Top 5 draft prospects by position
Final rankings of the top players at every position in the 2012 draft class
Updated: April 26, 2012, 4:19 PM ET
By
Mel Kiper Jr. | ESPN Insider
This is a helpful primer during the draft. I've ranked players across every single position -- even the kickers. This will be a final ranking for this group. (Note: Two players on this list -- North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins and Missouri Western State's Greg Zuerlein -- don't have team logos in our system, which is why those spots are blank. Juniors and draft-eligible sophomores are noted with an asterisk.)
More Kiper NFL draft content:
Final Mock Draft | 'Grade A' AFC Draft | 'Grade A' NFC Draft | Final Big BoardTop 5 players by position | Regrading the 2011 NFL draft
To get full access to the top five players at every position in the 2012 NFL draft as well as all Mel Kiper content leading up to the draft, sign up to become an ESPN Insider.
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NFL DRAFT ON ESPN
- Round 1: 3 hours
- Day 2: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN & WatchESPN
- Day 3: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN & WatchESPN
NFL DRAFT PROFILES
- Merrill: How dad molded Andrew Luck
- The Mag: Burfict fighting perception
- Mag: Griffin III is no ordinary QB
- Chadiha: Kuechly looks like a sure thing
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HOT BUTTON: KIPER-MCSHAY DEBATES
- Who's the second-best RB in the draft?
- Which player is getting too much hype?
- Which team has toughest call in top 10?
- Which probable 2nd-rounder belongs in 1st?
- Which Day 2 QB will have best career?
NFL DRAFT TEAM NEEDS
- Horton: NFC East needs | W | N | S

- Horton: AFC East needs | W | N | S

MORE NFL COVERAGE
- Fox: Skins create another QB controversy
- Clayton: Players control Pro Bowl's fate
- Clayton: Draft drama starts at No. 3
- Fox: The draft is just the beginning
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- TMQ: Annual mock draft mockery
- Scouts Inc.: The secondary QB market

- NFL Blog Network: Mock draft 2.0
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- Fox: Vikings could shake up draft, more
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- Fox: Reaching in draft is a mistake
- Walker: Dolphins are no easy fix
- Polian: Ranking best-drafting teams

- Next Level: Risk of drafting a top-10 QB
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MORE NFL DRAFT
- Mocks: Kiper 5.0
| McShay 6.0
- Ranks:
McShay top 32 | Kiper Big Board - Cheat Sheets:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL - More Cheat Sheets:
DL | LB | DB - Kiper's 'Grade A' drafts:
AFC | NFC - McShay: Stacking the 2012 draft board

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McShay: Seven tiers of draft talent

- Gallery: Top offensive prospects
- Gallery: Top 10 defenders
- Complete draft order | Draft home
- Horton: How Eagles adapt to Kelly's scheme
- Millman: 2013 NFL win total picks
- Tuley: Best early-season win-total bets
- Red Flags: NFC East | North | South | West
- Kiper: 2014 Big Board | Top TEs | OLBs | ILBs

