2012 NFL Draft Projections: Prospects Who Will Go Much Earlier Than They Should

Teams reach for prospects in the NFL draft every year, whether it be because of a need at the position or an overinflated opinion of an individual.

The 2012 NFL Draft will be no different, and we're already beginning to hear some draft projections that boggle the mind.

Respected draft guru Mike Mayock of NFL Network wrote on Thursday that the Cleveland Browns should take quarterback Ryan Tannehill at No. 4 overall.

Tannehill is included in my list of NFL prospects who will go way earlier in the draft than they should.

3. Quinton Coples, DE/DT, North Carolina

Quinton Coples has the speed, strength and athleticism to be a versatile lineman and an impact player in the NFL, but his head's in the clouds.

Coples played down to the competition in his senior season at UNC and nothing will change that fact. He has an inconsistent motor and highly-questionable makeup and there's simply no place for that in the NFL.

I don't doubt that Coples is a first-rounder, but I wouldn't even draft him in the top 15 of this year's draft.

2. Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Mark Barron is undoubtedly the best safety in the 2012 draft class, but, then again, that's not saying much. There aren't a whole lot of big-time prospects at the safety position this year.

Barron is a borderline first-round draft pick, but the fact that teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets need a safety may make him a mid first-round pick.

Barron does have the ability to be a starter with his physicality and nose for the ball, but to draft him in the first 16 picks or so is a bit of a reach.

1. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

I find it hard to believe that Ryan Tannehill was barely even considered a first-round pick throughout the season, but Mike Mayock takes one look at his pro day and deems him to be a future star.

Mayock wrote in his blog on Thursday, via NFL.com, "Potentially, down the road, he could be a franchise quarterback."

But it's also worth noting that even Mayock deemed him to be a project quarterback, writing:

"

Because the NFL is so overheated right now when it comes to finding franchise quarterbacks, I think the kid is probably going to go higher than he should. I think Cleveland has to take him at No. 4, and if they don’t, Miami is sitting there at No. 8. So the worst-case scenario for him is, I think, that he’s going to go at No. 8 to the Dolphins.

"

Tannehill does have the athleticism and upside to be an intriguing choice, but let's be honest, the only reason he's even being grabbed in the first round, much less the Top 10, is because teams are desperate for a quarterback right now.

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