2012 NFL Draft News: Nick Foles' Stock Continues to Slide at Arizona Pro Day

The Arizona Wildcats pro day in Tucson, AZ, focused on the offensive side of the ball, as quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Juron Criner led their class of 2012 NFL draft prospects.

First, there is Foles, who has a chance to be the fourth (or possibly even third) QB off the board with a good postseason because of his size and arm strength. He passes the eyeball test, but he hasn't done much to endear himself to NFL teams beyond that, and his pro day performance did nothing to stop that trend. 

CBS Sports' Rob Rang echoed these sentiments saying that there was a perception that Foles stock was sliding after the Senior Bowl and Combine and that his pro day was crucial for that reason. One of Rang's sources called the workout "average," the other "terrible," and Rang would only commit to Foles' grade being "draftable" after his pro day.

Foles had trouble throwing spirals, although SI.com's Tony Pauline tried to put a good spin on the performance (better than the spin Foles put on the ball) by passing on that scouts thought Foles took something off of his passes because of the wet conditions. Rang did point out that Foles did improve his combine 40 time (from 5.15 to 5.02-5.09) and vertical (from 30.5" to 33.5") at his pro day, but speculated that he might be a third-day pick now, and I must agree, unless a team is engaging in the worst kind QB scouting wishful thinking.

Foles' number one wide receiver Juron Criner has never looked like a speedster on tape, and his times in the 4.52 (Rang) to low-4.6s (Pauline) range will probably be adjusted because of Arizona's fast track to his 4.68 official Combine time, as Rang points out. Both agreed that Criner looked great catching the ball in the poor conditions, and Criner should project well as a possession No. 2 receiver that a team like Cincinnati should target in the mid-rounds.

David Douglas did a lot more to help his stock than Criner did, running in mid-4.4s (will be officially 4.45 according to Pauline), and "looked effortless" performing in the horrible conditions. Rang reported that his "crisp route-running" and "soft hands" surprised scouts, and that a scout said the "other receiver" might have moved himself into the seventh round.