The book has closed on the 2011-12 NFL regular season, and the St. Louis Rams (2-14) have officially locked up the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Some big name prospects like Andrew Luck and Justin Blackmon have already made their case in bowl games, but there are still a few top prospects itching to raise their draft stock in the BCS National Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers. If you are in the mood to scout top-tier talent on top-tier college teams, here are a few players to keep your eye on when the National Championship games rolls around on January 9th.
Looking at SB Nation's 2012 NFL Mock Draft, the most important players to watch are Morris Claiborne from LSU and Dre Kirkpatrick from Alabama. Both players are cornerbacks with big talent and lock-down potential, and address a position of need for the Rams, and in the current mock draft Claiborne is projected to come off the board at No. 3 overall, while Kirkpatrick is slotted at No. 9. A big performance by either player might be enough to catapult them up the rankings, and the Rams might just think about bolstering their pass defense in a league that is built around passing. Maybe Justin Blackmon did enough to move his way up the Rams' draft board with his huge performance in the Fiesta Bowl, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an open mind with regard to the top defensive prospects in the 2012 NFL Draft.
For more on this game, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll, LSU blog And The Valley Shook, SEC blog Team Speed Kills as well as SB Nation's college football news hub.
For more on the Rams, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation's St. Louis Rams blog. For more details on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft, be sure to drop by Mocking the Draft.