The 2012 NFL Draft concluded in its traditional, ho-hum fashion. Because it is THE National Football League, the level of seriousness did not deviate and we as fans are led to believe that Round 7 is just as important as Round 1. The talking machine that is Mel McMortenson, Jr. tries to make the 6th round pick of cornerback Issiah Frey interesting, but, there is only so many ways to say, well, IF, everything works out, and I mean EVERYTHING (including the alignment of Mars with Saturn), this guy might be a serviceable NFL starter. All you need to do is look at our evaluation of the drafts for 2005 through 2011 to see that the “hit” rate in the later rounds is not very high. Even for a GM like TT who has his black belt in the NFL Draft.
Surprisingly both the Vikings and the Packers made some moves in Rounds 4 through 7. All the moves seemed to be based on sound logic, which is a nice departure for half of the BR rivalry. The following is BR’s review of each squad’s final push in the marathon that was the 2012 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings
After taking the draft off on Friday, Schemin’ Spielman was back at it on Saturday. Who knows, maybe all the excitement of Round 1 wore him out for Rounds 2 and 3. And, maybe Josh Robinson, with a little coaching, will be the Vikes’ next great DB/PR. Though, missing out on Casey Hayward and Rueben Randle really could end up being Spielman’s only misstep in this year’s draft.
Going into Rounds 4 through 7, Schemin’ had a mittful of draft picks, including 3 in Round 4, 2 in Round 5, 1 in Round 6, and 3 in Round 7. 9 picks total. Schemin’ turned those 9 picks into the following: Arkansas’ WR corps (Jarius Wright and Greg Childs), Jim Kleinsasser 2.0 (Rhett Ellison), 2013 4th round pick, the rest of Notre Dame’s secondary (Robert Blanton), 2013 6th round pick, Audie Cole, Trevor Guyton, and Blair Walsh. Overall, a pretty good haul.
Wright and Childs are decent little receivers. There were two player available, defensive lineman Jared Crick and linebacker Ronnell Lewis, who might have been better talents. Plus, with Cheech Harvin firmly established as our team’s slot receiver, it is a little curious what role the Vikes envision for Wright. But, his talent is undeniable and both he and Childs could challenge for starting minutes this year.
Lewis is a Jimmy Kleinsasser-type FB/TE. He will do a little bit of everything and he will do it at 160%. Good teams need players like this. So, for a 4th round pick, this is solid value.
In the 5th round, Schemin’ got Detroit’s 2013 4th round pick because he found out they really wanted Tahir Whitehead. A solid trade. With one of the picks he stole from Cleveland, the Vikes drafted Robert Blanton. A versatile DB who will hopefully excel in nickel and dime packages and contribute on special teams. AGAIN, surprisingly sound logic in the 5th round.
In the 6th and 7th rounds, Schemin’ got an heir apparent for Ryan Longwell, Mr. Blair Walsh (kid has an absolute rocket leg – but – the mind of a hockey goalie on Prozac); another special teams All-Star, Audie Cole; and potential platoon mate for Brian Robison (essentially, he is really good at stopping the run), Trevor Guyton. While it is unlikely any of the players drafted in Rounds 4 through 7 will be Pro Bowlers, Schemin’ did a nice job of balancing the need for solid starters/reserves while filling the coffers for next year’s draft. We will do a complete recap later in the week, but, with Schemin’ at the helm, things are definitely looking up at Winter Park.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers continued to be operated by TT’s evil step-brother on day 3. How else do you explain him trading UP in the draft on three separate occasions?! Whatever got in to TT is a welcome change and appears to have landed some quality players to add to the roster that had few holes to fill.
With his two compensatory picks in round 4, the Packers selected DE/DT Mike Daniels from Iowa and Maine left-winger, I mean safety (thought Maine only played hockey up there) Jeron McMillian. Both players were unknown, but offer something the Packers need.
Starting with Daniels, he is undersized at only 6’0″ and 290 lbs. But, he is a quick, penetrating type DT/DE that should rotate in on passing situations. He is a hard worker and overachieving type player, the type of guy TT loves to draft. In his last two years at Iowa, he amassed 10 sacks from the DT position and was named to the second-team All Big-Ten, just behind the Packers 2nd round selection – Jerel Worthy. Although many casual draft fans may not know Daniels, it appears to be a solid selection, aimed at providing speed on the DL to get after the quarterback.
Jeron McMillian is a curious pick to say the least. Safety became a huge need when the Pack announced Nick Collins would not be returning. With only Peprah, Burnett, and Jennings on the depth chart, the Packers needed to provide additional competition. But, with numerous big-school players on the board, TT went back to the small-school route (remember, Collins was from Bethune-Cookman) to find a safety. There are few fans of this pick. McMillian is athletic enough, testing out as one of the fastest safeties at the combine. But, his stats are underwhelming against inferior competition. He evidently is a willing tackler in run support and has the range with his speed. Naysayers point to his propensity to jump on play-actions. From the get-go, he should be an immediate contributor on special teams and, with good coaching, should battle for the starting safety position opposite Burnett.
After these two picks, TT’s next scheduled selection was round 6. But, following his new M.O., TT traded up again with The Hoodie and reclaimed his original 5th round selection to select ILB Terrell Manning from N.C. State. Manning came out early, proclaiming he was ready. He’s 6’2″ and 237 lbs. and a solid rush defender. Manning is a physical presence that will fill out his frame more as he matures. He was graded out as a fourth-round projection, but fell to the fifth where TT jumped on him. Immediately, he will contribute on special teams and compete for added depth behind Mr. T-Rex, A.J. Hawk, and Bishop. If he had stayed in college for another season, he likely would have been drafted higher, making this selection a nice developmental pick that could pan out in the long-run.
With his remaining two supplemental selections in the 7th round, TT finally drafted two offensive players – OT Andrew Datko (Fla. St.) and QB B.J. Coleman (Tenn.-Chattanooga). As 7th round selections, I don’t have much hope for these two. But they present interesting projects. Datko was supposedly rated much higher heading in to his senior season. Injury issues led to his late selection. He’s a little soft, but at 6’6″ and 315 lbs., it’s definitely worth a 7th-round investment to find a backup tackle. Coleman initially started at the U. of Tennessee, but transferred when he was demoted. He is 6’3″ and 233 lbs. and has some prototypical QB skills that he should develop in MM’s QB school. Interestingly enough, he is represented by Bus Cook (you know, the agent for Mr. Brent Favre) and had been training with Brent leading up to the camp – meaning this is the first Packers backup QB he has mentored. (I have to admit I stole this line from twitter, but definitely worth it.)
Overall, TT had a great draft, adding starters, depth, and better overall team-speed on defense. Packers fans should be thrilled with this haul. One final note from this draft, according to the NFL Draft Trade Chart, TT trade-raped The Hoodie in the two deals with him. In the first deal with The Hoodie, where TT traded his 3rd and 5th round selections for the 62nd overall selection, the difference in value was plus-116.8. And in the second deal, TT received back his 5th round selection for a 6th and two 7th round picks, the difference in value was plus-11.7. Add in the plus-31 differential in the first trade up, and you can see why TT was preaching value with all three deals.
The fun of the draft is over. But, with great-to-solid selections by both BR squads, both fan bases have a newfound excitement heading into the offseason camps. Check back later in the week for a full NFC North breakdown to see how the local squads drafts stack up against the hated Bears and Motor City Kitties.
Border Rivals 