We continue to roll out, update, tweak, edit and revisit our projections and previews prior to your fantasy draft. And while doing so we're going to occasionally take a more-detailed look at some of the nation's more intriguing stars for 2012.
The players featured over the next month or so may not be the top player at their respective positions, but they'll be ones that caused the most discussion around our roundtable or appear poised for a breakout or letdown campaign.
Breakdowns of college football's top offensive stars can of course be found in the CFFInsider.com 2012 Draft Kit.
2012 Position Rank: Top WR in the SEC
2012 Draft Kit Preview:
A September torn ACL killed what was going to be a monster season for Hunter. He had blown up in his first two contests before the leg injury against Florida, and this early-season explosion confirmed what he had learned during his freshman year: the young man knows how to find the end zone. He's caught 33 passes during his Vol career, and nine have gone for scores. He combines great speed with a 6-4 frame, and when healthy there aren't many better. We're not sure what's going to become of Derek Dooley and Tennessee in 2012, but we do know that are not many better threesomes than Tyler Bray, Justin Hunter and Da'Rick Rogers.
Extended Analysis:
Not much has gone right in the short Derek Dooley era, but this is one of the most underrated passing offenses in the country. They may struggle to reach .500, but the offense will put up points with Bray, Hunter and Rogers. All three are NFL prospects.
With only 33 catches in two seasons, Hunter hasn't received the national attention as some of our other top-ranked receivers. Of course he averages a staggering 22 yards per catch and has nine touchdowns. So don't expect your leaguemates to be naive to Hunter. He's a home run threat and will be highly sought after on draft day.
Rogers will surely see his fair share of balls thrown his way as well, but there should be plenty to go around. This is a big pair of wideouts with elite level speed that defenses will have to deal with. They won't be able to just lock up on one, or they'll get burned on the other side. Both receivers should put up fantasy-worthy numbers.
All the signs from fall camp and summer workouts have been positive on Hunter. He's practicing and there doesn't seem to be any issue with his surgically-repaired knee.
Final Thought:
Hunter was selected in the fourth round in each of the preseason mock drafts, which seems about right. His ceiling might be a bit limited with Rogers also in the mix, but as long as he stays healthy, Hunter should put up WR1-type numbers.