The glamour boys came early, the pressure to find pressure built in the middle and the opening round of the 2012 NFL draft got offensive again at the end. The Green Bay Packers grabbed USC linebacker Nick Perry at number 28, standing pat after teams pulled off eight trades on the night to position themselves for the player they coveted. Here's a pick by pick round up of round one.
Indianapolis - Andrew Luck QB Stanford. Welcome to the world of Aaron Rodgers, following a legend will not be easy, at least Rodgers had talent around him, the Colts cupboard is bare and this will take some time.
Washington - Robert Griffin III QB Baylor. The Heisman winner was pegged by the Skins as soon as they mortgaged their future two weeks before the draft sending a boat load of future picks to St. Louis. It's the 4th time since 1967 quarterbacks have gone 1-2, and one of these two might not cut it based on history. I'll give you 1971 when both Jim Plunkett and Archie Manning had fine careers, but Manning never won in New Orleans. In 1993, Drew Bledsoe was OK, Rick Mirer was not and in 1998, Peyton Manning set his course for the hall of fame while Ryan Leaf entered the hall of shame.
Cleveland - Trent Richardson RB Alabama. Mike Holmgren got nervous over another team dealing with Minnesota to get the best back coming out. He guaranteed the pick by moving up one spot with the Vikings to take what nearly everyone believes will be a franchise runner.
Minnesota - Matt Kalil OT USC. The first pick in the NFC North will be asked to do what he did in practice the last couple years at Southern Cal, try and block Nick Perry. Christian Ponder is breathing easier with a blind side protector on board.
Jacksonville - Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State. Another trade up with Tampa. In the mold of Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson, big, tall and fast. The Jags offense just got some juice.
Dallas - Morris Claiborne DB LSU. The most surprising jump as Dallas deals with St. Louis to climb 8 spots to get the best cover corner in the draft.
Tampa Bay - Mark Barron S Alabama. The Bucs fell off a cliff, losing their last 10 last year by giving up huge plays. Barron is a physical centerfielder at the back end of a national championship defense.
Miami - Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A & M. Former Packer offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's first pick as the Dolphins head coach. Ex-Packer boss Mike Sherman coached Tannehill with the Aggies and will now be his offensive coordinator.
Carolina - Luke Kuechly LB Boston College. One scout told me this is the closest thing to a sure thing in the first round, and old school, all football linebacker.
Buffalo - Stephon Gilmore DB South Carolina. Opposing teams shuffled through Buffalo's secondary last year.
Kansas City - Dontari Poe DT Memphis. How many defensive linemen can this team draft? Since 2006, they've taken Tamba Hali, Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. At 6-3 and 345, Poe is as big as all 3 combined.
Philadelphia - Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State. Yet another trade up, the Eagles move up three spots with Seattle to take a safe, sound and badly needed defensive linemen.
Arizona - Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame. Not sure if GM Rod Graves or pro bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald made this call. Fitzgerald lobbied hard for the Golden Domer and Graves obliged.
St. Louis - Michael Brockers DT LSU. The defensive run gets into high gear as the Rams go D-line for the fourth time in the last 6 years. Brockers is considered the best against the run.
Seattle - Bruce Irvin DE West Virginia. The stunner of the night, considered a third, maybe a second round prospect, former Packer personel man and Seahawks GM Jon Schneider really reaches for a kid who's production slipped as a senior and has character issues galore, a high school dropout who was arrested for robbery and after supposedly getting straightened out in Morgantown, was charged with disorderly conduct again about a month ago. Schneider may have to draft a probation agent in round 2.
New York Jets - Quinton Coples DE North Carolina. Knocked for issues with his motor, he'll be welcomed by the motor mouth, Rex Ryan to a defense on the rise.
Cincinnati Bengals - Dre Kirkpatrick DB Alabama. Among the tallest corners coming out, third member of the Tide rolling into the NFL.
San Diego - Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina. Considered a top 10 prospect because of his athleticism, Ingram settles for number 18.
Chicago - Shea McLellin LB Boise State. Brian Urlacher's clone may have arrived. A squeaky clean charachter who is all football. Deemed a perfect fit for the Pack's 3-4, McLellin will bring much needed enthusiasm to an aging, Lovie Smith defense. Really like this guy, may hate seeing this guy twice a year for who knows how long in Chicago.
Tennessee - Kendall Wright WR Baylor. RG3's favorite target with the Bears, a downfield threat for Matt Hasselbeck for a while, Jake Locker for a while longer.
New England - Chandler Jones DE Syracuse. The first of two, opening round trades by the Patriots, jumping up 6 spots with the Bengals to get one of the many very productive front 7 players.
Cleveland - Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State. Colt McCoy may not be the real McCoy for the Browns after two seasons and even though he'll be 29 when camp opens, the strong armed Cowboy will be in the mix to start as a graybeard rookie.
Detroit - Riley Reiff T Iowa. Despite shortcomings on defense, a smart pick by GM Martin Mayhew. That's why the Lions are becomming dangerous, he's made several like Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson.
Pittsburgh - David DeCastro G Stanford. The Steelers are sick and tired of watching Ben Roethlisberger limp around the field every December. The beatings will slow with a really good lineman on board.
New England - Dont'a Hightower LB Alabama. The Pats defense was miserable and while their first number one will help soon, this guy will help right away.
Houston - Whitney Mercilus LB Illinois. Exploded into the first round as a one year wonder, piling up sacks for the Illini last year. The Texans immediately fill the hole left by the departed free agent Mario Williams.
Cincinnati - Kevin Zeitler G Wisconsin. The only round one Badger. Another in the long line of road graders from Madison.
Green Bay - Nick Perry LB USC. The last time Ted went to Southern Cal for a linebacker, it worked out pretty well. He's hoping this will be a compliment to the Clay-maker.
Minnesota - Harrison Smith S Notre Dame. Oh, those sneaky Vikings, making another deal to jump back into the first round to get a savvy, solid player. I was hoping the Packers might find a way to climb in the second round to find Nick Collins' replacement.
San Francisco - A.J. Jenkins WR Illinois. Alex Smith may have a completely new receiving corps next season. Jenkins goes at least a round higher than I figurerd, joining veteran arrivals Randy Moss and Mario Mannigham.
Tampa Bay - Doug Martin RB Boise State. Clear case of best player on the board. Packer fans may never forget LeGarrette Blount's rumble on the tundra for a touchdown last season. It's now a Buccaneer 1-2 punch on the ground.
New York Giants - David Wilson RB Virginia Tech. The new compliment to Ahmad Bradshaw in the champs' backfield with Brandon Jacobs cut loose. Great on his feet and good with his hands, Wilson was the ACC player of the year.
So it's one down and 6 rounds to go. Watch for the Packers to add even more to it's front seven on defense, they've got to find a safety, a running back, offensive line depth and yes, a quarterback will be taken by Saturday.


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