Tag: 2012 NFL Draft

Robert Griffin III demands more respect for Russell Wilson’s comeback year

Wilson appears to have gotten his groove back after a brutal 2022 season.

When it started out, it looked like Robert Griffin III was the best quarterback in the 2012 draft class. That didn’t last long, though. RGIII was never the same after injuring his knee against Seattle in the playoffs that year and in any case Russell Wilson went on to surpass him and everybody else. Now 11 years removed from getting picked No. 75 overall, Wilson appears to have gotten his groove back after a brutal 2022 season.

While it wasn’t a pretty win, Denver’s Monday night victory over Buffalo showed that Wilson can still produce on a big stage, and his numbers for the season show he’s been among the league’s best quarterbacks this year. Here’s Griffin demanding that folks show Russ some respect on Twitter.

Considering what defenses around the league are doing to guys like Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts this season, Wilson’s numbers are undeniably impressive. Best of all, his 6.9% touchdown rate is No. 1 in the NFL right now.

Denver’s defense has also engineered a major turnaround after a bad start to the season. The Broncos’ emergence makes the minefield in the AFC even more crowded and dangerous. Whichever team emerges from that scrum might have a tough time against the eventual NFC champ.

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27 Days, 27 Picks: RB Doug Martin

Did someone say Muscle Hamster?

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

The first pick from Tampa Bay in the 2012 NFL draft was safety Mark Barron, but the Bucs got to take another player at the end of the first round. That player would go on to get a first-team All-Pro with the Bucs and is still the team’s last 1000-yard rusher, but his tenure in Tampa Bay was marred with inconsistencies.

Check out the draft rundown on RB Doug Martin below:

Seahawks ranked No. 1 in total draft value since 2012

The bad news is the vast majority of that surplus value came from one guy who’s no longer on the roster.

With less than one week to go before the 2022 NFL draft, ESPN has released an analysis that ranks the Seahawks No. 1 in career approximate value over expected (CAVOE) on their draft picks since 2012. That’s the good news. The bad news is the vast majority of that surplus value came from one guy who’s no longer on the roster.

Based on ESPN’s CAVOE model it appears that Seattle taking Russell Wilson at No. 75 overall was about the highest-value pick any team has made over the last 10 years. That and the extra value Bobby Wagner offered in the second round pushed that awesome 2012 class essentially into a realm of its own.

Sadly, the truth is that this team hasn’t turned in an A+ draft class since that year. It’s probably no accident that former personnel guru Scot McCloughan exited the following year (2013). He had previously built up the brutally-tough Jim Harbaugh era 49ers teams and after he left Seattle he almost made the Washington franchise a contender in just two years. Meanwhile, the pairing of Pete Carroll and John Schneider have managed to draft just one superstar and three long-term starters the last six years: D.K. Metcalf, Frank Clark, Tyler Lockett and Jordyn Brooks (probably).

Remember, Clark fell into the second round because of legitimate off-field concerns. Meanwhile, Metcalf dropped to No. 64 overall because 31 other teams made a colossally stupid mistake. PC/JS also had to give up a lot of capital to trade up for Lockett. Add it all up and the results have been pretty awful since the 2013 class.

Most of this team’s good acquisitions over the last several years have come via trades and the odd undrafted studs like Poona Ford. There haven’t been nearly enough of those late-round hits and UDFA gems to keep the team competing at a championship level indefinitely.

What ultimately held the ship together in the face of Carroll’s antiquated philosophies and a declining roster was the transcendent talent of Russell Wilson, who’s out of the picture.

The last time Seattle needed a new franchise QB they got extremely lucky, only having to spend one year in the wilderness in 2011 with Tarvaris Jackson as their starter.

From Matt Hasselbeck taking over in 2001 up until Wilson’s final season Seahawks fans have enjoyed nearly 20 years of uninterrupted good-to-great quarterback play. Only two other teams have enjoyed similar success during the same time-frame. Aaron Rodgers just re-upped for four more years, while the Patriots seem to believe Mac Jones is their long-term answer after Tom Brady’s exit.

In the end, Pete Carroll and John Schneider probably didn’t believe Wilson will continue to ball out at a high level into his late 30s and 40s the way Rodgers and Brady have. They certainly weren’t willing to pay him the kind of money those elite QBs will be commanding on this next round of contracts.

Or maybe Wilson wasn’t going to sign another contract with the Seahawks no matter what they were or weren’t willing to offer. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine Wilson mentally checking out after the way the 2018 playoff game against the Cowboys went down.

Anyway. If Carroll and Schneider actually pull this off and find a new high-level QB in the next couple years they’ll have their jobs as long as they want them.

If not?

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Reviewing 2012 Saints draft picks and grades

The 2012 NFL draft was one to forget for the New Orleans Saints, who didn’t get the most out of Akiem Hicks while whiffing on other picks.

Our countdown to the 2021 NFL draft continues, this time recapping the Saints’ 2012 draft haul. Hamstrung by their 2011 draft-day trade for Mark Ingram and the “Bountygate” penalties Roger Goodell brought down on New Orleans, there wasn’t much to write home about — but the Saints still gave it their best effort despite the circumstances.

Rams GM Les Snead created the ‘Bobby Wagner rule’ after missing out

Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead traded back and missed out on Bobby Wagner in 2012, causing him to create a new draft rule for himself.

While Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is among the most trade-happy GM’s during the NFL draft, he may be matched by his counterpart in Los Angeles, Les Snead.

And while Snead only made one trade in last month’s draft, the Rams GM has a similar reputation as Schneider for being willing to move down and acquire more picks in the later rounds.

However – during his first year at the helm in Los Angeles in 2012, Snead moved down five spots from No. 45 to No. 50 in order to acquire draft capital later, and they missed out on a future Hall of Fame linebacker – who instead ended up in Seattle.

“We made a trade back like we did in this year’s fourth round to collect some more picks later in the draft, and one of the players we were definitely thinking of targeting there was Bobby Wagner,” Snead said in a video call. “And that year, Bobby didn’t go to the combine so you maybe thought he would slip a little bit farther in the draft but unfortunately, he didn’t. That’s probably going to go down as the one that got picked right in front of you that has probably hurt the most considering he did go to a division rival and is probably working to a Hall of Fame career with the Seahawks.”

The Seahawks climbed up to No. 47 overall to snag Wagner in what will go down as perhaps the greatest individual draft by a team in NFL history. They not only snagged Bruce Irvin in Round 1, but they took Russell Wilson in the third round – giving them two Hall of Fame talents outside of the first round.

Snead remains haunted by the decision to move back, hoping to catch Wagner a few spots later. In fact, he now has a specific rule when it comes to drafting that he calls the ‘Bobby Wagner Rule’, to prevent him from making the same mistake again.

“I call it the ‘Bobby Wagner Rule,” Snead continued. “There’s a lot of ways to carve a draft strategy … but the ‘Bobby Wagner Rule’ would be, if a player falls to you and you really want that human being, don’t get cute and don’t worry about those extra draft picks. Just take that human being and the rest will take care of itself. Some of the best lessons in this business are learned the hard way.”

One could argue the Seahawks used the ‘Bobby Wagner rule’ this year on first round pick Jordyn Brooks, a player some felt would be available if they traded back. However, the staff made it clear Brooks was the guy they wanted, and they decided not to get cute and instead to get their guy.

Hopefully, it has a similar result as it did in 2012.

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Russell Wilson remembers the naysayers when he was drafted

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson used Twitter to share some old tweets from 2012, doubting his ability to play QB at the NFL level.

When the Seattle Seahawks selected Russell Wilson with the 75th pick in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft, the selection was met with widespread criticism.

Many felt Wilson was not tall enough to be an NFL-caliber quarterback, and that his style of play was not conducive to success in the NFL – with some even suggesting he should stick with baseball, where he was a fourth round pick by the Colorado Rockies out of college.

Wilson obviously proved everybody wrong, and then some, becoming one of the league’s most elite signal-callers and earning the biggest payday for a quarterback in league history.

And while his genial nature may be a sign of someone who is over it, Wilson took to Twitter to let this weekend’s draft picks know that he has not forgotten what the doubters said about him.

Wilson’s message to the next crop of NFL draft picks is clear: don’t let the naysayers get you down – they can’t stop you from reaching your peak.

Wilson’s success is proof of this, and he has helped pave the way for many undersized, mobile quarterbacks to get chances at the next level – many who have had tons of success.

The NFL draft will begin at 5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 23 and will resume on Friday and Saturday.

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Robert Griffin III isn’t giving up on his desire to start again

After taking the football world by storm as a rookie, QB Robert Griffin III has had a tumultuous career. But he’s not giving up starting yet

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It may seem like forever ago, but Robert Griffin III was once the next big thing in the NFL. Picked No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, one spot after quarterback Andrew Luck went to the Indianapolis Colts, Griffin actually had the better start to his career of the pair. But all that promise quickly turned sour as Griffin suffered a serious knee injury during the playoffs as a rookie. He later found himself out of the NFL for the entire 2017 season. Having spent the last two years with the Baltimore Ravens as a backup, Griffin hasn’t given up on his dreams of starting again.

“My goal is to get back to that,” Griffin said on “The Zach Gelb Show,” per Tim Kelly of Radio.com. “I know that Lamar is the guy in Baltimore, but that doesn’t extinguish my fire to go out and want to be a starter. And not just be a starter, be a franchise player.

“I’m not in this to play for another four or five years as a backup. That’s not what I’m about.”

After his unceremonious departure from the Redskins and a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, Griffin sat out all of 2017 before getting a chance to prove himself with the Baltimore Ravens. Signed as a depth quarterback, Griffin practiced well and showed plenty of polish in preseason action to stay onboard as the Ravens’ third quarterback that season. With Joe Flacco getting traded after the season, Griffin was back in 2019 as Jackson’s top backup. Slowly but surely, Griffin has been working his way back up the ladder in the hopes of getting another chance at a starring role.

“After sitting out of the league in 2017 and coming back in and having to earn everything all over again … starting from scratch … everyone saying, ‘Can he do it? Can he still do this? Can he still run? Can he still move? Can he still throw?’ And I think I’ve gone out and systematically shown over the course of the last two years that I can still do all those things and do it at a high level. So, that’s my goal. And it’s not just to get back to the top of the mountain and look at the scenery. I want to get back to the top of the mountain and go win — and win a lot.”

Griffin has done well in Baltimore, showing that he still had a good bit of speed and, more importantly, that he can stay healthy. Griffin believes that without his injuries, he’d “still be a franchise quarterback to this day.” But with some time in a backup role, the league can’t help but remain interested in what could be. The Ravens have gotten trade calls about Griffin before, showing at least a little interest this late in his career.

To those that might still wonder if Griffin can handle the rigors of being a starting quarterback and playing a full 16-game schedule, he pitched himself in a different light.

“What I would say is that one, I don’t get injured a lot,” Griffin said. “Football is a contact sport. A guy by the name of Matthew Stafford was hurt consistently for the first couple years of his career and then he turned it around and he’s had an illustrious long career throwing for tons of yards and having a ton of success.

“When you say, ‘Well, Robert, you haven’t started in a really long time,’ I say, ‘Well, football is football, and the more you play, the better you get.’ Now I’m sitting here as a seven- or eight-year vet, 30 years old. … I’ve seen a lot … I’ve done a lot and understand the game much better now than when I was a rookie and you saw what I did then.”

While franchise quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are set to wear a different uniform for the first time in their careers, there’s no reason why Griffin can’t get another shot at the limelight. The question seems to be more a matter of when and where it’ll happen.

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Bills take Alshon Jeffery in 2012 NFL Draft redo

In a 2012 NFL Draft redo, the Bills use that knowledge to change their pick. Although, their hand was forced a bit. 

With April, otherwise known as NFL Draft month, quickly approaching, the Bills and league will turn their attention from free agency to the upcoming rookie selection extravaganza.

But NFL.com dipped back into a past draft to discuss what could have been teams… had they known how things would play out. In a 2012 NFL Draft redo, the Bills use that knowledge to change their pick. Although, their hand was forced a bit.

Originally at the No. 10 overall pick that year, the Bills select cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The new pick is Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery instead. But there’s a twist. Would the Bills have re-selected Gilmore? Who knows, because in this redo, he actually is the sixth-overall pick, going to the Cowboys.

Back to Jeffery, here’s how former front office executive turned NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt breaks down the changed pick:

Original pick: Stephon Gilmore, CB.
Jeffery was actually drafted: by the Bears in Round 2 (No. 45).

With Gilmore off the board, the Bills grab Jeffery. Pairing Jeffery with wideout Stevie Johnson would have gone a long way toward providing the kind of offensive firepower that might have kept both coach Chan Gailey and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from losing their jobs in Buffalo after the 2012 season.

Also worth mentioning might be that the Bills were eventually unable to keep Gilmore after his rookie contract expired and he’s since been on the Patriots. Further comparisons to consider would be that heading into this offseason, the Bills added Stefon Diggs. That’s because they needed a top-playmaking receiver. While Diggs is a higher-caliber playmaker than Jeffery, Buffalo would not have been in such a dire situation to acquire Diggs, had they had a big-bodied playmaker like Jeffery.

However, if we’re making knocks against Gilmore in a sense, it’s only far to do so with Jeffery. In recent seasons he’s had a tough time staying on the field and it appears they’d have their effects on him even when he does get out there. Still, interesting to consider adding Jeffery into that 2012 Bills offense.

In terms of the current-day Bills, let’s look back to Carolina, too. With the No. 9 overall pick in this redo, right before Buffalo’s selection, the Panthers… who had Buffalo’s Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott in-house at the time, still select linebacker Luke Kuechly. A bit of a notion that those two were apart of an important and smart selection.

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Giants select Kelechi Osemele in Gil Brandt’s 2012 re-draft

In a 2012 NFL re-draft courtesy of Gil Brandt, the New York Giants select OG Kelechi Osemele instead of RB David Wilson.

Months removed from defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants decided to add a unique spark to their already talented team, selecting running back David Wilson in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately for the Giants and Wilson, that union was short-lived.

Wilson, who was named a Second Team All-Pro as a rookie, suffered a career-ending neck injury in 2013 and was forced to retire early.

With that in mind, Gil Brandt of NFL Network had the Giants go in an entirely different direction as part of his 2012 NFL re-draft, selecting offensive guard Kelechi Osemele at No. 32 overall.

Original pick: David Wilson, RB.
Osemele was actually drafted by: the Ravens in Round 2 (No. 60).

This can’t be considered a knock on Wilson, since an early career-ending neck injury prevented us from seeing what he could have become. The Giants could have avoided some of the problems that later surfaced along their offensive line by selecting Osemele here, with Cordy Glenn receiving strong consideration, as well.

The Giants did cycle through various guards from that point forward, but a quality offensive tackle would have been even more valuable to the team long-term.

Still, as Brandt alluded, having Osemele, a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, locked into place would have afforded the team an opportunity to dive deeper into their search for a quality tackle.

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2012 NFL Draft do-over: Bears find heir apparent to LB Brian Urlacher

If the Bears could have a do-over in the 2012 NFL Draft, they should’ve selected the heir-apparent to Brian Urlacher: ILB Bobby Wagner.

There’s a certain dark humor when it comes to NFL Draft do-overs. While it provides clarity years later — showing you what could’ve been a perfect fit for your team. It also reminds you that, unfortunately, your team made the wrong decision. A decision that cannot be undone.

NFL.com’s newest NFL Draft do-over comes from 2012, where the Bears were coming off an unimpressive 8-8 season in 2011 just one year after making it to the 2010 NFC Championship Game.

With the No. 19 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Boise State defensive end Shaw McClellin.

If the Bears could have a do-over, NFL.com believes they should’ve selected the heir-apparent to Brian Urlacher: Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Original pick: Shea McClellin, DE.
Wagner was actually drafted by: the Seahawks in Round 2 (No. 47).

McClellin never found his niche in Chicago before leaving for New England. So here, the Bears instead go with Wagner, who becomes the heir apparent to Brian Urlacher.

Wagner is arguably the best inside linebacker in the game today. In his eight-year career with the Seahawks, Wagner is a five-time first-team All Pro, six-time Pro Bowler and his impact on Seattle’s defense has been profound.

McClellin, on the other hand, was just an average defender for the Bears before he moved on with the Patriots. In his five-year career, McClellin had 202 tackles, 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

While McClellin became another failed first-round draft pick by the Bears, Wagner became an ultimate second-round steal for the Seahawks who’s stamped his ticket for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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