Will Martin or McClellin Be First Boise State Prospect Picked in 2012 NFL Draft?

The NFL draft is almost here, and the Boise State Broncos are expecting a historic year.

As many as eight players could be chosen in the draft for Boise State, and a few more could find themselves free-agent contracts. As the draft draws closer, two players from the 2011 Broncos squad have become the focus of many draft experts. Both of these outstanding players have been mentioned as possible first-round picks.

Running back Doug Martin and defensive end/linebacker Shea McClellin have done all that they could to ensure that no team could ignore them when the picks start falling.

Still, there seems to be a small debate about which one of these two will be picked first in 2012.

Most experts say McClellin should go first, while other say that Martin may sneak up into the first round and be chosen a few picks ahead of him. However, that seems highly unlikely considering the kind of attention McClellin is getting from numerous teams.

Reports have McClellin high on the lists of the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers. It seems likely that one of these teams will be the one that steps up to select McClellin.

However, other team's that have also shown reasonable interest are the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and the Houston Texans.

Of course, the NFL draft is a crazy process, so another team could come out of left field to snag the Boise State star, but as it stands now, those are the main contenders.

So, who has the best chance of signing him?

Well, of the teams most likely to pick him, the Patriots, Packers and Ravens pick 27, 28 and 29 respectively. Unless one of these teams is willing to trade up, they may not be able to pick McClellin. The Chargers and Bears, however, are picks number 18 and 19 in the first round, and this could be where the battle ensues.

Some say however, that the Bears are keen on picking OLB Whitney Mercilus out of Illinois or even DE Nick Perry out of Southern Cal. If this is true, it is highly unlikely they will try to trade up a couple of spots to land McClellin, which would mean the Chargers will get first look.

Shea McClellin should go to the San Diego Chargers with the 18th pick of the first round. It would be a great pick for the Chargers and a good fit for McClellin at outside linebacker.

As far as Doug Martin is concerned, there have been a number of teams rumored to be interested in him as well, with Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Denver and the New York Giants have all been mentioned as a possible NFL home.

If the Giants pass on Martin at the No. 32 pick in the first round, then look for him to go early second round. Tampa Bay at pick 36 or Cleveland at pick 37 seem to be the most likely candidates.

Either way, Martin should go in the first 40 picks of the draft.

As it stands now, the Giants at pick 32 in the first round seems to be a very likely location. They have to replace Brandon Jacobs, who is now with the 49ers, and Martin would be a perfect fit in that offense.

Overall, it will be a very intriguing and exciting first day of the draft for these two Broncos.