NFL Combine 2012: Potential First-Round Picks Who Must Have a Good Showing

No matter how unimportant the NFL draft combine might seem, some players still need it to help their stock.

Here's a quick look at players who need to prove their worth with impressive performances—whether they be physical or mental—during this year's combine.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington Huskies

What a roller coaster ride it's been for Polk. Coming into his junior season, he wasn't really seen as a top running back prospect. But after racking up over 1800 total yards and 16 touchdowns on his way to the Washington Husky record books, he became a household name.

Polk wasn't going to surpass Alabama stud Trent Richardson on draft boards, but all of a sudden he was in the discussion as the second-best running back in this year's draft.

Then came the Senior Bowl.

Polk struggled all week in practice in Mobile, and tallied just 15 yards on six carries in the game itself. Among other things, Polk's lack of explosiveness was widely criticized. Now he's dropped back outside of the top five RBs. 

A solid outing at the combine—and most importantly a good 40-time—could conceivably propel Polk back to the first-round. Considering a fall to the second or third-round is possible, that makes the combine all kinds of important. 

Former Husky Brock Huard agrees about the importance of the combine for Polk, so who am I to disagree?

The Bad Boys

Certain guys have unmistakable talent, but "character issues" will force teams to repeatedly say "pass" on draft day. 

Whether it's Vontaze Burfict, who does things like this, has a history of being overly violent and, well, overly crazy on the football field.

Or if it's Michael Floyd, a stud WR who has been suspended for a DUI charge and had multiple run-ins with the law.

Or Janoris Jenkins, who saw his stock rise considerably after the Senior Bowl, but had legal issues that led to his dismissal from Florida.

Whoever it is, he can benefit from the combine in two ways. First, he can absolutely dominate every drill and remind scouts how impressive his physical tools are. Or, he can ace the 15-minute interview and convince scouts he isn't the bad seed like everyone thinks.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

Oh, how badly Alshon Jeffery needs a good combine. 

On Monday, reports surfaced that Jeffery had bloated to 249 pounds and ran a 40 in the high-4.8s. Yuck. Are we sure this isn't actually where the Mike Williams from 2008 went? Geez.

Anyway, Jeffery has drawn comparisons to Calvin Johnson, so he clearly has talent. That's evidenced by the recent No. 6 projection for Jeffery by Bleacher Report's lead NFL Draft writer, Matt Miller.

But no one else seems to like this guy.

Whether or not the rumors of Jeffery being a big fattie are true, he needs to kill it at the combine. He has the most skepticism surrounding him, and if he does anything besides show people he's in good shape at the combine, no one will trust him as a first-round pick.