2012 NFL Mock Draft: Which Players Don't Make the First-Round Cut?

The talent in the 2012 NFL draft is not the best it has ever been. In fact, it may not even be in the Top 15 in terms of overall talent when all is said and done.

It is top-heavy, however.

There are so many "very good" players trying their best to impress scouts and cram themselves into the first round, it's like watching a fat guy wear a little coat. (Enter Chris Farley clip here; you know you want to sing along.)

There is not enough room for all the talent available. Depending on which players fall, some teams in the Top 10 will be blessed with taking two players with first-round talent in their first two picks.

Here are some of those players.

Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

Last week, I had Detroit taking Dennard with the No. 23 pick based on the Lions’ need for help in the secondary.

After a bad week at the Senior Bowl and a hip flexor injury that kept him out of the game itself, he may have taken the biggest hit in draft stock.

Tony Pauline of SI.com had this to say of Dennard:

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"CB Alfonzo Dennard of Nebraska leaves Mobile with a draft grade much lower than when he arrived. Dennard was stiff and struggled all week. The projected first-rounder was beaten by receivers who are likely last-day picks. While it's a bit premature, some scouts on hand say Dennard may have to move inside to safety, a thought that could further depress his draft stock."

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If Dennard were indeed forced to switch positions, the likely spot would be to free safety. He has prototypical FS size at 5’10” and 203 pounds.

However, if he does switch to safety, the former expected first-rounder could fall into the third round—or farther.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

With teams in the playoffs being there because most of them have their quarterback in place, players like Tannehill take a draft-day hit. Not because they don’t have first-round talent, but because teams that low in the first round simply don’t have a need for a quarterback.

Look to Andy Dalton from last year’s draft to understand how that works.

Dalton was arguably the best rookie quarterback in 2011—after a certain Carolina Panthers rookie, of course—and he was not taken until the early part of round two (No. 35 overall).

Tannehill will fall into Dalton’s category in 2012.

He has good arm strength, shows enough poise in the pocket to raise an eyebrow or two in excitement and throws well on the run. Tannehill’s athleticism helped him gain playing time even when he was not the Aggies’ starting quarterback.

In 2008, 2009 and the first part of 2010, Jerrod Johnson was the starter in Lubbock.

Tannehill played wide receiver for the better part of those years, and played pretty well. He caught 112 passes for 1,596 yards, 14.25 YPC and 10 touchdowns in his time as a wideout.

He could fall somewhere in the No. 35-45 range in April.

Miami recently hired Mike Sherman—Tannehill’s college head coach—as its new offensive coordinator. Look for Tannehill to be taken at either 40 or 41 by the Dolphins, depending on which pick they receive. A coin flip will determine the spot between them and Carolina as a tiebreaker.

Any Tight End

There is not a clear standout at the tight end position in this draft class. There are good options, but no one worthy of a first-round selection.

Coby Fleener of Stanford and Dwayne Allen of Clemson grade out as the top two prospects at the position. Fleener is the better-known player because of who threw the ball to him while in Palo Alto.

Allen, though, is the better athlete and better pro prospect. He looks like a receiver when running after the catch, but at 6’4” and 255 pounds, he resembles a Mack truck on the highway barreling toward a defender at full speed.

He has good hands, great ball skills and will make people miss tackles with an assortment of receiver-like moves in the open field. Allen is comparable to Vernon Davis of the 49ers.

Fleener is leaner—and taller—but is not as fluid after the catch. He is more like Jason Witten, who somehow runs away from defenders despite being as agile as a steel beam.

Fleener has great hands, good ball skills and can flash the ability to make people miss in the open field. His one-handed touchdown grab against UCLA in October was so great all you can do is laugh as you marvel at it.

While both players should develop into solid targets for years to come in the NFL, they will not be among the 32 players lucky enough to be taken on the first day. However, they should be prepared to hear their names early on day two, as both could go in the top half of the second round.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington

Polk is a powerful runner. At 5’11” and 222 pounds, he is faster than you might expect from such a compact player.

He runs tall for his height and will need to work on getting his pads lower before contact. The decreased target area will help him break tackles at the next level and allow him to run over more defenders.

In a recent article, B/R Contributor Scotty McGraw provided a good scouting report on Polk.

McGraw stated that "Polk's stiff-arm may be his most lethal asset in his arsenal of rare traits. He also lowers his shoulder cleanly to run straight through defenders."

Although he is considered one of the top players on many expert draft boards, he could slip out of the first round as a casualty of the style of football teams currently play.

Trent Richardson is the only lock to be taken in the first round in 2012. Even though Polk, Lamar Miller and David Wilson (my personal favorite) all have the talent to be taken in the first and would not disappoint if they were, the league has changed. No longer are running backs more important than quarterbacks or wide receivers.

If you are a college running back with first-round aspirations in an upcoming draft, you had better be among the Top 10-15 players available. If you are considered a mid-to-late first-round talent, you could easily fall out of the round completely.

Then again, the same can be said about players from every position. Based on what a team wants or needs, any of the top players may be passed over and free fall out of the coveted first round.