2012 NFL Mock Draft: Over-Hyped Prospects That Will Flop

The 2012 NFL Draft is loaded with talent, but sometimes talent isn't enough. As we have gotten closer to April 26 and the day the draft will kick off, several players have started to become victims of the NFL's hype machine.

The following is my latest mock draft, but I've spent some time pointing out the five player I think are getting far too much hype and who have the most potential to end up as busts at the next level.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

The Colts haven't wavered on this one and they won't. Luck is the right pick and has been for a long time. 

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams): Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

The Redskins traded up the select their quarterback of the future and they'll get him in Griffin, who isn't as far behind Luck as some think.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Kalil is the perfect pick here at a position of need exactly when the Vikings need him.

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Richardson is the only truly elite running back in this draft and the Browns could use him immediately. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Claiborne fills the need for a shutdown corner that Ronde Barber, Aqib Talib and Eric Wright simply can't provide.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins): Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Blackmon is the best receiver in the draft and Sam Bradford needs a No. 1 target. A perfect fit. 

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Coples is the first bust candidate on this list. He never really impressed at North Carolina and his film is average at best. But at nearly 6'6" and 285 pounds, and with speed and athleticism, it's not hard to see scouts convincing themselves that he can turn into the next Julius Peppers. 

Coples finished his senior season with 7.5 sacks, but given his talent that just wasn't even close to enough production. His long arms, elite size and ability to hold the edge are definite pluses but his lack of a great motor is concerning.

Though Coples could turn out to be one of those rare guys who is better in the NFL than he was in college, I just don't see enough there to make me feel comfortable with where he is being projected in the draft. 

8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

I feel bad listing Tannehill as a potential bust because he seems like a great kid. But taking a quarterback in the top 10 after he has only played one-and-a-half years of college football at the position screams "danger" to me.

Tannehill reportedly killed it at his Pro Day and suddenly everyone was elevating him to top-10 status. He certainly has some nice tools but at best he'll have to sit for a year to develop. At worst he never ends up finding the feel consistently.

If he came off the board in the mid-20s I'd be fine with that, but a top-10 pick needs to make an immediate impact on your football team. Tannehill won't do that.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

A month ago I never would have labeled Poe a potential bust, simply because he wasn't projected to go this high. But an insane Combine workout has him ticketed as a top-10 pick, which is probably much higher than his actual ability on the field would suggest he should be.

At nearly 6'4" and 346 pounds Poe has elite size for a defensive tackle and he showed speed, strength and agility, and he interviewed well at the Combine. But he played against inferior competition at Memphis and his film is average at best. That's a bad combination.

I think Poe could develop into a fine player, but right now his expectations have been incredibly inflated by his workouts, which is a bad sign. I think he will be overpowered early in his career and he might eventually find his footing, but he has a lot of work to do between the sidelines before I'm sold on him.

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Reiff falls here and the Bills grab him to help plug up a leaky offensive line.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

The Chiefs love Poe, but Kuechly is a nice consolation prize as they try to fix a dreadful middle of their defense.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

The Seahawks missed with Aaron Curry and while I liked Ingram as a college player, I think he's too small to have the same impact at defensive end in the NFL. 

Ingram measures in at 6'1" and 264 pounds and though he had 10 sacks for South Carolina in 2011, I think he'll be neutralized by even average offensive tackles. There remains the possibility that Seattle could convert him into a linebacker but I don't think he has the ability to make a smooth transition there.

In Pete Carroll's 4-3 set, he'll have to be an edge rusher and I think he's far too undersized to make a consistent impact in the NFL. 

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Levi Brown will be back but that's not a comfort to anyone in Arizona. Martin makes things a lot better along the offensive line.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

The Cowboys will have options here but Cox is a versatile defensive lineman who could fit anywhere along Rob Ryan's front.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Trading for DeMeco Ryans was step one for the Eagles in rebuilding the middle of their defense. Drafting a versatile leader like Barron to the secondary is step two.

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama

Rex Ryan loves stockpiling edge rushers, and Upshaw is his type of hard-nosed player.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders): Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

The Bengals could go in a number of directions here but they still haven't replaced Jonathan Joseph since he left town last offseason. They grab Kirkpatrick, an elite talent whose stock has dropped thanks to an arrest for marijuana possession.

18. San Diego Chargers: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

Things just keep working out for general manager A.J. Smith this offseason, as DeCastro somehow falls to him here. The Stanford product will immediately slide in at left guard replacing the retired Kris Dielman.

19. Chicago Bears: Cordy Glenn, OT/G, Georgia

The Bears need to upgrade things along the offensive line and Glenn could play either guard spot or right tackle immediately. 

20. Tennessee Titans: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

People have asked me about this pick a lot and frankly I like the fit. Fleener provides something the Titans don't have on their roster, a big, physical tight end who can also get down the field. Young quarterback Jake Locker and receiver Kenny Britt will love the pick.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

BenJarvus Green-Ellis isn't an elite running back and Miller has as much upside as any back in the draft not named Trent Richardson. Miller and Green-Ellis would make a great one-two punch.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons): Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Floyd has massive hands and the ability to haul almost anything in that is thrown in his direction. But he has never shown the ability to consistently separate from top-level cornerbacks. What made Floyd a deep threat in college was his size (6'3" and 220 pounds). 

He played lighter and faster during his final year at Notre Dame, but I also saw him get lazy at times and not show up for every play during his college career. Unlike Blackmon, he doesn't play as big as his frame and sometimes lets the ball get to him rather than going back to it and reaching his arms out to secure it.

In addition to that, Floyd had off-field problems while at Notre Dame, including a DUI arrest. People close to him claim he has matured, does a lot in the community and he is a hard worker. That's a conflicting report on his intangibles but any red flags for a guy you expect to make an immediate impact are troubling.

Label him a possible mini-bust. 

23. Detroit Lions: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Dominic Raiola is terrible and Konz's ability to diagnose defenses will take a lot of pressure off franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

Still is a disruptive force who could eventually take over for an aging Casey Hampton at nose tackle.

25. Denver Broncos: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

At 6'5" and 323 pounds, Brockers would provide a big boost to a horrendous interior defensive line in Denver.

26. Houston Texans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Wright answered questions about his speed at his Pro Day and will fit perfectly as a No. 2 receiver, lining up across from Andre Johnson.

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints): Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

The Patriots need to improve their front seven and Mercilus fits what they like to do with their edge rushers.

28. Green Bay Packers: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

Clay Matthews needs help rushing the quarterback and I see Perry as the best pure pass rusher in this draft. A move to outside linebacker shouldn't be a problem for the USC product.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama 

There is no better time for the Ravens to find Ray Lewis' replacement than now. Hightower can help out in multiple ways while learning from Lewis for a year or two before taking over in the middle.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Hill's size and speed have some scouts drooling. The 49ers will take a chance on him since they desperately need a deep threat.

31. New England Patriots: Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut

Reyes will fit perfectly along New England's defensive line as the rebuilding of the team's front seven continues.

32. New York Giants: Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina

The Giants have other needs, but Brown is so fast and his potential is so high that I've got them snagging him here. He would be a big-time improvement at either outside linebacker spot immediately.