2012 NFL Draft: Invited Players That Won't Live Up to Hype

The NFL invited 26 players to the 2012 NFL draft—meaning they believe they know roughly 81 percent of the players that will be selected on Day 1 of the league's biggest offseason event.

They could actually be correct, but 26 players is a lot to be attending an event that used to be reserved for a select few prospects.

Not everyone taken in the first round is going to live up to expectations.

In fact, it would be surprising if one-third of this group of first-rounders lived up to being a first-round pick.

There will certainly be surprises—there always are—but we can pinpoint which players will have trouble living up to the hype of a draft invitee as well. 

Mark Barron, S, Alabama

The 2011 consensus All-American is going to make an immediate impact in the NFL. He was the leader of a brilliant Alabama defense and a two-time BCS National Championship winner in college. Barron has immediately transferable skills and will start in the NFL for a long time.

These all sound like brilliant things, but the likely top-20 pick's potential is limited. Barron will be extremely hard-pressed to be better than he is now.

If he goes in the top 15, or No. 16 to the Jets, that is awfully high for guy whose ceiling has basically been hit.

Devon Still, DT, Penn State

Run-stuffers don't get a lot in the press or media, so Still is already at a disadvantage. On top of that, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year has been sliding down the board for several months now and is even out of a few top-five position rankings.

His upside has been questioned and there is no telling how he'll adjust to the next level just yet.

An invite to the draft was actually a bit surprising.

Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

Hill is the exact opposite of Still and Barron. He has unlimited upside and is scratching the surface of what he can do with his combination of size and speed.

He was vastly underutilized at Georgia Tech and it has hurt him as an overall receiver.

It will take some time for him to learn the ropes of route running and how to separate in the league, but he'll be an immediate deep threat.

Will he ever be more than that? That remains to be seen. Torrey Smith is smaller, but the two are similar in terms of how much they had to learn coming in. Smith went No. 58 overall.

Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Arguably the biggest riser in recent weeks, Gilmore has found himself in conversation as a potential top-15 pick.

With a good combination of size, speed, athleticism and ball skills there is a lot to like about the South Carolina corner.

Except consistency, which is Gilmore's biggest problem. He'll flash and play great from time to time, but to be an elite, top-15 corner he'll have to figure out a way to consistently perform.

The entire list of 26 invitees include (list via ESPN): Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, Alabama safety Mark Barron, running back Trent Richardson, linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick; LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers, cornerback Morris Claiborne and receiver Rueben Randle; Southern Cal tackle Matt Kalil, Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram, Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, Stanford tight end Coby Fleener, Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Georgia offensive tackle Cordy Glenn, Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Boise State linebacker Shea McClellin, USC defensive end Nick Perry, Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe, Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still, Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill and Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright.