- Russell Wilson surges to the highest of Round 1: The third-rounder overtakes Andrew Luck as the highest decide on this 2012 redraft after his spectacular 13 seasons within the NFL.
- From undrafted to a top-16 choice: Damon “Snacks” Harrison Sr. joins the primary spherical of this redraft as among the best run defenders within the PFF period.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get entry to participant grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy soccer rankings, the entire PFF fantasy draft analysis instruments and extra!
Estimated Reading Time: quarter-hour
The NFL draft is a crapshoot.
While NFL groups do their greatest to forecast which prospects will translate greatest to the following stage, the truth is that franchises not often get a decide precisely proper.
But what would a draft appear to be if groups had the good thing about hindsight? PFF has world-class knowledge for each participant on each play in each NFL recreation, courting again to the 2006 season. Knowing what we all know now, right here is how the primary spherical of the 2012 NFL Draft might have appeared.
Any trades made throughout the authentic draft have been reversed, whereas trades made earlier than the draft have been saved in place.
Looking for extra NFL redrafts? Click for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
1. Indianapolis Colts: QB Russell Wilson, Wisconsin (Round 3, Pick 75)
The Colts get their quarterback, however this time it is third-round decide Russell Wilson, who has performed at a excessive stage all through his 13-year NFL profession.
Wilson has slowed down a bit not too long ago, however from 2012 to 2020, he compiled a 93.3 PFF passing grade that ranked fifth within the NFL. His 86.8 PFF dashing grade in that span ranked second amongst quarterbacks, and he led the place in dashing yards when together with postseason play.
2. Washington: QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State (Round 4, Pick 102)
Cousins was Washington’s second quarterback decide within the 2012 NFL Draft, touchdown within the fourth spherical after the staff famously drafted Robert Griffin III at No. 2 total.
In a redraft, Cousins goes forward of Griffin at No. 2. In his 13-year profession (and counting), Cousins has 11 occasions earned a single-season PFF passing grade above 70.0, and he has additionally racked up 5 single-season passing grades above 80.0. He has been a mannequin of high-floor consistency for many of his time within the league.
Kirk Cousins’ Career PFF Grades
3. Minnesota Vikings: LB Bobby Wagner, Utah State (Round 2, Pick 47)
Wagner parlayed his authentic second-round choice right into a storied NFL profession as one of many biggest linebackers of all time. The 10-time Pro Bowler and 11-time All-Pro has recorded an unimaginable 93.5 PFF total grade to date in his profession. He remains to be going robust deep into his 30s, rating because the NFL’s third-highest-graded linebacker in 2024.
4. Cleveland Browns: QB Andrew Luck, Stanford (Round 1, Pick 1)
Even realizing Luck performed solely six seasons, he belongs within the prime 5 of a redraft. He recorded single-season PFF total grades of 90.4 and 91.2 in his closing two campaigns, making his retirement as a consequence of accidents all of the extra surprising.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M (Round 1, Pick 8)
The Buccaneers struggled with Josh Freeman as their quarterback, so that they determine to dip right into a terrific 2012 class on this redraft.
Tannehill didn’t fairly pan out because the Miami Dolphins had hoped, however he was nonetheless a stable participant, incomes a 79.6 PFF passing grade over his first 5 NFL seasons. His profession took off in Tennessee, the place his 92.6 PFF total grade throughout his first three seasons tied with Russell Wilson for third greatest within the NFL.
6. St. Louis Rams: DI Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State (Round 1, Pick 12)
Cox’s 12-year profession featured a run from 2014 to 2019 the place he earned six straight 80.0-plus single-season PFF total grades. He even recorded elite PFF pass-rush grades in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro earlier than retiring after the 2023 marketing campaign.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College (Round 1, Pick 9)
Regardless of the accidents that lower his profession brief, Kuechly was price each little bit of his top-10 choice.
Across his eight-year profession, Kuechly earned an elite 94.0 PFF total grade. That included a five-year stretch from 2014 to 2018 throughout which he earned at the least a 90.0 PFF grade in every season. Though it was short-lived, Kuechly’s NFL profession ought to earn him an eventual spot within the Hall of Fame.
8. Miami Dolphins: S Harrison Smith, Notre Dame (Round 1, Pick 29)
Smith has performed 13 years within the NFL and shall be suiting up for his 14th in 2025. Aside from his 2013 marketing campaign during which he began simply seven video games as a consequence of a foot harm, Smith didn’t report a season-long PFF total grade under 70.0 for the primary 10 years of his profession. He’s had 5 seasons of 80.0-plus PFF total grades as a real deep-coverage discipline basic.
9. Carolina Panthers: LB Lavonte David, Nebraska (Round 2, Pick 58)
Because he performed on subpar groups early in his profession, David continues to be one of many league’s most underrated gamers. Through 13 seasons, he has earned an elite 90.6 PFF total grade, powered by an unimaginable 94.0 PFF protection grade.
David’s sturdiness and consistency have been on full show in Tampa Bay. He has performed at the least 800 snaps in each season of his profession, and 2024 was the primary time since 2016 that he didn’t earn at the least a 72.0 PFF total grade, although his 67.9 mark was nonetheless stable for a participant of his age.
10. Buffalo Bills: CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina (Round 1, Pick 10)
Gilmore’s 13-year profession included 5 seasons with an 80.0-plus PFF protection grade, together with his 2019 season when he was named Defensive Player of the Year. From 2017 to 2019, he earned PFF protection grades of 87.2, 90.8 and 85.4 whereas taking part in greater than 1,000 defensive snaps in every season.
11. Kansas City Chiefs: LB Demario Davis, Arkansas State (Round 3, Pick 77)
Davis took a while and some stops, together with two in New York, to search out his rhythm. When he did, he turned one of many NFL’s greatest linebackers.
Since he arrived in New Orleans in 2018, Davis has earned an elite 91.4 PFF total grade. There has been little variance in his play, as he has positioned among the many prime 20 linebackers in PFF total grade in every of the previous eight seasons.
Highest-Graded NFL Linebackers in 2023
12. Seattle Seahawks: G Brandon Brooks, Miami (OH) (Round 3, Pick 76)
Brooks made three Pro Bowls however by no means earned an All-Pro nod throughout his nine-year profession — a shock, given his consistency. He earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 80.0 in six of his 9 seasons and posted an elite 91.2 PFF total grade in 2019.
13. Arizona Cardinals: WR T.Y. Hilton, FIU (Round 3, Pick 92)
Hilton burst onto the scene with Andrew Luck throwing him the ball in Indianapolis and constructed himself a superb profession as a third-round decide. From 2012 to 2018, Hilton amassed greater than 8,000 regular-season receiving yards whereas incomes a 90.1 PFF receiving grade that tied him for thirteenth amongst all large receivers.
His statistics declined after Luck’s retirement, however Hilton’s peak was pretty much as good as nearly any receiver throughout the previous decade.
14. Dallas Cowboys: EDGE Chandler Jones, Syracuse (Round 1, Pick 21)
Jones’ 112 profession sacks is a top-40 mark in NFL historical past. He earned 84.0-plus PFF pass-rush grades in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021. He additionally pressured 34 fumbles (tied for 18th all time) and recorded 597 pressures in his profession with three franchises (Cardinals, Patriots and Raiders).
15. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Casey Hayward Jr., Vanderbilt (Round 2, Pick 62)
Hayward was quietly among the best cornerbacks within the NFL over a profession that spanned 11 seasons and 4 groups. He made a direct affect throughout his rookie season, rating third within the NFL with a 91.6 PFF protection grade. From 2012 to 2019, Hayward earned an excellent 94.6 PFF protection grade whereas choosing off 22 passes and breaking apart 65 extra.
16. New York Jets: DI Damon Harrison Sr., William Penn (Undrafted)
The 6-foot-3, 350-pound inside defender they name “Snacks” put collectively an unimaginable profession after going undrafted in 2012.
He recorded 90.0-plus PFF run-defense grades in 5 of six seasons between 2013 and 2018. He was a pure nostril deal with — and really among the best the league has seen since he entered the fray.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: G Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin (Round 1, Pick 27)
Entering his 14th NFL season in 2025, Zeitler has been one of many NFL’s greatest guards all through his profession. He has earned at the least a 71.6 PFF total grade in all however one season. In 2024, he recorded the second-best PFF total grade of his profession (86.5) whereas logging a career-best 87.2 PFF run-blocking grade.
Somehow, Zeitler’s persistently stellar performances have earned him just one Pro-Bowl invite, however he deserves to be acknowledged as one in all this technology’s greatest offensive linemen.
18. San Diego Chargers: EDGE Melvin Ingram III, South Carolina (Round 1, Pick 18)
The Chargers desperately want pass-rush assist in 2012 and made the appropriate choice with edge defender Melvin Ingram III.
Ingram took a few years to get going, however from 2014 to 2022, he earned an elite 91.1 PFF cross rush grade that tied him for ninth amongst certified edge defenders.
19. Chicago Bears: T Mitchell Schwartz, California (Round 2, Pick 37)
In dire want of assist at proper deal with on the time, the Bears would seemingly have gladly taken Mitchell Schwartz at this decide. During his 9 seasons with the Browns and Chiefs, Schwartz was among the best cross protectors within the NFL.
Schwartz’s 83.3 PFF pass-blocking grade from 2012 to 2020 was a top-20 mark amongst all tackles. That contains his legendary 2019 marketing campaign, when he earned a career-high 89.3 PFF total grade and did not permit a sack throughout Kansas City’s first championship run with Patrick Mahomes.
20. Tennessee Titans: EDGE Olivier Vernon, Miami (FL) (Round 3, Pick 72)
Vernon was a extremely underrated participant who made only one Pro Bowl, however he loved a productive profession with the Dolphins, Giants and Browns. He earned a career-high 88.0 PFF pass-rush grade in 2015, rating amongst certified edge defenders. The subsequent season, his first with the Giants, he compiled 88 pressures — the second most within the NFL, behind Khalil Mack.
All advised, Vernon earned at the least a 71.6 PFF pass-rush grade in six of his closing seven NFL seasons.
Olivier Vernon’s Career PFF Grades
21. Cincinnati Bengals: LB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama (Round 1, Pick 25)
Hightower was a key piece of New England’s three Super Bowl runs over the previous decade. Across his first 5 seasons, he earned an excellent 87.5 PFF total grade that tied for sixth amongst certified linebackers. He was additionally a superb postseason performer who earned a 79.6 profession PFF total grade within the playoffs.
22. Cleveland Browns: WR Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina (Round 2, Pick 45)
Jeffery earned PFF receiving grades above 70.0 for seven straight seasons from 2013 to 2019, together with an elite 92.1 mark in 2015. He was generally known as among the best contested-catch receivers within the league, evidenced by a powerful 23 contested catches on 54 such targets in 2017.
23. Detroit Lions: DI Akiem Hicks, Regina (Round 3, Pick 89)
Hicks wasn’t all the time one to submit gaudy sack totals, although he did compile 47 of them in his 11 NFL seasons. He was one of many league’s most constant inside run defenders, significantly throughout his time in Chicago.
Hicks’ 91.5 PFF run-defense grade from 2016 to 2018 ranked fourth amongst certified inside defenders, behind Damon Harrison Sr., Aaron Donald and Kawann Short.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama (Round 2, Pick 39)
Jenkins was a stable beginning cornerback throughout his first 10 NFL seasons. He performed at the least 900 snaps in eight of these campaigns whereas by no means seeing his PFF total grade dip under 64.7. Jenkins’ greatest yr got here in 2016, his first with the Giants, as he recorded an 83.2 PFF protection grade with three interceptions and 10 cross breakups. That PFF protection grade ranked ninth amongst certified cornerbacks in 2016.
25. Denver Broncos: G David DeCastro, Stanford (Round 1, Pick 24)
DeCastro recorded a PFF pass-blocking grade above 80.0 in every season from 2014 to 2020, and he dipped under a 70.0 PFF total grade in solely his first and final NFL campaigns. His nine-year profession with the Steelers was crammed with constant, stable play.
26. Houston Texans: QB Nick Foles, Arizona (Round 3, Pick 88)
Foles is without doubt one of the NFL’s most achieved “aid” quarterbacks over the previous 20 years. In 2013, in aid of Michael Vick, he led the NFL in touchdown-interception ratio (27-2). In 2017, in aid of Carson Wentz, he spearheaded the Eagles’ run to their first Super Bowl in franchise historical past. Those two seasons yielded the very best PFF passing grades of his profession (83.7 and 73.8).
27. New England Patriots: CB Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina (Round 5, Pick 143)
The Patriots initially got here away with linebacker Dont’a Hightower within the first spherical of this draft, however he’s off the board right here, so Norman, a participant who nicely outplayed his fifth-round draft choice, is the decide.
Between 2014 to 2018, Norman recorded 72.0-plus PFF protection grades 4 occasions, together with a career-high 89.9 mark in 2015 throughout Carolina’s run to the Super Bowl.
28. Green Bay Packers: DI Malik Jackson, Tennessee (Round 5, Pick 137)
Jackson was a fifth-round draft selection again in 2012 and nicely outplayed that slot. He earned a 70.0-plus PFF total grade in every season from 2013 to 2017 for 2 totally different groups — first the Broncos after which the Jaguars. He additionally recorded 34 sacks throughout that five-year stretch.
29. Baltimore Ravens: G Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State (Round 2, Pick 60)
Osemele was a stable guard for the primary six years of his profession, first for the Ravens after which the Raiders. That included a four-year run of incomes 70.0-plus PFF grades in cross blocking and run blocking.
30. San Francisco 49ers: WR Marvin Jones Jr., California (Round 5, Pick 166)
Fifth-round decide Marvin Jones Jr. carved out a pleasant profession as a complementary receiving menace. He broke out in 2013 with a career-high 87.5 PFF receiving grade that ranked sixth amongst certified large receivers. He missed 2014 as a consequence of harm however rebounded to earn at the least a 70.0 PFF receiving grade in every of the following seven seasons.
Marvin Jones Jr.’s 2013 Season by Target Depth
31. New England Patriots: DI Dontari Poe, Memphis (Round 1, Pick 11)
Poe was an honest NFL participant however didn’t reside as much as the billing of a top-12 total decide. He earned PFF total grades above 65.0 in 5 of his 9 seasons, together with 70.0-plus marks in 4. Surprisingly, he recorded a PFF run-defense grade above 80.0 solely as soon as (2015).
Poe was a high-floor, low-ceiling participant for almost all of his profession.
32. New York Giants: EDGE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois (Round 1, Pick 26)
Mercilus logged solely three season-long 70.0-plus PFF total grades in his 10-year profession, however he hovered round 70.0 marks in tackling, cross dashing and run protection from 2012-2017 — simply not all the time on the similar time. He was a stable defensive lineman from this class.