Todd McShay: (1:34 PM ET ) Thanks for the questions. Busy week at the Senior Bowl kicking off. Heights and weights this morning, with practice later.
Nathan, Illinois: I've watched Garrett Wolfe at NIU for the last three years, and he has been an absolute stud despite his tinyness. What team should pick him up in the draft?
Todd McShay: (1:36 PM ET ) He was tremendous at NIU and I think he has a place in the NFL. But his size is going to kill him. He checked in at 5-7 and 180. In my opinion he's Darren Sprolles without the kick return experience. He's going to have to show everyone that he can return kicks. Ultimately I think he gets drafted in the fourth round.
Grayson (Tampa, Fl): Can Chansi Stuckeys speed over come his height?
Todd McShay: (1:37 PM ET ) Yeah, I think Chansi Stuckey is one of the more underrated prospects in this year's class. I think because of that speed and his ability to separate and as a route runner will allow him to make it as a No. 2 or 3 reciever at the next level. He is only 5-10 and 193 pounds, but he's got very good hands and he was extremely productive in his last two seasons at Clemson.
Todd McShay: (1:37 PM ET ) It wouldn't surprise me at all if he was drafted by the end of the first day.
Edward (Omaha,NE): Zac Taylor has great accuracy but do you think he has the arm strength and vision to make it on a NFL roster??
Todd McShay: (1:39 PM ET ) I think arm strength first of all is overrated when evaluating a QB. But I do think Taylor will struggle to make an NFL team. He put up very good numbers, and he did it in a system similar to the West Coast schemes seen in the NFL. But he's 6-1, 210 and not mobile at all. Throw that in with some of his inconsistency as a passer and his lack of arm strength and I think there are too many negatives with Zac Taylor to make it into the late round.
Aron (Youngstown, OH): Whoat player has been generating the biggest buzz so far?
Todd McShay: (1:40 PM ET ) I'd say the biggest buzz so far today with very little going on is the fact that Troy Smith checked in at 6-feet tall. The big knock on him was that he was barely 5-11 and very few QBs in the NFL have been successful shorter than 6 feet. I know it's nitpicking, but the fact that he was 6 feet tall was a big boost in his draft stock.
Todd McShay: (1:41 PM ET ) The only other thing I'd say is that Joe Thomas, the OT from Wisconsin, initially said he would be here for the Senior Bowl process, but elected not to participate. That may have frustrated some scouts, but makes sense for him, because he's the only premiere offensive lineman in this year's draft.
Chris ( Scottsdale, AZ): Hey Todd, any surprosing height/weights from today...any 6'4's really 6'1?
Todd McShay: (1:43 PM ET ) Jonathan Wade, CB from Tennessee said he was 6 feet and checked in at 5-9. Brandon Merriweather, safety from Miami, was listed at 6 feet, but was only 5-10. Perhaps the biggest discrepancy was Amobi Okoye, a DT from Louisville, who is considered to be a mid-first round prospect, but checked in at only 287 pounds, despite being labeled on the roster as 300-plus.
Max (Spokane, WA): Todd, where do you think Chris Leak will go and what do you believe his future in the pros will be?
Todd McShay: (1:45 PM ET ) I think Chris Leak will wind up going in the early to middle stages of the second day. Despite finishing his career extremely strong, he's an undersized QB who actually checked in shorter than Troy Smith at 5-11 1/2. He doesn't throw the deep ball well and while he has decent mobility, he doesn't like to run either. Unfortunately, I think he might have a better future on the smaller field in Arena Football, which I'm sure he does not want to hear.
Phil (Cleveland): Who are you looking forward to seeing the most in practice?
Todd McShay: (1:47 PM ET ) That's a good question, Phil. There are a few guys. One, Troy Smith to see how he bounces back from the poor performance in the BCS title game. The second is Lorenzo Booker, the RB from Florida State to see how well he handles his role as a return man, scat back and slot receiver during this week's practice. The third guy is Eric Weddle, who played defensive back and just about every other position while at Utah. Finally, I want to see Joe Stalley, OT from Central Michigan to see if he can hold his own in one-on-one drills against some of the big boy defensive ends like Abiamari from Notre Dame and LaMarr Woodley from Michigan.
Ric (NYC): Todd, who stands out among the cornerbacks there?
Todd McShay: (1:49 PM ET ) I think Michigan's Leon Hall is the most complete cover corner. The player with the most to gain is Fresno State's Marcus McCauley. He cashed it in as a senior when their season went down the tubes, but he may be the most gifted corner in this draft. He's 6-1, 200 pounds with 4.4 speed in the 40. If he has a big week here, he could emerge as a mid first round pick.
Willie (Portland, OR): How has Joe Newton from Oregon St. been doing? Good hands, good size, where's he going in the draft?
Todd McShay: (1:50 PM ET ) Willie outside of seeing Joe in his underwear getting his height and weight checked today, I really can't comment on how he's doing. But he was one of the biggest tight ends here at 6-7, 257. In a weak class of tight ends, Newton could work his way into the bottom of the first day with a great week here.
Roger (Boston): How did Lamar Woodley measure up? I think he might be too small to play DE but I wonder if he's mobile enought to play OLB in a 3-4 alignment.
Todd McShay: (1:51 PM ET ) You're looking for a 3-4 OLB for the Pats, eh Roger? That's a good assessment though. He checked in just over 6-1 and weighed 269. I think you're exactly right. His best fit will be a rush LB in a 3-4 defensive scheme. The good news is that he has experience playing that position from his days at Michigan.
Steve (Hoboken, NJ): Todd- What's your early impression of Posluszny? Can he get himself back into 1st round consideration?
Todd McShay: (1:53 PM ET ) He's right on the fringe. He looks to be in very good shape. He showed up a little bit thicker than I expected at 6-1 1/2, 237 pounds. I think more importantly than this week at the Senior Bowl will be next month at the Combine, because that's where Posluszny needs to check out physically when they take him to the hospital and go through all the medical exams, specifically on his knee. When it's all said and done, I think he'll end up as one of the final 5-7 picks of the first round.
Michael (Tallahassee): Do you think that the recent success of smaller running backs (Bush, Jones-Drew, etc) will help running backs like Booker and Wolfe?
Todd McShay: (1:55 PM ET ) Absolutely. The trend has been there for a few years now. Warrick Dunn in Atlanta. Williams in Tampa Bay. And recently retired Tiki Barber of the Giants. I think size is becoming less and less of an importance of evaluating a running back, while elusiveness and versatility are two characteristics that NFL teams can't get enough of. That doesn't mean that pint size guys like Wolfe can overcome their lack of size, but it does give hope to backs like Booker of Florida State and Kenny Irons of Auburn.
Billy (Baton Rouge): Do you see two LSU players, in JaMarcus Russell and LaRon Landry both going in the top 10?
Todd McShay: (1:57 PM ET ) It's a strong possibility. I'd be shocked if Russell fell out of the top 10 and while it's still early, I've got to believe that Russell has a good chance to be one of the top 2 picks to either the Raiders at 1 or the Lions at 2. Landry is right on the fringe of the top 10 and I think his best shot will be Atlanta with the No. 10 overall pick.
Aaron (Chesapeake, VA): What about Marcus Thomas do you see him get drafted after only playing for half of the year?
Todd McShay: (1:58 PM ET ) I do. I think a team will take a chance on him early in the second day, despite all of his baggage. He obviously has generated massive concerns regarding his character with multiple failed drug tests during his days at Florida. But he would have been a first round pick had he kept his nose clean off the field. Because he is that good of a talent, I think a team will gamble on his upside with a fourth or fifth round pick.
Bill (Philly): Todd, who are the RBs there that have impressed you the most? which ones are the big bruising backs that run inside?
Todd McShay: (2:00 PM ET ) The most intriguing RB to me is Kenny Irons. He did not finish his career well at Auburn because of nagging injuries as a senior, but he's the most talented back here. He checked in at 5-11, 198. So, on top of the durability issues, there are now legitimate concerns about his potential to carry a heavy load at the next level.
Todd McShay: (2:01 PM ET ) On the North roster, Penn State's Tony Hunt was one of the few backs in this year's class that was able to stay healthy and have a productive year and he looked absolutely ripped in the weigh-in today. He's never been an explosive back, but I'll be interested to see if he's lost any of the quickness he did have now that he's 6-2, 239.
Nate (Madison): Where do you see Ted Ginn Jr falling? Could he slip to the Packers at number 16?
Todd McShay: (2:02 PM ET ) I don't think his injury in the BCS game will effect his draft status at all. It was basically just a sprained ankle. I think he's one of the scariest first round prospects in this draft, because he has a lot to learn as a route runner and as an overall receiver. But because he has world class speed and can be a threat after the catch on offense and in the return game, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he's off the board within the top 10 picks.
Travis (Texas): Todd, what kind of impact does Smardzija leaving for the MLB take on the other receivers (Ginn,Jarrett,Gonzalez)??
Todd McShay: (2:04 PM ET ) I really don't think it's going to have a huge impact on this year's class. Simply because so many talented juniors elected to come out early. Samardzija was a fringe first round prospect even without all those juniors and I think once they all declared there was a good chance he'd dip to the second round. In my opinion we could see as many as six receivers taken in Round 1, five of which are juniors.
Todd McShay: (2:05 PM ET ) (Calvin Johnaon, Ted Ginn, Jr., Dwayne Jarrett, Robert Meacham, Sidney Rice are the underclassmen, joined by senior Dwayne Bowe.)
Joe (Ames, IA): What are the chances that Darius Walker will get drafted? Does he have an NFL future in your opinion?
Todd McShay: (2:06 PM ET ) If it's not running back, then he's not playing in the NFL. I think he'll wind up going in the third round. Outside of Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, this is not a very strong RB class. I think that's why some of the juniors like Walker, Ohio State's Antonio Pittman and Nebraska's Jackson elected to leave school early, because it increased their chances of being selected on the first day.
Joe Lititz, PA: Who do you think the Bengals go with their first and second round picks?
Todd McShay: (2:09 PM ET ) First off, hopefully some high characters to off set the rest of their jailbreak roster. In all seriousness, they need defensive help. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they spent two or possibly all three of their first day picks on the defensive side of the ball. They own the 18th pick in the first round, so some players to look for there would include: Louisville DT Amobi Okoye, Florida DS Reggie Nelson, or Georgia DE/OLB Quentin Moses.
Todd McShay: (2:09 PM ET ) First off, hopefully some high characters to off set the rest of their jailbreak roster. In all seriousness, they need defensive help. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they spent two or possibly all three of their first day picks on the defensive side of the ball. They own the 18th pick in the first round, so some players to look for there would include: Louisville DT Amobi Okoye, Florida DS Reggie Nelson, or Georgia DE/OLB Quentin Moses.
Todd McShay: (2:09 PM ET ) Thanks for all the questions. Sorry there's not more to report today, but hopefully I'll be back to chat more tomorrow after today's practice and tomorrow morning's practice. Things will be heated up by them.
