Five Bay Area football players were taken in the second and third rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft, with three being taken from Cal and two from Stanford. How good a fit are these players in their new NFL teams? We grade them below.
Stanford tight end Coby Fleener came off the board first, where he'll join his college teammate Andrew Luck on the Stanford Cardinal. Fleener is a solid pass-catcher out of the backfield and figures to be one of Luck's primary targets. The Colts also drafted another tight end in the third round in Clemson's Dwayne Allen, so it does seem like Indy is trying to replicate those multiple tight end sets for Luck to try and keep him comfortable in what figures to be a difficult rookie season. Grade: A-
Cal offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz went soon after to the Cleveland Browns, where he joins former Golden Bear teammate Alex Mack. Schwartz played a lot of left tackle in college, but is probably better-suited for the right side where he can grind play after play for Cleveland and help open up that running game for Trent Richardson. Schwartz is an unglamorous pick, but very solid at the spot the Browns picked him. Grade: B+
Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he will hopefully shore up the needs for Philly in plugging up their interior. Philadelphia really struggled with defending the run last year, as teams carved up their Wide Nine front because the linebacking corps wasn't good enough. Kendricks is a big upgrade for Philadelphia. Grade: A.
Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin has to be disappointed he fell out of the first round all the way to mid-level second round, but he's in a good spot with the Miami Dolphins to try and prove his doubters wrong. Martin will get a chance to start immediately at right tackle instead of handling the much more high-pressure left tackle spot. Grade: B
The Jacksonville Jaguars fans might not be happy, but Bryan Anger works out perfectly for these guys. The Jaguars offense was downright Mesozoic last season, meaning they'll probably need a good punter to keep their team in football games next year. And Anger gets drafted in the third round, which works out great for Anger. Grade: A+++
To discuss players like Fleener and Martin with Stanford football fans, hit up Rule of Tree. To talk about Kendricks, Schwartz, and Anger, head on over to the California Golden Blogs.
Check out further SB Nation NFL Draft coverage below on YouTube.