2012 NFL Draft Projections: Big-Name College Stars Who Will Fall Past Round 2

Here's a non-stunner to start your day: stardom in college football is anything but a guarantee of success in the NFL.

A quick glance down the list of Heisman Trophy winners is evidence of as much. For every Cam Newton or Sam Bradford, there seem to be two more Matt Leinarts or Eric Crouchs.

It should come as no surprise then that some of the biggest names in the college game this past year, like these three, will likely have to wait until the third round or later before they hear their names called at the 2012 NFL draft.

LaMichael James

A guy rushes for more than 5,000 yards in three seasons of college ball, and the best he can reasonably hope for is a spot in the third round?

Well, if that guy is LaMichael James, then...yeah. As speedy as he is, the Oregon product is a bit slight for a prospective NFL back, at just 5'9" and 185 pounds. He'll have a solid pro career, so long as whichever team drafts him uses his talents properly.

Darren Sproles' explosion with the New Orleans Saints should serve as a blueprint for James' best-case scenario.

Russell Wilson

James wasn't the only undersized NFL hopeful on the field during the 2012 Rose Bowl. He was joined in that regard by Wisconsin quarterback and one-time Heisman Trophy contender Russell Wilson.

The former North Carolina State signal-caller has a cannon for an arm and can make all the throws, not to mention a pair of wheels that allow him to buy time and pick up yardage in a pinch.

Trouble is, Wilson's only 5'11" and a hair over 200 pounds. That sort of frame doesn't bode well for a guy playing a position prone to frequent beatdowns.

Still, Wilson's a talented kid and certainly worth taking a flier on in the third round, if not later.

Kellen Moore

Want more proof that size matters to NFL scouts? Just follow the draft status of Kellen Moore.

Sure, it's nice that Moore is the winningest quarterback in the history of college football, but that doesn't much matter when you're 6'1" and 191 pounds with iffy mechanics, a supposedly skimpy arm and a subpar pedigree coming out of a mid-major program like Boise State's.

No matter than he completed better than 70 percent of his passes during his four years as a starter for the Broncos or that the kid knows how to win football games.

Moore's measurables figure to put him in jeopardy of falling into the sixth or seventh round, if not out of the draft entirely.

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