NFL Draft 2012: Brock Osweiler and Underclassmen Who Are Dumb to Declare Early

Deciding when to declare for the draft can be a tricky proposition for many top NFL prospects. While a lot of them would probably like to finish their schooling, it is very difficult to turn down guaranteed millions. At the same time, though, there are annually many players who are given bad advice and declare too soon.

For whatever reason it happens all the time and kids wind up costing themselves tons of money by not staying in school. The 2012 NFL draft will be no exception, as a boatload of underclassmen have already declared, many of whom are head scratchers. Here are three underclassmen who certainly would have benefited from another year in college.

RB Robert Turbin, Utah State

Utah State junior running back Robert Turbin enjoyed a dominant season this year as he rushed for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns. The only problem is that he did it in the WAC. In one respect I can understand why Turbin declared early. He probably figures that no matter how good his numbers are, the WAC stigma will always stop him from being properly recognized. At the same time, though, he isn't expected to go until the late rounds.

It's possible that Turbin was worried about possibly suffering an injury in his senior season, but sometimes that's a risk worth taking. If Turbin had gone back to school and put up his third straight excellent year, then he would have had a body of work impressive enough to move up the charts. Instead, Turbin probably won't go any earlier than the fifth round and he will have to battle to make an NFL roster.

DE Donte Paige-Moss, North Carolina

Nobody is going to doubt the talent and athletic ability of North Carolina defensive end Donte Paige-Moss. The timing of his decision to enter the draft is quite odd, though. Paige-Moss suffered a torn ACL in the Tar Heels' bowl loss to Missouri and likely won't be back in action for at least nine months. Because of that his draft stock took a major hit, especially since he won't be able to participate in the scouting combine.

Perhaps Paige-Moss thought it was best to enter and hope that somebody takes a chance on him in case he is never the same player. While that is one school of thought, Paige-Moss probably should have taken time to rehab and return to North Carolina in two seasons to rebuild his draft stock. On top of Paige-Moss' injury he has some character concerns, so I would expect most teams to stay away, perhaps rendering Paige-Moss undrafted.

QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State

The latest underclassman set to enter the NFL is Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler. While he made big strides in his senior season by throwing for over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns, he simply isn't considered an elite prospect as of right now. If the draft were held today, I have to believe he would be picked somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds, and that adds to the curiosity of why he would declare.

While it's just speculation, perhaps the coaching change from Dennis Erickson to Todd Graham has something to do with it. Maybe Osweiler didn't like what Graham was bringing to the table, but he would have been much better served staying at Arizona State. Another 4,000-yard passing season would have helped his stock tremendously, but now NFL teams will have to treat him as one-year wonder. This truly is a perplexing decision.