6. Wes Welker, WR
2012 team: New England Patriots
A first-down machine and near uncoverable out of the slot, Welker once again led the league with 1,040 yards from that position. The only downside is that he doesn't attack teams deep and better cornerbacks can slow him down.
8. Tony Gonzalez, TE
2012 team: Atlanta Falcons
The odds are that Gonzalez retires, and that even if he doesn't, the Falcons would make him an offer he can't refuse after he earned the highest receiving grade of any tight end in our system. But imagine he didn't, and was to shop himself around. A guy who just keeps on picking up first downs would prove attractive for a lot of teams, even if it was for only one year.
9. Jake Long, T
2012 team: Miami Dolphins
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What do you make of Long? On talent alone, he's in a class of two (with Joe Thomas) as the elite tackles in the game over the past five years. But Long has struggled with injuries the past two years, and it has impacted his performance. In his first three years in the league, he gave up a sack, hit or hurry on 3.7 percent of pass blocks; in the past two years that number has climbed to 5.8 percent of pass blocks.
15. Sebastian Vollmer, T
2012 team: New England Patriots<!--END INLINE MUG-->
The only drawback on Vollmer is a lingering back injury, but his play since entering the league as a rookie is extremely impressive. Capable of lining up at left or right tackle, will the Patriots let our fourth-ranked right tackle in 2012 hit the open market?
16. Daryl Smith, LB
2012 team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Part of the reason the Jaguars' defense took such a big step back this year was the loss of Smith for most of the season. A versatile player, Smith has excelled at outside linebacker in Jacksonville and showed his versatility by producing strong performances when the Jaguars briefly flirted with a 3-4 defense. He ranked No. 2 among 4-3 outside linebackers in 2011.
20. Andre Smith, T
2012 team: Cincinnati Bengals
You do wonder about Smith when you hear about some of the off-field incidents, but his work in the run game really separates him from other tackles. A decent pass-blocker who can have trouble with more explosive pass-rushers, don't be surprised if the Bengals tag him.
21. Branden Albert, T
2012 team: Kansas City Chiefs<!--END INLINE MUG-->
It's surprising that a lot of people have the Chiefs going tackle with their first overall pick, when they could quite easily tag Albert. He doesn't get much push in the run game, but he's given up only six sacks the past two years.
22. Danny Amendola, WR
2012 team: St. Louis Rams
A poor man's Welker? Amendola has a knack for getting open on short routes and doing enough after the catch to move the chains. His yards per route run figure of 2.04 was 21st in the league, and shows how valuable he can be for a quarterback
25. William Moore, S
2012 team: Atlanta Falcons<!--END INLINE MUG-->
What makes Moore an intriguing talent is that he has a knack for making plays. He has 11 picks over the past three years, and his 7.1 percent run stop percentage while he's lined up in the box ranks 16th among all safeties
27. Richard Seymour, DT
2012 team: Oakland Raiders
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While it's true that Seymour isn't getting any younger, he's still a player who gets plenty of push upfield. Being limited to just 361 snaps in 2012 may scare away some potential suitors, but the former Patriot made his presence felt on those plays. Capable of playing in both 3-4 and 4-3 defensive schemes, he's bound to draw plenty of interest.
29. Adam Jones, CB
2012 team: Cincinnati Bengals<!--END INLINE MUG-->
No longer Pacman, the more mature Adam Jones is coming off a year in which he looked every bit the first-round talent he was drafted to be. Playing right cornerback in the Bengals' nickel package, he gave up just 16 first downs and two touchdowns on 414 snaps in coverage; the seventh-lowest percentage of all cornerbacks.
From PFF:
3. Adam Jones, Cornerback
It tells you something about how well Jones played as the right cornerback in the Bengals’ nickel defense that he warranted such a high cap hit. Finishing the year as our 11th-ranked cornerback thanks to his work in coverage (just 4.35% of his snaps in coverage resulted in a first down or touchdown, seventh-lowest in the league) he played with the kind of ability that finally showcased why he was a first-round pick.
36. Randy Starks, DT
2012 team: Miami Dolphins
Starks made the switch from 3-4 defensive end back to defensive tackle this year, and faded a little as the season went on. Still, given how he's played the past three years, it would be foolish to write off this 29-year-old. He finished the year with 36 combined sacks, hits and hurries, which was ranked sixth among defensive tackles.
37. Desmond Bryant, DT
2012 team: Oakland Raiders<!--END INLINE MUG-->
Bryant spent 2011 at defensive end as he filled in for injury, but was restored back to his defensive tackle role this year and stepped up very nicely. His 7.8 pass-rushing productivity score ranked fifth among defensive tackles, with his 15 combined sacks and hits showing a real impact to hurt the quarterback.
41. Gosder Cherilus, T
2012 team: Detroit Lions
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Cherilus has developed into a solid starting tackle, but he rarely wows you. Far from a punishing run-blocker, his numbers in pass protection benefit from 57.9 percent of Matthew Stafford's drop backs seeing him get rid of the ball within 2.5 seconds.
49. Fred Davis, TE
2012 team: Washington Redskins<!--END INLINE MUG-->
Coming off an injury is going to hurt the value of Davis, but before he went down he was averaging a ridiculous 1.96 yards per route run. Only Rob Gronkowski had a higher average among tight ends, indicating the kind of threat Davis is as a receiver.
50. Mike Devito, DL
2012 team: New York Jets
You know what you're going to get in Devito. Capable of playing along the defensive line, he's stout against the run while offering very little rushing the passer. Since his 2009 season he's graded positively every year, with the kind of consistency that makes him a valuable part of any defensive line rotation.