NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz on Rising and Falling 2012 Stars

It is impossible to truly know who is telling the truth and who is lying at this stage of the draft process. Teams have their big boards finished, but only they know who they truly value most and everything they say could be a smokescreen.

Heck, if you were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picking at No. 5 overall and desperately in love with running back Trent Richardson of Alabama, wouldn't you float out information about your love for LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne?

The draft is a game of smoke and mirrors as much as anything else.

So with that said, let's take a look at some of the latest on rising and falling stars in the 2012 NFL draft class.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Arguably the hottest prospect in the draft right now, the Texas A&M signal-caller has teams considering the possibility of trading up to No. 3 overall to select him before the Cleveland Browns get a chance at him.

Reports indicate the Browns are "split" on Tannehill so that complicates matters. 

There was a time when many expected the Dolphins to be in prime position for the QB at No. 8, but it appears his stock has hit an all-time high of late.

Don't surprised at all if a team comes out of nowhere to make a play for him either.

Others in play for him include the Chiefs, who've spent a ton of time with him, as well as the Bills and Seahawks. 

Mark Barron, S, Alabama

All the talk surrounding Barron has experts believing he'll be overdrafted due a lack of elite talent at the position.

The only other safety in the class who warrants a potential first-round selection is Notre Dame's Harrison Smith, and that is even a bit of stretch to begin with.

Barron, meanwhile, is a complete prospect who can start immediately. Teams in the middle of the draft—Dallas, Philadelphia and New York Jets—are the most likely landing spots for the consensus All-American.

Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly says it may take a top 10 pick to get him and that he'll go no lower than No. 15:

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"I had a team in the Top 10 say they are taking a serious look at him right now.”

“There is a chance he could go in the Top 10, and I don’t see any way he gets out of the Top 15,” Nawrocki said.

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The Crimson Tide star will be a starter immediately, but his upside is limited and it will be interesting to see how his career pans out.

Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Like Barron, Gilmore has been rising thanks a drop-off in first-round prospects at the position.

Janoris Jenkins (who we'll get to later) has knocked himself out of the first round, while Dre Kirkpatrick has fallen behind fellow SEC-er Gilmore on big boards.

In fact, SI's Peter King says Gilmore could go as high as No. 7:

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South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the second corner on the board now, could go anywhere from 7 to 27 ... So what does iconoclast GM Gene Smith do in Jacksonville? ... A couple of years ago, Jacksonville overpaid for (Tyson) Alualu at 10, unable to trade down a few spots where GM Gene Smith would still be able to take him. Gilmore could be tempting for the Jags.

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He could also be tempting for the Panthers at No. 9, Chiefs at No. 11 and Cowboys at No. 14.

Gilmore's combination of size, speed and playmaking ability has given teams something to think about as the draft approaches, and it would be surprising if he slid past the Lions at No. 23 at the lowest.

Others Worth Noting

By all accounts, Janoris Jenkins' character has scared off everyone in the first round. The former Florida cornerback has elite tools, and, as Brian Baldinger of NFL Network said, "may even try to do the right things," but his off-the-field issues could catch up to him—Baldinger actually likened the risk of drafting him to drafting Pacman Jones.

King also said that DE Melvin Ingram, T Riley Reiff, DE Quinton Coples, G-T Cordy Glenn and T Jonathan Martin were all "falling" players.

Ingram's one dominant year and questions on schematic fit make sense as to why he's dropping. Reiff's lack of elite skills and ceiling, and Martin's strength issues also make sense.

There is certainly reason to question Coples, but his upside may still help him find a top 12 spot, while Glenn's versatility shouldn't drop him any lower than No. 23.