NFL Draft 2012: 7 Players Who Will See Their Stock Fall at the Combine

At the NFL Combine this weekend, all of the nation's best prospects will have a shot at making or breaking their draft status.

Depending on their performance, it could make—or cost—them millions of dollars.  

The combine is the biggest stage to make your case.  

These are the players I expect to see have their draft stock fall with a performance that may not be up to par.  

Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Boston College

Kuechly is regarded by some experts as the best middle linebacker prospect in the draft.

He is a smart player who can tackle well and could contribute to a team instantly, and is therefore graded as a first-round pick. 

The two things Kuechly lacks are size and athleticism. He will measure in at the combine at around 6'2" 235, which is a little small at middle linebacker.

Still, watching Kuechly's game tape tells you what you should know about him.

If he runs his 40 time lower than expected, he may fall down to the bottom of the first-round. 

Vontaze Burfict, Linebacker, Arizona State

Burfict hasn't been very impressive lately in the minds of scouts, and what starts as a slip could quickly turn into a free-fall if he doesn't prove his worth at the combine.

His dirty player reputation at Arizona State has surely scared some away, and he hasn't always shown 100 percent effort on the field.

If he doesn't perform well in drills, teams will wonder if he has anything going for him at all. 

According to Azcentral.com, Burfict has deemed himself unavailable for interviews prior to the NFL combine.  

What does he have to hide? 

Scouts will try to learn everything about the prospect, and if Burfict doesn't open up, expect him to fall off most teams' draft boards.  

Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

No player has more on the line at the NFL Combine than Jeffery.  

Scouts are aware of his size and strength, as well as his ability to catch the ball in traffic.  

But what will he weigh in at? What will his 40 time be? 

These are questions Jeffery needs to answer with his skills and ability.  

Lately, there have been more comparisons of Jeffery to Mike Williams than there has to Larry Fitzgerald. 

Justin Blackmon may also run a pedestrian-speed 40 that may be above 4.5 or 4.6 seconds, but is a more complete player than Jeffery.

If Jeffery doesn't show that he has been working feverishly to become the first or second wide receiver selected in the draft, it could be a huge slip down many draft boards.  

Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle, Memphis

Poe may see his draft stock fall if the number on the scale rises high into the 300-pound range.

He is currently listed at 6'5" and weighing 350 pounds, which will be more accurately determined at the combine.  

Poe terrorized defenses in Conference USA with Memphis. If he shows up to Indianapolis looking lean, and can show some quickness during drills, the scouts will fall in love.

But I think some scouts may notice sloppiness in his drills.  

Let's hope Poe has been working hard in the offseason. 

Ryan Lindley, Quarterback, San Diego State

Lindley only had a 53 percent completion rate in 2011, and he didn't show much consistency at the senior bowl either.

However, he is still listed as the seventh-best quarterback in the draft. 

Lindley might have a hard time adjusting to drop back passing drills and hitting receivers running routes.  

He could fall from somewhere in the fourth- or fifth-round to undrafted if he isn't able to perform well at the combine.  

Brock Osweiler, Quarterback, Arizona State

Osweiler is another prospect who is easy on the eyes, but not as impressive in the stats book.

At 6'8" he will have to show that his footwork is more like Ben Roethlisberger and not Ryan Mallett. 

Like Lindley, he had issues with accuracy sometimes in 2011, throwing 63.2 percent with a two-to-one interception ratio.  

If Osweiler was ever considered a first-round pick, it would be easy to count him out of day one with a poor showing of footwork and throwing at the combine.  

Trent Richardson, Running Back, Alabama

According to Jason La Canfora at NFL.com, Richardson will skip running drills at the NFL combine this weekend.

This can only be a bad omen for Richardson, as being an injury risk could scare some teams away. 

Running backs in general are being drafted lower and lower each year, because you can always get great value at the position.

So if this continues to be an issue, teams could choose to hold off on selecting a running back as highly as he is projected to go.  

Richardson will run at the Alabama pro day March 7, though.