NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is one of the best in the business. His ..."/> NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is one of the best in the business. His ..."/> NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network is one of the best in the business. His ..."/>
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NFL Draft 2012: Mike Mayock Releases Top 5 Positional Rankings

By Josh Sanchez

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DEFENSIVE ENDS

  1. Quinton Coples, North Carolina
  2. Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
  3. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
  4. Nick Perry, USC
  5. Chandler Jones, Syracuse/Andre Branch, Clemson

This is a very solid group of defensive ends. The top four in Mayock’s rankings could all be first-round picks come April. There is no question that Coples comes in with the most praise, but Ingram has the type of scheme-versatile appeal that will attract numerous teams and could cause him to go higher than expected.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

  1. Devon Still, Penn State
  2. Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
  3. Michael Brockers, LSU
  4. Brandon Thompson, Clemson
  5. Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State/Dontari Poe, Memphis

There are numerous intriguing prospects in this group. Still is the clear cut number one, but a guy like Michael Brockers has really been gaining steam and could see his stock rise the closer we get to the NFL Draft. Another name to watch out for is Dontari Poe. Poe is a mammoth of a man with unmatched strength that will attract many 3-4 teams.

LINEBACKERS

  1. Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
  2. Luke Kuechly, Boston College
  3. Dont’a Hightower, Alabama
  4. Zach Brown, North Carolina
  5. Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State

It’s surprising to see anyone other than Luke Kuechly as the top-ranked linebacker, especially when you consider that Upshaw may not even play the linebacker position in the pros. One guy that could make a bigger impact than his ranking indicates is Vontaze Burfict. Burfict has tremendous upside and could end up as a perennial Pro Bowler. The only problem with Burfict is the head on his shoulders. He lacks discipline at times and will need to show that he has maturity.

CORNERBACKS

  1. Morris Claiborne, LSU
  2. Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama
  3. Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska
  4. Leonard Johnson, Iowa State
  5. Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama

Claiborne is clearly the top corner, but after him it gets interesting. Jenkins failed to impress at North Alabama, but he showed all of the talent in the world when he was a member of the Florida Gators. Jenkins will have to prove that he is still capable of playing at that level. For Dennard, it appears that he was disappointing on the first day of practice at the Senior Bowl and he could see his stock fall a little. Kirkpatrick was a top three corner before his recent run in with the law, thanks to his marijuana charge.

SAFETIES

  1. Mark Barron, Alabama
  2. Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
  3. George Iloka, Boise State
  4. Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
  5. Janzen Jackson, Mississippi State/Antonio Allen, Clemson

Four of the top safeties in this draft — Smith, Iloka, Martin, and Allen — will be participating in the Senior Bowl this week. Barron is the consensus top safety, and he declined an invite to the event. This would be a chance for the other four to make up some ground, but it doesn’t appear that they will be able to close the gap that Barron has already created.

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