NFL Draft 2012: Ryan Tannehill and More Rising Stars Who Are Worth Early Picks

While having a good draft projection in January is nice, every player is hoping their stock will peak in April when it actually matters. Several players have already started to make their move up draft boards in hopes of proving they should be selected right away in the First Round.

Here are three star prospects who will illustrate that they are worth an early selection.

Ryan Tannehill

Texas A&M's quarterback was making up ground on Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III before his broken foot was revealed, which has temporarily halted his rise. It's only a minor setback, however, since he should be able to do some individual workouts before draft day.

Tannehill has a nice combination of size and quickness, which is essential in today's NFL due to all of the physical freaks at the pass rushing spots. He was given a lot more responsibility during his senior season with the Aggies and handled it very well—totaling more than 4,000 yards and 33 TDs.

It's a quarterback league, and any team that doesn't have one starts out at a huge disadvantage. Tannehill is good enough to take a chance on early in Round 1 for a needy team.

Michael Brockers

Brockers was really the unsung hero of LSU's dominant defense during the regular season. Several other players, including projected top-five pick Morris Claiborne, garnered more of the attention, but the defensive tackle's dominance on the interior played a key role.

He wasn't even on the first round radar until recently, but he continues to skyrocket up many rankings as more people become familiar with his rare ability. It's going to be difficult for a team in the middle of the opening round to pass up on his untapped potential.

It might take a season or two before he becomes an elite force, but he'll be worth the wait because once he learns the finer points of the position he'll become virtually unstoppable.

Whitney Mercilus

Since seemingly every team could use another pass rusher, it's a surprise Mercilus hasn't been getting more respect on a national level. The Illinois defensive end picked up 16 sacks in 2011, and was frequently the most impressive player on the field.

He's got all the tools teams usually look for in rushers, including ideal size and speed off the edge, so it's only a matter of time before you start seeing his name higher in mock drafts. He should be a strong challenger to Nick Perry and Quinton Coples as the top DE.

As long as Mercilus has a good showing in workouts, and there's no reason he shouldn't, he'll be a popular name in the middle of Round 1.