Early position-by-position rankings for 2012 NFL Draft

The 2012 NFL Draft may be three months away, but the evaluation process is already in full swing. NFL draft guru Mike Mayock provides his early prospect rankings at each position. These rankings will be regularly updated in the coming months, but here is where things stand on the week of the Senior Bowl:

Quarterback

1. Andrew Luck, Stanford
   2. Robert Griffin III, Baylor
   3. Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

It's far too early in the process to apply rankings after the top three quarterbacks, but there are plenty of other signal-callers to keep an eye on. Some will be easier to evaluate than others:

Trust the process:

Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
Nick Foles, Arizona
Brock Osweiler, Arizona State
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State

Figure them out:

Russell Wilson, Wisconsin
Kellen Moore, Boise State

Running Back

1. Trent Richardson, Alabama
   2. David Wilson, Virginia Tech
   3. Lamar Miller, Miami (FL)
   4. Doug Martin, Boise State
   5. LaMichael James, Oregon

Wide Receiver

1. Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
   2. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
   3. Kendall Wright, Baylor
   4. Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
   5. Chris Givens, Wake Forest

Tight End

1. Dwayne Allen, Clemson
   2. Coby Fleener, Stanford
   3. Orson Charles, Georgia
   4. Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette
   5. Michael Egnew, Missouri

Linemen make early impression

On Senior Bowl week, Pat Kirwan takes a look at some offensive and defensive linemen and finds several who could be ready to produce early in their NFL careers. **More ...**

Tackle

1. Riley Reiff, Iowa
   2. Matt Kalil, USC
   3. Jonathan Martin, Stanford
   4. Mike Adams, Ohio State
      T-5. James Brown, Troy
      T-5. Zebrie Sanders, Florida State

Interior Offensive Lineman

1. David DeCastro, Stanford
   2. Peter Konz, Wisconsin
   3. Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
   4. Cordy Glenn, Georgia
   5. Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State

Defensive End

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

Defensive Tackle

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

Linebacker

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

Cornerback

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

Safety

1. Mark Barron, Alabama
   2. Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
   3. George Iloka, Boise State
   4. Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
   5. Antonio Allen, South Carolina