Capital One Bowl: 5 Top Draft Picks on the Field for Nebraska vs. South Carolina

As with virtually every bowl game being played today, there are future NFL players gracing the field in the Capital One Bowl between Nebraska and South Carolina. The 2012 draft is still four months away, but there's little doubt that a few of the players from both teams will be selected to move on to the next level.

Nebraska's CB Alfonzo Dennard and South Carolina's DE Melvin Ingram are both projected as first-round selections on many mock drafts, including the one released by CBSSports. The order is arguable, but it's relatively safe to say that both players will be attending training camp with a pro team this spring.

Who else will be wearing a jersey of a different color come September?

There's plenty of talent on the field showcasing their talents one last time as a collegian.

Here are the top five draft picks gracing the field of the 2012 Capital One Bowl.

Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina

The tough part about predicting the order of draft is that we don't really know the order of the picks that will transpire come April. We pretty well know the initial order of the draft selections based on how NFL teams finished the regular season.

However, there's a lot of time between now and April for general managers to strike deals and shake up the selection order.

From there, who goes where depends as much on what the selecting team needs as it does on the talent of the available players.

Having said all of that, Ingram should definitely be a first round pick and will likely go in the top half of that round.

Ingram has 44 tackles on the season (not counting the bowl performance), 13.5 tackles-for-loss, 8.5 sacks, two broken passes, six QB hurries and a pair of interceptions on the season.

He's a disruptive force on a solid defensive unit.

Alfonzo Dennard, CB Nebraska

If you're looking for raw stats to support Dennard's inclusion on the list of first round draft choices, you'll be sorely disappointed. There aren't many.

Dennard is without an interception this season, despite posting four picks a year ago. He's devoid of tackles-for-loss and sacks.  He doesn't have any kick or punt returns on special teams to bolster his argument.

In fact, the one stat that can be attributed to Dennard would be the six defended passes he posted in nine games. It doesn't sound like much.

That's because the CB position is about more than stats and Dennard fits the bill based on the stats that aren't there.

Dennard is a cover corner that makes life difficult on opposing receivers. He's the kind of player that can take away half the field and force opposing offenses to keep as far away from him as possible.

Dennard was a pre-season All-American and will undoubtedly go fairly early in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Jared Crick, DT Nebraska

Another Pre-Season All-American from Nebraska is Jared Crick.

Though he only played five games, Crick racked up 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack, a broken pass, a QB hurry and a blocked kick.

Imagine what he could have done with a full season on the field. His lack of playing time won't likely hurt him come draft day though.

Crick was unanimous first-team All Big-12 in 2010, graced a number of All-American lists that year and performed well in the limited time he was on the field in 2011.

Stephon Gilmore, CB South Carolina

Gilmore is the highlight compliment to Dennard. Actually, Gilmore has better stats than Dennard.

Stephon offers three interceptions, 41 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a sack, seven broken passes, three QB hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

2011 has been a fantastic year for Gamecock corners and Gilmore has more than stood his ground. He'll still have a little growth before he'll be a big time cover corner at the next level, but he has good instincts, great hands and loves to mix it up.

Gilmore could go as early as the first round in April, but realistically look for him to be a second or third round pick.

Alshon Jeffrey, WR South Carolina

Last year, receivers weren't necessarily a hot commodity on draft day. There were other concerns to be addressed across the board and the field wasn't spectacular enough to warrant a lot of high draft picks.

This could be a return year for the catching crew and Alshon Jeffrey should be in the discussion.

Jeffrey won't likely be a first-round pick, but he could go in the second or third.

Jeffrey boasts 45 receptions for over 600 yards and seven touchdowns. He's fourth on the scoring list for South Carolina during the regular season and has the size at 6-4, 229 pounds to fit in well at the next level.