2012 NFL Draft Combine: Players That Will Fail Miserably to Improve Draft Stock

The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine will run from February 22 to 28 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The league has released the official list of all invitees and it’s quite a doozy.

There are more than 300 prospects hoping to make the trip and improve their draft stock by excelling in a number of drills designed to measure how they will perform on a football field or a stopwatch.

Of course, this often leads to workout warriors shooting up draft boards and going way too early based on how fast they can run a 40-yard dash or how many reps of 225-pounds they can put up on a bench press.

The combine can also crush hopeful draft pick’s stock. A bad performance can mean the difference between a fringe first or second round pick and going in the third or fourth round, possibly later.

Let’s take a look at some players that aren’t going to do themselves any favors by showing up in Indy later this month.

Kellen Moore

Moore is a player whose body of work on the field is the only reason he has any shot to be drafted.

He had a terrible outing at the Senior Bowl last month in Mobile, Alabama and failed to impress scouts.

What he did at Boise State was incredible, but it will be tough to replicate that success in drills against superior athletes.

Mohamed Sanu

Sanu should be a first-round pick, but appearing at the combine will not do him any favors.

The 6’2”, 215-pound junior is almost 23-years-old and put up incredible stats in Rutgers’ pro-style offense.

His willingness to go over the middle and run crisp routes, along with his amazing hands and knack to come up with a diving catch, is the reason he’s so highly valued.

When he starts running shuttles, 40’s and other drills, it might reveal he is a “football-fast” player, meaning he can get it done on the field but not during the combine.

Devon Still

Still has a chance to go early in the first-round because he’s the best defensive tackle in a weak class.

He’s listed at 6’4”, 310-pounds and was born to clog holes in the line, halt running backs with his great tackling technique and push the pile.

These types of things will not show up at the combine, as he isn’t an elite athlete. This could see him fall a bit and other, more athletic DT’s rise.