SB Nation's extremely early 2012 NFL mock draft is out, and there is a Michigan State football player predicted to be picked in the top 10. Defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is slotted to be selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the eighth overall pick of the draft.
↵The reasoning behind this prediction is that Worthy could team up with fellow one-time Spartan Domata Peko on the Bengals' defensive line. Geno Atkins is called a "good" player for Cincinnati, but he "may not be an every-down player." As a result, the Bengals are predicted to take Worthy to shore up their talent on the D-line.
↵Obviously this is too early to make any solid predictions beyond Andrew Luck being the top pick, but it's still interesting to see what people are saying about next year. The obvious disclaimer is that the 2011 NFL Draft just ended, so take these predictions with a grain of salt. Heck, even if it were a month away from the next draft take these predictions with a grain of salt. Some mocks had MSU linebacker Greg Jones going in the first round of this year's draft at one point, and he wasn't picked until round No. 6. Sometimes things in reality turn out to be much different than predictions.
↵SB Nation has full coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft (we're not completely moving on to 2012 just yet) at its NFL Draft hub and NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the Detroit Lions, make sure to check out Pride Of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream.