2012 NFL Mock Draft: 5 Players Who Are Locks for Superstardom

The definition of a superstar is pretty simple, according to Webster's:  "A term used to refer to a celebrity who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent or successful in some field."

When it comes to the NFL, the "great popular appeal" part is most important. With 22 men on the field at once and all of them wearing helmets, it's hard to stand out.

So when you talk about this year's NFL draft, an offensive lineman like Matt Kalil may be a star on the field, but he'll never be a superstar.

Here are five guys destined to not just be stars but ones of the super variety:

Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)

This is a no-brainer. With the way the media have already been gushing over Luck, he has already reached superstar status before even playing a down in the NFL.

Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)

His official coming-out party was in the Fiesta Bowl, where Blackmon scored three touchdowns.

College football junkies have already known Blackmon's name for a while, but being named the offensive player of the game in a BCS bowl puts him over the top.

Blackmon is very similar to Calvin Johnson and will be putting up similar production to Megatron in the very near future. No draft pick aside from Luck has more upside.

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)

Kirkpatrick has the size (6'3", 190 pounds) and the speed to be a shutdown corner in the NFL. He is extremely physical and is a huge asset in run support.

Kirkpatrick is able to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and has plenty of big-game experience from playing at Alabama. He is a better pro prospect than Patrick Peterson, the incredible Arizona Cardinals corner that is well on his way to superstar status after only one season.

Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)

It's hard to beat the 3,686 yards and 37 TDs Floyd put up this season. At 6'3" and 225 pounds, he can bully smaller corners with his bulk and out-jump them in the end zone.

With his ability to break tackles and use his breakaway speed to reach the end zone, Floyd is going to be a highlight machine. The senior is one of the most NFL-ready prospects in the entire draft.

Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)

The redshirt sophomore already declared for the NFL draft and for good reason—no back in the draft has better vision in the trenches and can find the blocker to open up a hole.

Miller's acceleration is top-notch, and he has the sort of top-end speed to outrun even the fastest safeties.

At 5'11" and 212 pounds, Miller fits into the mold of a Ray Rice or Maurice Jones-Drew. He was hurt by playing for an underachieving Miami team, but no mistake about it—Miller is going to be a superstar running back who can be a big part of a championship contender. 

Eric Ball’s 2012 NFL Mock Draft

Note: The first 20 picks are set in stone (with the exception of a few coin-flips). Picks No. 21-32 are based off playoff projections.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)

2. St. Louis Rams: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)

3. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)

6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)

8. Carolina Panthers (subject to coin-flip): Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)

9. Miami Dolphins: Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)

10. Buffalo Bills: Quinton Coples, DE (North Carolina)

11. Kansas City Chiefs (subject to coin-flip): Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)

12. Seattle Seahawks: Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)

13. Arizona Cardinals: David DeCastro, G (Stanford)

14. Dallas Cowboys: Courtney Upshaw, OLB (Alabama)

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Luke Kuechly, ILB (Boston College)

16. New York Jets: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland): Cordy Glenn, OT (Georgia)

18. San Diego Chargers: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)

19. Chicago Bears: Lamar Miller, RB (Miami)

20. Tennessee Titans: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)

21. Denver Broncos: Vontaze Burfict, ILB (Arizona State)

22. New York Giants: Zach Brown, OLB (North Carolina)

23. Cincinnati Bengals: Stephon Gilmore, CB (South Carolina)

24. Detroit Lions: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)

25. Houston Texans: Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)

26. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta): Janoris Jenkins, CB (North Alabama)

27. Pittsburgh Steelers: Dontari Poe, NT (Memphis)

28. San Francisco 49ers: Landry Jones, QB (Oklahoma)

29. Baltimore Ravens: Dont’a Hightower, ILB (Alabama)

30. New England Patriots (from New Orleans): Chris Polk, RB (Washington)

31. New England Patriots: Jared Crick, DE (Nebraska)

32. Green Bay Packers: Markelle Martin, S (Oklahoma State)