2012 NFL Mock Draft: Which Players Will Be Overrated on Draft Day?

Some prospects dazzle but don't show enough consistency to be an every-down player in the NFL.

Some are too inexperienced.

And some are freakishly athletic but don't understand the game of football well enough to capitalize on that athleticism.

These players are called "overrated."

It's not like the five prospects on this list will be bad NFL players. I have confidence that some of them will make an impact at the pro level.

However, in terms of where they are being placed in 2012 NFL mock drafts, I have issues.

Here are five players who will be overrated come draft day.

5. Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

For a player being called a "lockdown cornerback," Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard hasn't earned enough respect yet from me.

I understand he earned a lot of praise for his play last season, but he needs to prove he has gotten better. The NFL is a whole different ballgame.

Dennard is coming off a quad injury this season, so perhaps he deserves a little slack, but in his second game back from injury he needed to be there for his team in a marquee matchup with Wisconsin receiver Nick Toon and he simply wasn't. He allowed Toon to rack up 94 yards and a touchdown and looked poor against the run. The result was a 48-17 blowout in a pivotal game that may kick the Cornhuskers out of a BCS bowl game.

It wasn't just that Dennard looked bad against Toon, it's that he appeared to play with very little passion, and that's a serious red flag if you're thinking about grabbing him in the first round of the NFL draft.

4. Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Nobody has issues with Michael Floyd's athleticism—he's a freak athlete.

But I do have questions about his composure off the field and his apparent lack of dedication to route running. I believe he's going to underachieve in the NFL simply based on his ignorance of the intricacies that make a receiver great.

That's not to say he can still be a good No. 2 receiver, but to take him in the first round as a receiver you potentially lean on in the future is a mistake, in my opinion.

3. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

I had very high hopes of Matt Barkley coming into this season based on his breakout campaign in 2010. He threw for over 2,700 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions.

Despite his numbers actually being better this season, the only defense he has played that can be considered any kind of a threat was Arizona State, and he ended up being limited in that game while tossing two interceptions.

I wouldn't blame a team for drafting Barkley in the first round, but the hype surrounding him among the Andrew Lucks and Landry Jones' of the world appears off base right now.

He's had trouble with his accuracy on deep routes and he constantly missed receivers Robert Woods, Marqise Lee and Brandon Carswell with alarming regularity against Cal on Thursday. He finished the game completing under 55 percent of his passes for a mere 195 yards.

2. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

With Ryan Tannehill, I see a frustrating quarterback who could be much better if it wasn't for his propensity to throw the ball into opponents' hands all the time.

Against Baylor's questionable defense on Saturday, it wasn't exactly a surprise that Tannehill dominated, passing for 415 yards and six touchdowns.

But he did throw another interception—his sixth in seven games—and he didn't change my opinion that against the more complicated and sneaky defenses of the NFL he may simply be overwhelmed.

You give Tannehill his first option, or even his second, and he will usually make you pay. If you take those away, he still hasn't shown he can scan the field and fire it to a third option. On top of that, I have questions about his accuracy down the field.

1. Donte Paige-Moss, DE/LB, North Carolina

A football player's measurables and athleticism can sometimes blind NFL scouts from the players' weaknesses and shortcomings.

That is what I'm thinking is going to happen in next year's NFL draft with North Carolina's Donte Paige-Moss.

Paige-Moss looked like a legitimate top-10 prospect coming into this season. He registered seven sacks in his breakout campaign with the Tar Heels last season.

But through six games so far, his apparent lack of effort and sluggish play has resulted in a grand total of one sack.

You can have all the athleticism and ability in the world, but if you don't come prepared to play like a future first-rounder, you shouldn't be one.