2012 NFL Mock Draft: Analyzing Mohamed Sanu and Others Trending Upward

The first crop of formerly underrated members of the 2012 NFL class are beginning to see a rise in their draft stock.

Get used to it. 

It happens every year and will continue until the day of the draft. 

Let's look at the players that are certainly trending upward. 

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers 

Sanu declared for the NFL draft on Tuesday (according to Joe Schad via Twitter), and although there are receivers rated much higher than him, like Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery, Sanu is certainly an intriguing prospect. 

At 6'2'', Sanu weighs in at 215 pounds, so he passes the eye test at the next level. 

He's interesting because he simply does everything well. 

The Rutgers' standout won't burn every NFL corner, but he is deceptively fast. 

He runs crisp routes and knows how to set up defensive backs to get open. Also, he demonstrated outstanding ball skills in 2011, often coming down with jump balls against tight coverage. 

The production was there, too. 

Sanu hauled in 115 passes for 1,206 yards with seven touchdowns. 

With many teams in dire need of receiving help, Sanu could be a steal for a team in the second or third round. 

Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois 

With most of the attention on the stout defensive playmakers in the SEC, it was easy to overlook Mercilus in 2011. 

One cannot overlook him anymore. 

He finished an epic season with 16 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. At 6'4'' he's nearly 270 pounds, but as you can imagine, has the quickness and athleticism to be a premier edge rusher on Sundays. 

We saw Aldon Smith shoot up draft boards during the final week leading up to the draft. 

The Missouri product was selected seventh, racked up 14 sacks this year with the San Francisco 49ers and could win the Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

I see a similar player in Mercilus. 

Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State 

While Blackmon was already considered either the best or second-best receiving prospect in the 2012 draft class, after his monster night in the Fiesta Bowl, the Oklahoma State stud silenced any critics who questioned him as a top-10 prospect. 

He isn't as fast or athletically gifted as Dez Bryant—comparisons are bound to be drawn between the two Cowboys' standouts. 

Blackmon certainly possesses a body that's NFL ready, and there aren't many receivers that are more tenacious going after the football. 

He runs good routes and demonstrated incredible yards-after-catch ability in 2011. 

A guy that doesn't disappear in big games, who caught eight passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford, will be among the first players called on April 26th.  

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2012 NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts—Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

2. St. Louis Rams—Alshon Jeffery, WR South Carolina

3.  Minnesota Vikings—Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  Cleveland Browns—Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

6.  Washington Redskins—Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars—Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

8.  Carolina Panthers—Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

9.  Miami Dolphins—Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

10.  Buffalo Bills—Courtney Upshaw, OLB Alabama

11.  Seattle Seahawks—Nick Perry, QB, Oklahoma

12.  Kansas City Chiefs—Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

13.  Arizona Cardinals—Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

14.  Philadelphia Eagles—Vontaze Burfict, LB Arizona State

15.  New York Jets—Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

16.  Cincinnati Bengals (From Oakland Raiders)—Janoris Jenkins, CB North Alabama

17.  San Diego Chargers—David DeCastro, OG Stanford

18.  Chicago Bears—Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

19.  Dallas Cowboys—Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska 

20.  Tennessee Titans—Ronnell Lewis, LB Oklahoma

21.  Denver Broncos—Devon Still, DT, Penn State

22.  New York Giants—Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia 

23.  Cincinnati Bengals—Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

24.  Houston Texans—Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama

25.  Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons)—Zach Brown, LB North Carolina

26.  Detroit Lions—Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

27.  Pittsburgh Steelers—Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia

28.  Baltimore Ravens—Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

29.  New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints)—Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

30.  San Francisco 49ers—Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington

31.  New England Patriots—Mark Barron, S, Alabama

32.  Green Bay Packers—Whitney Mercilus, DE Illinois