2012 NFL Mock Draft: Analyzing Keith Tandy and the Best Late-Round Steals

When Super Bowl XLVI kicked off, we saw two late-round draft picks in Tom Brady and Ahmad Bradshaw each fighting for another championship.

Well, it just goes to show that there's talent all over and the 2012 NFL Draft is no exception. So, here are some late-round steals that you'll want your team to keep an eye on.

Keith Tandy: CB, West Virginia

An expected fifth or sixth-round pick, West Virginia's Keith Tandy is easily one of the most underrated corners in this draft.

Then again, it's also not surprising considering how deep the position is this year. So to earn some exposure Tandy will have to perform well at the combine and his Pro Day.

Still, he's one of the better but yet unknown players in the draft since the Big East doesn't get much respect either. In 2011, Tandy recorded four picks, defended 13 passes and made 64 tackles for the Mountaineers, who won the Orange Bowl 70-33 over Clemson.

A year earlier, Tandy defended 17 passes and made six picks with 57 tackles, so if there's one thing that favors him right now, it's consistency at a high level.

His 5'10", 202-pound frame is ideal, as well as his lateral quickness and ability to play press coverage. Tandy's size gives him a good advantage against slot and No. 2 receivers, so as a rookie expect to see him in many nickel/dime back situations.

Derek Wolfe: DT/DE, Cincinnati

Despite only weighing 286 pounds, Cincinnati's Derek Wolfe proved the ability to play both defensive tackle and end—thanks to his 6'5" height—while proving to stay low and win the leverage battle.

He's quick off the snap and because of his often presence in the backfield, Wolfe draws a lot of double-teams. That being said, Wolf still recorded 9.5 sacks and 70 tackles during his senior campaign along with two forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.

Wolfe also started in 38 straight games, so health and physical toughness is a major plus. However, he's only a projected sixth-round draft pick.

In the NFL though, Wolfe can give a defense the luxury of switching between a 4-3 and 3-4 front depending the on the situation, so that dynamic only makes him more appealing.

Along with his instincts for finding the football, willingness to improve and go all out, Wolfe will find a spot in the pros. The biggest concern is whether he's a standing pass-rusher, 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 defensive tackle.

Case Keenum: QB, Houston

After the Conference USA championship game versus the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, it was reasonable to suspect that Houston quarterback Case Keenum was an overrated NFL draft prospect.

It was easily his worst game of the season against one of the better defenses that he'd faced, and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the TicketCity Bowl were only a more difficult matchup. Needless to say, Keenum answered the call and diced the Nittany Lions for 532 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cougars finished the season 13-1 and Keenum put up 48 touchdowns to just five picks and over 5,600 yards.

In a pass-happy offense that will translate well into the pros, Keenum threw for over 5,000 yards three times and had a completion percentage of 70.3 percent in 2010 and 71 percent in 2011.

A slated seventh-round draft choice, Keenum has the size, solid arm and accuracy to make it in the pros. He'll likely be a backup for most of his first few seasons, but with learning more from under center, Keenum will develop quicker than expected.

Jordan White: WR, Western Michigan

Sure, he played in the Mid-American Conference, but so did Greg Jennings, Julian Edelman, James Harrison and Josh Cribbs, so their collective NFL success should favor Western Michigan's Jordan White if anything.

As for White's tangible case, he accumulated 140 receptions for over 1,900 yards and scored 17 touchdowns in 2011 while increasing that performance from his 2010 numbers.

There, White caught 94 balls for 1,378 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Considering that he's a good 6', 215 pounds, White's size advantage helped in college and it will only pay dividends in the pros.

An expected sixth-round pick, White will be a serviceable No. 2 and/or slot man as a rookie who's reliable over the middle and against any zone coverage.

Any team who drafts him just selected a proven playmaker who simply knows how to find the end zone.

2012 First-Round NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)	17. Cincinnati (From OAK): Alfonzo Dennard, CB (Nebraska)
2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)	18. San Diego Chargers: Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT (USC)	19. Chicago Bears: Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)
4. Cleveland Browns: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)	20. Tennessee Titans: Mohamed Sanu, WR (Rutgers)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)	21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cordy Glenn, OG (Georgia)
6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)	22. Cleveland (From ATL): Vontaze Burfict, LB (ASU)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR (Notre Dame)	23. Detroit Lions: Zach Brown, LB (UNC)
8. Miami Dolphins: David DeCastro, G (Stanford)	24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)
9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE (UNC)	25. Denver Broncos: Janoris Jenkins, CB (Northern Alabama)
10. Buffalo Bills: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB (Alabama)	26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
11. Kansas City Chiefs: Nick Perry, DE (USC)	27. New England Patriots (From NO): Whitney Mercilus, DE (Illinois)
12. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still, DT (Penn State)	28. Green Bay Packers: Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)
13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT (Stanford)	29. Baltimore Ravens: Dont'a Hightower, LB (Alabama)
14. Dallas Cowboys: Luke Kuechly, LB (Boston College)	30. San Francisco 49ers: Kendall Wright, WR (Baylor)
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Courtney Upshaw, LB (Alabama)	31. New England Patriots: Mark Barron, Safety (Alabama)
16. New York Jets: Brandon Thompson, DE (Clemson)	32. New York Giants: Jerel Worthy, DT (Michigan State)

John Rozum on Twitter.