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Draft position preview: Offensive line
[SIZE=-1]12:52 AM CDT on Friday, April 20, 2007[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]rgosselin@***BANNED-URL*** [/SIZE]
Quick take: You have to go back to 2002 to find the last draft more than four offensive linemen were selected in the first round. There were five that year. This year there are six with first-round grades.
Rk., Player School Ht. Wt.
1. x-T Joe Thomas Wisconsin 6-6 ½ 311 NOTEWORTHY: Outland Trophy winner
2. x-T Levi Brown Penn St 6-5 ½ 323 NOTEWORTHY: 4-year starter
3. x-T Joe Staley Cent Mich 6-5 ½ 306 NOTEWORTHY: Allowed 1 sack last two years
4. x-G Ben Grubbs Auburn 6-2 ½ 311 NOTEWORTHY: Converted tight end
5. x-C Ryan Kalil Southern Cal 6-2 ½ 299 NOTEWORTHY: Two time All-Pac 10
6. x-G Arron Sears Tennessee 6-3 319 NOTEWORTHY: Two-time All-SEC
7. T Tony Ugoh Arkansas 6-5 301 NOTEWORTHY: Holds school shot put record
8. G Justin Blalock Texas 6-3 320 NOTEWORTHY: Three-time All-Big 12
9. T Ryan Harris Notre Dame 6-4 ½ 305 NOTEWORTHY: 4-year starter
10. G Andy Alleman Akron 6-4 305 NOTEWORTHY: Transferred from Pitt
11. T Doug Free Northern Ill 6-6 324 NOTEWORTHY: Academic All-MAC
12. C Leroy Harris NC St 6-2 ½ 302 NOTEWORTHY: Captain and team MVP
13. T Jermon Bushrod Towson St 6-4 ½ 315 NOTEWORTHY: 4.92 speed in the 40
14. T James Marten Boston Coll 6-7 ½ 309 NOTEWORTHY: Started at guard and tackle
15. G Allen Barbre Missouri So 6-4 300 NOTEWORTHY: 4.84 speed in the 40 x – Potential first-round picks
Spotlight on: Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Joe Thomas considered entering the NFL draft in 2006. He was an All-Big Ten offensive tackle as a junior with the measurables - 6-5, 310 pounds - to become a first-round pick.
Thomas was putting off his decision until after the season but never got the chance to declare. He tore up his knee in his final game of 2005, the Capital One Bowl against Auburn. So the NFL was out. He wasn't even sure he'd be playing football in 2006 for Wisconsin.
"The worst-case scenario kept going through my mind," Thomas said. "It's a tough process until you go through it and find out how good they are fixing (knees) these days."
Ironically, Thomas injured his knee playing on defense, which shows what kind of team player he is. Thomas started a game at defensive end as a freshman and when the Badgers suffered a couple injuries in the bowl game against Auburn, Thomas volunteered to switch sides.
"I raised my hand and said I'd like to help the team win," Thomas said. "We won, so who cares about the injury?"
Thomas rehabilitated his knee over the spring and summer and came back better than ever. He earned All-America honors and became the third Big Ten blocker in the last four years to win the Outland Trophy, joining Iowa's Robert Gallery in 2003 and Minnesota center Greg Eslinger in 2005.
Now Thomas is the top lineman on the 2007 NFL draft board.
The best
Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
No lineman in this draft combines the academic and athletic excellence that Joe Thomas does. He was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy (academic, athletic and community service) and the Draddy Award (academic Heisman). On the field, he won the Outland Trophy as the best down lineman in college football and the Parker Award as the best blocker.
Sleeper
Drew Mormino, C, Central Michigan
NFL scouts trooped to Mount Pleasant, Mich., this fall to see tackle Joe Staley, who projects as a first-round pick. A bonus in that campus visit was the chance to evaluate Mormino, a four-year starter for the Chippewas. He'll probably be a late-round pick on a thin center draft board.
Best of Texas
1. Tony Ugoh, OT, Arkansas
The Houston native has the football ability and strength to play in the NFL. He started three years at left tackle. In the spring, he competed for the Arkansas track team and set a school record for the shot put in 2005.
Draft projection: First 2 rounds.
2. Justin Blalock, G, Texas
Draft projection: Second round
3. Manuel Ramirez, G, Texas Tech
Draft projection: Second day
Notable
• No. 2: Levi Brown was the second-best offensive lineman in the Big Ten and the second-best offensive linemen on this draft board. He's No. 2 in both cases to Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas. Maybe it should be 1a and 1b. Brown doesn't see much difference between himself and Thomas. "I'm a great athlete and love to play the game," said Brown, a four-year starter at Penn State. "I have the ability to dominate anybody. Whether or not I'm taken No. 1, I plan on making it to a lot of Pro Bowls in my career."
• All in the family: Texas guard Kasey Studdard is the son of former Longhorn Dave Studdard, who played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. "I've aspired to be a football player forever," Studdard said. "My dad played, and I always wanted to play – high school, college and now pro. I just want to play. Hopefully it will come true." Also, Southern Cal center Ryan Kalil is the son of Frank Kalil, who was Jim Kelly's USFL center with the Houston Gamblers; Virginia Tech tackle Brandon Frye is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Stan Rome; and Ohio State guard T.J. Downing is the son of Walt Downing, who played in the 1982 Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.
• A choice of two: Oklahoma State tackle Corey Hilliard has a short list of teams he wants to play for – or, rather, whom his mother wants him to play for. "My mom's in love with Lovie Smith," Hilliard said. "She loves that he's a man of faith and a well-spoken guy. She wants me either to go to the Bears or the Colts because of him and Tony Dungy."
• Talented fronts: Notre Dame and Texas have two offensive linemen apiece on this draft board. So does St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham High School – tackle Ryan Harris of Notre Dame and center Scott Stephenson of Iowa State. "It's truly amazing – phenomenal – when you consider the success of the program our coaches put together," Harris said. "A lot of good players have come out of our high school." Start with American League batting champion Joe Mauer, also Pro Bowl center Matt Birk of the Vikings and NFL quarterbacks Steve Walsh and Chris Weinke.
• Score one for the underdog: West Virginia's Dan Mozes won the Rimington Award as the top center in college football last fall. "This represents the little people," said Mozes of his award. "Coming out of high school not many people recruited me. Entering the NFL, probably not many people will take a look at me because of my size [6-2 ½, 293]. That's fine. I found a home at West Virginia, and hopefully I'll find one in the NFL as well."
• Setting one's priorities: Elliot Vallejo went to UCLA to play football and get a degree in engineering – but not necessarily in that order. So he transferred to Cal-Davis. "I always wanted to be an engineer," Vallejo said. "But [at UCLA] I wasn't taking any engineering classes. It came down to taking a class where I had to miss 10 minutes of a [football] meeting, a class that was only offered once a year. They wouldn't let me take the class. That's when I knew it wasn't going to happen. So I made the choice to leave." Vallejo started three years at Davis and captured All-Great West honors as a blocker – and still wound up on NFL draft boards.
• Smart guys: The NFL looks for intelligence in offensive linemen because with all the stunts executed on defensive fronts, blockers must play with their heads as well as their bodies. A couple of blockers jump out on this draft board - tackle Andrew Carnahan of Arizona State, guard Mike Elgin of Purdue and center Dan Mozes of West Virginia. Carnahan (of Hereford, Texas) was a four-time academic All-Pac 10, Elgin a three-time academic All-Big Ten and Mozes a three-time academic All-Big East.
• Bulking up: Joe Staley was a tight end in football and a sprinter on his prep track team, setting a school record in the 200 meters. Five years later, he's on NFL draft boards as a 306-pound offensive tackle. High on that draft board, in fact. Staley arrived at Central Michigan at 230 pounds to play tight end. But his coaches moved him to tackle as a sophomore and he bulked up to 260. "I thought I was a good size for a tight end," Staley said, "but the new coaching staff told me I was going to be a light tackle." For a while, anyway. He played at 285 pounds as a junior, 295 as a senior and plans to play in the NFL at 305. "It worked out for me," he said.
• Changing sides: The two top offensive tackles on the draft board, Joe Thomas and Levi Brown, both were recruited as defensive linemen. Brown didn't put up a fight when it came time to move in his redshirt freshman season. "Coach came to me - a short guy, older guy, I'm sure you know him (Joe Paterno) - and told me I was going to offense," Brown said. "It was the right move for me." All-Big Ten center Doug Datish also began his career on defense. "When I got on campus they said, 'You're not playing defense any more - you're playing offense,'" Datish recalled. "Once I saw those guys play defense, I knew I had no shot over there. I got four tackles in my career...on interceptions. At least I got into the stat book."
• On the mat: Centers Dustin Fry of Clemson and LeRoy Harris won state wrestling championships in high school, Fry in South Carolina and Harris in North Carolina. Also, Wake Forest tackle Steve Vallos set records at his high school for pins (24) and victories (58) and finished as the state (Ohio) runner-up in 2002.
[SIZE=-1]12:52 AM CDT on Friday, April 20, 2007[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]rgosselin@***BANNED-URL*** [/SIZE]
Quick take: You have to go back to 2002 to find the last draft more than four offensive linemen were selected in the first round. There were five that year. This year there are six with first-round grades.
Rk., Player School Ht. Wt.
1. x-T Joe Thomas Wisconsin 6-6 ½ 311 NOTEWORTHY: Outland Trophy winner
2. x-T Levi Brown Penn St 6-5 ½ 323 NOTEWORTHY: 4-year starter
3. x-T Joe Staley Cent Mich 6-5 ½ 306 NOTEWORTHY: Allowed 1 sack last two years
4. x-G Ben Grubbs Auburn 6-2 ½ 311 NOTEWORTHY: Converted tight end
5. x-C Ryan Kalil Southern Cal 6-2 ½ 299 NOTEWORTHY: Two time All-Pac 10
6. x-G Arron Sears Tennessee 6-3 319 NOTEWORTHY: Two-time All-SEC
7. T Tony Ugoh Arkansas 6-5 301 NOTEWORTHY: Holds school shot put record
8. G Justin Blalock Texas 6-3 320 NOTEWORTHY: Three-time All-Big 12
9. T Ryan Harris Notre Dame 6-4 ½ 305 NOTEWORTHY: 4-year starter
10. G Andy Alleman Akron 6-4 305 NOTEWORTHY: Transferred from Pitt
11. T Doug Free Northern Ill 6-6 324 NOTEWORTHY: Academic All-MAC
12. C Leroy Harris NC St 6-2 ½ 302 NOTEWORTHY: Captain and team MVP
13. T Jermon Bushrod Towson St 6-4 ½ 315 NOTEWORTHY: 4.92 speed in the 40
14. T James Marten Boston Coll 6-7 ½ 309 NOTEWORTHY: Started at guard and tackle
15. G Allen Barbre Missouri So 6-4 300 NOTEWORTHY: 4.84 speed in the 40 x – Potential first-round picks
Spotlight on: Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Joe Thomas considered entering the NFL draft in 2006. He was an All-Big Ten offensive tackle as a junior with the measurables - 6-5, 310 pounds - to become a first-round pick.
Thomas was putting off his decision until after the season but never got the chance to declare. He tore up his knee in his final game of 2005, the Capital One Bowl against Auburn. So the NFL was out. He wasn't even sure he'd be playing football in 2006 for Wisconsin.
"The worst-case scenario kept going through my mind," Thomas said. "It's a tough process until you go through it and find out how good they are fixing (knees) these days."
Ironically, Thomas injured his knee playing on defense, which shows what kind of team player he is. Thomas started a game at defensive end as a freshman and when the Badgers suffered a couple injuries in the bowl game against Auburn, Thomas volunteered to switch sides.
"I raised my hand and said I'd like to help the team win," Thomas said. "We won, so who cares about the injury?"
Thomas rehabilitated his knee over the spring and summer and came back better than ever. He earned All-America honors and became the third Big Ten blocker in the last four years to win the Outland Trophy, joining Iowa's Robert Gallery in 2003 and Minnesota center Greg Eslinger in 2005.
Now Thomas is the top lineman on the 2007 NFL draft board.
The best
Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
No lineman in this draft combines the academic and athletic excellence that Joe Thomas does. He was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy (academic, athletic and community service) and the Draddy Award (academic Heisman). On the field, he won the Outland Trophy as the best down lineman in college football and the Parker Award as the best blocker.
Sleeper
Drew Mormino, C, Central Michigan
NFL scouts trooped to Mount Pleasant, Mich., this fall to see tackle Joe Staley, who projects as a first-round pick. A bonus in that campus visit was the chance to evaluate Mormino, a four-year starter for the Chippewas. He'll probably be a late-round pick on a thin center draft board.
Best of Texas
1. Tony Ugoh, OT, Arkansas
The Houston native has the football ability and strength to play in the NFL. He started three years at left tackle. In the spring, he competed for the Arkansas track team and set a school record for the shot put in 2005.
Draft projection: First 2 rounds.
2. Justin Blalock, G, Texas
Draft projection: Second round
3. Manuel Ramirez, G, Texas Tech
Draft projection: Second day
Notable
• No. 2: Levi Brown was the second-best offensive lineman in the Big Ten and the second-best offensive linemen on this draft board. He's No. 2 in both cases to Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas. Maybe it should be 1a and 1b. Brown doesn't see much difference between himself and Thomas. "I'm a great athlete and love to play the game," said Brown, a four-year starter at Penn State. "I have the ability to dominate anybody. Whether or not I'm taken No. 1, I plan on making it to a lot of Pro Bowls in my career."
• All in the family: Texas guard Kasey Studdard is the son of former Longhorn Dave Studdard, who played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. "I've aspired to be a football player forever," Studdard said. "My dad played, and I always wanted to play – high school, college and now pro. I just want to play. Hopefully it will come true." Also, Southern Cal center Ryan Kalil is the son of Frank Kalil, who was Jim Kelly's USFL center with the Houston Gamblers; Virginia Tech tackle Brandon Frye is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Stan Rome; and Ohio State guard T.J. Downing is the son of Walt Downing, who played in the 1982 Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.
• A choice of two: Oklahoma State tackle Corey Hilliard has a short list of teams he wants to play for – or, rather, whom his mother wants him to play for. "My mom's in love with Lovie Smith," Hilliard said. "She loves that he's a man of faith and a well-spoken guy. She wants me either to go to the Bears or the Colts because of him and Tony Dungy."
• Talented fronts: Notre Dame and Texas have two offensive linemen apiece on this draft board. So does St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham High School – tackle Ryan Harris of Notre Dame and center Scott Stephenson of Iowa State. "It's truly amazing – phenomenal – when you consider the success of the program our coaches put together," Harris said. "A lot of good players have come out of our high school." Start with American League batting champion Joe Mauer, also Pro Bowl center Matt Birk of the Vikings and NFL quarterbacks Steve Walsh and Chris Weinke.
• Score one for the underdog: West Virginia's Dan Mozes won the Rimington Award as the top center in college football last fall. "This represents the little people," said Mozes of his award. "Coming out of high school not many people recruited me. Entering the NFL, probably not many people will take a look at me because of my size [6-2 ½, 293]. That's fine. I found a home at West Virginia, and hopefully I'll find one in the NFL as well."
• Setting one's priorities: Elliot Vallejo went to UCLA to play football and get a degree in engineering – but not necessarily in that order. So he transferred to Cal-Davis. "I always wanted to be an engineer," Vallejo said. "But [at UCLA] I wasn't taking any engineering classes. It came down to taking a class where I had to miss 10 minutes of a [football] meeting, a class that was only offered once a year. They wouldn't let me take the class. That's when I knew it wasn't going to happen. So I made the choice to leave." Vallejo started three years at Davis and captured All-Great West honors as a blocker – and still wound up on NFL draft boards.
• Smart guys: The NFL looks for intelligence in offensive linemen because with all the stunts executed on defensive fronts, blockers must play with their heads as well as their bodies. A couple of blockers jump out on this draft board - tackle Andrew Carnahan of Arizona State, guard Mike Elgin of Purdue and center Dan Mozes of West Virginia. Carnahan (of Hereford, Texas) was a four-time academic All-Pac 10, Elgin a three-time academic All-Big Ten and Mozes a three-time academic All-Big East.
• Bulking up: Joe Staley was a tight end in football and a sprinter on his prep track team, setting a school record in the 200 meters. Five years later, he's on NFL draft boards as a 306-pound offensive tackle. High on that draft board, in fact. Staley arrived at Central Michigan at 230 pounds to play tight end. But his coaches moved him to tackle as a sophomore and he bulked up to 260. "I thought I was a good size for a tight end," Staley said, "but the new coaching staff told me I was going to be a light tackle." For a while, anyway. He played at 285 pounds as a junior, 295 as a senior and plans to play in the NFL at 305. "It worked out for me," he said.
• Changing sides: The two top offensive tackles on the draft board, Joe Thomas and Levi Brown, both were recruited as defensive linemen. Brown didn't put up a fight when it came time to move in his redshirt freshman season. "Coach came to me - a short guy, older guy, I'm sure you know him (Joe Paterno) - and told me I was going to offense," Brown said. "It was the right move for me." All-Big Ten center Doug Datish also began his career on defense. "When I got on campus they said, 'You're not playing defense any more - you're playing offense,'" Datish recalled. "Once I saw those guys play defense, I knew I had no shot over there. I got four tackles in my career...on interceptions. At least I got into the stat book."
• On the mat: Centers Dustin Fry of Clemson and LeRoy Harris won state wrestling championships in high school, Fry in South Carolina and Harris in North Carolina. Also, Wake Forest tackle Steve Vallos set records at his high school for pins (24) and victories (58) and finished as the state (Ohio) runner-up in 2002.
