The First 10 Picks of the 2012 NFL Draft

Talk about an interesting first several picks in the 2012 NFL Draft. With the first two picks being locked, it seemed things were going to be a little lacking in the excitement department. All in all, 4 of the first 5 picks were traded. Here is the recap.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2 and surprised nobody. About half an hour before the draft started, the Vikings traded the 3rd pick to the Browns, who selected Alabama do it all back Trent Richardson. Minnesota selected Kalil at 4 and Jacksonville moved up to 5th and finally got a receiver in Justin Blackmon. Dallas moved up from 14th by trading with the Rams and got LSU standout Morris Claiborne. Tampa Bay ended up with Mark Barron from Alabama and, in a move that shocked nobody, the Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill.  Rounding out the top 10 were the Panthers, who selected Luke Kuechly, and the Bills, who added Stephon Gilmore of South Carolina.

Biggest Surprises: St. Louis traded down yet again and the Cowboys paid a big price to move up. St. Louis gave the Cowboys the 6th pick while gaining the 14th overall pick and the 45th pick (2nd).

Riskiest Pick: This is easily the Dolphins. Tannehill is a quarterback with a ton of question marks. It will be interesting to see how he does in Miami.

Take it to the Bank: Both the Colts and the Redskins got their quarterbacks. Both of these guys are going to be great to watch and should make an immediate impact on two terrible teams. The same can be said for the Panthers and Kuechly. Kuechly will be a productive and intelligent player for the Panthers who will be a tackling machine.

Charger Madness Mock Draft 1.0 Picks 1-10

The 2012 NFL Draft is just over a month away. Today starts part 1 of the  Charger Madness Mock Draft 1.0. We begin with picks 1-10.


1) Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford)

The Colts have been a lock to pick Stanford QB Andrew Luck for months. While the team will give due diligence to Robert Griffin III and scout him, but Luck is the man here. Indy will begin a new era this season, and what better way to replace Manning than with the best quarterback prospect since, well, Manning. Luck can make all the throws and looked great throughout his college career and at his pro day. It almost seems unfair that a team can get to draft franchise quarterbacks back to back like this.

Other Possibilities: Robert Griffin III


2) Washington Redskins (from St. Louis)-  Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor)

The Redskins sold the farm to move up to the 2nd spot in order to land their quarterback of the future. Griffin has elite athleticism and can make all the throws. The differences in Luck and Griffin are mainly just style of play. Both are talented. Griffin seems to be a great fit for the Redskins and the West Coast offense. He possesses great character and can be a leader in the locker room for years to come.   Either way, the Redskins will get a great quarterback.

Other possibilities: Andrew Luck

Free Agency Just Hours Away

Free Agency will begin in just a few hours. Fans are eagerly awaiting the start to see what teams are going to make a big signing and what teams get left in the dust.  Everybody wants the best, but every year, countless teams get left at the alter. Agents know that this is the best period to get a good deal for their clients. Heading into free agency, there are two huge stories.

First off, Peyton Manning is going to determine much of how the free agency period plays out. The list of teams that want a shot at Manning is daunting. Manning stated that he would like to have a decision by today. If Manning delays, several teams could be forced to wait on signing other free agents while Manning decides. This could cause teams to be at a disadvantage when signing free agents beacause they may not be able to argue specifics on salary. While I do expect most teams to be able to float a ballpark number, Manning will control the free agent market.

The other big issue is the reported 46 million dollar cap removal that the league is imposing on the Cowboys and the Redskins. While there is a point that the teams may have broke a gentleman's agreement in regards to contracts for free agents (Dallas with Miles Austin and Washington with Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall), there was no actual written rule for the uncapped year. It is expected that all other teams with the exceptions of the Saints and Raiders will receive around 1.6 million dollars worth of extra cap space. This is all rather hazy at the moment. Fans are understandably frustrated with this ruling, especially since the NFL approved all of the contracts. Dallas will be facing 10 million dollars removed, but Washington is the team that is really getting hit the worst. The Redskins are being penalized 36 million. The Redskins, as you may or may not know, just recently sold the farm to the St. Louis Rams to be able to draft RG3 (or Andrew Luck if the Colts have a sudden change of heart). They gave up three 1st round picks and a second rounder. Free agency was how the Redskins were going to put RG3 around good talent.

In my opinion, the NFL is penalizing two teams that, while they may have broke a gentleman's agreement, had league approval for what they did. While trying to protect the competitive balance, the NFL has actually limited that very principle of competitive balance.