2012 NFL Draft: 3 First-Round Players Guaranteed to Be Drafted Too Early

The 2012 NFL draft is going to be a great time for a lot of teams and a lot of fans.

However, as is the case every year, some teams are going to disappoint their fans by drafting certain players too early.

Some players see their draft stock plummet leading up to the draft (Vontaze Burfict being one example) and some see their draft stock soar.

Let’s take a look at three players who will be drafted in the first round this year, but who probably shouldn’t be.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Am I the only person who remembers that Tannehill had to play receiver for a couple of years in college because he wasn’t better than Jerrod Johnson?

Tannehill’s meteoric rise in the draft rankings is baffling to me. I’d much rather have a guy like Brandon Weeden or even Nick Foles leading my team.

Nevertheless, Tannehill remains a possibility for the Miami Dolphins at No. 8. Picking him there would set that franchise back at least five years.

This is a quarterback who had less than a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2011 (29 touchdowns, 15 interceptions). That doesn’t scream “first-round talent” to me.

Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Wright is a talented receiver, but small and fast receivers are available in later rounds of the draft.

I’d much rather spend a second or third-round pick on A.J. Jenkins from Illinois or T.Y. Hilton from Florida International than on Wright.

Even T.J. Graham from N.C. State would provide a similar skill set and will be available in Round 5 or Round 6.

Teams that want to pick Wright in the first round should address another team need and get a speedy slot receiver later in the draft.

Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

Fleener is the best tight end in the draft, but he’s not a first-round talent.

He’s not going to be even close to the level of recent first-round tight ends like Vernon Davis, Brandon Pettigrew and Dustin Keller.

Tight ends are certainly becoming more important in today’s NFL, but Fleener isn’t the total package.

Sure, he’ll be a great receiver and pose matchup problems, but he’ll be a liability in the running game.

I wouldn’t spend a first-round pick on a guy who isn’t going to be able to hold his own on the line of scrimmage.