2012 NFL Draft: Underrated Prospects Who Will Watch Stock Skyrocket

On the final day of the NFL Scouting Combine, we can take the time to look back at the best performers from the event. These players have made quite an impression on fans and analysts alike, and are soaring up draft boards everywhere. 

There is more that goes in to being a great NFL player than just running a 40-yard dash or lifting weights, but the players on this list clearly have what it takes to be big-time contributors at the next level. 

Here are the underrated players who have seen their stock skyrocket over the last five days. 

Stephen Hill, Wide Receiver

Going into the Scouting Combine, no one was giving Hill a chance to do anything in the first round of the NFL draft. It really is amazing what can happen after one impressive workout in shorts and a shirt. 

That's not meant to sound like a slight, either. The 6'4" Georgia Tech receiver has pushed himself into the first round thanks to his 4.30 40-yard time. With other receivers dropping like flies, teams will value a stable force on the outside. 

Hill was not always the best player on his team in school, but he is proving to the NFL world that he has more to offer than what Georgia Tech let him show. 

Luke Kuechly, Linebacker

Already regarded as one of the top linebackers in this year's draft, Kuechly put together one of the best Combine performances any player had. His instincts and ability to read the field were already superb, but he showed better-than-expected speed and agility. 

Kuechly had a chance to go in the top-15 picks before his workout, now he is going to force teams picking in the top-10 to think long and hard about how stable they are up the middle. 

It is hard to say that a potential mid-first-round pick's stock is soaring, but Kuechly is an obvious exception thanks to his dominating performance in Indianapolis. 

Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle

While Kuelchy put together one of the best Combine performances. Poe is firmly entrenched at the top of that list. 

Weighing in at a hard 346 pounds, the defensive tackle from Memphis ran an astounding 4.98-second 40-yard dash, while showing amazing speed and technique in drills. No one could have asked for more from him. 

Poe's stock was climbing before the Combine—he was thought to be a late-first-round pick—but now he can make a case for being a mid-first rounder and the first defensive tackle off the board. 

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