NFL Combine 2012: Players Who Badly Need a Big Showing at the Combine

This week brings with it the 2012 NFL scouting combine, as hundreds of collegiate athletes, NFL scouts, coaches and the media descend on Indianapolis for the annual meat market that will go a long way towards solidifying the NFL draft status of many players.

The combine is more important for some players than others, however, as many players enter the week with questions swirling about them and doubters to dispel. So for these players it's vitally important that they put their best foot forward in workouts this week.

Nick Foles: QB, Arizona

At 6'5" and 240 pounds, quarterback Nick Foles of the University of Arizona certainly has the frame that NFL scouts covet. And after completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 4,300 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, Foles would seem to have an NFL-ready resume as well.

Foles, however, also showed a tendency to lock onto his primary receiver and displayed questionable decision-making at times in Tucson.

After a so-so showing at last month's Senior Bowl, it's essential that Foles come out slinging if he wants to solidify his stock as a top-five QB prospect worthy of a second- or third-round pick.

Chris Polk: RB, Washington

What round Washington running back Chris Polk gets drafted in may have a lot to do with how round he is when he shows up in Indianapolis, as the 5'11", 222-pound ball carrier has been dogged by recent rumors about his conditioning.

Polk was another player that didn't do himself any favors at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month, and after displaying questionable technique and stumbling through interviews, a strong combine could be the difference between Polk, who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last year, being drafted in the first round versus the fourth or fifth.

Alshon Jeffery: WR, South Carolina

There is likely no more polarizing wide receiver in the 2012 draft class than Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, who has been projected as being selected anywhere from the draft's top five to outside the first round altogether.

Recent reports that Jeffery was out of shape and looking slow have been repudiated somewhat, but Jeffery's conditioning and 40-yard dash times are sure to be heavily scrutinized by both the scouts and media this week in Indianapolis.

Peter Konz: C, Wisconsin

Center Peter Konz earned First Team All-BIg Ten honors at Wisconsin in 2011, and the 6'5", 315-pounder is widely considered the top center prospect available and a potential first-round pick in this year's draft.

Konz's biggest hurdle in Indianapolis will probably be in convincing scouts that the dislocated ankle he suffered last November is no longer an issue, as though Konz did return to the team last season, it's hard to convince an NFL team to pull a first-round trigger on what they perceive to be damaged goods.

Quinton Coples: DE, North Carolina

At 6'6" and 285 pounds, Quinton Coples of North Carolina is a freakishly athletic player capable of taking over games, but a lackluster senior season at Chapel Hill has led some to question Coples' motor.

The First Team All-ACC selection last year answered some of those questions with an outstanding performance at the Senior Bowl, and if Coples can follow that up with a good workout in Indianapolis then he may be able to lock himself in as one of the first 20 players selected.

Vontaze Burfict: LB, Arizona State

Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict has immense potential and loads of talent, but the 6'3", 250-pound thumper also has a history of mental lapses on the field and now faces questions about his work ethic, conditioning, and technique.

Recently, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock proclaiming that Burfict isn't worthy of a first-round pick and that he's "not a fan at all."

Burfict, who had 69 tackles, five sacks, and an interception last year for the Sun Devils, appears to be classic example of a million-dollar talent attached to a ten-cent head, and Burfict is going to have to convince scouts that he can keep the latter screwed on straight if an NFL team is going to risk a first-round pick on the 'backer.

Trumaine Johnson: CB, Montana

At 6'2", University of Montana cornerback Trumaine Johnson has the sort of combination of size and speed that NFL teams drool over in cornerbacks, and ESPN ranks Johnson as one of the top five corner prospects in the upcoming draft.

However, Johnson also faces a number of tough questions regarding his technique, the level of competition he faced at Montana, and a number of off-field incidents while he was in Missoula.

The answers that Johnson provides to those questions this week will go a long way towards determining how high Johnson's stock may soar (or how low it may plummet) before the draft.