2012 NFL Draft: 8 Prospects Whose Stocks Have Rapidly Declined

There are some NFL draft picks you would consider "safe bets" to take in the first round. Then there are some that are "fringe players" who are worthy of a first-round grade, but there are questions about their talents. Then there are some who are flat out "busts" that looked really good in scrimmages, postseason workouts and on game film, but when they got to the pros, you could forget everything about them.

We are talking big names like John Bosa and Sammie Smith and Clifford Charlton. Yes, names that at the time, were big-time prospects and their playing days were less than stellar.

Then, there are the prospects that appear to be "can't miss" and "surefire" once the college season begins (sometimes before) and then their stick plummets faster than a concrete pair of shoes in an ocean. These players are seeing that happen to them. Whether it was a bad season, a bad exhibition game or other players who entered the draft that grade out higher, they are falling and some of them just can't get up.

Maybe they rally, maybe they rebound. Maybe they sneak back into the first round or become "franchise" picks again. But for now, they are on a ledge and earth beneath them is very sandy and unstable.

Alshon Jeffery, Receiver, South Carolina

Someone please tell me why this guy, who I believe is still a upper first-round selection, is falling like this.

Tall, lanky, angular. He looks the part, has some Terrell Owens in him (minus the attitude). But if he falls like this then maybe there is some J.J. Stokes to him as well.

Whatever the reason, Jeffery could still be a top 10 selection (Jacksonville) or fall completely out of the first round all together.

Zebrie Sanders, Tackle, Florida State

This is another one that baffles me. As a former FSU student, I remember the great offensive linemen to come through Tallahassee. Sanders appeared to be the next in line to call the NFL's first round, home.

Instead, he has taken a tumble and looked poor in the practices and scrimmages of the Senior Bowl.

You cannot deny the size and power. But he looked like he was manhandled in Mobile and that does not translate well in the pro game and the NFL draft.

Quinton Coples, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina

Depending on who you talk to, Coples, ranked by cbssportsline.com as the top-rated pure defensive end in this draft, is climbing back up the charts after questions about his commitment to playing every down.

He was better and more intense at the Senior Bowl, but he once was consider one of the five best prospects coming out in the draft. Now he either is a selection in the first 10 or he falls possibly as far as 31st where the Patriots would be crazy not to scoop him up.

Kellen Moore, Quarterback, Boise State

How can a kid who is 50-3 in his college career be so looked down upon in the NFL?

If you are 5'11" and 191 pounds, look like a pudgy kid and has average mechanics, it is not hard to do.

In Kellen Moore's case, he is going to need to be one amazing "Doug Flutie" clone.

Moore is confident to the point of being cocky, but was not a hit at the Senior Bowl and will have a hard time looking over defenders and offensive linemen to find his receivers.

Zach Brown, Linebacker, North Carolina

The problem with Brown is at his size can he cover a tight end over the middle or stand up a running back on the edge or through the middle?

Brown was a big part of North Carolina's defensive success this season. But both he and Coples have risen and fallen on the draft charts. Is it the system or the players?

I also think that with the influx of talent from the junior ranks, Brown takes a major hit and may fall to the end or out of the first round.

Jeff Fuller, Receiver, Texas A&M

What is wrong with him?

Fuller was a first-round talent who could have helped himself climb the draft board with a great showing at the Senior Bowl, but instead, he flopped when he did not need to.

At 6"4" and 217 pounds, he is a great target in the end zone and on the post pattern. Now, he is a mid-round selection who needs to show serious improvement to gain a higher draft grade.

Joe Adams, Receiver, Arkansas

If you are 5'11" and 174 pounds and run a 40-yard sprint in under 4.4 seconds, shouldn't you grade a little higher than a third- or fourth-round selection?

Adams could be a steal in the middle of this draft. He is fast and will be a tremendous addition to the return game for any team.

I just figured with the type of talents he faced in the SEC, he should receive a better value.

Ben Jones, Center, Georgia

He may be ranked as the second-best center in this draft, but Ben Jones was "handled" in the Senior Bowl and that does not bode well for his draft stock.

He has good size at 6'3" and 316 pounds, but he did not show the ability to hold the line in scrimmages and during the All-Star game.

If other defensive tackles has an easy time with him, think of what veteran NFL defensive tackles will do with him.