Mel Kiper Jr. 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Players ESPN's 'Draft Guru' Highly Overrated

Mel Kiper Jr. is obviously good at what he does. He’s made a good living for himself working at a reputable company because he knows the draft process and how it works, and he has shown a knack for predicting which team will select which player.

However, he’s not always right, and it’s simply impossible to nail all 32 picks in the first round of the NFL draft, especially when you factor in trades and other happenings.

Here’s a look at a few players that Mel missed on, and he will certainly be proven wrong in April.

You can find Mel’s Mock Draft 1.0 right here (ESPN Insider required).

Overrated

No. 8: Dre Kirkpatrick, Carolina Panthers

This is too much of a reach for a player who has a major “character issue” now that he has been arrested for marijuana possession after declaring his draft eligibility.

Carolina is on the cusp of competing in the extremely tough NFC South, and Kiper does mention that you can never have enough corners in the division, but they won’t take a risk on the Alabama defensive back.

Penn State’s DT Devon Still would be a much safer pick for a team that struggled to stop anyone on the ground in 2011-12.

No. 17: Alfonzo Dennard, Cincinnati Bengals

No question the Bengals need a corner after Pacman Jones was eviscerated in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

But Dennard hasn’t proven to be a good coverage cornerback. He lacks speed, and he won’t be able to jam the bigger, stronger receivers in the NFL like he can in college.

He’s an overall average cornerback and Cincinnati needs to look at trading up to get a better one or going elsewhere with this pick.

Underrated

No. 30: Vontaze Burfict, Baltimore Ravens

Burfict is an incredible linebacker who has the potential to be the best of any in this entire draft.

He’s simply not going to fall to Baltimore this late.

After the combine, scouts will realize what a physical freak he really is, and a team with a solid locker room and good coach will take a chance on this sometimes unstable but fearsome backer.