BCS Rankings 2011: The Best 2012 NFL Prospect on Each Top 25 Team

While college football is incredibly exciting, most of the top players want to move on to the NFL and have successful careers there as well.

The current Top 25 is chock full of NFL talent, but who will be the best player on each team who can be drafted at the end of this season?

Read on for a comprehensive list.

Washington: Chris Polk

At 5'11 and 222 lbs, Polk is the type of bruising back that can carry the load when called upon, but most of his damage will come between the tackles.

He lacks speed, isn't very elusive and needs to learn to keep his pad level down, but he's one of the rare prospects who can carry the ball 25 times a game and picks his holes well. 

Texas: Emmanuel Acho

Acho has the chance to be a dangerous pass-rusher at the next level. He has great awareness, leverage and quickness working the edge, but at 6'2" and 240 pounds, he'll need to put on some bulk.

He could be a good fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but there are questions about his ability to defend the run and handle bigger offensive linemen.

Illinois: A.J. Jenkins

Jenkins is the type of player who will need to perform at his best when the scouts are around before the draft. There's no denying his production—895 yards and 7 TDs this season—but he isn't a speedster and at 6'1" and 190 lbs, he's a bit undersized.

If he has one thing going for him, it's that he's shown tremendous growth from year to year, so there's definitely upside here. 

Georgia Tech: Stephen Hill

If there's one position that always seems to shine at Georgia Tech the last few years, it's wide receiver. At 6'5" and 200 lbs, he's a huge target who runs in the 4.5 range.

Only a junior, it wouldn't be surprising to see him stick around for another season in hopes of bumping up his draft stock, but right now, he's rated right around the top 5 at his position.

Penn State: Devon Still

One of the top defensive tackles in the 2012 class, Still stands at a hulking 6'5" and 310 lbs.

He has the frame to stack on more weight, and plenty of teams will be targeting him as a nose tackle. Still does a great job of penetrating at the line of scrimmage and consistently requires a double team.  

Auburn: Brandon Mosley

The biggest knock on Mosley is that he’s 24 years old. He plays every play hard and has yet to have a serious injury.

His smarts as a player and a person have repeatedly come into question, but there aren’t many upper classmen on Auburn’s roster, so he will be the highest pick.

Houston: Case Keenum

Keenum has been absolutely amazing during his college career and is on pace to break Timmy Chang’s total offense, passing yards and touchdown passes records this weekend.

He has not succeeded against better defenses, but that may be because of the team he plays for.

Michigan: David Molk

The Big Ten is full of great centers, and David Molk is another one. He was first team All-Big Ten last season and an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated.

He’s had some serious injury concerns in the past, which is one of the only reasons why he isn’t being looked at in the first couple rounds.

Texas A&M: Cyrus Gray

Since taking over as starter midway through 2010, the only times Gray hasn’t rushed for over 100 yards in a game is when he’s touched the ball 13 times or less.

He can also return kicks and is a receiving threat. He will have caught a pass in every game for a full year if he has one in this week’s and next week’s games.

Michigan State: Jerel Worthy

Worthy is one of the most ferocious players in this year’s draft. He has had issues with consistency in the past but when he is on, he is explosive.

A third of his tackles this season are for a loss and he also has 2.5 sacks.

West Virginia: Bruce Irvin

Irvin’s numbers have really gone down, but it is hard to keep putting up 14 sacks a year.

He projects as an outside linebacker at the next level, so he will need some time to learn the position but if he can get mentally into like he did last year, he could be a special player.

South Carolina: Melvin Ingram

There are not many things this guy hasn’t done this season. He has 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two interceptions and three touchdowns.

And at 6’2”, 276 lbs, that’s just incredible. While Alshon Jeffrey’s stock has gone down, Ingram’s has gone up in a big way.

Nebraska: Alfonzo Dennard

Many people forgot about Dennard, but he is back from injury, while Jared Crick is now done for the season.

He is on pace to easily break his mark of 31 tackles last season with nine in three games. He will need some turnovers in order to go in the first round with so many other top corners in the draft.

Virginia Tech: Jayron Hosley

Hosley led the nation in interceptions last year with nine and already has three this season, even though teams are trying to stay away from him. He also has five pass breakups and a forced fumble.

On punt returns, he can be explosive. He is ranked 18th in the country in return yards and returned one for a touchdown last season.

Kansas State: Tysyn Hartman

There are not many draft-ready players on the Wildcats, but Hartman may sneak in as a late-round selection. He is a leader off the field and has 28 tackles and three forced turnovers on it.

Oregon: Cliff Harris

Harris’ interception numbers have gone way down, but that’s just because teams are staying away from him. He picked off six passes and defended 17 last season.

He is also an excellent punt returner, though he hasn’t done so this year.

Arkansas: Jerry Franklin

Through six games this season, Franklin has 51 tackles, a sack and three passes defended. He has shown great leadership on an underrated Arkansas defense.

Greg Childs would have gotten this spot but he has been nonexistent so far this season.

Stanford: Andrew Luck

What’s there to say about Luck that hasn’t already been said? There are “Suck for Luck” campaigns across the NFL and because he stayed, Stanford is in the Top 10.

He’s one of the best overall prospects in years.

Clemson: Brandon Thompson

This run-stopping defensive tackle is slightly undersized—if 6’2”, 300 lbs can really be considered undersized—but he is expected to be taken early in the first round because of his power and tenacity.

Thompson has 27 tackles and a forced fumble through seven games this season.

Wisconsin: Peter Konz

Typically, underclassmen centers don’t go in the first two rounds, but Konz is one of the best in the country as a junior. At 6’5”, 313 lbs, he has great size for the NFL.

The only detractor is that he has had some injury problems in his ankle and blood clotting in his lungs. Clear the physicals and he should compete with Michael Brewster as one of the top centers in the draft.

Boise State: Billy Winn

The defensive lineman has been one of the unsung heroes of Boise State for recent years. He is one of the best run stoppers in this year’s class.

He will need some time to fully develop in the NFL, but he should make a great addition to any team.

Oklahoma State: Justin Blackmon

There has not been a receiver as prolific as Blackmon in years. His numbers have declined a little bit from last season, but that is expected as teams key to him more and more.

The 2010 Biletnikoff Award winner is the top wide receiver prospect in a very deep year of receivers.

Oklahoma: Landry Jones

Jones is projected as the second-best quarterback prospect this season and for good reason. He threw for over 4,700 yards last season and has 80 touchdown passes on his career.

He continues to improve his accuracy and should develop into a great NFL quarterback.

Alabama: Trent Richardson

Following in the shoes of Mark Ingram is difficult, but Trent Richardson has made a name for himself during his first season as the starting running back.

He is averaging 130 yards per game, is Alabama’s second leading receiver and has 16 total touchdowns already this season. He is far and away the best running back available this season.

LSU: Morris Claiborne

Without Patrick Peterson, the LSU secondary was supposed to take a step back. Someone forgot to mention this to Morris Claiborne.

In two years, he has eight interceptions, 10 defended passes, 63 total tackles and a kickoff return for a touchdown. He is projected as the top cornerback prospect in this year’s draft.