2012 NFL Draft Projections: 4 Great College Players That Won't Translate

While most football fans commonly follow both the NCAA and NFL, the two games are completely different.

In the NFL, pay-for-play is the nature of the business, and in the NCAA it's the cardinal sin. NFL offenses and defenses are traditional by nature, but college offenses and defenses are simply built to exploit inferior athletes. In every sense of the word, the two leagues are different.

Every draft season, a handful of college football's most heralded players enter the NFL draft with hopes to translate their glory to the next level. In most cases, college athletes are able to adjust to the new world of professional football. However, some were just born to be college football players. There are guys that just thrive more in the college football environment. It could be they fit a certain scheme well, or it could be their body isn't up to par for the modern NFL's standards.

Either way, we see this happen annually. Here are five guys that fit the bill in 2012.

1. Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon

At Oregon, Darron Thomas was the catalyst in head coach Chip Kelly's one-of-a-kind spread offense. To say Thomas was successful in the college ranks would be a massive understatement.

In two years as the Ducks' starter, Thomas led his team to a Rose Bowl victory in 2011 and a national championship berth in 2010. The dual-threat set a team record with 33 touchdown pass in 2011, followed by three scores on the ground.

The production is undeniable. No one can argue the triumphs of Darron Thomas as a college football player. There one problem here: Darron Thomas is no longer a college football player.

The redshirt junior declared for the draft following Oregon's 45-38 victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. In the decision, Thomas opened himself up to criticism from the NFL draft community. To get to the point, Thomas' best days of football are over.

Thomas is a system football player, limited by his abilities. In the fast-paced spread offense they deploy at Oregon he was able to take advantage of being one of the best athletes on the field. In the NFL, teams are going to ask Thomas to get under center, read defenses outside of a single DE read and make a set of throws Thomas has no business making. He won't be able to rely athletic ability, Thomas will have to keep his eyes downfield and rifle the ball downfield.

It's simple: Thomas doesn't have the ability to be that player. I hate to give a player such a harsh critique, but I wouldn't touch Thomas if I were an NFL decision-maker.

2. Patrick Edwards, WR, Houston

Patrick Edwards was quietly one of college football's best pass-catchers over his career, catching 291 balls for 4,500 yards and 43 TDs. Those are elite numbers for anyone, on any level.

Edwards enjoyed being the go to target of gunslinger Case Keenum, Houston's QB. Keenum in his own right was a great college player, but he couldn't have been the player he was without Edwards abilities. The Cougar receiver flourished in the classic college spread offense.

Not only did this statistic-friendly attack benefit Edwards, but playing in Conference USA, one of Division I's weakest conferences, didn't hurt him. It seems as if everything went right for the explosive slot receiver.

Patrick Edwards was given a free release nearly every play of his college career, and that won't happen for him in the NFL. Teams are going to want to get up on the line of scrimmage, and exploit his 5'9", 170-lb. frame. The professional world won't let Edwards run free in five-wide sets.

It's safe to label Edwards as a great college football player, but no one qualified would call him a sought-after NFL prospect.

3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

Sense a trend here? The Oregon offense is masterfully structured toward winning college football games. With a break-neck pace and spread-out field, running back LaMichael James was given some wide open running lanes.

It's hard to dislike James, because he's such a likable guy. That just doesn't cut it in the NFL, where running lanes are thinner and tackles are faster. If you actually put in the study with James, you'll see what most evaluators like myself are seeing.

This is a scheme-dominant ball-carrier whose success comes from the genius of strategy. Not only is James limited in what he's been able to show, he's also taken a massive amount of beating for an NFL-hopeful back. The former Oregon Duck has 771 carries under his belt.

While James might be an exciting vertical player, most of those plays came because of a spread-out defense and second-level blocking.

I won't completely discount James as a possible success in the NFL, but I will say he's going to have to change his game. As of right now, it doesn't translate to the NFL.

4. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

By far the most prominent case of my argument here, Kellen Moore checks in as the winningest college QB of all time.

According to wins and losses, Kellen Moore is the best we've ever seen. Moore raised a troubled Boise State football program to the top of college football. Throwing for just under 15,000 yards, Moore dominated the college football world religiously on Saturdays.

At 5'11" and 195 lbs., Moore is merely an average guy. His arm strength suggests that, too. In Mobile, Ala. Moore showed his downfalls at the Senior Bowl. Consistently showing a lack of arm strength, Moore just doesn't have the adequate size and throwing ability to be a successful NFL quarterback.

In a world where more and more guys have this massive amount of skill, it just doesn't make sense for an NFL team to spend a resource on a guy that can't make the throws. Moore may have the intelligence and the necessary numbers in the win column, but the NFL demands more than that. Unlike the NCAA, the NFL is an entirely different game. Defensive backs force passers to make throws to covered receivers; you can't survive simply recognizing coverages like Moore has.

Yes, Kellen Moore was a truly great college player. No, we won't see that same guy on Sundays.

The NFL is going to require something Kellen Moore just isn't. It's that simple.