Senior Bowl 2012 Roster: Underrated Players with Much to Prove

Just putting up great numbers in their senior seasons hasn't been enough for these stars. Despite being stellar players, they still have more to prove. 

Fortunately, Saturday's Senior Bowl is giving these underrated stars the chance to show everyone what they're capable of.

Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

Despite a marvelous season at Wisconsin, Wilson was not a Heisman finalist and is projected by NFL Draft Scout to be a fifth- or sixth-round pick. But looking at his stats as a senior, it's hard to imagine that Wilson could have done a lot better. 

Completion Percentage	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
72.8	3,175	33	4	191.8

He isn't bad on his legs either, rushing for 338 yards and six touchdowns. With Montee Ball on the team, Wilson was far from a touchdown vulture. 

What works against Wilson is that he's not a big man, standing under six feet tall. Also, this was not a banner year in the Big Ten in terms of defenses. 

There is a lot for Wilson to prove, going against the nation's best defenders, notably those from the SEC who are lining up on the other side of the ball. He needs to prove that when the competition is tough, his size is not going to be an issue. If he can manage that, Wilson will at least move up solidly into the fifth round, if not better. 

Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

If Foles didn't play on such a dismal Arizona team, his numbers would look a lot better. As it is, they're not bad. 

Completion Percentage	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
69.1	4,334	28	14	145.6

Still, despite the fact that he put up good numbers on a bad team, Foles is projected by NFL Draft Scout as a second-round pick and the fourth best quarterback in the draft. 

When Foles takes the field today, he needs to prove that he's No. 3. That might not seem like much of a distinction, but it's actually quite important. The No. 3 quarterback has a chance of sneaking into the first round. The No. 4 quarterback will be nothing better than a second-rounder. That is a huge financial difference. 

The numbers are there, as is the size. Foles just needs to prove that his numbers didn't just come from being on a bad team that had to pass a lot, or against weak Pac-12 defenses.

Gerell Robinson, WR, Arizona State

Robinson has the same stuff to prove that Foles does. He isn't a quarterback, but spent most of the season going against defensive backs that aren't particularly strong. Still, Robinson did everything he could. 

Receptions	Yards	YPC	Touchdowns
77	1,397	18.1	7

At 6'3", 223 pounds, Robinson has the size needed to be a matchup nightmare for NFL defensive backs. The speed isn't phenomenal, but the 18.1 yards per catch with 77 receptions is nothing short of a phenomenal average. 

A good game from Robinson will have him vaulting up the boards. NFL Draft Scout has Robinson going in the late rounds. Still, the NFL is becoming more pass heavy, and Robinson has tremendous skills. That is something that will easily change with a solid performance. 

North Team

Player	College	Pos
Mike Adams	Ohio State	OL
Tony Bergstrom	Utah	OL
Mike Brewster	Ohio State	OL
Audie Cole	North Carolina State	LB
Kirk Cousins	Michigan State	QB
Jack Crawford	Penn State	DL
Vinny Curry	Marshall	DL
Lavonte David	Nebraska	LB
Alfonzo Dennard	Nebraska	DB
Michael Egnew	Missouri	TE
Brady Ewing	Wisconsin	OH
Jamell Fleming	Oklahoma	DB
Donnie Fletcher	Boston College	DB
Garth Gerhart	Arizona State	OL
TJ Graham	North Carolina State	WR
Daniel Herron	Ohio State	OH
Emil Igwenagu	Massachusetts	TE
George Iloka	Boise State	DB
Asa Jackson	Cal Poly	DB
Cameron Johnson	Virginia	DL
James-Michael Johnson	Nevada	LB
Leonard Johnson	Iowa State	DB
Marvin Jones	California	WR
Senio Kelemete	Washington	OL
Brian Linthicium	Michigan State	TE
Anthony Lynn	Penn State	DB
Doug Martin	Boise State	OH
Mike Martin	Michigan	DL
Shea McClellin	Boise State	DL
Marvin McNutt	Iowa	WR
Kellen Moore	Boise State	QB
Kelechi Osemele	Iowa State	OL
Isaiah Pead	Cincinnati	OH
Chris Polk	Washington	OH
DeVier Posey	Ohio State	WR
Brian Quick	AppalachianState	WR
Kendall Reyes	Connecticut	DL
Gerell Robinson	Arizona State	WR
Trenton Robinson	Michigan State	DB
Mitchell Schwartz	California	OL
Harrison Smith	Notre Dame	DB
Alameda Ta’amu	Washington	DL
Johnnie Troutman	Penn State	OL
Bobby Wagner	Utah State	LB
Russell Wilson	Wisconsin	QB
Billy Winn	Boise State	DL
Derek Wolfe	Cincinnati	DL
Kevin Zeitler	Wisconsin	OL

South Team 

Player	College	Pos
Emmanuel Acho	Texas	LB
Joe Adams	Arkansas	WR
Antonio Allen	South Carolina	DB
Jeff Allen	Illinois	OL
Vick Ballard	Mississippi State	OH
Dwight Bentley	La-Lafayette	DB
Jake Bequette	Arkansas	DL
Will Blackwell	LSU	OL
Philip Blake	Baylor	OL
Jarrett Boykin	Virginia Tech	WR
Nigel Bradham	Florida State	OLB
Andre Branch	Clemson	DL
James Brown	Troy	OL
Zach Brown	North Carolina	LB
Quinton Coples	North Carolina	DL
Juron Criner	Arizona	WR
Chad Diehl	Clemson	OH
Patrick Edwards	Houston	WR
Nick Foles	Arizona	QB
Jeff Fuller	Texas A&M	WR
Terrance Ganaway	Baylor	OH
Cordy Glenn	Georgia	OL
Cyrus Gray	Texas A&M	OH
Ladarius Green	La-Lafayette	TE
Casey Hayward	Vanderbilt	DB
Jaye Howard	Florida	DL
Melvin Ingram	South Carolina	DL
Janoris Jenkins	North Alabama	DB
Tony Jerod-Eddie	Texas A&M	DL
Ben Jones	Georgia	OL
Dwight Jones	North Carolina	WR
Ryan Lindley	San Diego State	QB
Markelle Martin	Oklahoma State	DB
Marquis Maze	Alabama	WR
Matt McCants	UAB	OL
DeQuan Menzie	Alabama	DB
Deangelo Peterson	LSU	TE
Tydreke Powell	North Carolina	DL
Chris Rainey	Florida	OH
Kheeston Randall	Texas	DL
Keenan Robinson	Texas	OLB
Zebrie Sanders	Florida State	OL
Brad Smelley	Alabama	TE
Sean Spence	Miami-Fl	LB
Ryan Steed	Furman	DB
Brandon Taylor	LSU	DB
Brandon Thompson	Clemson	DL
Courtney Upshaw	Alabama	DL
William Vlachos	Alabama	OL
Brandon Weeden	Oklahoma State	QB

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