2012 NFL Power Rankings - Post-Draft Edition
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Week: Post-Draft - Pre-Season - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - Final
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Although we are roughly four months away from the Giants-Cowboys season opener, the majority of offseason moves have been made (via free agency and NFL draft).
Therefore, it makes sense to release our first consensus power rankings for the upcoming season based on those moves. In a sense, these are our (pre-) preseason rankings. Our next update will occur during the preseason and then weekly throughout the season.
In addition to many sites releasing their power rankings as well, Vegas has odds set for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans next February. The early favorites are the Packers and Patriots with odds at 5/1 each, according to SportsBook.com. The next lowest odds (10/1) belong to three teams: 49ers, Texans and Eagles.
Another way to look at it is the defending Super Bowl champions (15/1) were not in the top five in best odds and weren't even the top choice in their own division as the Eagles have 10/1 odds. That said, they were one of two teams to tie for the top spot in our power rankings.
On the flip side, there six teams that are tied for the worst odds (100/1): Rams, Vikings, Colts, Browns, Jaguars and Bucs.
With each update, we always all respond to one roundtable question.
This update's roundtable topic: Which team has made the biggest improvement of their roster from last season through offseason moves and draft picks?
Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter): Philadelphia Eagles
I debated three teams here: Eagles, Bengals and Bears. While the Bengals did not make a ton of splashy offseason moves, I thought they had as strong of a draft as any other team. Not only did they use their two first-rounders on two positions of need -- cornerback (Dre Kirkpatrick) and interior offensive line (Kevin Zeitler), but they got good values later in the draft as well. The Bears added playmakers through free agency (Michael Bush), via trade (Brandon Marshall) and draft (Alshon Jeffery). While I like what the Bears and Bengals have done, I like what the Eagles have done more. By trading a mid-round pick for DeMeco Ryans, a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, they filled a huge void before the draft. In the draft, they got a ton of value. In my opinion, Fletcher Cox was the best defensive tackle prospect in the draft. While they used four of their first five picks on the defensive side of the ball, they got some good values later in the draft on the offensive side in Marvin McNutt, Brandon Washington and Bryce Brown and they added Chris Polk as an undrafted free agent.
John (follow John on Twitter): Denver Broncos
It seems that the Patriots and the Eagles were among the biggest winners of the NFL draft. Still, in terms of impact on next year, it's tough to ignore the big free agent signing in Denver. While the Broncos did make the playoffs last year and even won a playoff game, nobody thought of them as a real contender. They won several fluky games to win the division, and played a great game against the Steelers to advance to the second round. This year, the Broncos will be viewed as a legitimate contender, and rightly so. The addition of Peyton Manning gives them a 2-3 year window where they have a significantly improved chance to win the Super Bowl. Mario Williams will greatly improve Buffalo, a good draft will certainly help fill some deficiencies from last year for teams like the Pats and Eagles, but no team improved from 2011 to 2012 like the Broncos. Looking at the Super Bowl favorites for next year, you'll see all of the usual suspects (Packers, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, etc), with one exception; Denver will be among the favorites. No other team had a free agent signing or draft that is expected to have the kind of impact that Peyton Manning will have in Denver. With one acquisition, the Broncos made the biggest improvement from last year to next.
Dan (follow Dan on Twitter): New England Patriots
Yes again this may seem like a heavy dose of homerism, but so far I think the New England Patriots have made the biggest improvement to their team with the draft and free agency. The Patriots have added skilled targets in Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, and Donte Stallworth. They have also massively bolstered their front seven in the draft in adding two potential blue chippers in Donta Hightower and Chandler Jones. I am loving the Patriots moves so far this year, and most likely there will be more to come.
Sean (follow Sean on Twitter): Buffalo Bills
The Bills landed the best free agent in Mario Williams. With Super Mario signing, this puts Buffalo back on the map as other free agents will be drawn to Buffalo in the future. They were able to re-sign their own players as well most notably Stevie Johnson. I loved the pick of Stephon Gilmore in the first over Michael Floyd, who many thought they would select. I was more impressed with getting Glenn in the 2nd round though. Many mocks had the Bills drafting Reiff in the 1st, but getting Glenn, who is only a small notch below Reiff, 30-plus picks later is a steal. On the coaching front, they hired Dave Wannstedt to be their new D-Coordinator which is a major upgrade considering how badly they were at the 3-4. I think the Bills will finish second in the East this year. Major props to them.
Updated: Wednesday, May 9, 2012
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EDSFOOTBALL.COM 2012 CONSENSUS NFL POWER RANKINGS, POST-DRAFT EDITION
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FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS:
- Standard Scoring: QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
- PPR Scoring:
RBs
| WRs | TEs
All of our rankings are from owner Kevin Hanson, who finished third overall in accuracy by FantasyPros in 2011.
Here's what FantasyPros wrote (about Hanson) in their year-end announcement of accuracy results:
"... Hanson was a fixture in the top 5 throughout the season and even led the contest heading into the final week. He also owns the distinction as being the only expert to eclipse the 70% PAY™ mark for a single position. ... Simply put, if you needed QB advice in 2011, the ultimate source to go to was over at EDSFootball. That’s not to say that Hanson was a one-trick pony, however. He also earned a top 10 rating at both WR (# 3) & RB (# 8), demonstrating that he’s among the best of the best when it comes to fantasy prognostication."
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SEE ALSO:
- Our NBA Consensus Power Rankings
- Mock Draft Databases: NFL | NBA | MLB
- 2013 NFL Mock Draft: Hanson
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