2012 NFL Draft Post-Combine Big Board

Benches have been pressed. Forties have been run. Wonderlics have been passed and failed. The NFL draft process is long and hard, and it's coming to an end.

Once the NFL Scouting Combine has passed, NFL teams dig in to adjust their big boards and start preparing for two months of pro days and private workouts. We're doing the same at Bleacher Report, as our big boards are updated to reflect changes at the combine.

Which players' stocks are rising and which are falling?

Quarterbacks

Quarterback rankings used to be "Andrew Luck...then everyone else." Now it's "Luck, RG3 and everyone else."

While Mr. Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III hasn't surpassed Luck yet, he's closing the gap considerably. Perhaps, the most important race isn't for the top quarterback spot, but for the right to be drafted third.

Many scouts have Ryan Tannehill as the No. 3 quarterback coming off the board, but at Bleacher Report, Kirk Cousins has earned the right to be No. 3.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Hand	40 time
1	1	Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford	6040	234	10 even	4.59
2	2	Robert Griffin III	QB	Baylor	6023	223	9 1/2″	4.38
33	3	Kirk Cousins	QB	Michigan State	6025	214	9 7/8″	4.84
55	4	Brandon Weeden	QB	Oklahoma State	6034	221	9 5/8″	DNP
57	5	Nick Foles	QB	Arizona	6050	243	10 5/8″	5.15
59	6	Ryan Tannehill	QB	Texas A&M	6037	221	9 even	DNP
67	7	Brock Osweiler	QB	Arizona State	6067	242	9 7/8″	DNP
88	8	Russell Wilson	QB	Wisconsin	5105	204	10 1/4″	4.5
135	9	Ryan Lindley	QB	San Diego State	6036	229	10 even	4.91
162	10	B.J. Coleman	QB	Chattanooga	6031	233	10 3/8″	DNP
178	11	Chandler Harnish	QB	Northern Illinois	6015	219	9 1/4″	4.75
209	12	Case Keenum	QB	Houston	6005	208	9 1/8″	4.75
215	13	Aaron Corp	QB	Richmond	6035	215	9 3/8″	4.65
234	14	Austin Davis	QB	Southern Mississippi	6015	219	10 3/8″	4.78
261	15	Patrick Witt	QB	Yale	6034	225	9 even
290	16	Darron Thomas	QB	Oregon	6025	220	9 1/2″	4.78
298	17	Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State	5116	197	9 1/2″	4.87

Running Backs

The 2012 draft class features three running backs who grade out high enough to warrant a first-round ranking. If three are actually drafted in the first 32 picks is a different story, but the talent is there.

Among the most interesting second-tier players is Doug Martin from Boise State. A powerful, squat runner with inside vision, Martin could be a second-round pick who becomes a consistent 1,000-yard rusher.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	3 Cone
3	1	Trent Richardson	RB	Alabama	5094	228	DNP	DNP
14	2	Lamar Miller	RB	Miami (Fla.)	5103	212	4.38	DNP
22	3	Chris Polk	RB	Washington	5106	215	4.46	7.13
47	4	Doug Martin	RB	Boise State	5090	223	4.47	6.79
54	5	David Wilson	RB	Virginia Tech	5096	206	4.4	7.09
87	6	Isaiah Pead	RB	Cincinnati	5097	197	4.41	6.95
92	7	LaMichael James	RB	Oregon	5081	194	4.37	6.88
104	8	Bernard Pierce	RB	Temple	6002	218	4.5	7.07
111	9	Cyrus Gray	RB	Texas A&M	5102	206	4.41	7.17
124	10	Ronnie Hillman	RB	San Diego State	5091	200	4.41	DNP
126	11	Chris Rainey	RB	Florida	5083	180	4.37	6.5
141	12	Tauren Poole	RB	Tennessee	5095	205	4.53	7.36
144	13	Dan Herron	RB	Ohio State	5095	203	4.65	6.97
152	14	Robert Turbin	RB	Utah State	5095	222	4.44	7.16
170	15	Terrance Ganaway	RB	Baylor	5114	239	4.63	7.15
183	16	Vick Ballard	RB	Mississippi State	5101	219	4.63	7.03
203	17	Brandon Bolden	RB	Mississippi	5110	222	4.56	6.96
208	18	Davin Meggett	RB	Maryland	5802	211	4.5	7.14
228	19	Bobby Rainey	RB	Western Kentucky	5083	180	4.37	6.5
231	20	Marc Tyler	RB	Southern California	5107	219	4.72	DNP
233	21	Foswhitt Whittaker	RB	Texas	5092	193	DNP	DNP
249	22	Edwin Baker	RB	Michigan State	5081	204	4.46	7.27
253	23	Lennon Creer	RB	Louisiana Tech	5111	219	4.59	7.26
264	24	Adonis Thomas	RB	Toledo	5-10	185
297	25	Darrell Scott	RB	South Florida	6001	231	4.72	DNP

Fullbacks

The fullback position is a dying breed in the NFL—as evidenced by the low number of players invited to the combine at the position.

Bradie Ewing is the lone draftable player at the position invited to the combine, but there are a number of guys who will go undrafted or become late-round picks who can become starters in the league.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	40 time	3 Cone
167	1	Evan Rodriguez	FB	Temple	6-2	242	Not invited to Combine
196	2	Emil Igwenagu	FB	Massachusetts	6-1	245	Not invited to Combine
206	3	Chad Diehl	FB	Clemson	6-2	257	Not invited to Combine
210	4	Cody Johnson	FB	Texas	5-11	252	Not invited to Combine
211	5	Bradie Ewing	FB	Wisconsin	5116	239	31 3/8	4.75	7.14
238	6	Brad Smelley	FB	Alabama	6-2	233	Not invited to Combine
282	7	Drake Dunsmore	FB	Northwestern	6-2	235	Not invited to Combine

Wide Receivers

The wide receiver class from 2012 features as many as seven players who could see themselves drafted in the first round. 

The highlights of the class are the well-known players—Alshon Jeffery, Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd—but the second half of the future first-rounders are just as talented.

A few names to point out as potential sleepers. Joe Adams from Arkansas, A.J. Jenkins from Illinois, Jarius Wright from Arkansas and Devon Wylie from Fresno State are all intriguing options outside the second round as players who could have very solid careers.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	40 time
7	1	Alshon Jeffery	WR	South Carolina	6027	216	33 even	DNP
10	2	Michael Floyd	WR	Notre Dame	6025	220	32 7/8	4.42
13	3	Justin Blackmon	WR	Oklahoma State	6007	207	32 1/2	DNP
23	4	Kendall Wright	WR	Baylor	5102	188	30 1/2	4.45
32	5	Stephen Hill	WR	Georgia Tech	6040	215	33 3/8	4.3
38	6	Mohamed Sanu	WR	Rutgers	6014	211	33 1/2	4.65
40	7	Rueben Randle	WR	LSU	6027	210	33 even	4.5
64	8	Marvin Jones	WR	California	6017	199	33 1/8	4.47
69	9	Nick Toon	WR	Wisconsin	6017	215	32 1/2	4.53
82	10	Joe Adams	WR	Arkansas	5106	179	31 7/8	4.44
84	11	Jarius Wright	WR	Arkansas	5906	182	31 1/2	4.41
89	12	Brian Quick	WR	Appalachian State	6036	220	34 1/4	4.48
96	13	A.J. Jenkins	WR	Illinois	6002	190	32 3/4	4.37
102	14	Dwight Jones	WR	North Carolina	6031	230	34 even	4.46
108	15	Chris Givens	WR	Wake Forest	5111	198	31 1/4	4.37
109	16	Tommy Streeter	WR	Miami (Fla.)	6044	219	34 3/4	4.34
116	17	DeVier Posey	WR	Ohio State	6015	211	31 5/8	4.37
125	18	Juron Criner	WR	Arizona	6024	224	32 even	4.63
134	19	Chris Owusu	WR	Stanford	6001	196	31 3/4	4.31
137	20	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Florida International	5096	183	32 even	DNP
147	21	Marvin McNutt	WR	Iowa	6026	216	32 even	4.42
157	22	Eric Page	WR	Toledo	5807	186	29 even	4.53
161	23	Jordan White	WR	Western Michigan	5116	208	31 1/2	4.68
164	24	Gerell Robinson	WR	Arizona State	6031	227	33 even	4.53
165	25	Ryan Broyles	WR	Oklahoma	5102	192	30 1/4	DNP
176	26	Jeff Fuller	WR	Texas A&M	6034	223	33 5/8	DNP
182	27	Devon Wylie	WR	Fresno State	5902	187	30 1/4	4.37
202	28	Rishard Matthews	WR	Nevada	6001	217	32 1/2	4.47
204	29	Marquis Maze	WR	Alabama	5077	186	29 3/4	4.47
207	30	B.J. Cunningham	WR	Michigan State	6013	211	33 even	4.47
222	31	Lance Lewis	WR	East Carolina	6-1	209	Not invited to Combine
224	32	T.J. Graham	WR	North Carolina State	5112	188	32 3/4	4.35
235	33	Tim Benford	WR	Tennessee Tech	5112	205	33 1/8	4.53
267	34	Devon Wylie	WR	Fresno State	5902	187	30 1/4	4.37
274	35	LaVon Brazill	WR	Ohio	5104	192	32 even	4.45
278	36	Jermaine Kearse	WR	Washington	6-1	208	Not invited to Combine

Tight Ends

The tight end position is once again en vogue thanks to talented athletes like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham furthering what Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates started.

Who will be next?

Orson Charles stands out as an elite athlete who doubles as a muscle-bound pass catcher. Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen fit the mold of a classic in-line blocker, both ready to start in the NFL right now.

One name to keep an eye on is Ladarius Green. He's a special athlete with the size to be a factor in the red zone.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench
20	1	Orson Charles	TE	Georgia	6024	251	DNP	35
51	2	Dwayne Allen	TE	Clemson	6031	255	4.89	27
65	3	Coby Fleener	TE	Stanford	6060	247	DNP	27
85	4	Ladarius Green	TE	La.-Lafayette	6056	238	4.53	16
129	5	Cory Harkey	TE	UCLA	6040	260	5.11	13
142	6	Michael Egnew	TE	Missouri	6051	252	4.64	21
155	7	Deangelo Peterson	TE	LSU	6030	243	4.76	19
171	8	Brian Linthicum	TE	Michigan State	6-4	249
205	9	Kevin Koger	TE	Michigan	6-3	262
212	10	George Bryan	TE	North Carolina State	6-5	265
226	11	Rhett Ellison	TE	Southern California	6-5	250
245	12	Beau Reliford	TE	Florida State	6050	256	DNP	DNP
251	13	Chase Ford	TE	Miami (Fla.)	6-6	258
252	14	Nick Provo	TE	Syracuse	6030	237	DNP	DNP
265	15	Tyler Urban	TE	West Virginia	6-4	245
296	16	Anthony Miller	TE	California	6-3	255

Tackles

Joe Thomas and Jake Long have set the bar in years past for what an elite left tackle prospect should look like. Matt Kalil from USC is next in line.

Kalil heads a strong class of tackles, but down in terms of overall talent from the last several classes. With the USC product standing ahead of the pack, which tackles make the grade?

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	40 time
5	1	Matt Kalil	OT	Southern California	6065	306	34 1/2	4.99
15	2	Riley Reiff	OT	Iowa	6056	313	33 1/4	5.23
31	3	Jonathan Martin	OT	Stanford	6051	312	34 even	DNP
41	4	Mike Adams	OT	Ohio State	6072	323	34 even	5.4
70	5	Mitchell Schwartz	OT	California	6053	318	33 1/2	5.45
72	6	Zebrie Sanders	OT	Florida State	6054	320	35 even	5.41
90	7	Bobby Massie	OT	Mississippi	6061	316	35 even	5.23
98	8	Matt McCants	OT	UAB	6055	308	35 3/8	5.52
106	9	Nate Potter	OT	Boise State	6055	303	34 5/8	5.36
115	10	Brandon Mosley	OT	Auburn	6055	314	34 even	5.21
120	11	James Brown	OT	Troy	6034	306	34 1/2	5.3
127	12	Tony Bergstrom	OT	Utah	6053	313	32 even	5.27
132	13	Jeff Allen	OT	Illinois	6040	307	33 1/2	5.28
159	14	Andrew Datko	OT	Florida State	6061	315	33 7/8	5.32
185	15	Tom Compton	OT	South Dakota	6052	314	34 even	5.11
188	16	Matt Reynolds	OT	Brigham Young	6044	302	33 1/4	5.37
216	17	Markus Zusevics	OT	Iowa	6047	303	33 even	DNP
225	18	Levy Adcock	OT	Oklahoma State	6-5	322	Not invited to Combine
248	19	Marcel Jones	OT	Nebraska	6061	320	33 5/8	5.67
259	20	Lamar Holmes	OT	Southern Mississippi	6053	323	35 1/4	5.41
276	21	Jeff Adams	OT	Columbia	6040	307	33 1/2	5.28
283	22	Blake DeChristopher	OT	Virginia Tech	6-5	305	Not invited to Combine

Guards

My first gig as a draft writer came in 2001, fresh out of high school and ambitious as hell. I wrote for nfldraftblitz.com and covered the San Francisco 49ers—working up a draft board and team needs for them. Since then, no offensive guard has been ranked as high as David DeCastro.

Alan Faneca was a great prospect from what I hear, but in 1998, I wasn't covering the draft. Steve Hutchinson, another all-time great prospect from the 2001 draft, didn't receive as high of a grade.

DeCastro is truly elite, trumping the other solid talent at the position.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	40 time
6	1	David DeCastro	OG	Stanford	6047	316	32 3/4	5.43
25	2	Cordy Glenn	OG	Georgia	6056	345	35 3/4	5.15
29	3	Kelechi Osemele	OG	Iowa State	6064	333	33 1/4	5.36
58	4	Kevin Zeitler	OG	Wisconsin	6037	314	32 3/4	5.39
71	5	Brandon Washington	OG	Miami (Fla.)	6027	320	33 even	5.25
79	6	Amini Silatolu	OG	Midwestern State	6034	311	32 even	5.43
91	7	Senio Kelemete	OG	Washington	6035	307	33 1/2	5.52
168	8	Brandon Brooks	OG	Miami (Ohio)	6-5	353	Not invited to Combine
169	9	Lucas Nix	OG	Pittsburgh	6052	317	33 1/2	5.43
199	10	Ryan Miller	OG	Colorado	6072	321	33 1/8	5.27
217	11	Desmond Wynn	OG	Rutgers	6054	303	34 even	5.05
218	12	Jaymes Brooks	OG	Virginia Tech	6-2	310	Not invited to Combine
239	13	Joe Looney	OG	Wake Forest	6032	309	32 1/4	DNP
257	14	Antoine McClain	OG	Clemson	6054	329	34 5/8	5.57
260	15	Derek Dennis	OG	Temple	6-3	315	Not invited to Combine
280	16	Chris Jacobson	OG	Pittsburgh	6-2	295	Not invited to Combine
284	17	Rokevious Watkins	OG	South Carolina	6041	338	34 5/8	5.39
294	18	Jeremiah Warren	OG	South Florida	6-3	336	Not invited to Combine
295	19	Kelvin Beachum	OG	Southern Methodist	6027	303	33 1/4	5.44
300	20	Rishaw Johnson	OG	California (PA)	6033	313	35 1/4	5.24

Centers

Peter Konz rates as the only first or second-round prospect at the center position. Teams needing help on the inside will look to Konz or free agency for a quick fix.

Konz is a rare talent, with the size and strength to play guard and then football IQ to be a captain in the middle of the line. Outside of the Wisconsin product, Philip Blake (Baylor) is a prospect worth keeping an eye on as a late-round steal.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	40 time
27	1	Peter Konz	C	Wisconsin	6051	314	33 even	DNP
75	2	Ben Jones	C	Georgia	6025	303	32 1/2	5.44
114	3	Michael Brewster	C	Ohio State	6041	312	31 1/2	5.35
139	4	Philip Blake	C	Baylor	6023	311	33 even	5.25
149	5	David Molk	C	Michigan	6011	298	32 even	DNP
154	6	Quentin Saulsberry	C	Mississippi State	6021	304	33 3/4	5.38
247	7	William Vlachos	C	Alabama	6000	306	Not invited to Combine
258	8	Garth Gerhart	C	Arizona State	6011	305	33 3/8	5.42
281	9	Mason Cloy	C	Clemson	6-3	310	Not invited to Combine

4-3 Defensive End

The defensive end rankings have seen a major shift this season. Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss opened the year as favorites, but poor play and major character questions from DPM had the top of the order in flux.

Along came Nick Perry, whose athleticism and violent-style off the edge moved him to the top of the list. Coples, Melvin Ingram and others round out a solid position group that could see as many as six first-rounders.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time
9	1	Nick Perry	DE	Southern California	6026	271	4.5
21	2	Quinton Coples	DE	North Carolina	6053	284	4.72
24	3	Vinny Curry	DE	Marshall	6031	266	4.85
26	4	Andre Branch	DE	Clemson	6042	259	4.62
35	5	Whitney Mercilus	DE	Illinois	6035	261	4.63
42	6	Chandler Jones	DE	Syracuse	6053	266	4.82
48	7	Jared Crick	DE	Nebraska	6042	279	4.97
62	8	Billy Winn	DE	Boise State	6036	294	4.95
68	9	Cam Johnson	DE	Virginia	6034	268	4.75
119	10	Trevor Guyton	DE	California	6025	285	5.1
130	11	Tyrone Crawford	DE	Boise State	6041	275	4.81
138	12	Malik Jackson	DE	Tennessee	6046	284	4.93
148	13	Jake Bequette	DE	Arkansas	6045	274	4.78
151	14	Olivier Vernon	DE	Miami (Fla.)	6021	261	4.68
163	15	Jacquies Smith	DE	Missouri	6025	253	4.75
175	16	Jack Crawford	DE	Penn State	6050	274	4.76
229	17	Donte Paige-Moss	DE	North Carolina	6030	268	DNP
241	18	Scott Solomon	DE	Rice	6030	262	4.94
243	19	Frank Alexander	DE	Oklahoma	6040	270	DNP
262	20	Julian Miller	DE	West Virginia	6-3	256
272	21	Taylor Thompson	DE	Southern Methodist	6-6	266
273	22	Derrick Shelby	DE	Utah	6027	266	4.81

3-4 Defensive Ends

The 3-4 defense is now used, in some form or another, by over half the teams in the NFL. As the popularity spreads, new teams are finding needs for thick-bodied defenders to line up over the tackle in their three-man front.

The 2012 class will not disappoint teams looking for an answer at the 5-technique position. As many as four defensive ends could be selected in the first round, with two more topping out the top of the second round.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench
8	1	Michael Brockers	DT	LSU	6050	322	5.33	19
19	3	Fletcher Cox	DT	Mississippi State	6040	298	4.79	30
21	2	Quinton Coples	DE	North Carolina	6053	284	4.72	25
30	4	Devon Still	DT	Penn State	6047	303	5	26
48	7	Jared Crick	DE	Nebraska	6042	279	4.97	DNP
62	8	Billy Winn	DE	Boise State	6036	294	4.95	24
73	8	Kendall Reyes	DT	Connecticut	6041	299	4.79	36
95	9	Marcus Forston	DT	Miami (Fla.)	6012	301	5.1	35
119	10	Trevor Guyton	DE	California	6025	285	5.1	DNP
121	12	Kheeston Randall	DT	Texas	6041	299	4.79	36
130	11	Tyrone Crawford	DE	Boise State	6041	275	4.81	28
138	12	Malik Jackson	DE	Tennessee	6046	284	4.93	25
140	13	Brett Roy	DT	Nevada	6027	275	5.03	32
186	17	Derek Wolfe	DT	Cincinnati	6051	295	4.94	33
263	20	Jaye Howard	DT	Florida	6030	301	4.75	24

Defensive Tackles

If you followed coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine, you undoubtedly heard the names Michael Brockers, Dontari Poe and Fletcher Cox early and often. Fittingly so.

The three defensive tackles will all compete to have their names called within the top 10 picks. There is a solid argument for six defensive tackles to be drafted in the first 40 selections.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench
8	1	Michael Brockers	DT	LSU	6050	322	5.33	19
11	2	Dontari Poe	DT	Memphis	6036	346	4.87	44
19	3	Fletcher Cox	DT	Mississippi State	6040	298	4.79	30
30	4	Devon Still	DT	Penn State	6047	303	5	26
34	5	Mike Martin	DT	Michigan	6013	306	4.84	36
39	6	Jerel Worthy	DT	Michigan State	6023	308	4.97	DNP
66	7	Brandon Thompson	DT	Clemson	6020	314	DNP	35
73	8	Kendall Reyes	DT	Connecticut	6041	299	4.79	36
95	9	Marcus Forston	DT	Miami (Fla.)	6012	301	5.1	35
97	10	DaJohn Harris	DT	Southern California	6030	306	DNP	DNP
105	11	Alameda Ta’amu	DT	Washington	6024	348	5.34	35
121	12	Kheeston Randall	DT	Texas	6041	299	4.79	36
140	13	Brett Roy	DT	Nevada	6027	275	5.03	32
143	14	Hebron Fangupo	DT	Brigham Young	6006	323	5.16	36
146	15	Akiem Hicks	DT	Regina	6045	318	5.21	26
160	16	Josh Chapman	DT	Alabama	6010	316	DNP	DNP
186	17	Derek Wolfe	DT	Cincinnati	6051	295	4.94	33
193	18	Nicolas Jean-Baptiste	DT	Baylor	6-2	335
223	19	Mike Daniels	DT	Iowa	6000	291	DNP	DNP
263	20	Jaye Howard	DT	Florida	6030	301	4.75	24
275	21	Tydreke Powell	DT	North Carolina	6020	311	5.28	29
277	22	Christian Tupou	DT	Southern California	6020	289	5.35	30

Nose Tackles

Teams running a 3-4 defense live and die by the ability of their nose tackles to draw double teams to free up the linebackers to make plays. A bad nose tackle will shut down even the most talented rosters.

Dontari Poe made waves at the combine with svelte moves for a big man—good enough that he's now being considered a top-10 pick.

Mike Martin may not have the name recognition of Poe, but if drafted in the second round, he has the talent to shock a fanbase with All-Pro level play.

Rank	Position	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench
11	2	Dontari Poe	DT	Memphis	6036	346	4.87	44
34	5	Mike Martin	DT	Michigan	6013	306	4.84	36
97	10	DaJohn Harris	DT	Southern California	6030	306	DNP	DNP
105	11	Alameda Ta’amu	DT	Washington	6024	348	5.34	35
143	14	Hebron Fangupo	DT	Brigham Young	6006	323	5.16	36
160	16	Josh Chapman	DT	Alabama	6010	316	DNP	DNP
193	18	Nicolas Jean-Baptiste	DT	Baylor	6-2	335
223	19	Mike Daniels	DT	Iowa	6000	291	DNP	DNP

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Few positions get scouts as excited as outside linebackers. The good ones can run like a safety, hit like a Mack truck and make plays when the offense least expects it.

The good ones are few and far between, but the 2012 draft class features a list of prospects ready to try their hand at becoming the next big thing.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench	3 Cone
12	1	Melvin Ingram	OLB	South Carolina	6014	264	4.66	28	6.83
16	2	Courtney Upshaw	OLB	Alabama	6020	272	DNP	22	DNP
44	3	Zach Brown	OLB	North Carolina	6012	244	4.44	DNP	DNP
49	4	Bruce Irvin	OLB	West Virginia	6030	245	4.43	23	6.7
50	5	Bobby Wagner	OLB	Utah State	Jun-00	241
53	6	Jonathan Massaquoi	OLB	Troy	6021	264	4.78	20	7.38
56	7	Lavonte David	OLB	Nebraska	6005	233	4.56	19	7.28
80	8	Ronnell Lewis	OLB	Oklahoma	6016	253	4.65	36	7.09
86	9	Keenan Robinson	OLB	Texas	6031	242	4.69	27	DNP
93	10	Shea McClellin	OLB	Boise State	6033	260	4.62	19	7.07
103	11	Josh Kaddu	OLB	Oregon	6030	239	DNP	20	DNP
122	12	Terrell Manning	OLB	North Carolina State	6021	237	4.63	22	7.18
123	13	Nigel Bradham	OLB	Florida State	6017	241	4.53	24	7.18
128	14	Travis Lewis	OLB	Oklahoma	6010	246	4.81	22	DNP
150	15	Sean Spence	OLB	Miami (Fla.)	5110	231	4.56	12	7.46
156	16	Emmanuel Acho	OLB	Texas	6010	238	4.68	24	DNP
172	17	Tyler Nielsen	OLB	Iowa	6033	238	4.67	21	7.27
173	18	Kyle Wilber	OLB	Wake Forest	6036	249	4.78	25	7.11
180	19	Brandon Lindsey	OLB	Pittsburgh	6020	254	4.78	23	7.36
181	20	Demario Davis	OLB	Arkansas State	6020	235	4.53	32	7.19
192	21	Adrian Robinson	OLB	Temple	1-Jun	237
194	22	Tank Carder	OLB	TCU	6020	236	4.56	19	6.89
219	23	Danny Trevathan	OLB	Kentucky	6000	237	DNP	18	DNP
220	24	Darius Fleming	OLB	Notre Dame	6015	245	4.72	27	7.03
285	25	Miles Burris	OLB	San Diego State	6020	246		31	DNP

3-4 Outside Linebacker

Part defensive end, part safety—an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense can be asked to rush the passer, stop the run or drop back into coverage. Versatility and athleticism are the keys.

The 2012 class started out hot but has faded down the stretch, but that won't keep NFL teams from drafting as many as six outside linebackers in the first round.

Players are listed below at their regularly projected position.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	Bench	3 Cone
9	1	Nick Perry	DE	Southern California	6026	271	4.5	35	7.25
12	1	Melvin Ingram	OLB	South Carolina	6014	264	4.66	28	6.83
16	2	Courtney Upshaw	OLB	Alabama	6020	272	DNP	22	DNP
24	3	Vinny Curry	DE	Marshall	6031	266	4.85	DNP	6.9
26	4	Andre Branch	DE	Clemson	6042	259	4.62	DNP	7.19
35	5	Whitney Mercilus	DE	Illinois	6035	261	4.63	27	7.17
42	6	Chandler Jones	DE	Syracuse	6053	266	4.82	22	7.07
50	5	Bruce Irvin	OLB	West Virginia	6030	245	4.43	23	6.7
56	7	Jonathan Massaquoi	OLB	Troy	6021	264	4.78	20	7.38
68	9	Ronnell Lewis	OLB	Oklahoma	6016	253	4.65	36	7.09
80	8	Cam Johnson	DE	Virginia	6034	268	4.75	DNP	7.2
86	9	Keenan Robinson	OLB	Texas	6031	242	4.69	27	DNP
93	10	Shea McClellin	OLB	Boise State	6033	260	4.62	19	7.07
151	14	Olivier Vernon	DE	Miami (Fla.)	6021	261	4.68	31	7.39
163	15	Jacquies Smith	DE	Missouri	6025	253	4.75	21	7.25
180	19	Brandon Lindsey	OLB	Pittsburgh	6020	254	4.78	23	7.36
220	24	Darius Fleming	OLB	Notre Dame	6015	245	4.72	27	7.03
229	17	Donte Paige-Moss	DE	North Carolina	6030	268	DNP	26	DNP
241	18	Scott Solomon	DE	Rice	6030	262	4.94	34	7.17
243	19	Frank Alexander	DE	Oklahoma	6040	270	DNP	DNP	DNP
262	20	Julian Miller	DE	West Virginia	3-Jun	256
272	21	Taylor Thompson	DE	Southern Methodist	6-Jun	266
273	22	Derrick Shelby	DE	Utah	6027	266	4.81	26	7.09
285	25	Miles Burris	OLB	San Diego State	6020	246		31	DNP

Inside Linebackers

The inside linebacker position will see more attention this season after solid, season-changing play from Patrick Willis and NaVarro Bowman in San Francisco. As teams try to replicate the 49ers defense, expect a run on inside linebackers.

One player who has seen his stock tumble is Arizona State inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The violent hitter is too much of a wild card on the field and in the locker room for NFL teams to trust as the defensive captain.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	3 Cone	Shuttle
18	1	Dont’a Hightower	ILB	Alabama	6022	265	4.62	DNP	DNP
61	2	Luke Kuechly	ILB	Boston College	6032	242	4.5	6.92	4.12
81	3	Audie Cole	ILB	North Carolina State	6041	246	4.72	6.96	4.29
100	4	Vontaze Burfict	ILB	Arizona State	6013	248	4.93	DNP	DNP
107	5	James-Michael Johnson	ILB	Nevada	6011	241	4.6	7.32	4.37
133	6	Mychal Kendricks	ILB	California	5111	239	4.41	DNP	4.19
197	7	Chris Galippo	ILB	Southern California	6014	241	4.66	6.9	4.1
201	8	Jerry Franklin	ILB	Arkansas	6-1	241
236	9	Max Gruder	ILB	Pittsburgh	6-1	235
266	10	Shawn Loiseau	ILB	Merrimack	6000	244	4.75	DNP	DNP
286	11	D.J. Holt	ILB	California	6-0	242
289	12	Adrien Cole	ILB	Louisiana Tech	5-11	250
291	13	Najee Goode	ILB	West Virginia	6000	244	4.66	DNP	DNP

Cornerbacks

The 2012 NFL draft features a tough group of cornerbacks, ranging from lock-down stars to potential studs with character issues holding them down.

Morris Claiborne highlights an impressive crop of cornerbacks ready to take on the Calvin Johnsons of the NFL.

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	3 Cone	Shuttle
4	1	Morris Claiborne	CB	LSU	5111	188	4 1/2	7.01	4.12
17	2	Stephon Gilmore	CB	South Carolina	6004	190	4.4	6.61	3.94
28	3	Jamell Fleming	CB	Oklahoma	5105	206	4.43	6.71	3.97
37	4	Dre Kirkpatrick	CB	Alabama	6015	186	4.43	DNP	DNP
43	5	Janoris Jenkins	CB	North Alabama	5100	193	4.44	6.95	4.13
45	6	Brandon Boykin	CB	Georgia	5090	182	DNP	DNP	DNP
46	7	Casey Hayward	CB	Vanderbilt	5113	192	4.53	6.76	3.9
52	8	Alfonzo Dennard	CB	Nebraska	5100	204	4.51	DNP	DNP
63	9	Leonard Johnson	CB	Iowa State	5097	196	4.65	6.96	4.15
74	10	Chase Minnifield	CB	Virginia	5100	183	DNP	DNP	DNP
77	11	Trumaine Johnson	CB	Montana	6017	204	4.5	7.2	4.15
83	12	Dwight Bentley	CB	La.-Lafayette	5115	182	4.37	6.99	4.5
94	13	Jayron Hosley	CB	Virginia Tech	5100	178	4.38	DNP	DNP
99	14	Josh Norman	CB	Coastal Carolina	6002	197	4.56	7.09	4.23
110	15	Shaun Prater	CB	Iowa	5100	190	DNP	DNP	DNP
112	16	Ryan Steed	CB	Furman	5104	195	4.69	6.94	4.22
113	17	Josh Robinson	CB	UCF	5101	199	4.29	6.55	3.97
118	18	DeQuan Menzie	CB	Alabama	5106	202	4.63	DNP	DNP
136	19	Coryell Judie	CB	Texas A&M	5115	194	4.44	7.33	4.25
166	20	Mike Harris	CB	Florida State	5102	188	4.57	6.79	4.07
174	21	Donnie Fletcher	CB	Boston College	6-0	201
179	22	Asa Jackson	CB	Cal Poly	5100	191	4.5	6.97	4.03
184	23	Cliff Harris	CB	Oregon	5111	175	4.59	6.81	4.19
187	24	Ron Brooks	CB	LSU	5100	190	4.35	DNP	DNP
189	25	Micah Pellerin	CB	Hampton	6003	194	4.47	DNP	DNP
198	26	Omar Bolden	CB	Arizona State	6010	202	DNP	DNP	DNP
200	27	Keith Tandy	CB	West Virginia	5-10	202
213	28	Robert Blanton	CB	Notre Dame	6006	208	4.66	6.71	3.97
227	29	Justin Bethel	CB	Presbyterian	6006	200	4.53	6.79	4.3
230	30	D’Anton Lynn	CB	Penn State	5117	206	4.72	DNP	DNP
237	31	Charles Brown	CB	North Carolina	5090	202	4.5	6.94	4.06
240	32	Quenton Washington	CB	South Florida	5-10	195
254	33	Trevin Wade	CB	Arizona	5103	192	4.53	6.87	4
255	34	Emanuel Davis	CB	East Carolina	5-10	186
292	35	Terrence Frederick	CB	Texas A&M	5101	187	4.5	6.59	4.03
299	36	Robert Golden	CB	Arizona	5-11	200

Safeties

Among the two safety positions ranked, neither has a player graded as a first-round prospect. Not a good sign for NFL teams hoping to bolster the back line of defense in their secondaries.

Mark Barron is as close to a first-rounder as this draft sees, but surgery to repair a double hernia has complicated the pre-draft process for Barron and has his stock slipping slightly.

Free Safety

Rank	Pos	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	40 time	3 Cone	Shuttle
76	1	Markelle Martin	FS	Oklahoma State	6006	207	DNP	DNP	DNP
78	2	George Iloka	FS	Boise State	6035	225	4.59	7.03	4.03
117	3	Aaron Henry	FS	Wisconsin	6-0	208
131	4	Janzen Jackson	FS	McNeese State	5114	188	4.57	6.9	4.15
145	5	Eddie Whitley	FS	Virginia Tech	6-1	184
153	6	Tramain Thomas	FS	Arkansas	6-0	192
177	7	Trenton Robinson	FS	Michigan State	5-10	193	31 1/2	35″	10’5″
190	8	Tysyn Hartman	FS	Kansas State	6-3	208
232	9	Damien Jackson	FS	Mississippi	6-2	210
244	10	Brandon Hardin	FS	Oregon State	6-3	222
268	11	Jerrell Young	FS	South Florida	6-1	207
270	12	Christian Thompson	FS	South Carolina State	6002	211	4.47	7.33	4.13

Strong Safety

Rank	Position	Player	Pos	School	Ht	Wt	Arms	Hand	40 time	Bench	Vertical	Broad	3 Cone	Shuttle
36	1	Mark Barron	SS	Alabama	6010	213	33 5/8	9 1/2″	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
60	2	Harrison Smith	SS	Notre Dame	6017	213	32 5/8	10 1/4″	4.56	19	34″	10’2″	6.63	4.12
101	3	Antonio Allen	SS	South Carolina	6014	210	32 1/2	9 3/8″	4.62	17	34″	9’10″	7.02	4.25
158	4	Duke Ihenacho	SS	San Jose State	6001	213	32 3/4	9 1/4″	4.62	20	35″	10’2″	6.78	4.22
191	5	Brandon Taylor	SS	LSU	5112	209	31 1/4	9 1/2″	4.5	DNP	33.5″	9’10″	7.32	4.37
214	6	Matt Daniels	SS	Duke	6-0	215	Not invited to Combine
221	7	Sean Cattouse	SS	California	6021	211	33 even	9 1/2″	4.68	DNP	34″	9’6″	6.99	4.15
242	8	Cyhl Quarles	SS	Wake Forest	6014	213	32 even	9 3/8″	4.53	19	32.5″	9’11″	7.21	4.32
246	9	Winston Guy	SS	Kentucky	6007	218	33 even	9″	4.65	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
250	10	Charles Mitchell	SS	Mississippi State	5106	202	30 1/4	9 1/2″	4.56	19	37″	10’7″	6.93	4.22
271	11	Kelcie McCray	SS	Arkansas State	6016	202	32 1/4	8 7/8″	4.47	12	30.5″	10’2″	7	4.29
279	12	Delano Howell	SS	Stanford	5107	210	31 1/4	9 1/4″	4.63	21	33″	10′	6.97	4.15
288	13	Johnny Thomas	SS	Oklahoma State	5103	206	32 1/2	9 3/4″	4.56	20	35.5″	10’3″	7.01	4.25
293	14	Eddie Pleasant	SS	Oregon	5101	211	31 even	9 1/4″	4.56	22	33.5″	9’8″	7.12	4.28

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