NFL Draft Review:
2012 First-Round Picks
Guide:
Snaps: Here you will find the number of snaps the player has actually taken in the league. How do you judge a player on the field? By the number of snaps he takes. If he doesn't play, he's hard to judge.
PFF Grade: PFF Grade is short for ProFootballFocus Grade. ProFootballFocus.com is the best website for tracking how each individual football player contributes on the field. The experts at PFF keep track of literally EVERYTHING that happens on the football field and their grades are top-notch. The grading system is pretty easy to figure out to. If a player gets a negative grade (basically anywhere from, -0.01 to -50) than they haven't been playing that well. If the player doesn't have a negative sign in front of their grade, than they have been playing some fantastic football. And I shouldn't have to tell you that the higher the positive number, the better the player has been.
Arrow: What does the future look like for this guy?
1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck (QB) Stanford
2012 Snaps: 1,283
2013 Snaps: 1,201
2014 Snaps: 1,314
2012 PFF Grade: 13.5
2013 PFF Grade: 18.1
2014 PFF Grade: 15.4
Best Game of 2014 Season: Wildcard Playoff Game vs. Cincinnati
Worst Game of 2014 Season: AFC Title Game vs. New England
Arrow: Pointing up. WAY UP. It's Andrew Luck. Not only was he the best NFL quarterback prospect I've ever seen come out of college, but the guy has more than lived up to his hype. It took Peyton Manning six years to win his first playoff game in Indianapolis. It took Luck two years to win his first playoff game and three years to get his team to his first conference championship. This is just the beginning people. Barring some kind of injury, Luck is going to have a Hall-of-Fame career and will get more than a few Super Bowl titles by the time it's all said and done.
2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III (QB) Baylor
2012 Snaps: 1,009
2013 Snaps: 924
2014 Snaps: 472
2012 PFF Grade: 31.6
2013 PFF Grade: -3.4
2014 PFF Grade: -17.2
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 1 vs. Houston
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 17 vs. Dallas
Arrow: Pointing down. I don't know what to tell you about the fall of RG III. After a rookie year in which he came out and surprised all his doubters, he has taken a tremendous fall from grace. I'll be the first one to admit, his rookie year was quite a bit of a shocker to me. The guy came in and kind of took the league by storm, but somehow nobody told him that NFL players hit hard and if you're a running QB, you should learn how to slide to avoid getting hit by those same players that hit extremely hard. Unfortunately for Griffin and the Redskins, the quarterback has regressed in an alarming way and no one knows what the future looks like for him....but it doesn't look good. Perhaps a change of scenery is needed for RG III to help salvage his career?
3. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson (RB) Alabama
2012 Snaps: 725
2013 Snaps: 641
2014 Snaps: 496
2012 PFF Grade: 2.9
2013 PFF Grade: -6.2
2014 PFF Grade: -1.5
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 7 vs. Cincinnati
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Philadelphia
Arrow: Pointing down. Trent Richardson sucks. He's been one big bowl of disappointment since arriving in the NFL. He was traded by the the team that drafted him just three weeks into his second season and he hasn't gotten any better. He is so bad that the Colts decided to leave him at home for the majority of the playoffs and decided to give the ball to someone who was probably doing some repairs on Richardson's house just a few weeks prior. I don't know if Richardson is done in the NFL, but I'm sure someone will take a chance on him and much like the Colts and the Browns....they will also find out just how bad he is.
4. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil (OT) USC
2012 Snaps: 1,119
2013 Snaps: 1,059
2014 Snaps: 1,050
2012 PFF Grade: 14.3
2013 PFF Grade: -6.0
2014 PFF Grade: -29.1
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 4 vs. Atlanta
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 6 vs. Detroit
Arrow: Pointing down. Much like RG III, Kalil's career started off good, but has taken a big dip downwards. After a successful rookie season that looked like the Vikings had found their new franchise left tackle, Kalil had a mediocre sophomore season and followed that up with an awful season this year. Anyone have any idea what happened to this guy? Let's just say that it's no coincidence that his best game this season came against a team with an awful defensive line. I don't know if Kalil will get some more time in Minnesota to try and turn his career around, but the Vikings need to figure out what's going on with him. They have a promising young quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater and his production would only improve if Kalil could get back to the way he was playing as a rookie.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon (WR) Oklahoma State
2012 Snaps: 982
2013 Snaps: 253
2014 Snaps: 0
2012 PFF Grade: -8.3
2013 PFF Grade: -0.4
2014 PFF Grade: Didn't play
Best Game of 2014 Season: Didn't play football in 2014
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Didn't play football in 2014
Arrow: Pointing down. Thank god for Andrew Luck or the 2012 NFL Draft could very well be in contention for the worst top 5 picks of all-time. What is there to say about Justin Blackmon that hasn't already been said? The guy is a huge bust because, well, for one....he doesn't play much football because he's a head case with an alcohol problem. When he actually has been on-the-field, he hasn't been that great, and definitely hasn't been "top 5 pick" worthy. The good news with Blackmon is, there's still some time for this guy to get his head on straight. If he can do that, there's still a chance he can go on to have a successful NFL career somewhere. Someone will take a chance on the kid and if he's willing, he may very well turn into a reliable piece on a good NFL team. That's a big IF though.
6. Dallas Cowboys: Morris Claiborne (CB) LSU
2012 Snaps: 909
2013 Snaps: 522
2014 Snaps: 151
2012 PFF Grade: -4.1
2013 PFF Grade: -5.9
2014 PFF Grade: -6.5
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Tennessee
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 3 vs. St. Louis
Arrow: Pointing down. The list of crap in the first-round of the 2012 NFL Draft continues with Morris Claiborne. Claiborne came into the league with huge expectations and was supposed to become the next "Darrelle Revis" for the Cowboys. Unfortunately he hasn't played that much due to being injury-prone and when he has seen time on-the-field, he hasn't looked good. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said that Claiborne has done enough for Dallas to pick up the fifth-year option on Claiborne's contract. When you mix this decision in with Jones wanting to draft Manziel last year, than you can see why Cowboys' fans get nervous whenever draft time comes around. It's very well warranted when you can justify it with picks like Mo Claiborne.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mark Barron (S) Alabama
2012 Snaps: 1,105
2013 Snaps: 854
2014 Snaps: 655
2012 PFF Grade: -3.9
2013 PFF Grade: -3.0
2014 PFF Grade: -3.2
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 5 vs. New Orleans
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 8 vs. Minnesota
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. And the streak continues. First off, let me just say that Mark Barron hasn't been a bad NFL player in his three-year career, he's just been a wildly inconsistent one. The good news for Barron and his fans is that his play improved on a consistent basis after he was traded from the Buccaneers to the Rams back in October. Maybe with a whole off-season and a training camp under Jeff Fisher and company, Barron can salvage his NFL career and turn into the elite safety we all thought he was going to be?
8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill (QB) Texas A&M
2012 Snaps: 1,001
2013 Snaps: 1,035
2014 Snaps: 1,095
2012 PFF Grade: 13.7
2013 PFF Grade: 20.2
2014 PFF Grade: 9.7
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 12 vs. Denver
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 11 vs. Buffalo
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. And the streak of bad NFL draft picks in 2012 is finally over. Leave it up to Ryan Tannehill to be the one to break the streak. Tannehill's arrow would be pointing up if he wasn't coming off a season that was the worst one of his NFL career. That shouldn't be considered a knock on Tannehill though as he still had a fine season last year and has blossomed into what looks like a potential franchise quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Of course, you still have some fans who doubt Tannehill's talents, but let them keep on doubting. He might never turn into a Tom Brady-type player, but if you surround him with the right pieces, I think he can have a solid career in the NFL.
9. Carolina Panthers: Luke Kuechly (LB) Boston College
2012 Snaps: 945
2013 Snaps: 1,078
2014 Snaps: 1,117
2012 PFF Grade: 8.2
2013 PFF Grade: 13.0
2014 PFF Grade: 33.5
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 5 vs. Chicago
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 7 vs. Green Bay
Arrow: Pointing up. He's Luke Kuechly. He's a stud. He's quickly turning into one of the best defensive players in the NFL and if not for some guy named J.J. Watt, he might be mentioned as exactly that. Like a fine wine, Kuechly also appears to get better with age and that's a scary thought for NFL offenses everywhere. If you did a re-draft of the 2012 NFL Draft, something tells me the Washington Redskins would have been more than happy to take Kuechly with the second overall pick and left RG III for someone else to scrape up.
10. Buffalo Bills: Stephon Gilmore (CB) South Carolina
2012 Snaps: 1,082
2013 Snaps: 659
2014 Snaps: 873
2012 PFF Grade: -4.0
2013 PFF Grade: -2.6
2014 PFF Grade: 3.9
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 10 vs. Kansas City
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 3 vs. San Diego
Arrow: Pointing up. After a rough start to his NFL career, Gilmore seems to have finally found his footing in the NFL. Sometimes it takes a player a little time to develop into the guy you thought he could be and Gilmore is coming off a pretty decent season in 2014. You also have to love that he has a new head coach coming in (Rex Ryan) that has some history with developing corners. Watch out for this guy next season. He could have a breakout year with the Bills.
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Dontari Poe (DT) Memphis
2012 Snaps: 757
2013 Snaps: 1,063
2014 Snaps: 966
2012 PFF Grade: -14.5
2013 PFF Grade: 19.2
2014 PFF Grade: 0.2
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 3 vs. Miami
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 13 vs. Denver
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. After struggling in his rookie season, Dontari Poe really made an impact on the league in his second year as he went on to become one of the best defensive tackles in the game after a fantastic season. He struggled a little bit at times during this season (especially against the run), but he still finished with a positive grade and the Chiefs have to be excited about this guy's future. I wasn't a fan of the pick when they originally made it (I thought Poe would be the kind of player who kills it at the combine, but flops in the league), but he's proven me wrong in his short stint with the Chiefs.
12. Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox (DT) Mississippi State
2012 Snaps: 526
2013 Snaps: 970
2014 Snaps: 962
2012 PFF Grade: 2.5
2013 PFF Grade: 5.6
2014 PFF Grade: 30.5
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 14 vs. Seattle
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 8 vs. Arizona
Arrow: Pointing up. Fletcher Cox has been one hell of a professional football player since arriving in the NFL. He had a few bumps in the road during his rookie season, but he still had a good year. He showed some improvement in his sophomore season, but this last year was easily the best one of his career. Cox was an absolute beast at defensive tackle this season for the Eagles. He was a brick wall when the Eagles asked him to stop the run, and he was just as good when asked to rush the quarterback. Philadelphia has a franchise defensive tackle on their hands and barring some kind of major injury, Cox will likely be giving offensive lineman in the NFL, absolute hell for years to come.
13. Arizona Cardinals: Michael Floyd (WR) Notre Dame
2012 Snaps: 569
2013 Snaps: 951
2014 Snaps: 1,014
2012 PFF Grade: -6.7
2013 PFF Grade: 8.1
2014 PFF Grade: 2.4
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 17 vs. San Francisco
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 12 vs. Seattle
Arrow: Pointing down. Michael Floyd has been a pretty inconsistent player since arriving in the NFL. He had an awful rookie season, but he showed some dramatic improvement in his second year in the league. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they saw some slippage in his play this year. Floyd started the year off well and ended it on a good note, it was just the in-between stuff that needs work. Now, the blame can't all be tossed on Floyd's shoulder as the Cardinals did have quarterback issues all-season and the one thing that can cause a young wide receiver to regress quickly is horrendous quarterback play. Next year will be a big one for Floyd, especially if Arizona can remain healthy at QB.
14. St. Louis Rams: Michael Brockers (DT) LSU
2012 Snaps: 615
2013 Snaps: 807
2014 Snaps: 640
2012 PFF Grade: -1.5
2013 PFF Grade: -7.1
2014 PFF Grade: 0.4
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 17 vs. Seattle
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 1 vs. Minnesota
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. Michael Brockers has been a pretty disappointing player for the Rams so far. His "less-than-stellar" rookie campaign was followed up with an even worse sophomore campaign. There is some silver lining in this playbook though. Brockers actually showed some improvement in his game this last season and finished the year with a positive PFF grade for the first time. He is still wildly inconsistent and is a long-way from being put into the same category as Dontari Poe and Fletcher Cox, but at least there is some hope for this guy's future. The Rams' defense is a young-and-upcoming defense and Brockers will play a big role in it going forward.
15. Seattle Seahawks: Bruce Irvin (LB) West Virginia
2012 Snaps: 533
2013 Snaps: 599
2014 Snaps: 831
2012 PFF Grade: -6.2
2013 PFF Grade: 9.4
2014 PFF Grade: 7.1
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 17 vs. St. Louis
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 13 vs. San Francisco
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. Remember when Seattle made this pick and everyone in the draft room and all the NFL fans watching at home scoffed and laughed? That's because the Seahawks did the ultimate "fuck you" to mock drafts everywhere by selecting a guy no one had on their first-round radars. When Irvin's name was announced, I remember scratching my head because I didn't even have this guy ranked as a second-rounder. However, Pete Carroll and his minions have proven over the course of the last few seasons that they have a hell of an eye for talent that they can develop and they don't care what you think about it. Even though Irvin struggled a bit in his rookie season, he's gotten better as the Seahawks team has blossomed into one of the NFL's best. The last two seasons, Irvin has been pretty consistently good and something tells me he's only going to continue to improve.
16. New York Jets: Quinton Coples (DE) North Carolina
2012 Snaps: 516
2013 Snaps: 834
2014 Snaps: 708
2012 PFF Grade: -3.4
2013 PFF Grade: -5.9
2014 PFF Grade: -4.9
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Green Bay
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 9 vs. Kansas City
Arrow: Pointing down. Coples has been a pretty big inconsistent bust since arriving in New York. Heading into the draft, there were a lot of people who thought Coples was arguably the most talented defensive player in the draft, but he has yet to showcase any of the talent that got people to make that statement in the first place. Perhaps with a new coaching staff coming into New York, Coples will find his way in the league and become the player we all thought he could be....but if Rex Ryan couldn't get it out of this kid, will anyone? I don't have high hopes for his future.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Dre Kirkpatrick (CB) Alabama
2012 Snaps: 43
2013 Snaps: 363
2014 Snaps: 283
2012 PFF Grade: -0.3
2013 PFF Grade: -9.4
2014 PFF Grade: -1.3
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 16 vs. Denver
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 17 vs. Pittsburgh
Arrow: Pointing down. Dre Kirkpatrick hasn't seen a lot of action in his three-year NFL career. He has yet to crack more than 400 snaps a year and when he has played, he hasn't been good. I'm pretty sure that's not what the Bengals had in mind when they selected him with the 17th overall pick in the draft. What's up with Alabama players in the 2012 draft anyway? Are they all going to turn into busts (minus Dont'a Hightower of course...)? Sure, it might be a little too early to come out and call Kirkpatrick a bust, but I'm going to go ahead and do it. When you don't play that much and still post a negative PFF grade at the end of the year....that can mean only one thing. You're not very good at football. And that's Dre Kirkpatrick.
18. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Ingram (LB) South Carolina
2012 Snaps: 475
2013 Snaps: 241
2014 Snaps: 511
2012 PFF Grade: 0.4
2013 PFF Grade: -4.0
2014 PFF Grade: -1.6
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Seattle
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 16 vs. San Francisco
Arrow: Pointing down. Even though he didn't see a lot of playing time in his rookie season, Melvin Ingram still had a decent year and looked like he could eventually turn into a stud at linebacker for the Chargers. Two years later, it doesn't look that way. Ingram has been an injury-prone mess for the last two seasons and when he's actually been on-the-field, he's been wildly inconsistent. I don't have a whole lot of hope for Ingram's NFL future (your body doesn't typically react better to injuries as you age), but there's always a chance he can prove me wrong. Next season is going to be a big one as far as Melvin Ingram's future in San Diego is concerned.
19. Chicago Bears: Shea McClellin (DE) Boise State
2012 Snaps: 368
2013 Snaps: 661
2014 Snaps: 432
2012 PFF Grade: -2.5
2013 PFF Grade: -30.6
2014 PFF Grade: 1.2
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 10 vs. Green Bay
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 7 vs. Miami
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. I don't know what to make of Shea McClellin so far. After he struggled in his rookie season, he went on to have a historically awful second year in the league. If you want to get an idea on just how bad McClellin was in his sophomore season, just know that he posted a negative PFF grade in EVERY game he played in, That's almost unheard of. With not a whole lot of expectations placed on his shoulders anymore, McClellin headed into 2014 looking to make an impact. While he didn't have a great year in 2014, he also didn't have a historically bad year like he did in 2013. He didn't play a whole lot at the beginning of the 2014 season, but he started seeing more playing time from week 10-17 and there was actually some good news for Bears fans as McClellin started playing consistently better. McClellin may see even more improvement as the Bears welcome in new head coach John Fox next season and he's one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. Maybe his arrow should actually be pointing up?
20. Tennessee Titans: Kendall Wright (WR) Baylor
2012 Snaps: 578
2013 Snaps: 818
2014 Snaps: 678
2012 PFF Grade: -6.1
2013 PFF Grade: 8.8
2014 PFF Grade: -2.0
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 1 vs. Kansas City
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 6 vs. Jacksonville
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. I'm a fan of Kendall Wrights. The guy has shown that he has the talent to succeed in the NFL, he just happens to be a good wide receiver on an NFL team with a horrible QB situation. I personally think Wright would be better if he could find a way out of Tennessee and ended up on a team that actually had a good quarterback, but he more than likely will be stuck with the Titans for the next season or two. That may not exactly be a bad thing if the Titans could find a way to get their hands on a decent signal caller, but something tells me that's not going to happen. Trade this guy to a team that needs wide receivers. I'm sure the Chiefs and Alex Smith would be happy to take him.
21. New England Patriots: Chandler Jones (DE) Syracuse
2012 Snaps: 786
2013 Snaps: 1,281
2014 Snaps: 704
2012 PFF Grade: 6.4
2013 PFF Grade: -4.1
2014 PFF Grade: 11.8
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Minnesota
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 1 vs. Miami
Arrow: Pointing up. Chandler Jones has had an inconsistent career so far in New England. After a successful rookie season, he regressed in his second year in the league and a lot of people started to question whether or not he could turn into a consistent productive player. This season was arguably his best yet, but he also missed a nice chunk of games in the middle of the season. Either way, Jones is one of those players that when he's good....he's REALLY good (see his games against the Ravens, Vikings, and week 15 against Miami for example) and when he's bad....he's REALLY bad (see his games against the Chiefs and week 2 against Miami for example). If he could start being REALLY good on a consistent basis, the Patriots would be even better defensively than they have been. I have faith that Jones will eventually turn into that guy.
22. Cleveland Browns: Brandon Weeden (QB) Oklahoma State
2012 Snaps: 957
2013 Snaps: 473
2014 Snaps: 94
2012 PFF Grade: -27.4
2013 PFF Grade: -5.2
2014 PFF Grade: -2.4
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 16 vs. Indianapolis
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 9 vs. Arizona
Arrow: Pointing down. In case you ever wondered why the Cleveland Browns suck so bad, look no further than the 2012 NFL draft. The Browns had two top 25 picks in this draft and here we are just three years later and both of those players are on DIFFERENT NFL rosters! That is exactly what every single NFL general manager is trying to avoid doing in the NFL draft. Well, the Browns should've known what was coming when they drafted the 70-year old Brandon Weeden with the 22nd pick after every single NFL expert predicted Weeden would flame out in the league. I guess Cleveland just HAS to pick an awful QB every year (Hi Johnny Manziel) or they feel like they didn't have a good draft. Either way, Weeden is now a back-up for the Cowboys and he's also not very good at that job either.
23. Detroit Lions: Riley Reiff (OT) Iowa
2012 Snaps: 336
2013 Snaps: 1,127
2014 Snaps: 1,027
2012 PFF Grade: 5.6
2013 PFF Grade: -1.3
2014 PFF Grade: 0.7
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 7 vs. New Orleans
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Wildcard Playoffs vs. Dallas
Arrow: Pointing up. Riley Reiff had a decent showing in his rookie year, although he saw limited time on-the-field. That ultimately led to him seeing much more time in his second year in the league and his production regressed a little bit. However, Reiff showed improvement this season and that has to be considered a promising sign for the Lions going forward. Offensive lineman usually have a tendency to struggle their first few years in the NFL and it looks like Reiff is on his way to becoming a solid OT. If he can show more consistency on a game-to-game basis, Matthew Stafford would be a much happier quarterback. Next season is going to be a big one for Reiff as far as his future in Detroit is concerned.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: David DeCastro (OG) Stanford
2012 Snaps: 138
2013 Snaps: 963
2014 Snaps: 1,210
2012 PFF Grade: -2.6
2013 PFF Grade: 13.2
2014 PFF Grade: 1.9
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 5 vs. Jacksonville
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Wildcard Playoff vs. Baltimore
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. DeCastro's career got off to about the worst possible start you could imagine when he injured his knee in the third pre-season game of his rookie season. That caused the offensive lineman to miss the majority of his rookie campaign. In 2013, he was finally able to play a full season and actually had a fantastic year as well. He really only had 3 bad games and Pittsburgh fans were elated with DeCastro's performance as it looked like he was on his way to becoming a stud in the NFL. This year though, DeCastro's production on-the-field slipped a bit, as his consistency was all over the place. He started off the season a little rough and then from week 8 to week 14 he went through a little rough of games. However, that should be expected from young offensive lineman. The Steelers have to be happy with what they've seen from DeCastro so far, and I'm sure he'll continue to improve as he gets more experience under his belt.
25. New England Patriots: Dont'a Hightower (LB) Alabama
2012 Snaps: 667
2013 Snaps: 1,012
2014 Snaps: 977
2012 PFF Grade: 14.7
2013 PFF Grade: 14.1
2014 PFF Grade: 28.5
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 3 vs. Oakland
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 4 vs. Kansas City
Arrow: Pointing up. Dont'a Hightower is a stud and has been since arriving in the NFL. You want to know why the Patriots are a consistently good team that wins their division every year and always seems to be Super Bowl contenders? Because they draft players like Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower in the first-round while perennial toilet teams like Cleveland are taking Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson. It's a pretty simple formula people. Draft good players that you can develop and your team will be good. New England has figured it out and that's why they have guys like Hightower who are among the best at their position after just a few years in the league.
26. Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus (DE) Illinois
2012 Snaps: 534
2013 Snaps: 970
2014 Snaps: 822
2012 PFF Grade: -10.1
2013 PFF Grade: -18.1
2014 PFF Grade: -1.4
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 6 vs. Indianapolis
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 11 vs. Cleveland
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. After a rough two year start to his career (Mercilus was AWFUL his first two years in the league), Mercilus showed some signs of improvement this season. While he was still nowhere close to being considered "good", he went from being "horrifically awful" to just "bad" (that's a positive sign, right?). The hope for Mercilus and Texans fans is that he will continue to show improvement under head coach Bill O'Brien. If he can do that and Jadeveon Clowney can remain healthy enough to stay on-the-field, I don't know if there's a team in the NFL that will score on these guys. I know I've already said it a few times in this column, but next year is a big one as far as Whitney Mercilus' future in Houston is concerned.
27. Cincinnati Bengals: Kevin Zeitler (G) Wisconsin
2012 Snaps: 1,128
2013 Snaps: 878
2014 Snaps: 819
2012 PFF Grade: 15.1
2013 PFF Grade: 8.5
2014 PFF Grade: 19.3
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 15 vs. Cleveland
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 13 vs. Tampa Bay
Arrow: Pointing in the middle. Kevin Zeitler is the perfect example of a great draft selection. The Bengals took Zeitler towards the end of the first-round and the guy has been a consistent work horse for them since. He's had a much bigger impact on the Bengals than their first selection in this draft and something tells me he won't be slowing down anytime soon. The only reason his arrow is pointing in the middle is because I don't know if he can get any better, but that's fine because he's already one hell of an NFL player.
28. Green Bay Packers: Nick Perry (LB) USC
2012 Snaps: 211
2013 Snaps: 433
2014 Snaps: 429
2012 PFF Grade: 0.0
2013 PFF Grade: -2.4
2014 PFF Grade: -1.7
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 7 vs. Carolina
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 10 vs. Chicago
Arrow: Pointing down. Nick Perry has been a wasted draft pick for the Packers. Ideally you want your first-round draft picks to play over 1,000 snaps a season on a good year. Well, here we are three years into Perry's career and the guy hasn't even seen half that amount of snaps a season. You want to know why he hasn't seen the field that much? He's not very good. Sure, he shows glimpses of potentially turning into a solid NFL player every now and again, but for the most part, he's been one giant bowl of disappointment for the Cheese heads.
29. Minnesota Vikings: Harrison Smith (S) Notre Dame
2012 Snaps: 1,131
2013 Snaps: 537
2014 Snaps: 1,097
2012 PFF Grade: 10.8
2013 PFF Grade: -4.6
2014 PFF Grade: 17.9
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 4 vs. Atlanta
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 6 vs. Detroit
Arrow: Pointing up. Harrison Smith has turned into one of the best safeties in the NFL and Minnesota fans couldn't be happier. After an outstanding rookie year, Smith had an injury plagued sophomore season that saw his production slip. Some Vikings fans were worried that maybe Smith had already peaked in his career, but those worries were squashed after what we saw on-the-field from him this season. This year was easily his best season yet and barring some kind of major injury, he will likely continue to improve. That's not good news for the 31 other NFL teams.
30. San Francisco 49ers: A.J. Jenkins (WR) Illinois
2012 Snaps: 47
2013 Snaps: 229
2014 Snaps: 253
2012 PFF Grade: -1.4
2013 PFF Grade: -3.0
2014 PFF Grade: -4.7
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 2 vs. Denver
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 3 vs. Miami
Arrow: Pointing down. Good lord, A.J. Jenkins has been absolutely awful since arriving in the NFL. You want to see what a bust looks like? Look at this guy's NFL career. After being drafted by one of the best teams in the league (the 49ers), Jenkins had an atrocious rookie season and the 49ers decided to part ways with him after only one season. Jenkins was then traded to the Chiefs where he hasn't gotten any better. He has yet to see more than 300 snaps a year and isn't anywhere close to posting a positive PFF grade. If this guy is still in the league next season, I'll be shocked. Expect to see him catching balls in Canada.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Doug Martin (RB) Boise State
2012 Snaps: 841
2013 Snaps: 317
2014 Snaps: 355
2012 PFF Grade: 9.1
2013 PFF Grade: -9.1
2014 PFF Grade: -6.3
Best Game of 2014 Season: Week 13 vs. Cincinnati
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Week 1 vs. Carolina
Arrow: Pointing down. What the hell happened to the "Muscle Hamster"? After an extraordinary rookie season that saw Martin explode onto the scene with an outstanding campaign, his career has slipped in an alarming way. He got injured halfway through the season in 2013, but it's not like he was having a great year before the injury took him out. He was actually well on his way to having an awful season and the injury may have been a blessing in disguise. Bucs fans were hoping that with a new head coach and a new attitude surrounding the team, that Martin would return to his rookie form this season and take the league by storm again. That didn't happen. He once again came out and laid a giant egg and now Tampa fans are left scratching their heads and wondering if there's any thread even left on this kid's tires. The Bucs are likely going to implement a rookie quarterback into their system next year so Martin needs to return to his rookie form sooner rather than later. It would definitely help make the transition easier for whoever the new QB is. Will we ever see the return of the "Muscle Hamster"? Only time will tell.
32. New York Giants: David Wilson (RB) Virginia Tech
2012 Snaps: 125
2013 Snaps: 113
2014 Snaps: Didn't play
2012 PFF Grade: -0.8
2013 PFF Grade: -2.2
2014 PFF Grade: Didn't play
Best Game of 2014 Season: Didn't play football in 2014
Worst Game of 2014 Season: Didn't play football in 2014
Arrow: Pointing up. I refuse to bad mouth David Wilson. Few things in football are sadder than when a young guy is forced to end his career early due to injuries. It's one thing for a guy to come into the league and flame out because he's just not good, it's a completely different thing for a kid to not be able to achieve his dreams because his body won't allow it. The reason that Wilson's arrow is pointing up is because the guy is currently training for the 2016 Olympics (he's going for the triple jump) and I'm not going to lie....I'm rooting for him.
And that is that! Like I mentioned earlier, you will continue to see draft reviews on the blog as we go full steam ahead to the 2015 NFL Draft in April. Do you have a specific year you want to see me go back and review? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know.
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