2012 NFL Draft: 7 Pro Days You Don't Want to Miss

Pro days are set up for evaluators to get an extra look at each school's draft prospects. The setting offers each prospect an opportunity to workout in a familiar setting. This familiarity often results in better workout numbers.

Prospects like South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery decided to forgo working out at the combine and solely work out at this pro day. This decision increases the importance of his pro day but also creates a make or break type situation. For Jeffery, his chances of coming off the board in the first round depend on his pro day performance.

Virginia

Date: March 15

Prospects: Cam Johnson

During his college career, Cam Johnson showed a lot of promise as a pass rusher. He generated most of his pressure by attacking the edge with a speed move. However, a less than impressive 4.81 forty time brings his explosiveness into question.

Johnson doesn't have a wide array of pass rush moves, which means he will rely on his speed early in his career. He needs to improve his 40 time in order to show teams he has the quickness needed to make an immediate impact.

His workout numbers are also important because some view him as a 3-4 linebacker. He needs to show more athleticism in order to receive consideration at this position.

Arizona State

Date: March 16

Prospects: Brock Osweiler and Vontaze Burfict

Arizona State's Brock Osweiler decided not to throw at the combine, which puts more focus on his pro day. Osweiler needs to show a powerful arm and good accuracy in order to keep his draft stock pointing in the right direction. Pro days are set up for the prospect to succeed, so any struggles by Osweiler will negatively impact his draft stock.

Osweiler is currently locked in a battle with several other prospects to be the third quarterback off the board, making every workout an important one.

Vontaze Burfict's terrible performance at the combine means he must have an exceptional pro day. He needs to shed a lot of time off his 5.09 forty-yard dash performance. Another poor workout will continue to push him further down the draft, likely into the fourth round range.

Baylor

Date: March 21

Prospects: Robert Griffin III, Kendall Wright and Terrance Ganaway

The trade between the Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams may result in Robert Griffin III not working out at his pro day. Washington paid such a high price so they could solidify their quarterback position. At this point, Griffin III has nothing to gain from working out on March 21.

However, Kendall Wright is in a completely different situation as he still needs a strong performance. Wright's value comes from his ability to stretch the field, but his 4.61 forty time sparked questions about his speed. He needs to get that time down to the 4.46 range in order to salvage his draft stock.

Another slow time could push Wright out of first-round consideration.

Rutgers

Date: March 21

Prospect: Mohamed Sanu

Mohamed Sanu is another prospect whose unimpressive 40 time negatively impacted his draft stock. Most didn't expect him to contend for the fastest time at the combine, but his 4.67 time was slower than expected. This performance raises questions about his ability to separate from defenders.

Sanu doesn't need to run a 4.3 to improve his draft stock. Anything in the neighborhood of 4.5 would solidify his second-round grade. However, another poor performance could drop him out of the second-round discussion.

LSU

Date: March 22

Prospects: Michael Brockers, Morris Claiborne, Rueben Randle, Brandon Taylor and Ron Brooks

LSU boasts two prospects who need a strong pro day workout in order to save their declining draft stock. Both Michael Brockers and Rueben Randle failed to impress at the combine, and lack great on-field production to hold up those performances.

Brockers' value depends on his perceived upside, which comes into question because of his poor workout numbers. It seems unlikely that a player lacking great workout numbers with limited on-field production works his way into the top half of the first round.

Rueben Randle is in the same situation as Brockers, in that he needs a strong pro day to have a shot at the first round. His lack of production is a bit deceiving because of the quarterback struggles at LSU. However, he still needs some positive momentum to get back into the first-round discussion.

Defensive backs Morris Claiborne, Brandon Taylor and Ron Brooks may opt not to run during the pro day. They each put up good numbers at the combine and may only hurt their stock by running. However, expect to see them run through some position-specific drills.

Stanford

Date: March 22

Prospects: Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, Jonathan Martin, David DeCastro

Andrew Luck is the big name at Stanford's pro day, but as many as three other first-round prospects will be working out. Because he's almost guaranteed to be the top pick, Luck is unlikely to work out.

Coby Fleener has the most to gain or lose, as the top-rated tight end spot is still up for grabs. An impressive workout could solidify Fleener as a first-round prospect. A team like the New York Giants will take a long look at Fleener with pick No. 32.

Jonathan Martin also needs to create some positive buzz in order to regain some momentum. At one point, Martin had a large gap between him and the No. 3 tackle prospect. However, prospects like Riley Reiff have overtaken him in some rankings. I still have Martin as my No. 1 tackle prospect, but I'm in the minority with that opinion.

South Carolina

Date: March 28

Prospects: Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore

All eyes will be on Alshon Jeffery at the South Carolina pro day. There have been a lot of questions raised about his speed, which makes his 40 time very important. His performance could mean the difference between coming off the board in the first or second round.

There's no denying Jeffery's talents, but without showing good explosiveness teams will question his ability to separate. Running in the 4.5 range would be considered a win for Jeffery and solidify his place in the first round.

I don't expect to see much from Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore. Both are unlikely to improve on their numbers from the combine, which makes working out at the pro day a risky move.