If it weren't for a stacked junior class, the middle linebacker group for the 2012 NFL Draft would be poor. As it is, players like Vontaze Burfict, Luke Kuechly and Manti Te'o are eligible for the draft.
2012 NFL Draft rankings: Middle linebacker
Tank Carder is by far the best senior middle linebacker of the bunch. But in the 4-2-5 at TCU, he might be considered more of a weak-side linebacker. A senior people are going to fall in love with is North Carolina State's Audie Cole. He's moving from the weak side to the inside this season and he should flourish. He's a big athlete at 6-foot-5, 239 poudns with some toughness to his game. Playing outside in 2010, Cole had 97 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss.
But the highlight of the class will be the juniors. It’s just a matter of which come out.
| 1. Tank Carder | 6'2, 232 pounds | MLB/OLB | TCU |
| 2. Brandon Maye | 6'3, 230 pounds | MLB | Mississippi State |
| 3. Chris Galippo | 6'2, 250 pounds | MLB | Southern California |
| 4. James-Michael Johnson | 6'2, 240 pounds | MLB | Nevada |
| 5. Jerry Franklin | 6'1, 241 pounds | MLB | Arkansas |
| 6. Garrick Williams | 6'2, 234 pounds | MLB | Texas A&M |
| 7. Chris Marve | 6'0, 230 pounds | MLB | Vanderbilt |
| 8. Will Ebner | 6'1, 230 pounds | MLB | Missouri |
| 9. Audie Cole | 6'5, 239 pounds | MLB/OLB | North Carolina State |
| 10. Max Gruder | 6'1, 230 pounds | MLB | Pittsburgh |
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JUNIORS: |
| 1. Vontaze Burfict | 6'3, 245 pounds | MLB | Arizona State * |
| 2. Luke Kuechly | 6'2, 235 pounds | MLB | Boston College * |
| 3. Manti Te'o | 6'2, 245 pounds | MLB | Notre Dame * |
| 4. Dont'a Hightower | 6'4, 258 pounds | MLB | Alabama * |
| 5. Shayne Skov 6'3, 243 pounds | MLB | Stanford * |
| 6. Michael Mauti | 6'2, 234 pounds | MLB | Penn State * |
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