Next in a series of Guest Bloggers for TheFootballEducator.com is Randy Schwimmer. Randy breaks down the 2012 NFL Draft starting with half of the AFC West.
AFC West 2012 NFL Draft Assessment per Team
Over the next few weeks I will be going through and giving my assessments of how the draft played out for each team in a specific division. I’ll start with my most familiar division, the AFC West. Without further ado, let’s get this going:
2012 NFL Draft - Best Pick: Round 2 pick 36, Derek Wolfe, DT, U of Cincinnati: Wolfe brings something that is an obvious weakness (at least in the mind of the media and draft analysts) to the Denver Broncos, gap shooting three technique that can provide an instant pass rush to force the QB back into the ferocious pass rush of Doom and Gloom. Wolfe should be a day one starter next to Ty Warren if he can remain healthy.
2012 NFL Draft - Worst Pick: Round 2 pick 57, Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State: Before the draft, John Elway clearly proclaimed that the Denver Broncos would approach this draft looking for impact players. Brock is not the impact player that Bronco fans were looking for after having to wait through the first round with no picks. The stun from John Elway (and crew) picking Derek Wolfe with pick 36 hadn’t sunk in yet, and then they made this pick. A future pick is what this was, and will be. If Brock can blossom under Elway and Manning, then Elway will look like a genius in four to five years. Let’s hope that is what happens.
2012 NFL Draft - Best Pick: Round 1 pick 18, Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina: When A.J. Smith drafted Larry English with the 16th pick in the 2009 draft, he was looking for what Melvin Ingram should provide the team with: an outside pass rush to match up with an aging Shaun Phillips. English never panned out only putting up 2 sacks in 2009, 3 sacks in 2010, and 2 sacks in 2011. Those aren’t the numbers you want to see from your first round pass rusher over three years. Especially since A.J. had to watch Denver land 11.5 sacks from their rookie last year in Von Miller.
2012 NFL Draft - Worst Pick: Round 5 pick, Johnny Troutman, Guard, Penn State: The Chargers lost one of the best deep threats/big play wide outs in the game with Vincent Jackson. They did not draft one single wide receiver to help recover from this. Robert Meacham and Eddie Royal, together, will not match Jackson’s production. While I like what Troutman can bring to the table, I feel this pick should have been one of the wide receivers left.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or questions on this topic.
Follow me on Twitter: @randyschwimmer7
Nice read. I like the Osweiler pick for Denver, because I’d rather have a 2nd-round rookie as a backup than Caleb freaking Hanie, but you explained why most people have a problem with that pick: He’s not an impact player immediately. He’s likely not an impact player for four years.
Ryan,
I agree with the assessment of having Osweiler as a better backup for Manning than Hanie, but I look at it like the Broncos could have gotten a “project quarterback” in the later rounds of the draft, and used 57 on a player that could play RIGHT NOW. Kirk Cousins is a leader and I think will actually be a better pro in the long run then Osweiler will be. I could be completely wrong too. My thought was that Denver had Reuben Randall staring them in the face, and he would have looked really nice lined up with Decker and Thomas.
Great analysis. I know people originally questioned the Broncos for selecting Wolfe, but I think once people see how hard this kid is willing to work he is going to have few critics. Besides being talented, he has the attitude and work ethic to succeed on this team. Go Broncos!
Great post. I actually like the Derek Wolfe pick and I think he can be a huge addition to the Denver defensive line. Also agree with the horrible pick the Chargers made with Johnny Troutman. Eddie Royal and Meachem are solid wide receivers but are not elite/number one receivers.The Chargers will need a HUGE year from Rivers and his new targets to even contend in the division this year. Great post and looking forward to more!
You hit it right on with Derek Wolfe. He was one of the best, if not the best, DT in the draft. Good pick.
I think Osweiler will bloom in more like 2 to 3 years. Although he didn’t see as much play time during his college career as one would hope his stats did show pretty well. Who knows, maybe he’ll have the luck of Jake Plummer. Plus, at 6-8 240 he’s got some pretty good height and weight.
Melvin Ingram was a good pick for San Diego. You’re correct in your assessment of the aging Shaun Phillips. Ingram should be a good fill.
Great post. Look forward to your next one.
I agree with what you are saying, I am not a fan of the Brock pick also. Not because I don’t like him as a project, just due to the fact that the Broncos have so many needs right now. If we are going to win with Manning it needs to be soon. Time will tell, but I am looking forward to the upcoming season. We have a tough schedule and it should be fun.
Nice to see someone do their research or know what they’re talking about before they write an article. Good piece to read….