2012 NFL Draft Predictions: Future Pro Bowlers Teams Will Regret Passing on

In the 2012 NFL draft, there are going to be a lot of GMs and coaches kicking themselves after some of the players they pass on blossom into Pro Bowlers.

Every year there are those diamonds in the rough that slip in the draft but end up making the big difference for their team as they go on to be great players.

Tom Brady is the perfect example of a player who was ignored by every NFL team but is one of the elite quarterbacks today. This year’s draft has some Tom Bradys who will make multiple Pro Bowl appearances and should be drafted as such.

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden is one quarterback who is going to have some great years in the NFL and have multiple Pro Bowl appearances. Weeden is the oldest player in the draft at 28, but that might work in his favor on Sundays.

Whatever team has the chance to draft him  is going to have a very mature quarterback who also has a strong arm. Weeden might not start right away, but he will be a solid backup who will transition to a starter and hopefully carry the load of the team on his back.

Coaches are going to regret passing on Weeden when he is torching their secondary.

 Luke Kuechly

Luke Kuechly is one of the most underrated defensive players in the draft right now. Kuechly was the cornerstone for the Boston College defense at linebacker with his ball-hawking skills.

Linebackers like Kuechly don’t come around a lot, so when one does, you have to take the risk and draft them. Kuechly can do it all from pass coverage to stopping the run.

With the NFL becoming more pass-happy, a solid linebacker who can drop in pass coverage is always a plus. The ceiling for Kuechly is very high, so with some coaching, he will be a top linebacker for years to come.

LaMichael James

The hardest position to grade is the running back position, and that is the main reason LaMichael James draft stock has dropped.

There are so many components to scouting a running back from speed, agility, size and vision. James has all of this. The only thing hurting him is his size, which isn’t prototypical for a running back.

James is more like a Darren Sproles who can change the pace of a game instantly and also make a huge impact on the game. This is going to get James far in a league that eats running backs up.

Janoris Jenkins

You can’t deny that Janoris Jenkins is a lockdown corner with a tremendous skill set. The only thing that is crippling Jenkins is his character issues.

A lot of teams are going to stay away from him for the simple fact that he screams Pacman Jones all over again.

Only teams in good situations, where character issues matter less, will think they can take on this task and draft him. Expect for Jenkins to give a lot of receivers the blues this season.