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2012 NFL Draft: Kiper's Early Grades

Everyone's favorite ESPN draft analyst (Seriously - does anyone prefer McShay?) has his early grades out. If you've got an insider subscription, you can check out the entirety of his grades.

Overall, the Rams tied for 12th with a B-minus as a hole, as Kiper gave St. Louis a C+ for needs and a B+ for value.

Recapping their haul, here's part of what Kiper had to say:

Michael Brockers helps a need area, but there's developmental work to be done. I really like Brian Quick, and he has the upside of a No. 1 wide receiver, with a big frame (6-4, 220) and pretty good speed. He'll need some developmental work given the leap in levels. You know the off-the-field story on Janoris Jenkins. He's a risk, but he's a top-10 talent if he can stay focused on football. I'm a fan of the traits Isaiah Pead can bring to this offense. If he'd gone early in Round 2 it wouldn't have been a surprise. He's explosive. Trumaine Johnson is a good value at cornerback, and Chris Givens could become a starter. Greg Zuerlein was the top kicker on my board. The Rams got a lot of players, but also inherited some risk with development to be done. Not a bad draft in my eyes, and they have more picks on the way courtesy of the Redskins.

As everyone mentions these days, grading the draft in its immediate aftermath is pointless. But we do it anyway. In all, the Rams pulled in plenty of talent that is going to require instruction and development. It's obvious GM Les Snead and HC Jeff Fisher weren't turned off by that idea.

And as always, we'll see in a couple of years whether this class turns out a couple of quality long-term starters or if the potential ends up being worth more than the product.