NFL Draft 2012: Robert Griffin III and Overrated First-Round Talents

Every year, there are players in the NFL draft that get so hyped up by fans and analysts that they will inevitably become overrated when April 25th arrives. 

There is so much film and studying done on all of these players, that we get it into our heads we know exactly what kind of player they will become. Unfortunately, and history has shown us this, we really don't know anything. 

But when the talk about a player heats up, it is impossible to stop it until he actually ends up getting on the field. 

So who are these mysterious players getting too much love, as we move closer to the scouting combine?

Robert Griffin III, QB

This is more a knock on the few columnists out there saying that Griffin should be picked ahead of Andrew Luck than anything Griffin has done. 

Griffin deserves to be a top 10 pick in this year's draft, but to equate him with Luck, who is clearly the best quarterback in this class, is just trying to add drama when there isn't any. 

He is not better than Luck as a prospect. That is not to say that he can't be great, but let's keep expectations realistic when breaking down a player. 

Mark Barron, S

When you play on Alabama's defense, it is only natural that you would be thought of as a great pro prospect. 

Barron is going to be a mid-first round pick, but there are a lot of red flags to make you think he is going to be a bust. He has had some injury and off-field issues in college, tearing a pectoral muscle in 2010 and a March 2011 arrest.

On the field, he does not do a lot of things well. He is a decent coverage safety, but does not read quarterbacks well enough to force turnovers and make a lot of big hits.

Kendall Wright, WR

There is a world of difference between playing wide receiver against the soft defenses in the Big 12, and the NFL. 

Wright was able to put up huge numbers against mediocre college competition, and now he is likely to be one of the first receivers taken in the draft. His smallish size is a detriment against bigger cornerbacks. 

His biggest problem is that he doesn't know how to separate from defenders, and doesn't consistently catching the ball. He has big play ability, but there is more to playing wide receiver than just running down the field and catching the ball. 

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