2012 NFL Draft Projections: Second-Rounders That Will Provide First-Round Value

Much of the attention is being paid to elite prospects like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III during the lead up to the NFL draft. It is certainly for good reason, since they are immensely talented and deserve much of the hype they are receiving.

At the same time, though, there are plenty of solid players who are being ignored. Every year, for whatever reason, excellent prospects slip through the cracks and wind up going in the second round or even later. While the teams that missed out on those players look back in disgust, the ones who were astute enough to select them reap the benefits.

Here are three players who will go in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, but who will ultimately provide first-round value. 

QB Nick Foles, Arizona

It comes as no surprise that much of the buzz at the quarterback position is surrounding Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and two-time Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck, but there is a very talented quarterback who is going unnoticed. Arizona signal-caller Nick Foles seems to have all the tools necessary to succeed at the next level, but he isn't being mentioned in the same breath as Griffin or Luck, or even the consensus No. 3 quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

At 6'5" and 244 lbs, Foles has prototypical size to play the position. By virtue of that size, he has a very strong arm, so you would think that he would be quite coveted. Foles was a lone ranger for the lowly Wildcats this past season as he didn't have much in terms of a supporting cast. Nevertheless, he still threw for 4,334 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing an incredible 69 percent of his passes. It certainly isn't a stretch to think that Foles can be a quality NFL starter. 

NT Dontari Poe, Memphis

Playing in Conference USA with an awful Memphis team, nose tackle Dontari Poe hasn't received a ton of mentions throughout the draft process thus far. Poe's statistics from this past season don't exactly jump out at you as he had just one sack, but rushing the passer wasn't his job. At 6'5" and 350 lbs, Poe has the potential to be an elite space eater in the mold of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Casey Hampton at the next level.

Poe is at a disadvantage in that he played against a lower competition level, but he often looked like a man amongst boys. With so many teams playing a 3-4 defense in today's NFL, the demand for a quality nose tackle is high. Poe is clearly the best at the position in the draft, but he is more than likely a second-rounder. If Poe puts the work in, he could be a big-time player. 

RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech

Thanks to the success of late-round and undrafted running backs in the NFL in recent years, there hasn't been much of an emphasis in terms of taking them early in the draft. As a result, backs who normally would be given a first-round grade might slip a little. One such example is Virginia Tech running back David Wilson. At 5'11" and 222 lbs, this bulldozer has a versatile skill set that sets him apart from many of his peers, but he looks like a second-round pick at this point.

Wilson broke out in a big way this past season as he rushed for over 1,700 yards and scored nine times. He has an excellent blend of power, speed and shiftiness that should help him plenty in the NFL. While the NFL may be a passing league now, running the ball is still extremely important. Somebody will jump on Wilson at the start of the second day and they'll be happy that they did.