Global Information2012 NFL draft information
| 2012 NFL draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Date(s) | April 26–28, 2012 |
| Time | 8:00 pm EDT (April 26) 7:00 pm EDT (April 27) Noon EDT (April 28) |
| Location | Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY |
| Network(s) | ESPN, NFL Network |
| Overview | |
| 253 total selections in 7 rounds | |
| League | NFL |
| First selection | Andrew Luck, QB Indianapolis Colts |
| Mr. Irrelevant | Chandler Harnish, QB Indianapolis Colts |
| Most selections (11) | Cleveland Browns |
| Fewest selections (5) | New Orleans Saints |
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting",[1] was held at Radio 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 32 compensatory selections.[5] The Indianapolis Colts, who compiled the league's worst season in 2011 with a 2–14 record, had the right to the first selection.[6] A record 26 prospects attended the draft in person.[7]
A main story around the draft was around quarterback prospect Andrew Luck. On April 17, Indianapolis general manager Ryan Grigson announced that the team would take Luck as their first-overall pick after releasing their longtime starting quarterback Peyton 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 the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.[13] Another story of the draft was around Heisman-trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III. He was selected second-overall by the Washington Redskins, and had a breakout rookie season en route to winning that year's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. However, Griffin suffered an injury during the postseason that same year and has struggled to show the same level of play since; 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, and Kirk Cousins) selected to at least one Pro Bowl. Tannehill and Foles both had a season in which they led the NFL in passer rating; Foles was also named MVP of Super Bowl LII. As of 2022, Cousins is ranked in the top ten in career passer rating and completion percentage.[16][17] Wilson was the most successful quarterback of the draft, making nine Pro Bowls and leading the Seahawks to their first Super 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 the Cleveland 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 and Ryan 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 dubbed Mr. Irrelevant for 2012.[20][21] Besides its quarterbacks, the draft overall is considered one of the best of all-time with numerous prospects showing Hall of Fame talent throughout their careers, including Defensive Player of the Year winners Luke Kuechly and Stephon Gilmore, along with perennial Pro Bowlers Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, Fletcher Cox, T. Y. Hilton, Chandler Jones, Johnny Hekker, and Justin Tucker.[22]
- ^ Hiro, Brian (April 21, 2010). "NFL: Draft's popularity shows no signs of abating". North County Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ "NFL Draft 2012". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ "NFL Draft Locations". FootballGeography.com. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ Salomone, Dan (October 2, 2014). "NFL Draft headed to Chicago in 2015". Giants.com. New York Giants. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "NFL distributes compensatory draft picks to 15 clubs". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "2012 NFL draft order". ESPN. February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ "Record 26 Players to Attend NFL Draft" (PDF). NFL. April 12, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ Brinson, Will (April 24, 2012). "Colts GM Ryan Grigson confirms Indianapolis will select Andrew Luck No. 1". Eye on Football. CBS Sports.
- ^ Christensen, James. "2012 NFL Draft Big Board: Ranking the Top 100 Prospects". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "NFL draft: Andrew Luck's early retirement casts new, strange light on 2012 draft class". sports.yahoo.com. August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ Hodkowski, Ryne. "NFL: Why 'Suck for Luck' or Any Similar Campaign Is an Impossible Endeavor". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ Politi, Steve (October 21, 2011). ""Suck for Luck" could be best hope for NFL's worst". CNN.com.
- ^ "Luck retires, calls decision 'hardest of my life'". ESPN.com. August 25, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Redskins end RG III era, release quarterback". ESPN.com. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ M.D, Dave Siebert. "A Complete Guide to Robert Griffin III's Knee Injury". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Passer Rating Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Pass Completion % Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Gaines, Cork. "WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Andrew Luck's 2012 NFL draft was filled with bust QBs but one team hit the jackpot in the later rounds". Business Insider. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "First and 10: Browns QB Brandon Weeden". ESPN.com. May 31, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Quarterbacks go first, last in 2012 NFL draft". ESPN. April 28, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Rolfe, Ben (April 29, 2021). "NFL Draft's Mr. Irrelevant: History of the NFL Draft's last pick". Pro Football Network. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "The best NFL Draft classes of all time". Yardbarker. June 26, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2022.