2012 NFL Draft: 15 Prospects Who Will Go Sooner Than Experts Think

Each year the NFL draft features some head-scratching selections when players are picked vastly sooner than experts predicted. The 2012 NFL draft will be no different in this regard.

There are various reasons players get selected before they are projected. Each team values players differently, so it’s always difficult to tell just how high a player will be selected. Some players may be selected early because they are the highlight of a weak draft class at their position.

Other players may be considered a “reach” by experts because they had off-the-field issues or played collegiate football at a small school. As seen in past drafts, these factors usually don’t deter teams away from the prospect for too long.

Fear of a player not being on the board when a team selects again may entice a team to select a prospect too early. It’s also not unheard of to see “runs” on certain positions after a few teams in a row take players from the same position. Runs on quarterback and pass-rushers are becoming quite common.

Whatever the reason, there will undoubtedly be several prospects taken sooner than most projected. Here’s a list of 15 prospects who will go much sooner than experts think in the 2012 NFL draft:

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Tommy Streeter, WR, Miami

Tommy Streeter is projected as a fourth-round pick right now and a large part of that is because of how deep the receiver class is this year. That will change quickly as the draft approaches. Not many teams are going to let a 6’5” receiver who ran a 4.4 flat at the scouting combine pass them multiple times.

Streeter had a breakout year last season with Miami, catching 46 passes for 811 yards and eight touchdowns. In what is becoming a passing-oriented league, Streeter’s measurements and production are hard to ignore.

Look for Streeter to be taken in potentially the second round of the draft as a weapon with his potential simply won’t fall to the second day.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Yes, Ryan Tannehill is projected to go in the first round, and yes, he didn’t participate in the scouting combine because he was recovering from foot surgery.

With that being said, Tannehill is the best quarterback available after Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck. Once those two are gone, the run on the quarterback position will begin, starting with Tannehill.

Tannehill converted from receiver in 2010 and hasn’t looked back. Last season he threw for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns. Physically, Tannehill is very accurate on the move and easily has the arm strength to make any NFL throw. His only issue is his inconsistent release, which is something that can be changed through coaching.

Tannehill will go top 15 in the upcoming draft, much sooner than he should, and sooner than most are projecting.

Devon Wylie, WR, Fresno State

Devon Wylie shocked anyone who watched the scouting combine, but for anyone who follows college football closely, his performance was expected.

Wylie is in the Wes Welker mold standing at 5’9” 187 lbs, but possesses 4.39 speed and a ridiculous 39” vertical leap. He is a threat to return any kick for a touchdown, and plays the slot receiver position nicely.

Wylie is projected to go anywhere from the fifth to seventh round, but he’ll go much sooner than that come draft day. He’s a unique player who will remind teams of Welker, and in the right offense in what is now a passing league, he will be an invaluable weapon.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State

Kirk Cousins in as close as teams are going to get to Andy Dalton in the 2012 NFL draft. He was a three-year starter in a pro-style offense at Michigan State and has all the intangibles to transition to the NFL smoothly.

Last season alone, Cousins threw for 3316 yards and 25 touchdowns, making the final tally over 9,000 yards and 66 touchdowns for his career. He doesn’t have the strongest arm for vertical throws, but is deadly accurate on all other throws.

Cousins will be another beneficiary of a run at his position come draft day. He may not be selected as a starter, but he’ll go much earlier than the projected third round to a team looking for an alternative if the entrenched starter stumbles.

Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State

Brian Quick is projected to go around the third round because he didn’t play Division I football in college. That knock doesn’t really mean much considering a plethora of talent at the receiver position has entered the league through small schools.

Quick is a massive target at 6’4” and is great at going up to get the ball at its highest point. Last season he caught 71 passes for 1,096 yards and 11 scores.

Quick is a prototypical NFL receiver who will go much earlier than anticipated. His production and potential mean a team in the early second will take a gamble on a player whose only negative aspect is where he dominated.

Vontaze Burfict, MLB, Arizona State

Vontaze Burfict has experienced quite the downgrade in value since the college season ended, culminating in his laughably bad scouting combine trip.

Burfict is infamous for his inability to control his temper, racking up personal foul penalties and lack of improvement since he arrived on Arizona State’s campus. His horrible 4.9 40-yard dash and blaming his coaching staff for lack of production really did a number to his stock.

Burfict is now projected as a fourth-round pick after being considered a first-rounder entering the offseason. Luckily for Burfict, there is always that one coach in the NFL who thinks he can take a bad apple and bring in the reigns.

Burfict has unlimited potential, and for that reason alone he will still be selected in the second round of the draft.

Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan

Jordan White has been projected to go anywhere from the fifth round to simply undrafted. The Mid-American Conference all-time leader in receptions (306) and yards (4,187) is eerily similar to another Western Michigan graduate–Greg Jennings.

White doesn’t dazzle with his height at 6’, but everything else is perfect about his game. He has already shown he can run any professional route, does a great job adjusting to bad passes and easily separates from defenders.

White is another small-school player who has been projected incorrectly. Look for White to be scooped up by a receiver-needy team in the third round or earlier. He quite easily could be the steal of the draft.

Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

Ronnell Lewis is projected to go in the late second to third round, but his impressive versatility will have him selected much higher than that. He played a combination of defensive end and multiple linebacker positions in college.

As a pass-rusher, Lewis is hard to miss. He racked up 118 tackles, 10 sacks and two interceptions during his years at Oklahoma. His speed and aggressiveness make him an attractive option for a team with a pass-rushing need.

The only red flags on Lewis are his questionable academics and injury history. However, a pass-rusher run is likely to occur early in the draft, and that could mean Lewis is selected as early as the late first round.

Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

Russell Wilson is expected to go anywhere from the fourth to sixth round in the upcoming draft. His biggest issue is his height, standing at only 5’11”, pro scouts are worried he will have issues seeing the field.

Russell’s play last year speaks for itself—3,175 yards, 33 touchdowns to only four interceptions and leading the nation in efficiency with an outrageous 191.78 percentage on the season.

When it comes to intangibles, Wilson has arguably the strongest arm in the draft, is never confused by complex coverages and is very elusive and accurate when running with the football.

Wilson is believed to be a developmental quarterback because of his height, but quarterbacks his height or lower have found success in the league. Look for Wilson to be a surprise selection this year as high as the mid second round.

Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

Stephen Hill’s stock has been skyrocketing since the scouting combine where he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash. That’s an impressive number, but add in the fact that he stands at 6’4”, 215 lbs and he becomes every quarterback’s dream receiver.

Hill put up minuscule stats while at Georgia Tech thanks to the team’s triple option attack. It is important to note that he led the nation in yards per catch. Naysayers have claimed Hill was only open as a result of teams focusing on the rushing attack, but that argument holds little weight.

Hill was on no one’s radar before the combine, and is still expected to fall to the late second round. With potential such as Hill’s, don’t be surprised to see him go potentially as early as the mid first round.

Jonathan Massaquoi, DE, Troy

Jonathan Massaquoi isn’t expected to be drafted until the fourth or fifth round and that is very, very difficult to figure out why. He isn’t too small, and he doesn’t have any character concerns.

In two seasons at Troy, Massaquoi racked up 128 tackles and 19.5 sacks. He’s relentless to the football and has great explosion and strength off the line. Massaquoi is questionable in the running game, but projects as a great situational pass-rusher in a 3-4 defense from the outside linebacker position.

Massaquoi doesn’t hail from the most prestigious school, but don’t be shocked if he is taken in the second round when NFL teams see flashes of another Troy pass-rusher that entered the NFL recently—DeMarcus Ware.

Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama

Josh Chapman isn’t expected to be selected until the fifth round because he is currently recovering from ACL surgery. Chapman tore his ACL on October 1st of last season. After the discovery he went on to play in eight more games with the injury.

Besides his incredible toughness, Chapman is an absolute monster when on the field. He anchored a defensive line that only allowed 110 rushing yards per game—torn ACL included.

Chapman does the thankless work that typically goes unnoticed by the casual NFL fan. He isn't recording a huge amount of sacks, but he is occupying blocker and making the players around him better. Watch for a team to see a future 3-4 nose tackle in Chapman and grab him off the board somewhere in the third round.

Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Stephon Gilmore is projected to be taken in the second round, but he’ll find his way into the first for a variety of reasons.

For one, the prospects typically listed in front of Gilmore aren’t better players, or they have massive off-the-field issues. Gilmore is a ball hawk who makes opposing quarterbacks pay for questionable decisions. He excels in zone coverage but has no issues playing man and he aggressively seeks out contact when defending the run.

Throughout his collegiate career, Gilmore has been hailed as a quiet leader with an unmatched work ethic and positive attitude. Gilmore is going to be selected in the mid first round when the draft rolls around for the reasons listed above, there is absolutely nothing negative about him, which makes him one of the safest picks in the draft.

Ladarius Green, TE, Louisiana Lafayette

The tight end position is experiencing a renaissance in the NFL. Massive, ex-basketball players with huge frames are quickly taking over the position, and Ladarius Green will surely join them.

Green is projected to go in the third round, but that is just blasphemy. What quarterback wouldn’t want a 6’6” 240lb pass-catching tight end with a 34” vertical and a 4.53 40-yard dash?  Green is almost impossible to bring down in the open field, catches jump balls with ease and runs crisp routes.

Green has two minor issues—he went to a smaller school and is still a work in progress when it comes to blocking. That’s a small price to pay for a player like Green.

Watch for Green to go early in the second round as teams look for ways to mimic the New England Patriots’ vicious two tight-end sets who terrorized the league last season.  

Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi St.

Vick Ballard is expected to be taken somewhere in the fifth round after a questionable combine performance that saw him run a horrible 4.6 40-yard dash.

Luckily for Ballard, he plays at a much faster speed, and the film shows that. Last season Ballard ran for 1,189 yards and 10 touchdowns with an unheard of 6.2 average. He has issues retaining speed while switching directions, but would be a valuable asset in certain scenarios at the next level.

Ballard is an intriguing back who will likely be taken in the mid third round of the draft. His collegiate production and potential to be a game-changer at the next level will have teams regretting passing on him multiple times in the draft.