2012 NFL Draft: 6 Raw Prospects Who Should Have Stayed in School

Every year, there are multiple prospects who shouldn't have come out early from college.Throughout the years, you can trace many players who would have been better in the NFL with more college experience, and would have been picked much higher in the NFL draft than where they were selected.

Just in the last five years, you can trace at least 10 players per year who should have been in school another year instead of coming out early. They would have had the extra experience needed to learn their position for another year.

This year's crop of 56 underclassmen players has been dissected by multiple sources, and there are quite a few great players who will end up getting passed up early since they are raw and inexperienced.

The following players are those who should have stayed in school.

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Alshon Jeffery, WR (South Carolina)

Alshon Jeffery was one of the best wide receivers in college football during his time at South Carolina. He had a great sophomore year with 88 catches for 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns, but dropped off his junior year when the double-teams became too much for him.

Jeffery is also not an extremely refined route-runner, and there are questions about his size/speed combination from the combine and track drills. He also needs to work on his blocking; he is willing, but lacks the technique to be entirely effective.

Areas of Improvement

Jeffery is a good football player, but he's consistently inconsistent on the field. If he showed more consistency in his game had he come back senior year, he could have been the Top Five pick people thought he was his sophomore year.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: Top Five

Rueben Randle, WR (LSU)

Rueben Randle has been a backup for two years and then finally started as the No. 1 wide receiver at LSU his junior year. The lack of experience as a starter hurts his draft stock and puts him in the late first to early second round.

Randle had trouble with the quarterback rotation at LSU, and many scouts would love to see what he could do if he had a year with a consistent quarterback. He was very inconsistent in production this past year, but the big question there is whether it was the quarterback situation or Rueben to blame.

Areas of Improvement

With only one year as a starter, it would have been nice to see him improve even more his senior year. Randle needs to improve his route-running, but has immeasurable potential as a deep and intermediate threat in any offense.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: Top 10

Mohamed Sanu, WR (Rutgers)

Sanu played a hybrid wildcat quarterback and wide receiver role his first two years, and he didn't start until this past year. He had a great year in 2011 with 110 catches for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, and he has shown first-round potential as an Anquan Boldin clone.

However, Sanu's likely draft slot will be between the early second round to the middle of the third round.

Areas of Improvement

Sanu needs to be more consistent. He only had one year starting as the primary option for the Scarlet Knights, but he did very well as a possession-style receiver. Sanu needs to show what he can do against better competition than what he saw regularly in college.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: Top 15

Vontaze Burfict, LB (Arizona State)

Vontaze Burfict has been one of the top athletic talents at middle linebacker for the Sun Devils the past three years and has been starting in the middle of the defense during that time.

Normally, someone should stay for the experience on the field. However, Burfict has issues on and off the field that need to be worked out, and the extra year would have helped him.

Areas of Improvement

Burfict has all the talent in the world, but he needs to grow up off the field. His nasty attitude and demeanor on the field is understandable, but he just needs to let it stop once the whistle is blown.

Off the field, Burfict's immaturity has led to quite a few teams dropping him down their boards. With the extra year to mature, he could have earned even a leadership role that would show the maturity needed.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: Top 15

Brock Osweiler, QB (Arizona State)

Brock is a giant at 6'7" and 242 pounds, and he has excellent footwork and mechanics. He can make almost every throw out there and can read a defense.

However, there are questions that he could have answered by staying another year and with lesser competition to face.

Areas of Improvement

With just one year starting, Osweiler had to answer whether or not he could be consistent. He also chose a bad year to come out; he has Ryan Tannehill, Andrew Luck and RGIII ahead of him in this year's draft, and the only one who could have competed with him in next year's draft is USC's Matt Barkley.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: First-Rounder

Darron Thomas, QB (Oregon)

Thomas was a starter during his freshman year before getting redshirted for a year. Starting the next two, Thomas could have been a much higher selection than the current sixth-round to undrafted projection he currently has. Thomas has never had a year with more than 3,000 yards passing and is a pocket-passing quarterback.

Areas of Improvement

Thomas is a leader from the quarterback spot, but he needs a lot of work on his mechanics and accuracy that only in-game reps would help. He won't see those in-game reps in the NFL and will suffer due to the lack of playing time.

Projected Value in the 2013 Draft: Second or Third-Rounder