jterrell
Penguinite
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1. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, RB, Auburn: He has been passed by former teammate Ronnie Brown on most lists after Brown melted the track with sizzling times but it was Carnell who started at Auburn and his vision and balance are the reasons why. He participated in the Senior Bowl showing he just loves to play football. A true producer and potential Hall of Fame back. Sharing carries in college helped his tread for the pros.
2. Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami (Fla.): Antrel was the best pure playmaker I saw on the college level this past season. He was used to cover the best WRs Miami faced and even then he was avoided so Miami brought him on the blitz or set him up as the free safety. He has more than enough speed to cover guys and the strength to push them around as well. Pac-Man could be rated higher by some but not me, when you consider who these guys will be guarding in the NFL.
3. Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan: Edwards leaves a school which has produced some big time WRs as the school’s all-time leader in most receiving categories. He played with a young QB this year in an offense that needed to run to win yet still made highlight reel catch one after the other. He was never granted the Mike Williams-like luxury of other 1st day draft picks around him. No Heisman-winning QB either.
4. Cedric Benson, RB, Texas: Benson has been a prodigy for 7 years. He lead the state in rushing in high school and helped put West Texas football directly under the recruiters glare once again. He never bested OU but did show off a well-rounded game that was based largely on hard running between the tackles. May not be a superstar back but should be a very consistent performer who gets it done every week.
5. Shawne Merriman, DE/LB, Maryland: One of the very few proven tweeners coming out. Shawne is a physical freak with power to match his speed. So many workout guys never like to hit but Shawne’s nickname is Lights Out. Merriman should be near the tops of any 3-4 Teams’ lists as he is a proven pass rusher who can anchor versus the run as well. A 40” vertical with 4.67 speed in the 40 for a guy weighing 272 pounds is ideal at OLB.
6. Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn: Ronnie is the fastest of the elite backs but did not start. He certainly showed he can play and make plays behind Carnell Williams but may be more Stephen Davis than LaDainian Tomlinson. Big backs often have trouble escaping the DL.
7. Alex Barron, OT, Florida State: Barron is not a superstar LT prospect because he didn’t truly dominate every play the way Orlando Pace did in college but he is not far behind. He did win battles consistently in both run and pass protections. A guy who is at 6-7½ that can run a 4.6 short shuttle, 4.85 40-yard dash and vertical jump 38 inches can play a long time in the NFL and at a high level.
8. Alex Smith, QB, Utah: Alex Smith is an excellent pure athlete and he can certainly execute an offense. What we don’t know is can he execute “any” offense. He is not the tallest or biggest guy in the world but offers excellent athleticism and proven mobility. Arm strength may not be Favresque but is not poor either. College competition an issue with him.
9. Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn: Rogers is a big enough CB at over 6’ and has 4.3 speed in the 40. He faced stiff competition in the SEC yet never crumpled. Is a versatile player who can cover small or big WRs, return kicks and come up to tackle. Has been a rising prospect based solely on 40 times but in this case that may not be misleading.
10. Marcus Spears, DE/DT, LSU: 280 plus pound DE who can play run and pass. Spears is an excellent prospect as a 3-4 DE. He was coached by Nick Saban which has generally meant good things on the pro level. May lack pure pass rush skills but has strength to make up for it. Requires double teams.
11. Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, CB, West Virginia: Jones is a brash and confident guy. He is a CB’s CB with pure return skills and a swagger that begs to be tested. Is a playmaker who punishes teams that test him. Only concern is facing bigger, heavier WRs. Should be a shut down type guy in many match-ups.
12. Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas: DJ is a finesse player but a very effective one. His 458 combined tackles and 10.5 sacks at Texas are very attractive numbers for NFL teams. Guys who put together a great 4 years seldom bust out of the league. He has the measurables and the production. Only questions are can he form tackle and can he rush the passer. Two things he didn’t do often enough at the University of Texas.
13. Mike Williams, WR, Southern Cal: Mike has good hands and can break a tackle. He can adjust in air to catch a ball thrown to either side of him. MW is an excellent target for a QB who offers a 39” vertical as a 6’4” WR. Might have to battle his weight as staying under 230 is a severe challenge. Probably would have been the number 1 overall pick hands down had he been able to help USC and duplicated his sophomore stats for the National Champs. 2005 Workouts showed a much more fluid player than his previous year'd did.
14. David Pollack, DE/OLB, Georgia: Pollack started his career as a part time DT but works harder than anyone. Is a devout Christian who walks the walk so no off field issues to fear. David lifted entire defense his final two campaigns. He caused some concern when he weighed in at only 265 but had excellent cone drill and other agility, short burst times. His agility is off the charts for a guy his size. Could be a poor man's Randy White type with his agility.
15. Shaun Cody, DE/DT, Southern Cal: Cody reminds me a lot of Pollack in a bigger body. He has a non-stop motor and makes plays in the backfield regularly. He could be a quick DT or a 3-4 DE. There are concerns after he battled depression in college. Would go higher if he was a step faster and might not be quick enough to be considered a pure pass rushing DE in the 4-3.
16. Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma: Compact and powerful WR with best balance in the class. Showed big play ability after the catch and has given clinic-like post college workouts on route running. He has excellent hands. Mark lacks ideal height in this day of the 6’4” WR but offers so much that he will not be overlooked in round 1.
17. Travis Johnson, DT, Florida State: Johnson is 6-4 and 296 pounds, he has the size to eventually live up to hype coming out of high school.
He is not as consistent or strong as Cody but may have a quicker first step. A bigger risk than Cody but might have a higher upside potential. Strikes me as a Corey Simon type player.
18 Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin: James is a proven pass rusher but he is also a proven injury concern. In highlights he dominates but if you wonder why he isn’t in the frame on a given play he is probably on the sideline. He was there far too often to get the top 10 consideration he would have otherwise. Could be best pure pass rusher in the class as a 4-3 DE but also carries red flags.
19. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal: Aaron is a solid QB and a good potential guy for the future but he doesn’t seem as polished as Ben R. did last season. He probably needs a year on the bench at least and a good QB coach. He is a little short and too slightly built for some scouts but did produce at Cal. Probably slightly overrated due to weak QB draft class.
20. Jammal Brown, ORT, Oklahoma: Brown is not fleet of foot but is strong and plays with good leverage. He had a chance to go top 10 before being really abused by USC’s DL. Brown will need coaching and to stay disciplined but he could be the very best RT to come out of this draft class. He opened holes all year for Adrian Peterson against the run.
2. Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami (Fla.): Antrel was the best pure playmaker I saw on the college level this past season. He was used to cover the best WRs Miami faced and even then he was avoided so Miami brought him on the blitz or set him up as the free safety. He has more than enough speed to cover guys and the strength to push them around as well. Pac-Man could be rated higher by some but not me, when you consider who these guys will be guarding in the NFL.
3. Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan: Edwards leaves a school which has produced some big time WRs as the school’s all-time leader in most receiving categories. He played with a young QB this year in an offense that needed to run to win yet still made highlight reel catch one after the other. He was never granted the Mike Williams-like luxury of other 1st day draft picks around him. No Heisman-winning QB either.
4. Cedric Benson, RB, Texas: Benson has been a prodigy for 7 years. He lead the state in rushing in high school and helped put West Texas football directly under the recruiters glare once again. He never bested OU but did show off a well-rounded game that was based largely on hard running between the tackles. May not be a superstar back but should be a very consistent performer who gets it done every week.
5. Shawne Merriman, DE/LB, Maryland: One of the very few proven tweeners coming out. Shawne is a physical freak with power to match his speed. So many workout guys never like to hit but Shawne’s nickname is Lights Out. Merriman should be near the tops of any 3-4 Teams’ lists as he is a proven pass rusher who can anchor versus the run as well. A 40” vertical with 4.67 speed in the 40 for a guy weighing 272 pounds is ideal at OLB.
6. Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn: Ronnie is the fastest of the elite backs but did not start. He certainly showed he can play and make plays behind Carnell Williams but may be more Stephen Davis than LaDainian Tomlinson. Big backs often have trouble escaping the DL.
7. Alex Barron, OT, Florida State: Barron is not a superstar LT prospect because he didn’t truly dominate every play the way Orlando Pace did in college but he is not far behind. He did win battles consistently in both run and pass protections. A guy who is at 6-7½ that can run a 4.6 short shuttle, 4.85 40-yard dash and vertical jump 38 inches can play a long time in the NFL and at a high level.
8. Alex Smith, QB, Utah: Alex Smith is an excellent pure athlete and he can certainly execute an offense. What we don’t know is can he execute “any” offense. He is not the tallest or biggest guy in the world but offers excellent athleticism and proven mobility. Arm strength may not be Favresque but is not poor either. College competition an issue with him.
9. Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn: Rogers is a big enough CB at over 6’ and has 4.3 speed in the 40. He faced stiff competition in the SEC yet never crumpled. Is a versatile player who can cover small or big WRs, return kicks and come up to tackle. Has been a rising prospect based solely on 40 times but in this case that may not be misleading.
10. Marcus Spears, DE/DT, LSU: 280 plus pound DE who can play run and pass. Spears is an excellent prospect as a 3-4 DE. He was coached by Nick Saban which has generally meant good things on the pro level. May lack pure pass rush skills but has strength to make up for it. Requires double teams.
11. Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, CB, West Virginia: Jones is a brash and confident guy. He is a CB’s CB with pure return skills and a swagger that begs to be tested. Is a playmaker who punishes teams that test him. Only concern is facing bigger, heavier WRs. Should be a shut down type guy in many match-ups.
12. Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas: DJ is a finesse player but a very effective one. His 458 combined tackles and 10.5 sacks at Texas are very attractive numbers for NFL teams. Guys who put together a great 4 years seldom bust out of the league. He has the measurables and the production. Only questions are can he form tackle and can he rush the passer. Two things he didn’t do often enough at the University of Texas.
13. Mike Williams, WR, Southern Cal: Mike has good hands and can break a tackle. He can adjust in air to catch a ball thrown to either side of him. MW is an excellent target for a QB who offers a 39” vertical as a 6’4” WR. Might have to battle his weight as staying under 230 is a severe challenge. Probably would have been the number 1 overall pick hands down had he been able to help USC and duplicated his sophomore stats for the National Champs. 2005 Workouts showed a much more fluid player than his previous year'd did.
14. David Pollack, DE/OLB, Georgia: Pollack started his career as a part time DT but works harder than anyone. Is a devout Christian who walks the walk so no off field issues to fear. David lifted entire defense his final two campaigns. He caused some concern when he weighed in at only 265 but had excellent cone drill and other agility, short burst times. His agility is off the charts for a guy his size. Could be a poor man's Randy White type with his agility.
15. Shaun Cody, DE/DT, Southern Cal: Cody reminds me a lot of Pollack in a bigger body. He has a non-stop motor and makes plays in the backfield regularly. He could be a quick DT or a 3-4 DE. There are concerns after he battled depression in college. Would go higher if he was a step faster and might not be quick enough to be considered a pure pass rushing DE in the 4-3.
16. Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma: Compact and powerful WR with best balance in the class. Showed big play ability after the catch and has given clinic-like post college workouts on route running. He has excellent hands. Mark lacks ideal height in this day of the 6’4” WR but offers so much that he will not be overlooked in round 1.
17. Travis Johnson, DT, Florida State: Johnson is 6-4 and 296 pounds, he has the size to eventually live up to hype coming out of high school.
He is not as consistent or strong as Cody but may have a quicker first step. A bigger risk than Cody but might have a higher upside potential. Strikes me as a Corey Simon type player.
18 Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin: James is a proven pass rusher but he is also a proven injury concern. In highlights he dominates but if you wonder why he isn’t in the frame on a given play he is probably on the sideline. He was there far too often to get the top 10 consideration he would have otherwise. Could be best pure pass rusher in the class as a 4-3 DE but also carries red flags.
19. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal: Aaron is a solid QB and a good potential guy for the future but he doesn’t seem as polished as Ben R. did last season. He probably needs a year on the bench at least and a good QB coach. He is a little short and too slightly built for some scouts but did produce at Cal. Probably slightly overrated due to weak QB draft class.
20. Jammal Brown, ORT, Oklahoma: Brown is not fleet of foot but is strong and plays with good leverage. He had a chance to go top 10 before being really abused by USC’s DL. Brown will need coaching and to stay disciplined but he could be the very best RT to come out of this draft class. He opened holes all year for Adrian Peterson against the run.
