OLB - MLB - CB - DT evaluations (long read) (1 Viewer)

[draftfreak]

OLBs - With the exception of Puz, I am only including players likely to be drafted in the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th rounds. Lawrence Timmons and Jon Beason are not on this list because they are likely 1st or 2nd round picks, although Beason is overrated. A couple of these guys could sneak into the 2nd round (Stewart Bradley - Rufus Alexander), but I project them to last into the 3rd round. This is a fairly deep and talented OLB group but it isn’t terribly top-heavy. Puz, along with Patrick Willis, is the best LB in the draft, but some people are scared of his knee.

1. Paul Posluszny - Penn St. - 6’2 239lbs - 4.64. 116 tackles, 10 TFL, 3 sacks and 5 passes defended in ‘06. Simply stated, he is the 3rd best college LB I ever saw play the game (Lawrence Taylor - Derrick Thomas). Paul, a 4th year Senior, played out of position in ’06 (he played MLB), but he is a natural fit for the SAM backer spot. He has good speed, and simply phenomenal instincts (the best instincts of any player in the draft). Despite playing out of position in ‘06, he still lead the team in tackles and became Penn State’s all time leading tackler (372 career tackles). John Gruden compared him to some of the best LBers he’s ever seen while coaching him at the Senior Bowl. “He will hit you hard and hit you often,” Gruden said of Paul at the end of one practice. Having said that, Puz didn’t even have a great week in Mobile. He has awesome intangibles and work ethic and is a coach’s dream; also, he’s very instinctive and football smart. Puz is a see-the-ball-and-run-to-it-type of linebacker who makes plays and shows great instincts, and he goes very hard all of the time. He can diagnose a play immediately and has a great motor to go and make the tackle. He also shows excellent awareness in pass coverage, as he can flip his hips pretty nicely and run with most TEs and RBs. He is one of the most productive and active LBers in college football history and he is a leader and a hustler. Over the course of his career, he has gotten bigger and stronger. He is a also tremendous hustler and competitor that wants to win badly. He is totally dedicated to football because he wants to be the best, and he is very tough and will play hurt. He hurt his knee (torn MCL) in the Orange Bowl to end his Junior season but came back in ‘06 and never missed a play. He has excellent timed speed (around 4.6) and even better playing speed and he can cover a lot of ground very quickly. He anticipates plays well and generally takes good angles to the ball; also, he is solid in zone coverage and breaks up a lot of passes. He isn’t a fierce hitter and often latches on and gets dragged a bit, but he is always around the ball and his instincts cannot be taught. As a MLB, he has some trouble when teams run right at him and he could stand to add more mass, so he can be more stout against lineman. He runs around blocks a little too often, but he generally runs through them and makes tackles. Although he is a good athlete, he isn’t great and he can look a little tight when moving laterally sometimes. Still, he shows good to great overall movement skills and makes a lot of tackles and plays. He works as hard as anyone and will never stop fighting. He will hit you every play of every game and keep coming back. Physically, he is a similar player to Atlanta’s Keith Brooking, except he’s a bit more instinctual and active. He has a good butt and base and usually plays low with great balance and leverage. He only had 2 INTs in his career and they came during his Freshman and Sophomore seasons, so he may not have very soft hands. He should be a first round pick, but some teams are scared that his knee might be a problem, and he could slip to the early 2nd round–but I doubt it. That would be a shame because he is worthy of the same recognition that A.J. Hawk received last year. Remember, Puz won the Butkus, Bednariak, and every other major defensive award while Hawk was still at Ohio St. If I had to rank my top-5 all time college OLBs, Hawk might be on that list, but Puz would definitely be on that list. He needs a touch more strength and bulk but there is little he can’t do. He would fit into a 3-4 scheme but is better suited to play SAM in a 4-3 scheme; although, he can also play MIKE or WILL.

2. Jarvis Moss - Florida - 6’6 249lbs - 4.68. 56 tackles, 11 TFL, 8 sacks, and 4 passes defended in ‘06. This fourth year Junior has proven to be one of the better pass rushers in the country and ended his Gator career by terrorizing Troy Smith in the National Championship game. He had 8 sacks on the season but he also had 12 QB hurries, which is impressive. He came out a year early and he probably shouldn’t have, but he has an amazing skill set. He had only 25 tackles in ‘05, but he had 8 sacks. (After the ‘04 season, he was discovered to have a staph infection in his leg and he wasn’t completely healthy during the ‘05 season.) He has great size for an OLB and decent to ok size for a DE. He played DE in college but most teams are eyeing him as either a hybrid or a full time OLB. Moss is a very good all-around athlete who can run, jump, and hit effectively. He his smooth and fluid for his size and he shows flexible hips and the ability to drop his butt and anchor. He literally looks like he was built to be a pass-rusher with his excellent height and very long arms. As a DE, he can and should carry his weight at about 260-265lbs. He is both quick off of the snap and fast moving. He timed very well and showed very solid athletic skills at the combine. He has a second gear he uses when chasing down a QB or ballcarrier. He knows how to use his hands well and can counter as a pass rusher and also change directions when chasing the ball, and he has very little wasted motion. He is almost pretty to watch, in terms of his skills and athleticism. Jarvis looks like he can turn his hips pretty well and transition into coverage, but he didn’t do that too often. He usually rushed the passer on passing downs and will need to be taught how to drop into coverage more consistently. His fluidity is impressive and he can really drop his rear and tackle with good form and power. He shows okay to solid instincts and in certain games, he is absolutely unstoppable. However, he didn’t have a great Junior season, at least until the National Championship game. He loves to get after the passer but sometimes he looks a little uncaring in the running game and in coverage. His body and hips are built to be an OLB but he’s always played DE and he will need to learn the position. He shows smarts and awareness, but he misses tackles that he should make. At times, he is in a perfect position, but doesn’t make the play (see South Carolina game). He made his last game his best and really stood out, but will he be that hard working throughout a season? He does not have a great frame for growing into a DE and even at 260, he’ll lose some of his quickness. He played most of his Junior season at around 242. He is a little narrow and lacks functional playing strength from the DE spot and he doesn’t shed blocks well enough if he doesn‘t win the battle with his first move. He lets blockers get into his chest too often. Some say he is a tweener, but I see him as a pure OLB that can play SAM but is better suited to WILL at first. He could be a truly special player if he is used right or he could just be average if he is used as a hybrid or a DE. Either in a 3-4 or 4-3, he is an OLB. With his ability to run, jump, and hit, his athleticism, and general awareness and ability, he could be a late 1st round pick, but due to his tweener status, he’ll likely drop to the early to mid 2nd round. I really like this guy as an OLB and he can turn into a remarkable player, but remember he’ll need a year or two to really start showing his talent at the position. As a DE, he lacks the strength and moves necessary to be a special player, but can at least be good; however, he’ll never possess the size to be a true DE. After he learns the nuances of the position, he could become an excellent SAM with his athleticism and hips.

3. Steward Bradley - Nebraska - 6’4 253lbs - 4.70. 75 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack in ‘06. He hurt his knee after five games in ‘05 (partial tear of ACL), but still showed excellent skills. He took over the starting SAM spot in ’04 and had a stellar season with 67 total tackles and 11 TFL. However, this 5th year Senior and three year starter really stood out in ‘06 and earned All Conference honors and he also earned the attention of the NFL. Size wise, he is perfect and he really looks the part. God created Bradley to be a LB. Because of his previous injury, he wasn’t rated terribly high before the end of ’06, but against Auburn (in the bowl game), he was unstoppable and he hit everything that moved, and then he went to Mobile and had a great Senior Bowl week. Several scouts stated he had the best week of any LB there. I thought he looked great, and he went from a 4th round pick to a possible 2nd round pick. He has excellent size-speed ratio and is very smart and dedicated to football. His awareness and football smarts are very high as well. He has gotten a lot bigger, faster, stronger, and better over the past three years. The knee injury set him back, but he really stepped it up in ’06. He has a great work ethic and he studies a lot of film and tendencies. He is a team leader that really loves to play and he plays hard all of the time. He has a big wingspan and can really run and jump. He shows very good athleticism and has learned to drop his butt nicely and he is a sound tackler. He doesn’t always look fluid in his movements and he sometimes losses a step in his transition, but at Mobile, he really stepped it up. He showed the ability to flip his hips and he took excellent angles against RBs and TEs. Although he has good speed, it isn’t great and he lacks a true second gear. He runs nicely but he lacks a burst. He rushed the passer some but he isn’t super quick and can get stalemated too easily if he is close to the line. He struggles to shed blocks in the passing game and he lets blockers get into his chest too much. Also, he isn’t a big hitter and is more of a drag down tackler. He is a big and athletic SAM that can play over the TE but doesn’t have the unlimited upside of a player like Jarvis Moss. He is very instinctive, he is good in coverage, he shows solid ball awareness, he makes a lot of tackles, and isn’t afraid to stick his nose into a pile. He slips through cracks well in the running game and he can flatten out and chase. In the flats, he is very good against the pass and he is a technician. He may not be overly explosive or supremely gifted, but he is a very good all around OLB that can run, cover, and he takes good angles and plays smart and has great size and good enough speed and quickness. He’ll never be a great pass rusher but he is instinctive on the blitz. He has the size and strength to take blockers on and to step up and fill a hole. He always gives 100% and he really showed skills in Mobile. If he can build off of his workouts and what he did in Mobile, he could be very special, but he should at least be solid and a starter for years to come. He is an aggressive and productive LB (shows good leverage and balance) that stands out on film and who must be game-planned against. His knee still needs to be checked out.

4. Earl Everett - Florida - 6’2 237lbs - 4.75. 85 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack in ‘06. This 4th year Senior had a great final campaign in Gainsville. He lead the team in tackles and against Tennessee, he looked like a man amongst boys. He started as a true Freshman and has always been consistent and dependable. He has solid game speed and range as well and he shows solid awareness in coverage. He lead the team in tackles as a Junior as well (73). He was the most consistent Gator defensive player (the list includes Jarvis Moss, Reggie Nelson, Brandon Siler, Marcus Thomas, Ray McDonald), and he was All Conference and got some All American recognition. Earl isn’t the super athlete that Moss is and he isn’t as fluid as Posluszny, but he very instinctual and very quick, with an excellent initial burst. He can chase and jump and he is a big hitter who simply loves the game. Physically, he has a good frame, with the potential to add more weight, and he has nice tight thighs. His butt isn’t overly big but it is okay and he can anchor and attack from the edge. His best attribute might be his football smarts–he knows how to use his hands and arms and he keeps blockers away from his body. He works well through foot traffic and he usually goes through the blocker and makes the tackle. He almost never takes a bad angle and he can penetrate and make himself small in close quarters. He slides his feet nicely and moves well laterally, and (like stated earlier) he really has a quick first step and can explode into the ball carrier and blockers. He knows how to get low and stay low and although he isn’t awesomely gifted, he makes up for it with smarts and instincts. It cannot be forgotten that on a team with such amazing talent, Early was easily the most consistent and dominate. He moves from sideline to sideline and he also spends a lot of time in opponents’ backfields. He has good hip flexibility and can turn and run without any real loss and he knows angles and is very aware in coverage. He needs to gain more strength and might be a better fit at WILL than at SAM. He can get pushed back too much when a team runs right at him and he must stay low all of the time. He wants to make every play and sometimes gets himself in bad positions because he didn’t play his assignment. He isn’t a super athlete but he is good and he can really diagnose a play before it happens. He didn’t have an awesome week at the Senior bowl and he won’t WOW scouts in personal workouts, but he is a warrior who knows the game, is fundamentally sound, and make a lot of plays. Earl is a very good football player that will start early in his career but will never be a big name guy because he just isn’t that type of player. He will test okay but his lack of eye popping numbers might hurt him in the draft. He is worthy of a 2nd round pick, but might drop to the 3rd or 4th because he isn’t flashy enough, but he is very solid at everything.

5. Rufus Alexander - Oklahoma - 6’1 232lbs - 4.66. 118 tackles, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks and 4 passes defended in ‘06. Rufus is a top competitor with excellent intangibles. He was a high school All-American from Louisiana and he has been highly touted throughout his career at Oklahoma. He redshirted in ‘02 and has been in the starting lineup (when healthy) ever since. He had a slight ACL tear in ‘03 that ended his season. He is the reigning Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year and he was easily the most disruptive LB in the conference, including Stewart Bradley. If it weren’t for Aaron Ross, he would easily be the best defensive player from the conference. He prepares well, and he pays attention to the little things and knows the defense inside and out. He is a technician that really is able to beat most guys just because he has better football awareness. Rufus is a very active and instinctive player who has a motor that is always going 100 mph. Despite size limitations, he always has and should continue to make plays. He has a solid upper-body with long arms, tight waist, and fluid hips. Also he can carry another five to ten pounds of bulk without it cutting into his overall quickness. He is an ideal WILL backer who is better at making plays in space than when stationed at the line of scrimmage or over a TE. He moves well down the line, showing the loose hips and lateral range to chase long distances to make the play. He has a good feel for breaking down an offense and works hard to avoid and slip through single blocks to create havoc in the backfield. He can really terrorize an offense with his play. At times, he looks like a quick-twitch type of athlete who has the sudden burst needed to close fast on a ball carrier. He has good to great open-field acceleration and good movement in transition. He can flip his hips and really run with most RBs and TEs. Also, his game speed is much better than his timed speed. He plays at a high intensity level and is a team leader. He relies too much on his instincts and on his speed and needs more strength to beat blockers in traffic and off the corner. As a natural athlete, he is good at keeping his pads down and colliding with blockers to clog the rush lanes and he isn’t afraid of contact. He really knows how to use his hands effectively to redirect tight ends and backs in the passing game and to keep blockers off of his body. He can really run, slide, and move in space to make plays and he shows good recovery when he is away from the play. He simply needs more strength and bulk to work through trash, but he has the game speed to cover ground from sideline to sideline and make plays. He has the body control to break down in space and is a good tackler. He opens his hips smoothly dropping back in coverage, getting good depth in the zone and showing awareness in press. Has very good timing and leaping ability and is an effective blitzer who has good change-of-direction agility; however, he is much better in space then he is in traffic. Rufus needs more strength and bulk and will never be a powerful LB, but he is very quick, experienced, and instinctive. He fits perfectly into a lot of 4-3 schemes. Some team will fall in love with him and take him on the first day and he’ll be a very good player, but he doesn’t fit all schemes and he needs to hit the weight room.

6. Tim Shaw - Penn St. - 6’2 238lbs - 4.56. 45 tackles, 9 TFL, 7 sacks in ‘06. This 5th year Senior started off as a RB in ‘02 and redshirted in ‘03 as he switched to LB. He has played DE, OLB, and MLB in the Lions defense and is a three year starter. He played out of position at DE as a Senior but is best fit to play OLB, although some teams see him as a MLB–which he played as a Junior. He has great instincts and range and he covers a lot of ground quickly. He showed the ability to flatten out and chase as a Senior and he has a motor that never stops and very solid athletic skills. As a MLB in ‘05, he had 76 total tackles, 7 TFL, 5 sacks, and 2 passes defended (note: he lined up at OLB a lot in ‘05 as well). At the combine, he really lit it up and was one of the most intriguing prospects there due to what he did. He showed great strength, good size, and excellent speed and quickness. Physically, he is very solid but he isn’t awesome. He lacks a great bubble and he has trouble anchoring because of it. He is very aggressive against the run and shows power and explosiveness in space. He attacks the line of scrimmage and he uses his hands very well to shed blockers. He rarely ever allows lineman to get into his chest. He needs a little more strength in the lower body, but he has tight thighs and is very quick. Also, he can run sideline to sideline and really chase. He is a playmaker with excellent speed and good lateral pursuit. He takes great angles and is in on a lot of plays. He can seal the backside and he knows how to play his assignments. He has been a consistent pass rusher and he shows great instincts on when to attack and penetrate. He is very effective on blitzes. He has a closing burst as a rusher and can be very disruptive in the backfield. He has pretty good hip flip and he can turn and run with most RBs and TEs, but he is better in zone but he needs work in man coverage. He seems to lose track of his man too much and gets out of position. His football smarts are very high and he plays fast and has great instincts. He rarely takes false steps and almost never gets caught out of position. He has solid body control and vision and he breaks down nicely and is a good tackler and he is also a good open field tackler that shows great instincts. Shaw has all of the tools to be a star at OLB, but he lacks experience at the position. He gets pushed back too much when they run right at him and he needs to learn to stay lower and to penetrate gaps more quickly. He is a good pass rusher, but he doesn’t have terribly long arms and doesn’t possess a lot of moves, so he’ll likely not be a full time rusher. Shaw, as of now, is probably gonna go in the late 2nd or early 3rd round, but like Bobby Carpenter did last year (when he played second fiddle to A.J. Hawk), Shaw could quickly move up and could go in the early 2nd, if a team really falls for him. This is a good football player, with very good size-speed ratio, who also has great instincts and smarts. He provides teams with a lot of options and will make a lot of plays. I predict he’ll start very early in his career be an eventual pro bowler. The Penn St. LB tradition should really flourish with Shaw and Posluszny both going high in the draft. He needs some work in coverage and some work in the weight room, but he has the tools and the skills.

7. Quincy Black - New Mexico - 6’2 238lbs - 4.49. 114 tackles, 2 TFL, 4 passes defended and 3 INTs in ‘06. He is one of the best cover LBers in the draft and he has excellent quickness. He has a very rare combination of size and speed and he has fluid hips for his size. Quincy is an exceptional college player and a very good pro prospect who is really leaping up most draft boards right now and could become the 3rd or 4th OLB to be taken in the draft, mainly due to his numbers. He spent one year (‘03) in the JUCO ranks and was a JUCO All-American. He arrived in Lobo land in ‘04 and has started ever since. However, he made his Senior year his best by far. At the combine, Black showed amazing speed for a player his size and also tested out very well athletically. He can outrun, out jump, and out hit most people and he has excellent range and has proven to be a special coverage LB. He can quickly change directions and close on a ball carrier with good burst. He attacks hard against the run and can really be disruptive. He has a fairly powerful upper body and has caused fumbles due to his hard hits. Black has more than enough speed and good enough ball skills to be effective as a blitzer. And in terms of coverage, he is the best of this group and he has upside. He can flip his hips and turn quickly. He covers a lot of ground and seems to be very aware of the ball when it is in the air. He breaks on passes pretty quickly and uses his hands well to knock down passes. However, he didn’t play against the same type of competition that many in this group did and he isn’t as instinctive as several others are. He runs around too many blocks and he tries to use his speed and quickness too much instead of using football smarts and awareness. He doesn’t use his hand and arms well in traffic and he lets blockers get into his chest too much. He is great at running through foot traffic and loses his balance at times. He must learn to take on blocks, stay low, and then disengage. He is a bit cocky and he believes he might be better than he really is. Be cause of this he doesn’t seem to study enough film and tendencies. He sometimes takes bad angles and uses his speed to make up for it. He is a big hitter but he doesn’t always wrap up. Physically, he is a specimen with a good butt and tight thighs and a solid frame, but he needs more lower body strength and he needs to be more consistent. He has just average recognition skills and often needs to see the ball before he reacts. He seems smart and generally aware, but he isn’t overly instinctive. In the NFL, he won’t be able to make up for his mistakes as easily. Despite everything, he has unlimited upside, great speed, solid bulk and size, and can really flatten out and hit, plus he plays pretty low. He could be a star if he gets with the right coach or a bust if he doesn’t.

8. Will Herring - Auburn - 6’2 233lbs - 4.69. 72 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 sacks and 2 INTs in ‘06. He maybe the most underrated player in the draft and I am still surprised he did not get invited to the combine. Will is a 5th year Senior that spent ‘03 as a FS, and the next two seasons at SS. Every year there are eight to ten players, or more, that get drafted without being invited to the combine and it puzzles me that they (the NFL) let some quality players like Will slip through the cracks. I guarantee he will make a contribution on some NFL team in ‘06 and get solid playing time. He is a former FS and SS that outgrew those positions, but he is simply excellent in coverage and he has tremendous instincts in space. However, he gets chopped down too often in traffic and he needs to learn to play through foot trash more. From the safety position, he had 176 career tackles. He moved to OLB in ‘06 and lead the team in tackles and made a name for himself to NFL scouts. I watched over eight of Auburn’s games in ‘06 and I have yet to see them on defense when Will wasn’t around the ball. He is a playmaker that will sacrifice and lay out to get the job done, and he is a good athlete to boot. The only reason I can figure that he isn’t rated higher is because of his lack of experience at LB and his lack of overall bulk and size. His 12 TFL are simply impressive, considering he played the WILL position and rarely was asked to rush the QB. He lacks ideal size, but he has room to add bulk and could get up to 240 without losing any speed or quickness. He has some trouble holding his ground when teams run right at him (see Arkansas game), but he usually makes up for it with solid technique, instincts, and quickness. He shows great balance and leverage and can really penetrate gaps. He moves well laterally and he has very good body control. He can jump with the best of them and he seems to control his body better than most while in the air. He uses his hands nicely, but he needs more strength. He still allows blockers to get into his chest too easily. However, he fights through blocks nicely and is learning how to shed lineman. He takes good angles and he is a good tackler that rarely misses a tackle. He has better quickness than most LBs and he has very solid instincts. He reads and diagnoses plays quickly and he attacks ball carriers. He also is excellent in coverage and can really stick to a TE running the seam route. Also, he attacks the flats and can cover ground quickly. He lacks blazing speed but is very solid. He doesn’t take a lot of false steps (very football smart), but he is still learning the position and he needs to learn to attack certain areas more. He runs around too many blocks and he lacks the great strength to anchor on the edge. He shows good fundamentals but he is still learning some too. He generally compensates for his lack of experience by having a great nose for the ball. He gets into position quickly and he rarely misses a tackle. He is quick but he lacks great explosion in close quarters. Herring is very versatile, and he has the wingspan to be a good pass rusher, but he hasn’t done that much. He has a good frame and a decent bubble, but he needs more strength. He is an ideal WILL backer (pardon the pun) because he plays so well in space and can really attack the ball carrier. He is underrated and should go much high than I expect he will. He is also big in the film room and he academically very smart too. I’d consider him in the 4th round, but I think he’ll likely go anywhere from the 5th to the 7th round. He has all of the skills to be a solid LB and he has a lot of upside, plus he has great instincts and desire.

 

[draftfreak]

The rest of the OLBs:

9. Dallas Sartz - USC - 6’5 242lbs - 4.68. 70 tackles, 10 TFL, 7 sacks in ‘06. Dallas is a 5th year Senior that has shown a knack for making the big play on defense in his time at USC. He hurt his shoulder in the first game of the ‘05 season and redshirted after having started at OLB in both ‘03 and ‘04. He came back in ‘06 and had an excellent Senior season. Dallas is a great effort guy who plays all-out all the time and can be very disruptive. He does the extras (film study, weight room) off the field as well and he loves to play the game. He has a passion for game and he works very hard at getting better every day. Physically, he is a very good athlete that is very quick, fast, and active. He has great size and a solid frame. He has a good but and when he plays low, he has excellent balance. Also, until ‘05, he was always very durable and dependable. Dallas has good strength and he shows good initial burst. He flows to the ball well and takes good pursuit angles versus the run and isn’t afraid to stick his nose in a pile. he really has a short-area burst of speed and can be an explosive hitter who causes fumbles. He can penetrate and has a lot of experience from the SAM position. He is quick to read and react and is very football smart. He also anticipates well and knows when to gamble. He has a powerful upper body and long arms. He can flatten out and really rush the passer. Along with Jarvis Moss, he is probably the best pass rusher of all the OLBs. He keeps blockers away from his chest and he can make himself small in confined areas. He uses his strong hands well and can overpower some O-Lineman. He attacks the LOS and attacks blockers and he has several really good rush moves. He plays his assignments well, and is okay at anchoring on the edge. He takes great angles and can really run, jump, and hit. Also, he is a reliable open field tackler that makes plays. He has received All Conference recognition twice and has been a good player and starter for three years. In certain games, he will take over and dominate (see Oregon and Oregon St.), but he disappears for stretches at times. He didn’t play well against UCLA and even looked a little lost. He had a major shoulder injury and that needs to be checked out. He is okay in coverage, but hasn’t dropped off a lot in press coverage and can get turned around. He has very good ball awareness and he shows it in zone coverage when the ball is in front of him, but has trouble locating over his shoulder. He is long legged and a long strider that is more fast than quick. He is explosive in small areas at times but looks a touch awkward when he has to stop, redirect, and start moving again. He will sometimes get caught up in traffic and he is sometimes too reckless. He will hit anyone hard and he gets minor injuries that slow him down. He needs to get with a coach that will teach him to stay low and use his very good athleticism better. This guy could surprise some and go as early as the 3rd round, but I think he is more likely to get drafted in the late 4th or the 5th rounds. He is a very solid football player with solid instincts and very good skills, but he must be more consistent and he must learn to improve his coverage skills.

10. Prescott Burgess - Michigan - 6’3 242lbs - 4.81. 48 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks and 2 INTs in ‘06. This 4th year Senior had a great Junior season (over 80 tackles) but was not as special in his final campaign. He missed all of one game (Indiana) and most of two others due to a muscle strain. To wrap up the season, he had a monster game against Ohio St. and really showed more aggressiveness and range than I had seen before. Prescott has perfect size for the OLB position and he is a fluid athlete for his size who is able to flow with running backs and tight ends in coverage and can make plays in coverage. He reads the action pretty well and is quick to pursue and attack. Also, he has pretty good game speed and shows both awareness and burst in getting to the flanks, and he makes plays on the edge. He is a reliable open-field tackler who flashes big hitting ability and can be disruptive at times. In certain situations, in ’06, he was moved to defensive end in order to rush the passer, and he shows potential in his ability to flatten out and attack from the edge. Burgess is likeable, coachable, and selfless, and he wants to get better. He came to Michigan as a safety prospect but quickly grew into a LB. Despite his size, Burgess’ background as a safety is evident in his play and game speed. He seems much more natural in space. He shows good agility in coverage, but lacks physicality, and he has bad usage of his hands near the line of scrimmage. He struggles to disengage from blocks and isn’t consistently forceful as a blitzer or tackler. He lets lineman get into his chest too much and he gets chopped down too much when he plays in traffic. He seems to lack some instincts when he plays close to the line of scrimmage. He struggles to take on the lead blocker and anchor on the edge and he needs more lower body strength. Despite his size, Burgess is much more the coverage linebacker than the traditional mean and tough Big Ten warrior. With increased strength and use of hands, he could develop into a starting caliber outside linebacker at the next level, if he gets with the right coach. However, he needs to be much more aggressive at the line. Physically, he has the tools. He has a good bubble, nice hip flexibility, and good quickness. He can play very low and he is a solid tackler. Many thought he would come out of ‘06 as one of the best LBs in the country, but he didn’t progress as hoped. He was hurt some during the season, and he does have upside, but he didn’t have great workouts at the combine and had a mediocre week at the Senior Bowl. In space, he is a good player, but in traffic, he is only average. He was much more productive as a Junior, but to his credit, he was double teamed throughout most of his Senior season and was used in a different role. As a Junior, he was allowed to play in space more and was able to flow from side to side. He takes good angles and breaks down well in the open field. But as a Senior, he did more pass rushing, played much closer to the line, and also played more SAM than WILL. He is a solid player with some upside, but his lack of strength and ability to play in close quarters will hurt him. I’d say he is likely a 6th or 7th round pick at this point.

11. Rory Johnson - Ole Miss - 6’0 234lbs - 4.58. 94 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 4 passes defended, and 2 INTs in ‘06. This is a good football player that will never be great and can even be heartbreaking at times. He has every tool and he is often around the ball but he is usually too slow in reacting and he takes truly bad angles far too much. He makes a lot of plays but that is due to his ability to chase them down. He shows solid sideline to sideline range and he is an explosive tackler that can cause fumbles with his big hits. He has a good frame and okay bulk, plus he has the room to get a little bigger. His upper body strength id good and he shows pretty good hand usage, but he is much better in space. Despite having good hands, he has weak fundamentals and he allows blockers into his body too much when he plays close to the line. He loses track of the ball and has to stop and look sometimes. He must play the WILL spot because he lacks the instincts and power to play over a TE. Rory only played one year of major college ball. He transferred from Hinds CC and then decided to forego his Senior season. He really needed another year at Ole Miss and he might’ve made a serious career mistake by coming out. He may have a lot of upside because he was a totally different player at the end of the ‘06 season than he was at the beginning. When the season started, he looked lost and confused, but by the end he seemed more comfortable and was reacting instead of thinking. He has the speed and hips to be effective in coverage, but he must increase his awareness. Right now, he loses track of the ball too much, and there is too much hesitation in his reactions. He is slow to diagnose a play and often ends up having to chase the player down. He had very few tackles for loss and despite his very good athletic ability, he got blocked out too easily on blitzes. He doesn’t read the play quick enough and he needs to more football smarts. Also, he should’ve made more plays and he misses too many tackles. He has a good butt and can play low with leverage, but his instincts are weak and his game speed is average. Johnson looks great on paper and he has good upside, but he needs a lot of work. If he can get with a coach that will spend a lot of time with him, he could turn into a decent WILL backer that turns and runs and makes plays in space, but he isn’t there yet. He needs to take on blocks better and work on his reads. He could get drafted in the 5th or 6th rounds because of his numbers, but I doubt I’d even draft the guy. He doesn’t seem to have the best work ethic and he was never a star academically. His football smarts are questionable too, but he does has very good athleticism, good numbers, and good upside.

 

[draftfreak]

Now for the MLBs:

MLBs - I am not including Buster Davis or Jon Abbate because they are rated too high. Buster is the best of those two and Jon should have stayed in college. Having said that, this is a very good group of MLBs, maybe the best group in years.

1. Patrick Willis - Ole Miss - 6’1 242lbs - 4.52. 137 tackles, 12 TFL, 3 sacks and 7 passes defended in ‘06. As a run stopping MLB, he knows no equal in college football. He runs well through foot traffic and drops his butt and base, and tackles quick and hard. This guy has gone from relative anonymity to being a star MLB that every NFL team covets. He is not the best MLB I’ve ever seen in my life, and he’s not even in the top-5 college MLBs I’ve seen in the past ten years, but he is athletic, smart, and instinctive. He was a big recruit out of Tennessee that several schools wanted. He came to Ole Miss in ‘03 and never redshirted. He also excels in the classroom and is an honor roll student. As a Junior, he really caught people’s attention by having 128 tackles, 10 TFL, and 3 sacks. He was an All-American as a Junior, but some experts still thought he was more of an illusion than the real thing. Willis proved in ‘06 that he is the real deal. Prior to ‘06, many of his tackles were chase-you-down type tackles, but he showed great vision, awareness, strength, and quickness in ‘06 and he has become the best MLB and possibly the best overall LB in the draft (along with Paul Posluszny). He is a very good athlete that plays with excellent game speed, power, and passion. He can play over the TE if he has to and could even play the Strongside for many teams. He can flip his hips and run with good TEs and WRs but he does stay too high and he loses some speed in transition. He will fill a hole and attack the ball carrier. He hustles and chases on every play and is always active and in on a lot of tackles. He was the SEC player of the year in ‘06. He has excellent sideline to sideline range and generally takes good angles and takes on blocks. He can blow a play up lineman with his power and strength by knocking blockers back. He is a big time hitter with a bit of a nasty streak on the field, plus he has very solid fundamentals. He has a thick, defined body and good overall strength. He also has big hands that he uses well to lock on to blockers and keep them away from his body. He has thick defined legs and thighs and they are tight. He prepares well and always seems to give his best and he plays with confidence. His instincts are solid and he makes quick reads. He is much better against the run than he is against the pass, but he is still pretty good in that area. Willis is often in position to knock a ball down but misjudges it and misses it altogether though. His hips are flexible but he loses speed in transition and needs to learn to stay lower. Sometimes he tries to take too big of a hit and he misses altogether. He has very good speed and good quickness but he can look a little awkward at times when dropping into coverage. He is a solid athlete but he needs to keep his butt down more in coverage and be more aware of angles. He wasn’t used as a blitzer too often, but he has the skill set to be effective. He has almost all of the tools that scouts look for in a MLB. He can fill holes, attack the edge, turn and run, and he moves well through traffic. He isn’t awesome but he is darn good. Patrick’s speed is very solid, and shows good balance and he rarely misses a tackle. Also, he has almost ideal size for a MLB and he has the room to add ten more pounds if needed. A three year starter in the SEC who won the Butkus award as the nation’s top LB, Willis is one of the best players in the draft. He must improve and get more reps in the passing game or he could become a liability to a team that drops their LBers a lot. He should be a day one starter for some team because he loves to play, is smart, studies hard, and is a hard worker. If he can improve his fundamentals in the passing game, he can be a star. Willis should at the very least be a good MLB for many years.

2. Brandon Siler - Florida - 6’2 241lbs - 4.61. 77 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks in ‘06. To me, this is the 2nd best MLB in the draft, behind Patrick Willis, and he should go in the late first round, but MLBs are often considered secondary in drafts, and because of that, Siler could slip in the draft a bit. Brandon is a 3rd year Junior and a three year starter who stepped into the starting role early in his Freshman season. He had a minor knee injury at the end of the ‘06 season and was forced to sit out one game and didn’t play in most of one other. His football smarts are good and his progression for understanding the position has unlimited upside. He is very athletic and quick and he has good to great lateral movement skills. Unlike Willis, Siler is excellent in coverage and can turn and run smoothly without allowing much separation. He can be almost vicious out there when hitting too. He loves to hit and I think he is actually mean, at least on the field. He really looks to inflict pain when he hits opponents. In fact, teams may be scared he’ll draw a lot of personal fouls because of his hits. He plays smart, usually, and he isn’t stupid, but some of the hits he made legally in college aren’t legal in the NFL. Also, he follows the rules but he never just tackles someone, he collapses into or onto them. He has absolutely excellent size and a great frame. He has tight thighs and a good wide base and butt. He is a good athlete that can run, jump, and hit. Brandon fits the mold, size-wise, and is really well put together. He loves football and is tough, competitive, and intense. He wants to win badly and is a vocal team leader. He plays with outstanding quickness and acceleration, showing good agility, balance and change-of-direction ability. He is a very intelligent athlete who makes all the calls and sees the plays develop well, as he is quick to adjust. He is quick to see the play develop, especially vs. the run, and does a fine job of keeping his pad level down to slip through trash. He also uses his hands well to disengage from blocks and he keeps his hands active in attempts to shed lineman. He is quick to plug the inside rush lanes when he keeps his pads down, staying in position to square up and collapse the pocket. He has good hand extension to jam and re-route the tight ends and backs in the short-area passing game and has the functional strength to push the lead blocker back into the hole. Also, he possesses the acceleration to flow to the ball and collide with blockers at the point of attack on outside running plays. He has the foot speed and loose hips to stay on the receiver working in the underneath area and is a smart player in coverage who shows awareness in a zone. Brandon is quick to knife through the gaps and works hard to collapse the pocket and close on the quarterback, and he’s an effective blitzer. He has good anticipation coming off the snap and can bring heat and flush out the fullback when he clogs the rush lane. He needs to work on his drops in zone and work on staying low. He is instinctive but he gets a little sloppy at times. He has the ability to work through traffic but he tries to take the easy route at times and he pushes himself out of the play too often. He has a tendency to get too tall near the line of scrimmage and can be easily blocked out of the play when he does. He has excellent speed and quickness and is a fine natural athlete and is only a notch below Willis in overall ranking. He might have the most upside of any of the MLBs. If his knee checks out, he could go as early as the late 1st round but might drop to the middle 2nd. He needs to make more plays in the running game but he is very solid throughout.

3. David Harris - Michigan - 6’2 242lbs - 4.59. 96 tackles, 16 TFL, 3 sacks in ‘06. David was a Senior All-American in high school before coming to Michigan in ‘02. This guy is the overlooked playmaker of the Michigan defense. People love to talk about Branch, Hall, and Burgess, but Harris was the glue and the weapon of that defense. He lived in the opponent’s backfield, week in and week out (his 16 TFL are amazing). He could easily sneak into the late 1st round if he works out well. As for his ability, he shows amazing instincts and awareness in the running game. He is okay in coverage but he’ll never be great there because his hips are a little tight and he loses speed when he has to flip his hips in transition. He is okay in terms of coverage but he shouldn’t be covering speedy WRs or RBs. He is a technician that knows how to position himself properly and because of that, he’s become decent in coverage, but he isn’t a natural. He is an extremely productive college football player who has been durable and is very active and has shown good instincts. He plays fast and can be explosive and has a good wide base and he always seems to be around the ball. Physically, he has ideal size and he is fundamentally sound in most aspects of his game. David has good tight thighs and flexible hips and he has a bubble butt and he knows how to get and keep leverage. He has a thick powerful build that he uses to overpower lineman and blockers. He is very smart and he knows his assignments and due to this, he rarely takes bad angles or unnecessary steps. He has very little wasted motion and he utilizes all of his athletic ability. He has started for three years in the Big Ten and was an All-American as a Senior. He loves to play a physical, hard-nosed brand of football and he isn’t afraid to take on and overpower blockers at the point of attack. He will also attack a hole and force plays back inside. David is a reliable tackler, who is able to generate good power in small areas, yet he is also able to break down and make the tackle in the open field. He was used as a pass rusher more last season and registered a career high four sacks, but he is made by God to stuff the run and cut off angles in the passing game. He is instinctive and surprisingly athletic in man coverage, especially for a player of his great size. He isn’t a super athlete but he is good enough and he is a hard enough worker to overcome most deficiencies. He had a series of minor knee injuries in ‘03 and ‘04 that kept him off the field for a considerable amount of time and they need to be checked out. He looked much quicker and faster in ‘06 than he had in ‘05 and looked healthy. He is a what you see is what you get kind of guy. He lacks Brandon Siler’s athleticism and lacks great upside, but he is technically sound and he makes a lot of plays he is extremely dedicated at being the best he can. He was surrounded by some of the best talent in the country and much of the focus wasn’t on him. Alan Branch ate up a lot of blocks and Prescott Burgess got double teamed a lot--all of which allowed Harris to have more room to move. He gets caught up in traffic a little too much and his feet aren’t the quickest in the world. He is simply a very solid, well built, and intelligent MLB that will give his team everything he has. He is athletic enough and very football smart.

4. Quinton Culberson - Mississippi St. - 6’0 242lbs - 4.72. 102 tackles, 12 TFL, 2 sacks, and 2 INTs in ‘06. He never redshirted and started in the secondary as a True Freshman in ‘03. If Quinton runs as well as I expect him to at the combine, he should move into the early 2nd round area and he deserves it. This guy started his career off at CB, then moved to SS, then moved to OLB, and then to MLB. He is a truly gifted athlete but he is also exceptionally instinctual (see South Carolina game). He simply makes plays sideline to sideline and has fluid hips, which allows him to be an excellent blitzer who also does a great job in coverage and he knows how to use his hands to wall off blockers and in coverage. Quinton’s lateral movement skills are excellent. He is still learning the MLB position and will take a few bad angles at times and he gets caught up in traffic a touch too much. However, his athleticism usually allows him to work through traffic nicely and he has very quick feet. He played in an awkward 4-2-5 defense as a Junior and was asked to play both inside and out, and in the process, he had 78 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 INT. He is a four year starter that has played several positions and needs more reps but he is instinctual and very athletic and he makes plays. He made his Senior season his best and was one of the better MLBs in the country, despite playing on a very weak football team. If he can get a good LBers coach, he could really remedy his few drawbacks. Maybe his biggest drawback is that he’s not a big hitter and he misses a few too many tackles due to bad technique and from being forced to move from one position to another. In coverage, he is the best LB in the draft and can really sink his hips and move to the ball. In many games, he lined up against WRs and covered them step for step. His game speed is excellent and he breaks on the ball very quickly. He simply has outstanding intangibles and is very football smart and classroom smart. He is a great worker that loves to watch film and go to practice. Although the MSU team as a whole was pretty weak, they had their share of defensive players, and Culberson was the best. He had his best game against West Virginia, who came in undefeated, and Quinton had 12 tackles, 10 unassisted. He is very smart and disciplined and he’s only 21. He lacks the pure speed to drop into deep coverage against a good WR or RB though. Also, he wants to make every play and sometimes he gets a little sloppy in his excitement. He tries to do everything the way it is coached, usually, and he really is a coach’s dream. He watches a lot of film and studies tape for tendencies. Physically, he is built like a beast and he carries very little fat. He has broad shoulders and tight thighs that illicit his quickness. He could stand to add a little more strength and his frame can hold ten more pounds without any loss of effectiveness. Despite his lack of great deep speed, he runs well and has good range and is very quick. He also uses hands pretty well to shed blockers and control the tight end, but he needs a little more strength and to learn how to attack blockers lower. He could easily be a mid to late 2nd round pick due to his athleticism and upside, but he could also drop some because of his inexperience at the position. He generally plays the game on his feet and he is very active and aware.

5. Justin Durant - Hampton - 6’1 233lbs - 4.50. 98 tackles, 16 TFL, 6 passes defended, and 1 sack in ‘06. This guy can run and hit and flow from sideline to sideline beautifully. With both Durant and Bain on this defense, I’m not sure why Hampton didn’t win the I-AA national championship or at least get much closer. Justin was game planned against more as a Senior but he still led the team in tackles and he was very active in the passing game. I could also see him moving to the WILL position pretty easily but he played MLB for most of his career. He never redshirted and he played as a true Freshman in ‘03. He wasn’t highly recruited out of Wilson high school in South Carolina but he has made SEC teams regret that. This guy is simply a tackling machine and he should be looked at heavily in the 2nd round area because he has very good speed, shows good to great body control, and has excellent instincts. In coverage, he’s like having an extra safety and he can run step for step with most TEs and RBs. He seems to locate the ball quickly and drive on it very fast. This guy is a very good athlete who is quick and active and also has the speed to run plays down from the backside. He is instinctive against the run but he needs to gain more strength and mass to take on NFL blockers at the hole. He has been very durable and productive–he had 124 tackles, 15 TFL, 5 sacks, and 1 INT in ‘05 and he has consistently been a game changer and is a three time All-MEAC LB and two-time conference defender of the year. He was also the two-time national black college defensive player of the year. He is versatile enough to have started at all three LB positions, yet he has produced a lot from MLB. Physically, he is an athletic specimen, but he needs more bulk and strength. He has a good frame and a nice bubble butt and the ability to add a little weight. His fundamentals are solid in that he drops his base to tackle and generally wraps up. He can flip his hips and run pretty smoothly but he needs to learn to take fewer steps. He runs around too many blocks and knocks himself out of plays in the process. Justin is very tough and competitive and he should do well on special teams too. He needs work in a couple areas and needs more bulk but he is a very good football player. He has very good weight-room numbers and is very strong pound-for-pound in the weight room–bench-presses close to 500 pounds, which is more than twice his body weight, and he uses his hands to keep blockers off of him nicely. He must use his hands more and attack the gaps a little better. He is instinctive but he needs more coaching to see things open up a little better. He has quick feet but he gets tied up in traffic on occasion. He would be an excellent 3-4 LB at any spot, but in a 4-3, he would be best served to play behind big, block-eating DTs. He gets pushed around a bit too much and tries to use his speed and athleticism instead of pure fundamentals. His numbers are impressive and he is an excellent player, but he will not fit every scheme because of his lack of bulk and his inability to take on big blockers in the hole. His brother was the former starting QB at North Carolina, but Justin is a much better player. Having said that, he really should play early and often because he loves the game and wants to get better and has great talent.

6. Marvin Mitchell - Tennessee - 6’3 252lbs - 4.74. 104 tackles, 11 TFL, 1 sack and 6 hurries in ‘06. Marvin is a 5th year senior that has seen his share of starts in Vol country over the past few seasons. However, Marvin made his final year his best by leading the team in tackles and winning some All Conference honors (he played MLB in the same conference with Patrick Willis, Brandon Siler, and Quinton Culberson). Marvin was forced to redshirt in ‘04 after tearing up his knee and he wasn’t quite the same in ‘05–only 23 tackles. He started his career at SAM but moved to the middle in ‘03. He looked slow to react and missed a lot of tackles and games in ‘05 due to his recovery. However, in ‘06 he looked completely healthy, knee wise, and was one of the more dominant LBers in the SEC. He did all of this while playing most of the season with a sprained shoulder and a partially torn muscle, but he didn’t allow it to slow him down any. He showed pretty good game speed and quickness, good upper body strength, and the ability to turn and cover on passing downs against fairly speedy TEs and RBs. On the surface, his injuries are going to keep him from being drafted high, but his skills are solid, if he is healthy. He has a massive frame but isn’t fat at all. He looks like he was sculted out of rock, actually. He is in the 250lb range and can get bigger. Instinctually, he is excellent and he plays the pass very well. He reads and reacts to the QB solidly. Also, he could move back to the SAM position if needed, but he is more natural in the middle. He has huge thighs and they are pretty tight, which builds quickness. He moves quickly to attack and fill a hole but he must learn to stay lower and protect himself more. On film, when he is healthy, he looks athletic and pretty fluid, but he never seems to stay healthy and that may be due to an athletic deficiency. He has long arms but he doesn’t use them enough in traffic and he tries to just run though everything, instead of letting his fundamentals come to life. Blockers get into his chest too much. He moves well laterally but he tries to run around blocks too often and pushes himself out of the play. He tries to use his good instincts too much and needs to focus more on his fundamentals and blowing up blocks. A good coach could really beef this player up by getting him to use his skills more efficiently. If he stays lower and keeps his feet moving more, he can be a weapon on any defense. He can play any LB spot and is so strong and massive, that if he uses his hands better, he doesn’t necessarily need massive DTs in front of him. He is smart and courageous but he needs to use his tools more. He is a willing tackler and generally shows good form. Some team might fall in love with him and take him in the 3rd round but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him still there in the 5th or 6th rounds either, due to his injury history. He is healthy now and if his knees check out, he’s a very solid MLB prospect that can run and attack and drop into coverage. He makes plays but is unspectacular in that he doesn’t make a lot of highlight reels. Size wise, he is perfect, and he tests out okay as an athlete but those knees are a little scary to many.

7. Zak DeOssie - Brown - 6’5 248lbs - 4.59. 110 tackles, 11 TFL, 1 sack and 4 passes defended in ‘06. This 4th year Senior has been a starter in the Ivy League since the middle of his Freshman season and has dramatically improved each and every year. He has been a 1st team All-Ivy League pick for the past three years and is one of the best defenders to come out of that conference in recent memory. He hurt his knee as a Junior (minor sprain) but came back as a Senior and had his best year and showed he could play with anyone. Zak is built a lot like Brian Urlacher but they are very different from there. Size wise, Zak is perfect and he has the awareness and instincts to be very good, but he lacks Brian’s great quickness and ability to shoot blocks and make the plays he shouldn‘t make. He has NFL genes though, in that his dad, Steve, played LB for several years in the league. Zak is one of the smartest guys in the draft and he loves to play the game and he is very active and instinctual. Athletically, he is very good, but not great. He runs very well and he might even time in the 4.50 to 4.60 range in workouts but he doesn’t play quite that fast. He is a great run stopper that will step up and fill a hole and attack the ball carrier and he can be a bit mean and nasty on the field. He has good, but not great, hips and he loses a little speed when he transitions into coverage. He has 315 career tackles and that is impressive on any level. Is he a bigger and faster version of Zack Thomas or is he a small school version of Andy Katzenmoyer? Zak loves to play the run and he is very physical. He’ll attack a hole fill and sacrifice his body. He runs well and is okay laterally too. He moves sideline to sideline pretty well and his instincts are top-notch. He is always around the ball and he makes more than his share of plays and tackles. He played in the Ivy League, which puts out about two or three NFL players every decade. His level of competition, even for I-AA wasn’t great. He went to the Hula Bowl and had a pretty good week and game, but wasn’t awesome. He looked a touch more awkward in coverage out in Hawaii then he did at Brown. However, they only play ten games a season in the Ivy League and he made all of those tackles in less games than most other players–which says a lot about how active he is. He is strong, and he has long arms, both of which allow him to keep blockers away from his chest. He runs through blocks, instead of going around, and he makes a lot of plays because of that. He is very smart and fundamentally sound. He is so imposing that standing next to him can honestly scare you. He is just so massive and strong looking. He had double digit tackles in six of his ten games in ‘06. I would compare him more to Zack Thomas than Andy Katzenmoyer because of his instincts and dedication and smarts. Andy was sort of a knucklehead. Zak makes great reads and he has been pretty durable. He could go in the late 2nd round but will likely slide to the 3rd or 4th rounds because he played at Brown. Here is a very solid, smart, instinctual, quick, and fast MLB, but he lacks super athleticism and has only average to good lateral movement skills.

8. H.B. Blades - Pitt - 5’11 234lbs - 4.75. 147 tackles, 11 TFL, 1 sack, and 2 INTs in ‘06. His dad, Bennie, was one of the finest athletes I’ve ever seen. He played for the famous Hurricane team that wore the camos and were called criminals. H.B. is not a chip off the old block but he is a solid MLB that shows good instincts and great awareness and football smarts. He showed up at Pitt in ‘03 and never redshirted and ended up starting by the middle of the season. His 433 career tackles is more than just impressive, it’s simply unbelievable. He is very durable and very stout and he can attack and fill a gap and make a tackle. He is so instinctual and much such good reads that he can often diagnose a play before it starts and put himself where he needs to be. It is obvious he paid a lot of attention to his dad and learned to study film. He is super strong and he practically lives in the weight room or film room. He has a solid build and a good low base, but he doesn’t have much room to get bigger and might be maxed out. He loves to play the game and he wants to be the best he can be and he knows it takes work and dedication, and he has devoted himself to playing football. I wish I saw his father’s athleticism though. He has shorter arms, is short in nature, and lacks great speed and quickness. He simply isn’t a great natural athlete. He gets the job done by working his tail off and is reminiscent of Miami’s Zack Thomas in overall ability. Having said that, he is a tackling machine that will never stop attacking and flying to the ball. Although he lacks great timed speed, he has okay to good playing speed and can generally get to the edges because he makes such good reads and takes great angles. However, he might be a liability in the passing game because he has tight hips and has trouble twisting and flipping them without losing speed. He is okay in a zone, but his lack of quickness sometimes negates his great instincts. He is an All Big East LB that deserved his awards and recognition, but he has limitations. He is an in the box type of MLB that will simply clog holes and makes plays inside, but must make great reads to be effective outside the box and could hurt a team if they need him to drop into coverage. Some teams like the fact that he makes so many plays and tackles, which is amazing, but overall he needs to go to a team, like the Dolphins, that frees up their LBers to make plays and keeps lineman off of them. Blades gets pushed back and knocked down a touch too often and he has trouble disengaging from lineman. Many say he’ll go on the first day, and he might because he is so football smart and instinctive, but he isn’t for everyone and he has limitations in the passing game and athletically. He has played both inside and outside and he could be an excellent back up to either spot. Also, he should star on special teams due to his desire and dedication. He will play through pain and injuries and he could surprise if he gets with the right team and the right coach. Although he has similarities to Zach Thomas, he isn’t as quick and he or as athletic, yet he is constantly around the ball and making plays.

 

[draftfreak]

The rest of the MLBs:

9. Desmond Bishop - California - 6’2 242lbs - 4.79. 126 tackles, 15 TFL, 3 sacks and 3 INTs in ‘06. He is a former JUCO All-American who had 120 tackles his final year at San Francisco CC. He showed up at Cal in ‘05 and immediately took over the starting position. In ‘05, he was 2nd team All Conference with 89 tackles, 6 TFL, and 2 passes defended. He is a tackling machine that sets his sights on a player and goes after him at 100 MPH. He honestly moves like a rocket when the play begins and he seems to know no other speed. Instinctually, he is a monster, but athletically, he leaves a little to be desired. Although he plays fast, he doesn’t time out to be terribly fast (around 4.80). He has tight hips and doesn’t move great laterally, although he does drop his base nicely and he can be taught to turn and run a little better. He often has to slow down, turn his body, and start running again, but he still lacks experience and has room to improve. His instincts are awesome but he needs to show more flexibility and balance and leverage. He isn’t bad and in the right system, he could start, but he isn’t there yet. He has only limited experience at MLB and if he can get more fundamentals into his mind, he could become a better looking athlete. He plays smart and generally stays on his feet. He works well in traffic and shows fairly quick feet in small areas. He will run and hit, and he usually goes through blockers, instead of going around. Because of this, he makes a lot of plays. He is strong and fairly massive and he is getting better at understanding the position. Physically, he has good thighs and a good butt and base. He knows how to tackle and if he is around the ball, he almost never misses a tackle, and he is usually around the ball. Because of his hips, he loses too much speed in his transition into coverage and is much better against the run than he is against the pass. However, he shows good back pedal and plays the short crossing routes beautifully. He made 3 INTs in ’06 purely because he has great instincts and makes great reads. He doesn’t turn and cover great but he can drop back and play very well in a zone. This is a very solid football player and MLB that has some athletic limitations but he is very active and aware and could improve his athleticism some with good coaching. He has been very durable and he plays solid week in and week out and he is still learning and growing. I doubt he is a first day draft choice, but he should be a good special teams player and solid back up as a rookie who is drafted in the 5th or 6th rounds. If he can work on flipping his hips better, and staying lower at the point of attack, he could turn into a starting MLB, but he will never be a great chase-you-down type of guy. He is so strong and aware that he really doesn’t need to be covered up all that much, but he will be outrun on occasion and his limitations can be exposed.

10. Anthony Waters - Clemson - 6’3 242lbs - 4.70. Missed most of ‘06 due to injuries. Anthony is a 5th year Senior, who had 109 tackles, 14 TFL, 1.5 sacks, and 4 passes defended in ‘05 as a Junior OLB who split some time in the middle as well. He switched to full-time MLB (his natural position) in ‘06 and tore his MCL in the first game of the season. He had surgery in the fall and seems to be progressing nicely, but injuries like that are never a sure thing. He was a pre-season All-American and many scouts thought he was a sure 1st round pick before his injury. Now, a team might feel that they can get him much cheaper and just hope his knee can come back at 100%. Going purely off of Junior and Sophomore game film, he is extremely active and instinctual. He drops his butt and shows an excellent power base, plus he has very solid lateral quickness, which allows him to make a lot of plays on the perimeter. He is a solid natural athlete with good quickness. The question will be his timed speed. What will he run, if he can run, before the draft. Right now, everything is estimated, but going off of game film, I’d say he will run somewhere between 4.65 and 4.75. He has a burst and a quick first step and he shows solid body control and awareness in the running game and passing game. He really could become a solid player at the next level, but he really isn’t suited to play SAM. He needs space to roam and make plays and he loses track of blockers when he is on the edge. He moves well through traffic but he must learn to keep his eyes up and focused on the traffic around him. He gets caught up a bit too much and gets knocked down in the process. I wish he could’ve had one more year to tighten his game up. He shows a fluidity and good range. He turns and runs quickly but loses his leverage and balance too much. He has a great frame and is very strong but he must use his hands better to shield off blockers, plus he must learn to stuff a hole. Having spent most of his career at OLB, he still needs work and coaching at MLB, but that will be his best position. He stays low and has such a good base that he should be able to attack the blockers and penetrate the gaps. He likely would’ve been a high draft pick before the injury and he could surprise if some team falls for him, but I doubt he lasts long on the second day because of his talent level and skill set. He needs fundamentals and good coaching, but his instincts and low base cannot be taught easily. He is athletic and quick and he moves well laterally. He doesn’t have a lot of experience dropping into coverage, but he has the tools to be good at it. Two years ago the Cowboys drafted DE, Chris Canty, in the 4th round after he had suffered a serious injury the previous season and he is their starting DE. Some team will likely do the same with Waters. He is a rare talent with size, quickness, game speed, strength, and toughness wrapped in one package, but he is no sure thing and will need coaching and work.

11. Justin Warren - Texas A&M - 6’3 247lbs - 4.78 (ran a 4.94 at the combine with a pulled groin). 93 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack in ‘06. Justin never redshirted and showed up on campus in ‘03. He has played DE, OLB, and MLB but his natural position is MIKE. He simply looks the part and has a great body that was made to play football. He is very athletic and has tremendous game speed and jumping ability. He can run like a deer and jump like a kangaroo when he is on his game, and he can be an explosive hitter that jars the ball loose. He can make plays sideline to sideline and blitz off the edge, and he has a lot of experience rushing the passer and attacking gaps. At times, he does a terrific job in coverage and looks natural flipping his hips. Despite his timed speed (he pulled a groin at the combine), he can run with receivers and backs and blanket tight ends. He has a lot of experience and is very football smart and aware. He should make an excellent special-teams player too. Physically, he has a solid frame and a good bubble butt and base. When he is on, he can really flatten out and attack from the edge, and shoot gaps, and show fluidity in reaching the flats. He has long arms and he generally uses them well. He had almost 200 tackles in the past two years and he is very active and aware of angles and positions. He can really make himself small and squeeze through a gap, and he can drop his butt and square up on a RB or WR. He has good quickness and can really be special in some games. The problem with Justin is that he can also disappear in some games. He is too much of a hot and cold kind of player right now. In the Kansas game, in ’06, he looked like a man possessed and he made tackle after tackle and play after play. Against Cal, in the bowl game, he looked disinterested and sluggish. I am not sure why, but it was disappointing to see him finish his career like that. Athletically, he is very good, and on certain days, he is a very good player that will chase, attack, fill holes, and flip his hips in coverage. However, on other days, he looks average at best. Another day he looked lost was against Oklahoma, where he could’ve shined and brought a national spotlight onto himself; instead, he missed tackles, took bad angles, and was generally non-effective. Which Justin Warren will be drafted. He is a good physical specimen that can really jump and attack when he wants to. I haven’t heard of any real injuries he sustained that would’ve caused his lack of good play in certain games, so I must connect it to his attitude or desire. The reason he finished with so many tackles is that he is a really good football player that stood out and made a lot of play in most of his games, but in some, he was darn near invisible. He could go high because of his talent and occasional great effort, but he’ll likely slip due to his inconsistency. There are few MLBs in college football with more talent though, plus he can move to SAM or DE in certain situations. His ability to rush the passer and attack gaps might predicate a move to another position, at least part of the time.

 

[draftfreak]

Now the CBs:

CBs - I’m not ranking Leon Hall. This is a very solid class of CBs and there could be as many as 15 taken on the first day of the draft. However, there are 7 or 8 of them, in my opinion, that are worthy of 1st or early to mid 2nd round grades. This group is by far the largest group analyzed because the Saints could take as many as two of these guys on the first day. I did not include David Irons because his stock will drop and I see him more as a pure zone CB. Also, I didn’t include Tarrell Brown because I think he’ll move to FS in the NFL. With those exceptions, this is my top 15 list of CBs. This list is my personal rankings and doesn’t represent the order in which I think they’ll be drafted. I put probable draft location in each players summary. Any of these top 6 players listed would be solid late 1st round picks.

1. Marcus McCauley - Fresno St. - 6’1 203lbs - 4.40. 55 tackles, 7 passes defended, 0 INTs. If God were to create people purely to play football, then Marcus was designed by God to play CB. Unlike Revis, McCauley has every possible tool and is simply a better athlete than most people alive, but he is no where near as consistent as Revis or Leon Hall. He has never missed a game due to injury and has a huge wingspan and large hands. Marcus is a 5th year senior who had an amazing junior season when he showed the capacity to attack WRs and take over a ballgame, but as a senior, he was a little more tentative. A lot of his hesitation came from the fact that the Fresno defense wasn’t as good as it was in ‘05 and Marcus didn’t want to let big plays happen. At times, it seemed as if her were playing not to lose, instead of trying to win. Having said that, FSU had a down season and there were a lot of injuries to that defense. If someone looks at the Oregon game in ‘06, they’ll see an aggressive, instinctual, and talented CB, but as the season went along, he lost some of that aggression. Despite all of that, he still was very active on the defense and he made his share of plays. He is also just as good in man as he is in zone–in both he shows solid awareness and football smarts. He had no INTs and that seems glaring, but he had a good amount of passes defended. He doesn’t seem to turn his head quick enough in man coverage. He has a few bad habits that he must break like trying to read WRs too much instead of playing the ball. Many expected him to shine at the Senior Bowl, but he was just a little above average. He was by no means bad, but he wasn’t great either. This guy can sink his hips, drop his butt, and turn on a dime; also, he has a 2nd and a 3rd gear and never gets outrun He has perfect size and he airs for the ball beautifully and, when he is on, he shows great instincts. Few people can compete with him athletically. Some teams will love him and some won’t, but I seriously doubt this guy lasts past the 20th pick. If he does, it won’t be for long. His athleticism and 3 year starting experience alone will get him drafted very high. He reminds me a lot of Ty Law coming out of Michigan. Like Law, he had a somewhat down final college season, but his skills allowed him to translate beautifully to the NFL. He should make more plays once he gets some good NFL coaching and doesn’t feel he has to do everything. He isn’t the youngest player and will turn 24 during his rookie season. Although he doesn’t seem to catch the ball very well, all of the other tools are there for him to shine. He needs work on fundamentals and some of the basics, but this guy is a super talent. He may not start on day one, but he’ll play early and often.

2. Aaron Ross - Texas - 6’0 191lbs - 4.45. 57 tackles, 1 sack, 16 passes defended, 6 INTs. Ross is a 5th year senior out of Tyler, Texas, that really only started for one season but won the Thorpe Award (best DB in college football) in that one season (he had two career starts before‘06). He is one of the best overall athletes in the draft and can generally outrun and out jump anyone he plays against. Everything he does is fluid and smooth because God created him to be an athlete. However, he is only a one year starter and he played an awkward flex (he didn’t line up face to face but was usually turned to the side) CB position for the ‘Horns. Because of this, his angles and fundamentals are slightly off and his lack of experience equates to slight inconsistencies in coverage and tackling. During the Senior Bowl, where he was asked to play off some, he seemed tentative. He makes plays but he is often a step late to break up a play. He did play extensively before this past season but not as a starter, and it shows in some of his decisions. He needs to work on his anticipation and his tackling but he can usually make up for any mistake with great speed and quickness. I love his instincts with him playing bump coverage, but he’ll need some work in a zone defense. He is a willing tackler but he likes to hit without wrapping up too much. Having said that, he has ideal size and speed and he shows good instincts and seems to be getting smarter–football wise–although he could stand to add more muscle weight. On top of his good size, his hip-flip is better than any other CB in the draft. His athleticism is simply great and special. (There aren’t enough superlatives to describe his athleticism) If he can get with a coach that will break down the basics with him, he’ll be very special-but he’s not a sure thing. He needs a lot of reps and coaching. He’s also an excellent return man, one of the best in the draft, with good elusiveness but he allows himself to take too many big hits. As a RM, he takes good angles and he also shows great elusiveness but the hits will add up. He is very fast and he takes good angles as a CB and a RM. He looks a little too slim at times and he gets held off tackles to easily. His strength definitely needs to be improved. He won the Thorpe award as the best DB in college football last year and he is darn good, but he is not a definite 1st day starter. This guy makes a ton of plays and he had 16 passes defended, which is simply amazing, but there are a few gaps in his game–he gives up too many big plays because he gets sloppy in coverage. Also, he will be a 25 year old rookie and that is something teams must be aware of because he might need a little time to learn the nuances of the pro game, but despite it all he is likely a late 1st to early 2nd round pick. Due to his skills, he could shoot up draft boards but his age and lack of experience could hurt.

3. Tanard Jackson - Syracuse - 6’0 193lbs - 4.45. 62 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 passes defended, and 2 INTs. He is a super athlete with super measurables in that he has ideal size, speed, and quickness; also, he never redshirted and is a 4th year Senior. He seems to control his body better than most while going full speed, which is a credit to his athleticism. He has perfect size and speed for a CB and he has a very good to great hip turn. He loses very little speed in his transitions–although he will take a wasted step sometimes and lose ground. His fundamentals can be fixed pretty easily with good coaching but his athleticism can’t. His progression as a senior was as good as any player in the country. He went from being a good player to one of the best CBs in the country. His size and speed and quickness are all excellent and he can jump through the ceiling. Because of past inconsistency, he will likely still be around in the late first or early second round but he could easily shoot up charts. He drops his butt nicely and can flip his hips very well. He reacts quickly and makes plays. He shows good timing when the ball is in the air and he can air up with the best of them. This guy seems to love the game and he wants to get better. As a 3 year starter in the Big East, he has seen every weapon and stood up to most challenges. He played in more of a zone type defense, for the most part, but has shown very good hip roll and explosion out of his cuts. Also, he had an excellent week at the Senior Bowl where he showed scouts that he belonged at CB and can play bump and run. He has good hand usage and strength and knows how to redirect. Some teams project him to FS but Jackson is a sure bet to play CB in the NFL. He is just too good of an athlete and he is becoming a possibly great CB prospect that reminds me a lot of Nate Clements coming out of Ohio St. He has all of the tools and as a senior, he really lived up to expectations. He shows good awareness but hasn’t intercepted a lot of passes in his career. He makes plays but doesn’t have awesome ball skills–he needs to break up more passes and have INTs. He needs work on fundamentals (he bites on fakes too often and can be overly aggressive) but he shows good intelligence and seems to be rising high in his football smarts. To me, there isn’t a CB in this draft with more upside than Jackson. As a CB, he can plant and turn quickly and he will fit into almost any scheme and is only 21 years old. He is not the overall best CB in the draft right now, but he is very close. Also, he could become very special.

4. Darrelle Revis - Pitt - 5’11 205lbs - 4.49. 39 tackles, 4 passes defended, 2 INTs. He is also a very good punt returner who had some explosive returns in ‘06 (see West Virginia game). He was a semifinalist for the Thorpe award and he is only a true Junior. A two-time All Big East selection as a 3rd year Junior, he had little else to prove on the college level. The simple reason he is rated so high is consistency. He isn’t the fastest, the biggest, the quickest, and he doesn’t have the best instincts, but he is very good to great in all of those categories. His size and instincts really are quite good and allow him to be special. Also, his fundamentals are super. If he has a major drawback, it is his deep speed. He doesn’t really possess a true 2nd gear. However, he is a technician on the field who has played a lot of man coverage at Pitt and is an ideal fit for a team that likes to play a lot of man coverage. He drops his butt, plays with leverage, uses his hands beautifully, and he knows hot to redirect very well in press coverage. Physically, he is an impressive specimen that has great thighs and a nice bubble butt that allows his to have pretty explosive quickness in short areas. He uses his very good size to overpower WRs and he is a good leaper and athlete that airs for the ball excellently and he shows awesome timing. He is also an exceptional return man that shows great anticipation and awareness on special teams. He has good hip turn and he doesn’t take any unnecessary steps coming out of his turns. In essence, he has excellent fundamentals and football smarts. This guy knows how to play the position and he is a very good athlete with excellent instincts but he will never be Champ Bailey or even Fred Smoot. He just isn’t that type of athlete or CB. However, he takes good angles, shows good quickness, and he makes a fair amount of plays. I would love to see him make more plays while the ball is in the air though. He misses the ball in the air on occasion and he should be even more productive than he is. He lacks great awareness in zone coverage and his lack of great speed is more obvious in zone as well. At times, he is in perfect position but doesn’t make the play. He has never been a big INT guy though and he will give up a big play on occasion, but he is very consistent and steady–which is why he’ll go so high, plus his excellent return abilities help. The one question is whether he’ll have trouble staying on speedy NFL WRs in deep routes. Also, he’ll get sloppy on occasion and lose speed in his back pedal and his transition. He should be a solid RM from day one.

5. Eric Weddle - Utah - 5’11 202lbs - 4.48. 65 tackles, 1 sack, 3 passes defended, 7 INTs. He spent 2 years a Safety (Frosh - Junior) and two years at CB (Soph - Senior) in the WAC where he was a two-time WAC defensive player of the year as a 4th year senior. Even during his Junior season, he saw a lot of time at CB. His coaches stated they moved him to safety because at CB, teams could throw away from him and that thought he’d bring more production to the team at safety. He switched back to CB as a Senior. He might be the surest bet of all the CBs because he is just so sound in every aspect of the game. He also has good upside and is young (22) and is still learning. He is also a lethal return man that can play anywhere in the secondary too. As a returner, he reminds me a lot of Wes Welker, in that he has good vision and quickness and he has little wasted movement. He played a lot of offense too for the Utes (QB - RB - WR) and is an excellent athlete that shows great instincts and football awareness. He was even the emergency punter. His natural position in the NFL is CB but he brings a lot of value to the table because of his versatility. He can play either safety position and he has the strength and size to play in the box, but he is not a true big hitter. However, as a CB, he shows amazing instincts and skills. He was a WAC leader as a return man and a playmaking RB. He also had 7 INTs as a senior from the CB position and he has good hands and plays the ball beautifully in the air while in man and in zone coverage–he simply has good awareness and instincts. He has good to great hip roll and loses almost nothing in transition. Also, he stays low and generally shows great technique. He had one of the better weeks of anyone at the Senior Bowl and scouts were very pleased with his play at CB. After his junior season with the Utes, he held Calvin Johnson to 2 catches for 19 yards in the bowl game, while playing CB, and was the game MVP. It was an unbelievable performance. As a Senior, in his final game, he clinched the victory with a late 4th quarter INT after having rushed for a TD. As a return man, he should step in from day one and be an instant contributor. As a CB, he is a little raw in his techniques (takes a few too many wasted steps in his back-pedal) but he shows great ball awareness and is a smart and coachable player. Also, most of his hip turns are excellent, but he gets too excited at times and loses grasp of some basics as a result. He times his jumps very well and he makes a lot of plays. He was the WAC player of the year and an All-American as a senior. He is a game changer on special teams and a leader on defense. He has good size and speed and he shows great hip turn and quickness coming out of his cuts. His speed isn’t aesome but he never seems to get beaten in deep coverage and he has great quickness to team with his good enough speed. Some teams see him as a safety, and he can project there (he played safety as a Freshman and Junior), but he is built and athletic enough to play CB at the next level. He is also married and he simply loves to play football and is a team leader. Fisher DeBerry, the former Air Force Head Coach, said he was the best football player he’d ever seen–which is saying a lot. He could easily become the surprise pick of the draft. If there is a real drawback, it is that he gets too excited and wants to make every play. He is a likely late first or early second round pick.

6. Fred Bennett - South Carolina - 6’1 196lbs - 4.46. 37 tackles, 11 passes defended, 2 INTs. Fred was a very highly touted prep star in South Carolina who redshirted in ‘02. He is built like everyone wants a CB to be built and he shows an excellent set of skills too. He looks like a young Lester Hayes at times when he lines up because he is so quick and he loves to use his hands. Bennett is an excellent athlete that has great overall coordination and good instincts. He is the next in what has become a tradition of good CBs coming out of USC. He is cat quick and he is very physical. He loves to come up and make the play (24 career passes defended). That hurts him at times though because he tends to bite on fakes far too easy. Also, he tends to get too high in his stance at times, which causes him to lose a step in transition, but that can be fixed. Unfortunately, Bennett is a hot and cold player that can be a game-changer at times and be invisible at other times. He had a great Bowl game against the small and quick Houston WRs and he had several other good games too but he definitely needs more consistency. He does make a lot of plays though (11 passes defended is excellent) and he plays pretty smart most of the time. He anchored a fairly weak Gamecock defense and helped them get to a 2nd straight bowl game. He flips his hips fairly smoothly, he takes good angles, and he is fast enough to recover most of the time. He loses just a little in transition but that can be fixed if he gets with a good coach. Fred is an excellent athlete with great size, speed, and quickness, who is also a good player. He is very similar to the Browns’ Gary Baxter in that he has great size and is a very solid all around CB. Like Baxter though, Bennett doesn’t get the attention he deserves. He isn’t terribly flashy, but he is very good at what he does–when he is on. He breaks up a lot of passes and will make his share of INTs. He has lapses and he has laid eggs in a couple games (see Tennessee game). He is a bit of an underachiever who should be more dynamic but he is still an excellent all around CB that can play zone or man equally and he makes plays and can really limit a QBs options. His jam at the line is better than any CB in the draft and he can really knock a WR off of his route. He is such a special athlete that the rest can be remedied, but he is also a very good player. He needs to work on tackling and playing the run. He loves to be on an island and doesn’t always pay attention to the running game. As a three year starter in the SEC, who is 23, and has seen pretty much everything and played well, he should be a 1st round pick, but could slip to the 2nd because of some mental lapses. Does he have the desire? I say he does, and he’ll be a very good CB for man years.

7. Jon Wade - Tennessee - 5’10 189lbs - 4.35. 52 tackles, 13 passes defended, 4 INTs. Jon is a Louisiana native who left home in ‘02 to be a Vol. He is one of the fastest players in the draft and he can simply outrun most people. He is also an excellent athlete that shows solid fundamentals, for the most part, and is a quick learner. Prior to ‘06, he was no where near as good of a prospect as he is now (he switch from WR to CB before the ‘04 season). He has had good coaching and he definitely saved his best for last, in that his senior season was easily his best. He showed better consistency, good angles, better tackling, and more awareness as a senior than he’d even come close to before. He was one of the legendary Tennessee track guys who also played football, until his senior season (he is a track All-American). Now he is a real football player and it shows on the field. His lack of height could be an issue for some teams and he isn’t overly physical. Unfortunately, he may be a touch late in his learning process too because he still lacks ball awareness and great hip roll and he gets turned around too easily. However, he is able to use his exceptional athleticism to make a lot of plays (13 passes defended). His speed is rare and he has more than one gear. He makes up for mistakes with awesome quickness and speed. He could be great or he could be average though because he seems to have lapses in coverage and may not have great ball awareness. This is another return man possibility. As a RM, he shows great burst and explosion. He actually reminds me a little of Michael Lewis as a RM. He has the skills at CB but needs experience and good coaching. He is obviously intelligent as seen through his ability to pick up techniques so quickly, but he still looks a little lost at times when trying to find the ball in the air. He looked confused at the senior Bowl, but he still was okay throughout the week. He has trouble finding the ball in the air as well and gets turned around too much. Although he is a great athlete, he isn’t really special or even the best athlete amongst the CBs, other than his speed and quickness. He doesn’t time his jumps great and he looks a little tight when twisting for the ball. However, he has good to great talent and rare speed. He is a tad shorter than really desired but he can jump pretty well and he flips his hips pretty well. (He still needs to learn to time himself much better as the ball is in the air.) He isn’t a great tackler either. He will likely be a 2nd or early 3rd round pick because of his upside and speed. He will also likely be a return man too. I like him, but I don’t love him. At 23, he is still young and able to learn and grow. He has talent but it isn’t always translated to the field and even though he started games prior to ‘06, he never put the effort in that he should have.

8. Chris Houston - Arkansas - 5’10 186lbs - 4.38. 46 tackles, 13 passes defended, and 3 INTs. He is a 4th year Junior that was pretty highly touted coming out of Texas. In high school he was a sprint champion and is known for his speed. He redshirted in ‘03 and has seen extensive playing time ever since. After Michael Coe transferred in ‘06, Chris became the leader of the secondary and had a standout season. He has a well built and developed body and although he is somewhat short, he isn’t small. He was the best pure athlete on the Hog defense, including Jamaal Anderson, and he showed amazing progress from his Sophomore season to his Junior season. He is a good cover corner that shows a knack for being around the ball and he makes his share of plays (the Hogs played a lot of man coverage). He is very fluid with quick feet and a quick change of direction. He also shows pretty solid instincts overall and very solid anticipation of the QB. He is strong and gets in a good jam at the line which allows his to negate many WRs superior size. He makes a lot of plays when the ball is in front of him and he can be a ballhawk. He shows good hand usage. Also, he knows what to do with the ball in his hands when he does get it. He is elusive and has excellent lateral movement skills. He made huge strides from ‘05 to ‘06 in that he went from a late round prospect who had started 12 games in two years to a solid first day prospect. He should fit excellently in a zone scheme or a cover-2 scheme where the ball is always in front of him but he isn‘t as special when his back is to the QB. I think Houston is an interesting prospect and there is little doubt he'll run well in workouts, that is his forte. However, he has several problems though, the first of which is the comparison to Batman Carroll (they are very similar type players), the second of which is he has trouble locating the ball when he isn't facing the QB. He lacks great ball awareness when he has to find it over his shoulder and he makes very few plays on the ball in man coverage. He has okay size but he is only 5'10 and he's close to 200lbs. Many scouts see him more of a FS type of player, and his ball skills in bump coverage and height will cause him to drop in the draft some. He does possess good hips but often when he is in position to make a play, he just doesn’t. Sydney Rice ran all over him in ‘06 and Chris wasn’t able to prevent Rice from making play after play. He is much better with the ball in front of him, plus he’s still very young and likely will transition to FS. Chris is going to suffer some in NFL circles because the memory of Batman is still pretty fresh. I think Batman was a dang good college player, but I agree that Chris is much more concerned with football and is a football guy. Chris seems to lack some instincts in bump coverage and his lack of height will hurt him at times. I’ve watched every game of his from this past season and he seems to just lose track of the ball too much, his angles are slightly off, he gets in position because of his athleticism, but he doesn’t make the play. Against Alabama, he never seemed to get a handle on the Tide’s average WRs. Also, against LSU, he looked lost and confused for much of the game, although he showed excellent athleticism to get back into plays. Plus he didn’t have a standout Bowl game to cap his career. I like him, but I see him moving to FS and dropping to the middle or late 2nd round. I expect once scouts and coaches start watching his game film, some of his pre-draft luster will diminish. He can sink his hips and flip them. He can attack the ball. He makes plays, but he is simply missing something in terms of being a bump CB. He could be a good Zone CB but will be better suited to play FS. He only has 3 career INTs and that could be an issue because I saw him drop several passes. He may lack great hands. Despite coming out early, will be a 23 year old rookie. There is just some mixture that is lacking here, but his pre-draft hype is strong and vibrant.

9. Travarous Bain - Hampton - 6’0 182lbs - 4.40. 20 tackles, 3 TFL, 7 passes defended, 5 INTs. Bain is a small school guy with NFL talent who originally played at Miami until ‘04. Initially, Bain was a big recruit from South Florida who showed up on the Hurricane campus in ‘02. Physically, he is a specimen. He has tight thighs and is cat quick. He has the frame to add 5 to 10 pounds if needed. He wound up at Hampton in ‘05 and made an immediate impact at CB. A two-time All Conference guy and a Senior 1-AA All-American. Teams learned to throw away from him after a solid Junior season when he had 13 passes defended and a couple INTs. He had two total tackles in his two years at Miami. He ran track at Miami but not at Hampton. He is super fast and quick. After arriving at Hampton, he dedicated himself more to football and his studies. He is a quick riser that should be a solid 2nd or 3rd round pick before all is said and done. He is faster than a hickup but he needs a little work on fundamentals. He was in Miami with Devin Hester and he thought Hester was the future so he transferred. This guy is an awesome athlete that can simply take over a football game from the CB spot. He has excellent instincts and he can run step for step with anyone. He is super raw though and Hampton just lined him up and let him play–and play he did. Their philosophy was that he was better and could outplay their opponents, and they were generally correct. This guy needs fundamental work badly, but he brings great instincts and athleticism to the game. He often lines up in a twisted position, facing the QB, and he allows WRs to dictate leverage because of it. He has great hip turn but takes unnecessary steps coming out of his turns. He needs to learn to use his hands and how to redirect a good WR at the line. He shows good anticipation but he is not a big hitter or tackler. He was simply better than most of his opponents the past two years and he was able to live with his bad habits. He tends to play too high as well and it causes him to lose a little speed when he covers deep. He must stay more focused. He is also a very solid return man. He was the MEAC leader in return yardage. He can be a dangerous weapon on special teams. In fact, he is lethal with the ball in his hands at any time and he shows good hands and body control. As a CB, he shows very quick explosion out of his cuts and turns when he is returning but he tends to get high in his hip roll. He needs good coaching and basics. Also, he started in awkward stances far too often and he needs more coaching on how to face up against a good WR in bump coverage. This guy has unlimited potential and will be an excellent CB, but it may not be immediately. He could take a couple years to really come together and that might drive some team insane. He shows great football awareness and instincts and body control but runs himself out of position at times and he bites on too many fakes too easily. His athleticism alone is worthy of drafting him high, but his skills are obvious too. There are few players in this draft with this kind of talent but he will make mistakes as he learns and grows. I really like him, but he needs to be developed.

 

[draftfreak]

The rest of the CBs:

10. Kenny Scott - Georgia Tech - 6’1 182lbs - 4.40. 50 tackles, 1 sack, 10 passes defended, 2 INTs. Kenny is a 4th year Senior that never redshirted. He is a pure cover corner that loves to be on an island and going one on one against another man. He has a solid hand punch and knows how to redirect WRs but he needs more brute strength against better WRs. He is a risk taker that loves to prove how great he can be, and at times, he is amazing to watch. He thinks he is Deion Sanders and although he has a lot of talent, he isn’t that special. Physically, he could stand to increase both his upper and lower body strength. His thighs aren’t overly powerful and he could be quicker if he worked on them. Despite everything, he did cover Calvin Johnson everyday in practice, and that must count for something. He is athletic, confident, tall, smart and durable, but he is by no means a sure fire NFL star. This guy brings very good athleticism, great hip roll, a big time desire, and pretty good speed to the field though. His true forte is his quickness which is very good and can even improve. He has good hands and very quick feet. He has a burst and a 2nd gear in deep coverage. He lacks bulk and is a drag down type tackler; also, he loves to be aggressive in coverage and he bites on far too many fakes. I’ve seen him get juked because of taking bad angles. He can look a little lost in zone coverage because loses track of the play. He is a rarity in that he is simply better in bump coverage and he isn’t nearly as instinctive in zone. Having said that, he does have very good speed, although it’s not good enough to bite on so many fakes. He needs to learn the technical aspects more and be more concerned with the little things. He has very long arms and he airs for the ball well and times his jumps well. His 10 passes defended in ‘06 are very good and he’s a three year starter. He is a bit linear and needs to stay lower at times though. Sometimes he seems to lose focus and there are games when he simply doesn’t make enough plays. As a Junior, he was no where near as aggressive and he looked confused at times. He needs to learn to stay low always and use his quickness more. He might need to be in a system for awhile before can truly mesh. Having said all of that, he is a good football player that teams can use in man on man schemes and he will maul and attack. He has a nasty demeanor on the field and he has a short memory. Scott is moving up charts because of his size and athleticism and will probably fall in the 3rd or 4th round range, but he could shoot up to the 2nd if a team falls in love with him. The more film I watch on him, the more I like him and he’s only 22. He definitely made his senior season his best and his athleticism is obvious. With the right coach, his lack of fundamentals could be remedied pretty quickly. He doesn’t do anything terrible, but he could do the small things better and he could show better awareness in zone. He will be a solid nickel CB as a rookie until he gets a touch more bulk and experience.

11. Daymeion Hughes - Cal - 5’10 189lbs - 4.56. 72 tackles, 11 passes defended, and 8 INTs. Hughes started as a true Freshman in ‘03 and he has been in the starting lineup ever since. His measurables aren’t what many people thought and he ended up being 2 or 3 inches shorter than anticipated when he was sized up at the Senior Bowl. Having said that, this guy is a Rhonde Barber type of ball hawk with great anticipation and very solid quickness. He has better instincts than any other CB in the draft and he makes a lot of plays. What do you get from Hughes? Is he more of a FS than a CB? He was one of the nation’s leaders in INTs and he has simply amazing instincts and ball awareness but he lacks deep speed, and explosion. He is very fluid in his movement skills but lacks great quickness or speed. When everything is in front of him, he is simply special, but when he has to twist and turn, he sometimes looks lost. He also seems to be a bit linear. There is no question that he is a playmaker, as evidenced by his 72 tackles and 8 INTs, but as a man on man CB, he has limitations. He can flip his hips okay, but he seems to lose half a step in the process at times, plus he doesn’t react nearly as quickly when he isn’t facing the ball. He was rarely asked to play face to face, and instead lined up awkwardly when he did play man coverage. This cause bad fundamentals, to which his athleticism can’t correct. I think he would be an ideal CB for a team that runs a lot of 2-deep zone coverage or uses a lot of pure zone coverage. He plays assignments beautifully and is extremely intelligent and he also has awesome instincts but he’ll never be a pure man on man cover CB in the NFL. He is a good football player but not a great one. He had an up and down week at the Senior Bowl that ended with a very minor injury but his limitations as a man CB were obvious during the early part of the week. I like this guy as a player, but his lack of great speed and explosion are going to hurt him come draft day. He could have some great workouts and push himself higher in the draft, but he’ll only be touted by teams that run a zone defense. If asked to play pure man coverage, he’d possibly be okay, but never special. Some team will grab him in the 2nd or 3rd round and they’ll love him and they’ll get a very good player, but if he goes to a team like the Bucs, he could be a star. Hughes will play in the NFL for many years and will be good, but he’ll only be great if he goes to a certain type of team.

12. Michael Coe - Alabama St. - 6’1 190lbs - 4.49. 42 tackles, 2 sacks, 12 passes defended, 2 INTs. This is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft. He spent four years at Arkansas (including a redshirt season) and started there in 2005, but he decided to go to Alabama St. in ‘06 (his dad is the head coach at ASU) for his Senior season. He was a good player at Arkansas, and some say he was their best CB (which included Chris Houston), but he really broke loose in ‘06 at Alabama St. Size ise, he is ideal and he has a very good skill set too. He showed great quickness, strength and instincts as a senior and he made a lot of plays. At Arkansas in ‘05 he had 30 tackles, 8 passes defended, and 3 INTs. He has played against top competition and played well. He has close to ideal size and he is very quick and has good balance and leverage. He isn’t a true burner and will be beaten deep on occasion, but he is pretty good fundamentally and he is smart. He played a lot at Arkansas early in his career because he was so instinctual. He knows how to use his hands and to drop his butt. He went to the East-West Shrine game and was the best DB on the field and he played very well from beginning to end. He showed good hip turn and flexibility as well as good ball awareness and the ability to sink his butt. Just like when he was at Alabama St., he made play after play. At the Senior Bowl, he was a late replacement but he didn’t miss a beat despite not getting there ‘til Wednesday’s practice. He also had the games only INT. He could be looked at as a FS as well but he has the natural skills of a CB and reminds me some of Dre Bly. He needs to learn to stay lower more consistently and to face up more in man coverage but he makes a lot of plays (12 passes defended) and he is very active and aware in coverage. He can play both man and zone well, which increases his value. He has okay strength to redirect WRs and he knows how to use it. At the Senior Bowl, he looked like he belonged. His dad is a coach and Michael has learned well. He was popular at Arkansas and was expected to start again there as a Senior and his transfer surprised a lot of people. Playing for his dad was important to him. This kid has a lot of talent, very good athleticism, good instincts, and solid ball skills and fundamentals. He isn’t spectacular at anything but he’s pretty good at everything. In fact, he plays a lot like Darrelle Revis, but he isn’t quite as explosive in the hips and thighs. Physically, he could add more bulk and get stronger, but he has tight thighs and good definition and flexible hips. Had he stayed at Arkansas we might be talking about him as a sure 1st round pick, but he is still a very solid 1st day pick that could go anywhere from the middle of the 2nd round to the end of the 4th round. I really like to watch him play. He is a technician with athleticism and solid fundamentals and he should play early.

13. Eric Wright - UNLV - 5’11 192lbs - 4.41. 29 tackles, 8 passes defended, and 1 INT. Another standout return man who should contribute early in this area. He transferred from USC in ’05 where he wasn‘t able to become a full time starter. He redshirted in ‘03 while at USC and had to sit out one season (‘05) when he transferred and then he decided to forego his Senior season. His experience as a Trojan was limited in ‘04. He had a pretty minor knee strain in ‘06 and sat out three games. Despite missing games, he was still All Conference. This guy has simply awesome tools in many areas but his playing experience is extremely limited. He basically had one season (‘06) and then decided to go pro. To be blunt, he isn’t ready for the NFL. He bites on fakes too easy, he gets turned around too easy, and he has weak fundamentals. Also, he isn’t strong enough and can be overpowered. Having said that, he has excellent athleticism, speed, quickness, and football smarts, plus he makes plays. In his only real season of college ball, he was in on a lot of action, despite missing three games. He uses his hands well to try and redirect but he needs more strength. He drops his butt and turn quickly but he has wasted steps. But he does make plays on the ball and he is instinctual and he seems very aware in man coverage and solid in zone. Size wise, he is very solid, with long arms and good jumping ability. He is athletic and he times his jumps well. He shows good body control and isn’t afraid to hit and tackle. He can be a big hitter that really tries to lay someone out but he doesn’t always wrap up. He didn’t play against the same type of competition while at UNLV that he could’ve at USC. Why did he transfer? He wasn’t seeing playing time and got discouraged but that could be a sign of selfishness. Also, he got into some off field troubles that hurt his stock at USC. He really needed a fresh start. He has a short memory and the speed to run with almost anyone. He also has good quickness and lateral movement skills. He has all of the tools but he just needs more reps and coaching. Will anyone take the risk. I doubt he’ll be a first day pick but someone might reach for him in the 4th round because of his upside, which is high. He can run and jump and make plays and he is football smart. I’d love to see him get with a good coach and just spend a year learning the position while he plays special teams. As a return man, he has good vision and burst and can make plays. He needs development but he has the skills. Also, he needs to hit the weight room and add more bulk and strength.

14. C.J. Gaddis - Clemson - 5’11 202lbs - 4.45. 37 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 2 INTs. Missed one game completely and most of two others in ‘06. He was recruited to play QB and he backed up at that position in ‘04. He moved to Safety in Spring of ‘05, then CB that fall where had a good Sophomore campaign - 59 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 3 INTs. I had him rated in my top-10 CBs before this past season. He came out after his Junior season and he probably shouldn’t have because his ‘06 season was inconsistent. He is a fine athlete with fine skills and a good amount of upside but he is still extremely raw at the position and makes too many careless mistakes. He allows too many plays to be made against him. Many scouts think he might be better suited to play Safety but I do think he’ll at least start out at CB. He has good hip flip and acceleration out of his turns but he gets too tall coming out of his cuts and back pedal and loses ground. He must learn to stay lower. Also, he might be tight in the hips because his lateral movement isn’t special. Although he is fast enough, he only really has that one speed. Once he loses ground, he doesn’t posses the elite quickness to make up for it. His size is ideal and most of his fundamental problems can be fixed, but he is very raw. Will a team want to spend the time on him? He doesn’t knock away enough passes. He seems content just to make the tackle or be in position to knock away a pass. He doesn’t scare QBs. As a former QB, he does take good angles and has good assignment awareness, but he must learn to use his hands better and be more consistent. Despite his flaws, he has good skills and is young and athletic. He can line up in the slot and cover inside and out. He is a good hitter that is willing against the run and even shows good tackling and desire to tackle. He has long legs, but when he stays low he can really twist and attack the ball or WR. He was an option QB in high school that wasn’t heavily recruited but does bring options to the table. He has good hands and can dissect a play early on. He is smart and still learning the position and is athletic with good size. Had he stayed for his Senior season, he might’ve been a sure 1st day pick next year, but now he is going to have to wait ‘til the 2nd day rolls around. He has talent and he has strength to redirect WRs and he can run and has good quickness, but he needs reps and fundamentals.

15. DeAndre Jackson - Iowa St. - 5’11 192lbs - 4.46. 26 tackles, 3 passes defended, and 0 INTs. This 4th year Senior got hurt early in the 7th game (knee injury - Partial tear of the ACL) against Oklahoma and missed the last five games of the season. Before the injury, he was having a standout year. He is a very quick and instinctive player that had a great junior season with 55 tackles, 9 passes defended, and 5 INTs. Jackson was also an excellent kick returner, but that is also how he got hurt. If it weren’t for the injury, he’d probably be an easy first day pick. He breaks on the ball and WR very well. He isn’t afraid to hit and tackle. He is athletic with good speed and good quickness. Jackson has a good frame and good bulk. He has strength but needs more. If his spped comes back, he has a pretty good burst and explosion in close areas which allows him to make plays in man coverage. He uses his hands well and airs for the ball nicely. He has good balance and body control. He has a second gear and can make QBs look other directions. His hips are fluid and he drops his butt and turns quickly. He will take an occasional wasted step but is generally solid. He is a three year starter in the Big-12 and he has seen a lot of wars and has stood up nicely. He plays man very well and will position himself well at the break and knock down a lot of passes. He has good instincts and awareness and he doesn’t bite on a lot of fakes. However, how soon will his knee heal? Is he going to be able to play in ‘07? Before the injury, he was a very good player but he wasn’t great. He got overpowered too much by bigger WRs and he lacked great anticipation in zone. Although he is fast, he doesn’t play to his timed speed and will be beaten deep on occasion. He has good lateral movement but he takes bad angles sometimes and he isn’t great against the run, nor is he a big hitter. He is more of a drag down type tackler and he seems more interested in the WR then the offense as a whole. When he misses on a pass, he seems to lose focus and allows big plays. He also seems to have a long memory and doesn’t get over mistakes easily enough. This was a very solid 2nd or 3rd round pick before the injury, but he might not even be drafted now. I think he will be drafted, but because of his upside and pre-injury skills. If it turns out that he is likely to miss the ‘07 season, then he is likely to not be drafted.

Honorable mention:
Josh Wilson - Maryland - 5’9 190lbs - 4.37. Can be overpowered and outjumped.
A.J. Davis - N.C. State - 5’10 192lbs - 4.51. A solid cover guy without awesome tools.
Brandon McDonald - Memphis - 5’11 182lbs - 4.51. A solid but not special CB who could surprise as a bump CB. Steve McNair is his cousin.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

I would not pick Posluszny in the first round. Nonetheless, great read and thanks for all the hard work.

 

[draftfreak]

Now the DTs:

DTs - I am not including Alan Branch or Amobi Okoye. This is not a terribly deep or overly talented group this year but there are some worthy considerations and surprises. Also, I’m only including NT type DTs here. Quinn Pitcock (6’3 290lbs), Ryan McBean (6’5 283lbs), and Marcus Thomas (6’3 292lbs) are more of the smaller 3-gap DTs that are not included. This list is my personal rankings and doesn’t represent the order in which I think they’ll be drafted. I put probable draft location in each players summary.

1. Tank Tyler - NC State - 6’2 307lbs, 5.29. 49 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks in ‘06. Tank’s real name is DeMarcus, and he showed up at Wolfpack land in ‘03 as a true Freshman. He is a super run stopper with a good motor and good instincts that simply clogs up the middle of the line with good hand usage and balance and allows LBers to make plays. He is a pure NT type that won’t fit all schemes. He played on a spectacular line as a Junior with Manny Lawson and Mario Williams. Coming back for his senior season he was forced to be more active and he did just that for the most part. He isn’t a chase you down type of lineman. He is extremely stout at the point, he can redirect O-lineman, and push them back. He stays very low, generally, and can also penetrate quick gaps and attack the running game, but he is not a pass rusher or a guy that will make a lot of plays from sideline to sideline. He has awesome size and is almost immovable, but he doesn’t have terribly long arms and he lets too many players get into his chest. Also, he doesn’t have great endurance and he tends to wear down as the game goes a long. He is a perfect fit as a NT type of DT or a pure NT in a 3-4 defense, but he isn’t for everyone. His lack of pass rush skills will knock him down in the draft too because teams love to see sacks. He isn’t built to be a pass rusher and he doesn’t possess the long term quickness to get to the QB too often. Although he’ll probably get 2 or 3 sacks a season. He does have a quick first step and he uses his hands well. He can anchor his hips and bull rush effectively. He had an okay week at the senior bowl but he wasn’t special and he even looked a little out of shape. I like this guy because he simply eats up blockers and allows teammates to make plays which is what a NT should do. He isn’t selfish or annoying, plus he is generally a hard worker, but he will never be a Warren Sapp type of DT. He could go in the late 1st round because of the lack of DT depth in this draft, but I suspect he’ll go somewhere in the early to middle 2nd round. He’d be ideal for any 3-4 team or a team that needs a block eater from its interior line but with Tank, what you see is what you get.

2. Justin Harrell - Tennessee - 6’4 305lbs - 5.25. A pretty big recruit back in ‘02, Justin only had 7 tackles in ‘06, due to injuries, but had 40 tackles, 9 TFL and 3 sacks in ‘05. He is big and strong and gutsy and has shown a lot of leadership skills and tenacity. Unfortunately, he tore a biceps muscle in the second game of the ‘06 season and was forced to sit out most of the season but he is a tough as nails guy that will run through a wall for his team. Even after his injury, he postponed surgery a week so he could play against Florida. Justin has ideal size and even has room to add ten pounds or so without much loss of athleticism. He isn’t a pure pass rusher but he shows solid leverage and quickness at times. He has very long arms that he uses very well when coming off the line and he has a pretty quick first step. He needs more strength in his lower body though because when he lets a lineman into his, he can be pushed back. He shows good range and is very aware and instinctual, but despite his long arms and quickness, he isn’t a real pass rusher. He could learn to be more of a rusher than he is, but he doesn’t possess the skills to truly penetrate the gaps and get to the QB consistently. Justin Harrell has been starting at defensive tackle for Tennessee for two of the past three seasons, missing most of his senior season due to injury. He is a hard worker with a good combination of size, strength and athleticism for a defensive tackle. He penetrates the line and makes a lot of plays in the backfield in the running game. He has good athleticism for a player his size. Justin is a very good run stopper who displays good tackling technique and has solid upper body strength. Durability is going to be the biggest concern for Harrell. He had a leg injury in ‘03 and he later broke his ankle, causing him to miss the first five games of that season. Then as a senior he missed the majority of the season. If he can stay healthy, Justin has the ability to become a very good defensive tackle at the next level in the mold of Sam Adams or Kris Jenkins. I think he could drop in the draft due to his history of injuries and lack of gamefilm, but he could also be a solid late 2nd to early 3rd round pick.

3. Brandon Mebane - California - 6’1 312lbs - 5.07. 52 tackles, 10 TFL, and 4 sacks in ‘06. He is very strong in the upper body and pretty quick. He was All Conference in ‘06 and has gotten better every year by getting stronger and building his awareness. He is a more natural fit as a 2-gap DT and he can drop his butt on occasion and really anchor. He has a short, thick, and powerful frame for the position and he knows how to attack gaps and penetrate. He shows good initial quickness off the snap and has good hand usage but not overly long arms. He uses his natural leverage to disrupt the blocker and can effectively ruin the offensive play with his initial surge because he is so hard to get a hold of because he plays so low. His best attribute is his strength at the point of attack and his quick first step. He is very tough to move out of the way, even when pitted against a double team. Despite not having terribly long arms, he generally keeps blockers away from his chest. Also, he has improved his hand usage over his career, including marked improvement as a senior. His ’06 season was far and away his best, in that he was much more consistent and powerful and showed solid fundamentals. He improved as much as any DT/NT in the country as a senior and his football instincts seem to be on the rise. Brandon is capable of fighting off blocks and getting to the ball carrier with good leverage and good strength. He also shows good effort in pursuit down the line and he rarely gives up on a play. He has shown gradual improvement over his three years as the starter and still has upside. He is a high motor guy that has 15 career sacks and has the quickness to be productive as a pass rusher in the NFL. Also, his 26 career TFLs show how active he can be and alludes to his quickness and penetration skills. He has very good quickness off the snap, but otherwise shows only negligible overall athleticism and has tight hips. He lacks overall foot quickness in space and balance when moving laterally in pursuit. He is an effort guy that tries real hard and makes plays but is limited. He has been productive as a pass rusher but lacks great agility and counter moves to get free from the blocker. He can penetrate but he loses his balance too much and must show more leverage. Often, he struggles to disengage, and, until his senior season, Mebane was better at taking up blockers than actually making the play on his own. Having said that, he isn’t a pure NT that can eat blocks because he gets pushed back too much when he does that. His sacks and TFLs will get him drafted and his motor is great but he will never be Warren Sapp or John Henderson. He is quick in closed areas and he makes plays and can penetrate but he will miss plays too.

4. Clifton Ryan - Michigan St. - 6’3 314lbs - 5.09. 25 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 sacks and 5 hurries in ‘06. This 5th year Senior had a minor calf injury that limited him in ‘06. He had a great Soph season with 42 tackles and 4 sacks and then followed that up with a very good Junior campaign. When he was healthy in ‘06, he looked very good, but like most of his team, the year was one to forget. He started the season on fire and showed great quickness, penetration skills, pass rush skills, and a great low center of gravity. He simply whipped most of the guys he played against early in the season. He beat the crap out of the interior of the Notre Dame O-Line and seemed to constantly be in the Irish backfield, yet they still lost. He has good instincts and vision and unlike many of the DTs in this class, he is a pass rusher that has excellent lateral quickness and a great first step. He has a thick, wide-bodied frame and when he stays low he shows excellent strength and consistency. He was the best D-lineman at the East-West Shrine game. However, after the Notre Dame game in ‘06, he got hurt (calf) and basically missed three games and barely played in two others (five overall). He looked healed at the end of the season and he pretty much destroyed the interior of the Minnesota O-Line to cap off his career. This guy has very solid talent and drive. He has been abnormally consistent compared to his teammates and he was a bright spot for the Spartans this past season when on the field. He also has solid quickness and a good first step that allows him to use his athleticism and lateral agility to make plays. Having said that, he is a touch better against the pass than he is against the run. He misses a few tackles inside that he should make. Also, he tends to wear down late in games. Even against the Irish, he looked like a different player in that 4th quarter. He needs to build his stamina up and be more consistent. (Note: his lack of stamina wasn’t obvious in his Junior film and may be the result of injury) He doesn’t have terribly long arms and he gets stalemated at the line a little too often. Also, he has a bad habit of getting too linear when he’s tired and he gets pushed back. To be honest, he has the athletic tools to be an excellent pass rushing DT and a good run stopping D-line, but he must be more consistent and durable. Ryan can be effective as a two-gap DT but might be better suited as a three gap DT. The one major drawback I see is he lacks true explosion and works much better in small spaces. He reminds me a lot of former Spartan, Robaire Smith. He is a good football player, who can rush the passer and play either DT spot, that will likely go in the 3rd round, but he could slip to the 4th due to injury and playing for Michigan St.

5. Deljuan Robinson - Mississippi St. - 6’4 302lbs - 5.11. 34 tackles, 13 TFL, 2 sacks and 3 hurries in ‘06, while only playing 9 games. This is a high character guy with good smarts and great competitiveness. A three year starter and a 5th year Senior. He started off the ‘06 season like a man possessed but he slowed down for a few games in the middle, due to minor injuries (knee and ankle), and then stepped it up again late and was voted 2nd team All-SEC. If a scout were to watch the South Carolina or Auburn game, they would see a persistent, athletic, and penetrating DT that has strength and excellent quickness. Robinson is a high motor guy who really seems to love the game. He has the physical tools to be special, and if you watch the Auburn game, you’ll think he is a 1st round pick type of guy. He shows great vision and awareness and can really get after the RB and QB. Also, he can be a block eater, but he needs a touch more bulk and strength for that. He was often asked to allow Michael Heard or Quinton Culberson to make a lot of plays by keeping blockers off of them, and he did just that but he got beat up a little in the process. But he is a natural penetrating DT with excellent quickness. I think, at this point, that he’ll last until late in the 1st day or early in the 2nd day because of injury concerns, but this guy has extreme talent and he will be one of the steals of the draft. He is massive but he is also very athletic and flexible and he’s a hard worker. Also, he could add ten to fifteen pounds without losing any real athleticism. He started as a Defensive End and grew out of the position. His frame is very solid from top to bottom. He is also a very intelligent young man that has always scored high in academics. Teammate, Antonio Johnson, is moving up charts right now, but Robinson is actually a more instinctual player that can play all along the D-line, but Johnson is thicker and stronger at this point, and he is also athletic. Deljuan was supposed to play in the Senior Bowl but decided to let his body completely heal before the combine, which he ended up not getting invited to. He shows solid leverage coming off the line and he has a pretty quick first step. His strength is somewhat minimal and although he is okay top to bottom, he still gets pushed back a little too much. He needs a stronger base and tighter thighs. He can play anywhere along the D-Line but his natural position is probably as a 3-gap DT. Having said that, he can also play NT or even DE for a 3-4 team. He moved inside to DT as a Junior and showed steady progress. If he played somewhere besides MSU, and he hadn’t gotten hurt in ’06, he’d be a solid 1st or 2nd round pick. He was really his teams best defensive player when healthy, along with Quinton Culberson. As it is, he is still a possibility in the late 2nd, but will probably drop to the late 3rd because teams are leery of his experience, strength, and injuries. He needs to build strength and work on consistency. When he is healthy, he is a leader on the team and a playmaker as both a penetrating run stopper and as a pass rusher.

6. Antonio Johnson - Mississippi St. - 6’3 312lbs - 5.07. 22 tackles, 5 TFL, 0 Sacks in ‘06. Although he was never a star at MSU, he showed excellent athleticism and grit as a senior. He was part of a rotation along the D-Line and wasn’t asked to play down in and down out. He will probably be drafted higher than teammate, Deljaun Robinson, but he wasn’t as solid in the college ranks. Johnson is a Juco transfer who showed up in Starkville in ‘05. He only had 15 total tackles in ‘05 and had only 37 for his career at MSU. Needless to say, he wasn’t as productive as was hoped. The thing everyone loves about Johnson is his athleticism (some say he’s been timed as fast as 4.88 in the 40 at his current weight). He can dunk a basketball and he is very quick off the ball; in fact, his initial move is so quick it often disrupts and surprises O-Lineman. In addition to his quick feet, he has quick hands and is very strong at the point. He is built like a perfect NT and he has a simply great bull rush where he drives opponents straight back, but he also shows the ability to take on blockers so his teammates can make plays. He was invited to play at the Senior Bowl and he took full advantage. Prior to his week in Mobile, he was a 5th or 6th round prospect, but he used that week to propel himself into the first day of the draft. He simply has every tool in the DT arsenal and has good pass rush skills to go along with his great athleticism. He had no sacks in ‘06 but he showed the skills needed to make those type of plays, plus he has very long arms. In Mobile he was constantly putting pressure on opposing QBs. He showed at the Senior Bowl that he can play in any type of defense. At State, he was simply asked to eat up blocks, and that shows in his amount of tackles. Some say his coaching was lacking ‘til his Senior season and that delayed his progress. In ‘06 he was finally allowed to step into the spotlight and at times, he shined. there isn’t another DT in this class (except Okoye) who can drop his butt and drive into lineman with so much leverage and strength. He has a low base and it is very hard to get underneath him, plus he’s a natural athlete that simply knows how to play the position, instinctually. He needs a lot of coaching on the fundamentals, but he has the tools to be one of the better DTs in the league if he gets good coaching. He should be much more active than he has been. His long arms, his athleticism, his awesome natural strength, and his wide frame are going to push him pretty high in the draft. I would be surprised to see him not picked in the 2nd round.

7. Kareem Brown - Miami - 6’4 297lbs - 5.06. 38 tackles, 14 TFL, 11 sacks in ‘06. Kareem is a 5th year Senior who didn’t play his Senior year in high school because he was too old (he is 24 years old now). He was a 1st team All-American after his Junior season in high school when he had over 100 tackles and 17 sacks. As for his career at the U, the final three games of his college career were his three best, especially against UVA, where he was a one man wrecking machine. In that one game, showed great quickness, penetration skills, hand usage, and awareness. Unfortunately, he didn’t always play like that. He was much more consistent in ‘05 when he was part of a DT rotation but he showed more explosion, at least at times, in ‘06. If you watch the FSU game, you’d not even think of drafting him, but in other games he was a monster. Against FSU, he looked lost, confused, disinterested, and not overly talented. He stood straight up at the snap and allowed O-Lineman to get into his chest. He loses his balance too much and he doesn’t always appear that quick. My biggest problem is that when he takes plays off, he completely disappears. In the UVA game, as well as a couple others, he showed great quickness, excellent hand use, a quick and powerful first step, and he showed he could penetrate and be an effective pass rusher. In those few games, I saw great instincts. He also played much lower and with more power. At the Senior Bowl, he continued to impress by staying low and giving great effort. He showed that he could be a NT type or a 3-gap DT. As evidenced by his 11 sacks, he can and will get to the QB when he plays with effort and desire and stays low. He has very good athleticism, although it doesn’t always show, and he drops his butt and can really show great power at times. However, he gets too high coming off the line far too much. He scares me because I’m afraid that he’ll get that pay check and stop working and trying. I’m not sure how important football is to him. Having said that, if he is there at the beginning of the 3rd round, he’d be hard to pass up. He can be an instant contributor if he gets with the right coach. He has ideal size and awesome skills but he needs a lot more consistency; however, if the light comes on for him, he could be very special. Because of his talent, and the way he played in certain games, I would be very surprised to see him last past the middle of the 3rd round.

 

[draftfreak]

The rest of the DTs:

8. Louis Leonard - Fresno St. - 6’3 319lbs - 5.26. 26 tackles, 9 TFL, 4 sacks in '06. 26 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks in 2005. He was Redshirted in ‘02 and has been a consistent contributor ever since. Louis is a very consistent and stout NT type that eats up blocks and allows LBers to make plays. He is huge and strong and he shows a good knack of penetrating and disrupting the oppositions running game. He is not the next coming of Warren Sapp, but what you see is what you get. He is strong, disruptive and he rarely takes a play off. Leonard is a big, thick-bodied D-Lineman who can occupy blockers in a two-gap scheme. He is very football smart and he never seems to make the same mistake twice. As a Senior, he was coming off of the ball quicker, lower, and harder than he had before. He is an okay athlete but not special. He lacks great initial quickness but is super strong and stout at the point. He lacks great lateral movement and is not a chase you down type of guy. he is a space eater that will occupy blocks and push the line back. When he gets tired, he looks stiff and has a hard time keeping his pads down. He gets caught up in leg traffic too much and I’ve seen him on the ground more than I’d like. However, he is a top competitor that can literally stalemate a running game by clogging up lanes with his strength. If he can build up his endurance, and can learn to stay low and build up his quickness, he has the power and desire to be a very good NT. At the very least he should be part of an interior line rotation where he can spell starters until he gets the basics of being an NFL DT down. He is obviously best suited as a two-gap DT where he is asked to eat up blocks and crush the pocket–that is what he was made to do. With his size and long arms, he can be an effective to very good player that could be taken as high as the 3rd round if a team falls for his space eating ability. As a pure run stopper, he is one of the best in the draft. He shows good instincts and awareness and he doesn’t seem to be a selfish type of player. I expect him to go in the 4th or 5th rounds but he could move up with good workout numbers. He is a hard worker who has improved every year and still hasn’t reached his peak.

9. Paul Soliai - Utah - 6’4 339lbs, 5.12. 36 tackles, 4 TFL, and 2 sacks in ‘06. Paul is a JUCO transfer from Coffeyville CC and has been at Utah for three years. As a Junior in ‘05, he was a part of the D-line rotation but was limited to just 5 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. He redshirted in ‘04 after having been an O-lineman in the JUCO ranks. He was suspended for his final college game because of breaking a team rule the night before the bowl game. He made his Senior season by far his best and he showed a skill set that has potential and can be impressive, in that he can eat up blocks, squat down, keep a low base, and attack forward with good power and solid strength. His size alone makes him worthy of consideration, but he is also athletic with fairly quick feet and a growing instinctual base for the defensive side of the ball. He is still learning the position and is becoming more effective and powerful as he grows. Paul is a top competitor who will play his butt off and hustle to the ball carrier. He is beginning to show solid leverage and he is starting to use his mammoth size to his advantage. He isn’t fat, by any means, and he has decent athletic ability and solid muscle definition. He shows okay explosion with his first step and when he stays low, he can be very disruptive. He is a naturally big man who stays healthy and durable and doesn’t wear down as often as many big men do. He plays well, with strength and effort, in the 4th quarter of games too. He is a pure NT that really has no place in a 3-gap position, but he can simply drop his butt, extend his arms, and eat up blocks. He isn’t a penetrating type of DT that will get a lot of sacks. He isn’t super quick and he will not chase many people down, but in confined spaces, he is a lot like a wall that is very hard to move when he plays low. He even has room to get bigger. He could probably hold 350lbs and still play quite effectively. He is just a big guy. However, he is not quick or overly explosive and he isn’t a pass rusher. He is still learning the position and he looks awkward at times because he is still questioning his responsibilities. He gets too upright at times and loses most of his power and strength in the process, especially when playing the pass. He can be effective at crushing a pocket if he can stay low. He needs to use his hands better and learn to use more balance and leverage play in and play out. He has good skills and is a solid enough player, but he let his team down in the Bowl game and he is still a work in progress, plus he is only a NT type that won’t fit some schemes. He is solid and not fat and his thighs are huge and muscular, and he has tools. I could see him going in the 4th round if a team really needs a NT and really likes him, but due to inexperience, he’ll likely drop to the 5th or 6th rounds.

10. Jeremy Clark - Alabama - 6’2 312lbs - 5.05. 24 tackles, 1 TFL, 0 sacks in ‘06. This guy has too much talent to have done as little as he did in college. A 5th year Senior who was pretty highly recruited coming out of the Prep ranks. He is a very active player that makes quick penetration and attack moves, but he seems to miss the tackle or play far too often. It’s not a lack of effort or athleticism, so it must be a lack of instincts. I’ve watched every game of his Senior season and he always seems to be on the verge of making a play or right next to the play but he isn’t in on the tackle near enough. He may be the biggest enigma of the draft. It must be stated that he played every game in ‘06 with a nagging ankle injury, yet he played. In terms of talent, he should be an easy first day pick, but in terms of production he falls to the latter half of the 2nd day. He has excellent size and speed and he shows a very quick initial burst. He is often able to quickly penetrate and put himself in good position. He has the size and athleticism that the NFL covets. Jeremy has long arms and very good upper body strength and pretty good foot quickness. He runs well for a DT and look to fit in either as a two-gap or a three-gap DT. He shows flashes of pass rush ability and sometimes strikes out with his hands beautifully. However, he tends to play a little high after his first couple of steps and he loses his balance too easily at the point. He lacks great lateral movement and has trouble adjusting to quick players in space (however the ankle injury might come into effect here). He shows good strength most of the time but he also gets pushed back or driven out of the play too often. He must learn to use his hands better and allow his strength to become a bigger factor in his game. He went to the East-West Shrine game and had an excellent week of practice and played well in the game. His workout numbers will likely be very good and that could get him drafted higher than his production would dictate. He has started for four years in the SEC and he has been durable and he rarely looks tired but I’d like to see him stick his nose in there more. His best season was his sophomore season in terms of consistency. If he gets his fundamentals down and gets in the right scheme where he can become a space eater that’s allowed to crush a pocket, he could become highly successful. He has talent and athleticism and skills, but he needs to put it all together.

 

[draftfreak]

I am in the process of finishing the WR evaluations, then the TEs.

I like to mix 'em up some.

 

[tmorrison]

Needed to take a quick break from the reading and give a HUGE thanks to the "official" draft freak, draftfreak! Keep it up man, love reading your post.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Five star post.

I've been a pretty big fan of Earl Everett after seeing him play a few times last year.

 

[BSC504]

Thanks for the valuable insight Draftfreak!!

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

Thank you for this! Any way we can sticky this post for reading during the draft?

Watch out Mr. Detillier...

 

[sycamoresaint]

thanks for all the hard work. very enlightening