten teacher told him that he was advanced, what she was saying was that, with minimal effort, he'd be able to do better than "really passionate" people who try their hardest. He also focuses on the NFL's business and legal environment, offensive and defensive schemes, going off on unrelated tangents, and all 32 teams in the NFL. Follow along as he offers his instant analysis of tonight's NFL Draft.
| # | Team | Player | Position/School | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indianapolis | Andrew Luck | QB/Stanford | No surprise here, and I definitely agree with the move. |
| 2 | Washington | Robert Griffin III | QB/Baylor | (from St. Louis) Things continue to play to form. Great scheme fit in DC |
| 3 | Cleveland | Trent Richardson | RB/Alabama | (from Minnesota) I'd have picked Tannehill, but this makes perfect sense. Great job trading up to get their guy too, at a reasonable cost. |
| 4 | Minnesota | Matt Kalil | OT/USC | (from Cleveland) I think that CB was a much bigger need, and that Kalil projects to be good, but not elite. That said, I give Minnesota credit for getting 3 extra picks from Cleveland for moving down 1 spot. Win-win trade. |
| 5 | Jacksonville | Justin Blackmon | WR/Oklahoma State | (from Tampa Bay) Jags WR group was pitiful in 2011, and Blackmon will be a very good player, if not a true #1. It gives Gabbert a chance for success. |
| 6 | Dallas | Morris Claiborne | CB/LSU | (from Washington via St. Louis) Dallas really needed to upgrade its secondary, and they went and got the top-rated CB. The second-rounder is a high price, but if Claiborne works out, it's worth it. |
| 7 | Tampa Bay | Mark Barron | S/Alabama | (from Jacksonville) Barron is a very good player, and I think he was elevated by the scarcity at the position, and the fact that S is getting more important in the NFL with all the flex TEs |
| 8 | Miami | Ryan Tannehill | QB/Texas A&M | If you believe in his skills (and I do), the Dolphins had to jump for Tannehill. It's giving yourself a shot at getting a franchise guy. |
| 9 | Carolina | Luke Kuechly | MLB/Boston College | I like Kuechly for the Panthers 4-3 better than I would for an Odd team. He can stay on the field on passing downs for Carolina, and that provides value. |
| 10 | Buffalo | Stephon Gilmore | CB/South Carolina | This is a "Can we win our division" pick. Without defending the pass better, the answer is no. |
| 11 | Kansas City | Dontari Poe | NT/Memphis | The Chiefs are taking a shot at getting their Vince Wilfork. He has awesome physical skills, but he needs to prove he can play football. |
| 12 | Philadelphia | Fletcher Cox | DT/Mississippi State | (from Seattle) The Eagles had a massive hole in the middle of their 2011 defense, and this makes all the sense in the world. You can't play Wide-9 DEs if you can't plug the middle. |
| 13 | Arizona | Michael Floyd | WR/Notre Dame | Larry Fitzgerald gets a fellow Minneapolis guy to play opposite him, and take advantage of the rolled coverage. Whither the OL help? |
| 14 | St. Louis | Michael Brockers | DT/LSU | (from Dallas) The Rams are having a great Draft already. Brockers isn't ready to dominate day 1, but he's a big-time talent. Jeff Fisher is a believer that the game is won up front, and this reflects that. |
| 15 | Seattle | Bruce Irvin | OLB/West Virginia | (from Philadelphia) I like this pick, and I think he can play Sam in a 4-3, and rush on 3rd down, like a poor man's Von Miller |
| 16 | NY Jets | Quinton Coples | DE/North Carolina | Maybe Rex Ryan can get this guy's questionable motor cranked - who knows? The talent is there if they can get him to work. |
| 17 | Cincinnati | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB/Alabama | (from Oakland) I don't love his skill set as an outside CB, because I think he can be had over the top, but he has interesting length and athleticism |
| 18 | San Diego | Melvin Ingram | OLB/South Carolina | Ingram is a really good player, and great value for the Chargers, dammit. We can take some consolation in the fact that they're still pitiful at RT. |
| 19 | Chicago | Shea McClellin | DE/Boise State | Weird scheme fit for me. Is he a hand-on-the-ground even-front DE? That misgiving aside, the dude can really play. |
| 20 | Tennessee | Kendall Wright | WR/Baylor | YES! I didn't want him as a Bronco. I'm sure TEN sees him as a field-stretcher. I see him as a guy who hasn't run real routes, and who has 16% body fat. |
| 21 | New England | Chandler Jones | OLB/Syracuse | (from Cincinnati) This is a Patriots kind of guy. He's long, powerful, and physical, and I really like his fluid movement skills. He has some learning to do as a rusher, but he's a productive base player now. |
| 22 | Cleveland | Brandon Weeden | QB/Oklahoma State | I'm a little surprised the Browns took him here, but I agree with getting their QB. McCoy is a backup, and it's time he came to that reality. |
| 23 | Detroit | Riley Reiff | OT/Iowa | I don't think Reiff is a LT, but I like him as a RT for the Lions, who've had a pitiful OL for years. |
| 24 | Pittsburgh | David DeCastro | OG/Stanford | He's a masher, a real Steelers kind of guy. |
| 25 | New England | Dont'a Hightower | ILB/Alabama | (from Denver) A Patriots kind of guy, particularly with the Belichick/Saban relationship. This allows Mayo to play outside, where he's better. |
| 26 | Houston | Whitney Mercilus | OLB/Illinois | The Texans continue to load up on pass rushers. I would have gone RT here, because their offense is going to suffer the loss of Eric Winston. |
| 27 | Cincinnati | Kevin Zeilter | OG/Wisconsin | (from New England via New Orleans) This is a Day 1 starter for the Bengals. I am a big fan of this pick, and of the fact that they traded down for him. |
| 28 | Green Bay | Nick Perry | OLB/USC | He has some ability, but he never blew me away for a whole game. Flashes in and out. |
| 29 | Minnesota | Harrison Smith | S/Notre Dame | (from Baltimore) Smith is the second best S in the Class of 2012, but I think this is overdrafting him a little. The Viking secondary is atrocious, though, so from a need perspective, this is an A+. |
| 30 | San Francisco | A.J. Jenkins | WR/Illinois | This is pretty surprising, as Jenkins was seen as a late #2. He's fluid, and runs good routes, but I don't see him as a first-rounder. |
| 31 | Tampa Bay | Doug Martin | RB/Boise State | (from Denver via New England) No surprise that Tampa wanted a RB, and that the Broncos were willing to trade out again. |
| 32 | NY Giants | David Wilson | RB/Virginia Tech | This makes a ton of sense for the Giants. He's not an every down back, but he's pretty dynamic, and is ideal to split carries with Bradshaw. |