The2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting ofNational Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligibleAmerican football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting",[1] was held atRadio City Music Hall in New York City from April 26 to April 28, 2012.[2][3][4] There were 253 draft selections: 221 regular selections and 32compensatory selections.[5] TheIndianapolis Colts, who compiled the league's worst season in2011 with a 2–14 record, had the right to the first selection.[6] A record 26 prospects attended the draft in person.[7]
Quarterback prospectAndrew Luck received significant attention in the weeks preceding the draft. On April 17, Indianapolisgeneral managerRyan Grigson announced that the team would take Luck as their first-overall pick after releasing their longtime starting quarterbackPeyton Manning, saying it was "the right thing to do" in anticipation of the "media gauntlet" Luck would face in the days leading up to the draft.[8] Luck was highly touted as one of the best quarterback prospects in years and widely regarded as the top overall prospect in the draft.[9][10] As a result, he had been the subject of the"Suck for Luck" campaigns by fans, who hoped that their teams would end up with the worst record in the 2011 season so they would have the chance to draft him.[11][12] He was successful with the Colts, but dealt with several injuries throughout his career and decided to retire in 2019 while still in his prime, after winning theNFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.[13]Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbackRobert Griffin III was the subject of another major story in the draft. He was selected second-overall by theWashington Redskins, and had a breakout rookie season en route to winning that year'sNFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. However, Griffin suffered an injury during the postseason that same year and struggled to show the same level of play thereafter; Griffin would later be released by the Redskins after the 2015 season.[14][15]
The draft was highly regarded for its quarterback talent, with six out of the eleven quarterbacks selected (Luck, Griffin III,Ryan Tannehill,Russell Wilson,Nick Foles, andKirk Cousins) selected to at least onePro Bowl. Tannehill and Foles both had a season in which they led the NFL in passer rating; Foles was also namedMVP ofSuper Bowl LII. As of 2022, Cousins is ranked in the top ten incareer passer rating andcompletion percentage.[16][17] Wilson was the most successful quarterback of the draft, making nine Pro Bowls and leading the Seahawks to their firstSuper Bowl victory.[18] The draft also had several notable quarterbacks who are now regarded as draft busts. There were two players drafted in 2012 at 28 years old.Brandon Weeden became the oldest first-round selection in NFL history at 28 years old when he was selected by theCleveland Browns, but left the team after two seasons.[19] Jeris Pendleton became the oldest seventh-round selection in NFL history at 28 years old when he was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he left the team after one season.Brock Osweiler andRyan Lindley also had largely unsuccessful careers in the NFL.[18] A rare occurrence happened when the first and final picks in the draft were both quarterbacks and were taken by the same team;Chandler Harnish was chosen with the final pick of the draft by the Colts, causing him to be dubbedMr. Irrelevant for 2012.[20][21] Besides its quarterbacks, the draft overall is considered one of the best of all-time with numerous prospects showingHall of Fame talent throughout their careers, includingDefensive Player of the Year winnersLuke Kuechly andStephon Gilmore, along with perennial Pro BowlersLavonte David,Bobby Wagner,Fletcher Cox,T. Y. Hilton,Chandler Jones,Johnny Hekker, andJustin Tucker.[22]
A record 65non-seniors announced their intention to forgo their remainingNCAA eligibility and declare themselves eligible to be selected.[23] Of the 65, 44 (or 67.7%) were drafted.[24]
The selection of Luck, ajunior, marked the fourth straight draft where the first overall selection was not a senior. Prior to the 2012 draft, six out of the previous seven first-overall draft selections had been players who had entered the draft early.[25] Eight of the first ten players chosen in this draft were non-seniors, which matched the record set inthe previous draft.[25]Mark Barron andRyan Tannehill were the only two seniors among the first ten draftees.[23]
LinebackerLuke Kuechly and cornerbackStephon Gilmore were selected with the ninth and tenth-overall picks in the first round, and would both go on to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Asupplemental draft was held on July 12, 2012. For each player selected in this draft, the team forfeits its pick in that round in the draft of the following season. Eight players were available, but only one was selected.[32]
^No. 3: Minnesota → Cleveland (PD).Minnesota traded this selection to Cleveland for their first (4th), fourth (118th), fifth (139th), and seventh round (211th) selections this year.[source 3]
^No. 5: Tampa Bay → Jacksonville (D). Tampa Bay traded this selection to Jacksonville for their first (7th) and fourth round (101st) selections this year.[source 4]
No. 6: St. Louis → Dallas (D). St. Louis traded this selection to Dallas for their first (14th) and second round (45th) selections this year.[source 5]
^No. 12: Seattle → Philadelphia (D). Seattle traded this selection to Philadelphia for their first (15th), fourth (114th), and sixth round (172nd) selections this year.[source 6]
^No. 17: Oakland → Cincinnati (PD). Oakland traded this selection and their2013 second-round selection (37th) to Cincinnati for quarterbackCarson Palmer. The 2013 selection would have become Oakland's first-rounder if Oakland had made it to the 2012–13 AFC Championship game.[source 7][source 8]
^No. 21: Cincinnati → New England (D). Cincinnati traded this selection to New England for their first (27th) and third round (93rd) selections this year.[source 9]
^No. 22: Atlanta → Cleveland (PD). Atlanta traded this selection, a fourth-round (118th) selection, and their first-, second-, and fourth-round selections in the2011 NFL draft (No. 27, after all trades and the clock expiring on their original pick, Baltimore selectedJimmy Smith; No. 59, Cleveland selectedGreg Little; and No. 124, Cleveland selectedOwen Marecic) to Cleveland for Cleveland's 2011 first-round selection (No. 6, used to selectJulio Jones).[source 10]
^No. 25: Denver → New England (D).Denver traded this selection to New England for their first (31st) and fourth round (126th) selections this year.[source 9]
No. 27: New Orleans → New England (PD). New Orleans traded this selection and their 2011 second-round selection (No. 56, New England selectedShane Vereen) to New England for New England's first-round selection in the 2011 Draft (No. 28, New Orleans selectedMark Ingram II).[source 11]
^No. 29: Baltimore → Minnesota (D). Baltimore traded this selection to Minnesota for their second (35th) and fourth round (98th) selections this year.[source 12]
No. 31: Denver → Tampa Bay (D). Denver traded this selection and their fourth round (126th) selection to Tampa for their second (36th) and fourth round (101st) selections this year.[source 13]
^No. 43: Seattle → New York Jets (D). Seattle traded this selection to the New York Jets for New York's second (47th), fifth (154th), and seventh round (232nd) selections.[source 14]
No. 45: St. Louis → Chicago (D). St. Louis traded this selection to Chicago for their second (50th) and fifth round (150th) selections this year.[source 15]
^No. 48: Oakland → New England (PD). Oakland traded this selection and a 2011 seventh-round selection (No. 219, New England selectedMalcolm Williams) to New England for New England's third- and fourth-round selections in 2011 (Nos. 92 and 125, Oakland selectedJoseph Barksdale andTaiwan Jones, respectively).[source 16]
No. 51: Philadelphia → Green Bay (D). Philadelphia traded this selection to Green Bay for their second (59th) and fourth round (123rd) selections.[source 18]
^No. 58: Houston → Tampa Bay (D). Houston traded this selection and their seventh round (233rd) selection to Tampa Bay for their third (68th) and fourth round (126th) selections.[source 19]
^No. 62: New England → Green Bay (D). New England traded this selection to Green Bay for their third (90th) and fifth round (163rd) selections.[source 20]
Round three
^No. 67: Cleveland → Denver (D). Cleveland traded this selection to Denver for their third (87th) and fourth round (120th) selections.[source 21]
No. 73: Carolina → Chicago (PD). Carolina traded this selection to Chicago for tight endGreg Olsen.[source 23]
No. 73: Chicago → Miami (PD). Chicago traded this selection and a2013 third-round selection (82nd) to Miami for wide receiverBrandon Marshall.[source 24]
No. 73: Miami → San Diego (D). Miami traded this selection to San Diego for their third (78th) and sixth round (183rd) selections.[source 25]
^No. 76: Philadelphia → Houston (PD). Philadelphia traded this selection and their fourth-round (99th) selection to Houston for linebackerDeMeco Ryans and a third-round selection (88th).[source 26]
^No. 92: San Francisco → Indianapolis (D). San Francisco traded this selection to Indianapolis for their fourth round (97th) selection and a fifth round selection in 2013 (157th).[source 28]
No. 97: San Francisco → Miami (D). San Francisco traded this selection to Miami for their fourth round selection (103rd), a sixth round selection (196th), and a sixth round selection in 2013 (180th).[source 29]
No. 99: Tampa Bay → Philadelphia (PD). Tampa Bay traded this selection to Philadelphia with a fourth-round pick in 2011 (No. 116, Philadelphia selectedCasey Matthews) for a fourth-round pick in 2011 (No. 104, Tampa Bay selectedLuke Stocker).[source 30]
No. 103: San Francisco → Carolina (D). San Francisco traded this selection to Carolina for their sixth round selection (180th) and a third round selection in 2013 (74th).[source 31]
^No. 108: New York Jets → Denver (PD). The Jets traded this selection and a sixth-round selection (188th) to Denver for quarterbackTim Tebow and a seventh-round selection (232nd).[source 32]
No. 109: Oakland → Washington (PD). Oakland traded this selection to Washington for quarterbackJason Campbell.[source 33]
No. 109: Washington → Pittsburgh (D). Washington traded this selection to Pittsburgh for their fourth (119th) and sixth round selections (193rd).[source 34]
^No. 117: Detroit → San Francisco (D). Detroit traded this selection to San Francisco for their fourth (125th) and sixth round selections (196th).[source 35]
^No. 137: St. Louis → Denver (PD). St. Louis traded a conditional sixth-round selection to Denver in exchange for wide receiverBrandon Lloyd; the selection was later upgraded to a fifth-rounder after a condition was met in which Lloyd made a minimum of 30 receptions with St. Louis during the 2011 season.[source 37]
^No. 138: Minnesota → Detroit (D). Minnesota traded this selection and their seventh round selection (223rd) to Detroit for their seventh round selection (219th) and a fourth round selection in 2013 (102nd).[source 38]
^No. 145: Miami → Tennessee (D). Miami traded this selection to Tennessee for their fifth (155th) and seventh round (227th) selections.[source 39]
^No. 147: Seattle → Buffalo (PD). Seattle traded this selection and a 2011 fourth-round selection (No. 122, Buffalo selectedChris Hairston) to Buffalo for running backMarshawn Lynch.[source 40]
^No. 148: Oakland → Detroit (D). Oakland traded this selection to Detroit for their fifth (158th) and seventh-round selections (230th) this year.[source 41]
No. 163: New England → Green Bay (D). New England traded this selection to Green Bay for their sixth round selection (197th) and two seventh round selections (224th and235th).[source 43]
^No. 166: New England → Cincinnati (PD). New England traded this selection and a2013 sixth-round selection (197th) to Cincinnati for wide receiverChad Ochocinco.[source 44]
^No. 167: New York Giants → Cincinnati (PD). The Giants traded this selection to Cincinnati for linebackerKeith Rivers.[source 45]
No. 172: Indianapolis → Philadelphia (PD). Indianapolis traded this selection to Philadelphia for offensive tackleWinston Justice and a sixth-round selection (187th) .[source 46]
^No. 173: Minnesota → Washington (PD). Minnesota traded this selection to Washington for quarterbackDonovan McNabb.[source 47] The trade also included a condition for the Vikings to add a sixth-round pick in the2013 draft, but McNabb did not reach the playing time benchmarks that would have triggered the additional compensation.[30]
^No. 175: Cleveland → Minnesota (PD). Cleveland traded this selection to Minnesota for defensive endJayme Mitchell.[source 48]
^No. 177: Washington → Arizona (PD). Washington traded defensive endVonnie Holliday and this selection to Arizona in exchange for running backTim Hightower.[source 49]
^No. 179: Miami → New Orleans (PD). Miami traded this selection to New Orleans for running backReggie Bush and a sixth-round selection (196th) .[source 50]
No. 187: Indianapolis → New York Jets (PD). Indianapolis traded this selection to New York Jets for quarterbackDrew Stanton and a seventh-round selection (214th).[source 51]
^No. 194: Denver → Philadelphia (PD). Denver traded this selection to Philadelphia for linebackerJoe Mays. Denver originally sent running backJ. J. Arrington to Philadelphia, with the condition that if Arrington did not make Philadelphia's 53-man roster, Denver would instead send the sixth-round selection.[source 52]
^No. 200: New England → Philadelphia (PD). New England traded this selection to Philadelphia for linebackerTracy White and a seventh-round selection (223rd).[source 53]
No. 223: New England → Minnesota (PD). New England traded this selection and wide receiverRandy Moss to Minnesota for a 2011 third-round selection (No. 74, New England selectedRyan Mallett).[source 57]
^No. 225: Oakland → Seattle (PD). Oakland traded this selection and a conditional mid-round selection in the2013 NFL draft to Seattle for linebackerAaron Curry.[source 59] The 2013 selection became the Raiders fifth-rounder (138th) after Curry lasted barely more than a year before getting cut by the Raiders.[source 60]
^No. 228: Cincinnati → Jacksonville (PD). Cincinnati traded this selection and cornerbackDavid Jones to Jacksonville for safetyReggie Nelson.[source 61]
^No. 229: Atlanta → Philadelphia (PD). Atlanta traded this selection to Philadelphia for cornerbackAsante Samuel.[source 62]
^Detroit forfeited its sixth-round selection due to findings of tampering consisting of comments made by defensive coordinatorGunther Cunningham about certainKansas City Chiefs' players.[31]
^abPlayers are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro Bowl at any time in their career.
^Robert Griffin III was the 2011 winner of theHeisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football.[27]