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Year of the Receiver? Eh, not quite
by Peter Schrager
Peter Schrager is a frequent contributor for FOXSports.com.
Updated: March 17, 2008, 10:57 PM EST
The 1996 NFL draft will forever be known as "The Year of the Receiver." Future NFL stars Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Eddie Kennison, Eric Moulds, Mushin Muhammad, Amani Toomer and Bobby Engram were all selected over the same weekend back in April of '96.
Eleven years later, nine of those 10 players were on NFL rosters in '07, with only Keyshawn — the top pick overall in that draft — not suiting up on Sundays. Johnson, of course, spent Sundays last season in Bristol, Conn., working as an analyst for ESPN.
Want to know about the next generation of NFL stars? We've got you covered as the clock ticks down toward the 2008 draft.
Last year's draft class of receivers proved to be somewhat bountiful as well. No. 2 overall selection Calvin Johnson had a promising rookie campaign, fellow first-rounders Dwayne Bowe, Ted Ginn, Craig Davis and Anthony Gonzalez were all solid contributors, and later-round picks Steve Smith, Sidney Rice and James Jones all played significant roles on some of the NFC's top teams. Add in the intriguing prospect of productive second years from 2007 rookie flops Robert Meachem and Dwayne Jarrett, and that's a pretty solid batch of receivers.
As for this year's draft's receiver class? Well, I've got to be honest — it's a little over a month away from the big day, and I'm not really sold on any of them as future NFL stars. Though it seems as though mock drafts across the Internet have 4-5 wide receivers being selected in the first round, you'd be hard pressed finding many experts who would consider any of those 4-5 wide receivers sure-fire bets at the next level.
Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly, the consensus top receiver in April's draft, had a nice career at Oklahoma. Is his stock as high as that of Johnson, Ginn, Bowe, Gonzalez or Meachem, last year, or even Davis, Rice or Smith? I'm not so sure. Would a team rather have Kelly than any of those guys?
I'm hearing crickets.
Let's go down the list of the rest of this year's top rated receiving prospects: Early Doucet's coming off a season slowed by injury, Limas Sweed struggled with a wrist problem his entire senior campaign, Devin Thomas had 39 career receptions before his breakout '07, Mario Manningham did little to impress at the combine, and DeSean Jackson — despite the recent tutelage of Jerry Rice — went completely MIA over the second half of Cal's dismal 2007 season.
Hey, Kelly's a gamer and James Hardy's got some great potential, but I'm not sure any of these guys would have been definite first-round selections in last year's draft.
Buffalo (11), Philadelphia (19), Tampa Bay (20), Washington (21), Dallas (22, 28) and San Francisco (29) could all be looking to snag a receiver with their upcoming first-round picks. Based on need, they may very well jump on one of the aforementioned '08 prospects. But are any of them among the top 31 players in this draft?
Well, that's a tough call. A call I'm glad I don't have to make.
Some likely later-round selections that I am high on at receiver:
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt — Projected round: 3
Jordy Nelson, Kansas State — Projected round: 3
Dexter Jackson, Appalachian State — Projected round: 4
Keenan Burton, Kentucky — Projected round: 5-6
Adrian Arrington, Michigan — Projected round: 5-6
Tough luck, Duck
Oregon star Jonathan Stewart, the second rated running back on many draft pundits' big boards, underwent surgery to repair a toe he injured in November last week. The damage? Recovery time is expected to take at least four to six months. To be certain, Stewart will miss Oregon's second pro day coming up this month. As for his draft stock? You'd have to imagine it takes at least a small hit.
Why have the surgery now, you ask? A mere month away from the biggest day of Stewart's football life? Agent Ben Dogra explained that NFL general managers and scouts recommended Stewart have the surgery now — in late March — so that he won't have to miss any training camp or games in 2008.
Stewart suffered the injury on Nov. 15 against Arizona and played through the pain for much of the remainder of the season. If anything, it proved that Stewart's a tough kid. Let's hope his decision to go under the knife a mere 40 days before the NFL draft doesn't alter his draft status too much.
I still think he's a late first round/early second round draft pick. If not at No. 18 to Houston or No. 28 to Dallas, then quite possibly at No. 32 to Miami or No. 37 to Atlanta.
Justin time
Last week, we told you about Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston's jaw-dropping Pro Day performance out in snowy Columbus on March 6. Gholston's 42-inch vertical and 4.5 40-yard dash time might have been enough to catapult him over Chris Long as the draft's top pass rushing prospect. While Vernon's Pro Day likely moved him up a few spots in the top 10 and probably made him a few more million dollars along the way, some players need strong Pro Day performances to ensure a spot in the draft at all.
One of those prospects is Arizona State cornerback Justin Tryon. Sun Devils fans know Tryon as one of ASU's defensive leaders on this season's pleasant-surprise, Holiday Bowl-qualifying squad. An All-Pac 10 second team selection and winner of the team's Most Improved Defensive Player of the Year, Tryon wrapped up a solid collegiate career with a three-interception campaign in '07.
But after a so-so performance at the East-West Shrine game, Tryon's draft stock remained an unknown. Was he worth a second day selection? Did he crack the Top 25 cornerback list? Shorter than most of the other corners invited to the Shrine Game, he didn't exactly exhibit blazing speed that week either.
Tryon worked on the whole speed issue, silencing critics with a 4.42 40 at the combine in February.
Yet, he likely solidified a spot in the 2008 draft last week at Arizona State's Pro Day. With scouts on hand with their clocks ready, Tryon backed up his combine performance, ripping off a 4.41 40 time and blazing through a 10-yard dash in 1.48 seconds. The combine was no fluke. The guy has wheels.
With a productive career spent at College of the Canyons (JC) and Arizona State, and now the workout speeds to back that on-the-field production, look for Tryon to be a sure-fire 2008 draft selection.
Gholston's Pro Day exhibition likely jumped him a few spots and made a soon-to-be millionaire some more cheddar. Tryon's Pro Day likely confirmed a place in the NFL draft for a guy who entered late February as a giant question mark.
Which player's Pro Day was more important? Well, that really depends on the eye of the beholder.
by Peter Schrager
Peter Schrager is a frequent contributor for FOXSports.com.
Updated: March 17, 2008, 10:57 PM EST
The 1996 NFL draft will forever be known as "The Year of the Receiver." Future NFL stars Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Eddie Kennison, Eric Moulds, Mushin Muhammad, Amani Toomer and Bobby Engram were all selected over the same weekend back in April of '96.
Eleven years later, nine of those 10 players were on NFL rosters in '07, with only Keyshawn — the top pick overall in that draft — not suiting up on Sundays. Johnson, of course, spent Sundays last season in Bristol, Conn., working as an analyst for ESPN.
Want to know about the next generation of NFL stars? We've got you covered as the clock ticks down toward the 2008 draft.
Last year's draft class of receivers proved to be somewhat bountiful as well. No. 2 overall selection Calvin Johnson had a promising rookie campaign, fellow first-rounders Dwayne Bowe, Ted Ginn, Craig Davis and Anthony Gonzalez were all solid contributors, and later-round picks Steve Smith, Sidney Rice and James Jones all played significant roles on some of the NFC's top teams. Add in the intriguing prospect of productive second years from 2007 rookie flops Robert Meachem and Dwayne Jarrett, and that's a pretty solid batch of receivers.
As for this year's draft's receiver class? Well, I've got to be honest — it's a little over a month away from the big day, and I'm not really sold on any of them as future NFL stars. Though it seems as though mock drafts across the Internet have 4-5 wide receivers being selected in the first round, you'd be hard pressed finding many experts who would consider any of those 4-5 wide receivers sure-fire bets at the next level.
Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly, the consensus top receiver in April's draft, had a nice career at Oklahoma. Is his stock as high as that of Johnson, Ginn, Bowe, Gonzalez or Meachem, last year, or even Davis, Rice or Smith? I'm not so sure. Would a team rather have Kelly than any of those guys?
I'm hearing crickets.
Let's go down the list of the rest of this year's top rated receiving prospects: Early Doucet's coming off a season slowed by injury, Limas Sweed struggled with a wrist problem his entire senior campaign, Devin Thomas had 39 career receptions before his breakout '07, Mario Manningham did little to impress at the combine, and DeSean Jackson — despite the recent tutelage of Jerry Rice — went completely MIA over the second half of Cal's dismal 2007 season.
Hey, Kelly's a gamer and James Hardy's got some great potential, but I'm not sure any of these guys would have been definite first-round selections in last year's draft.
Buffalo (11), Philadelphia (19), Tampa Bay (20), Washington (21), Dallas (22, 28) and San Francisco (29) could all be looking to snag a receiver with their upcoming first-round picks. Based on need, they may very well jump on one of the aforementioned '08 prospects. But are any of them among the top 31 players in this draft?
Well, that's a tough call. A call I'm glad I don't have to make.
Some likely later-round selections that I am high on at receiver:
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt — Projected round: 3
Jordy Nelson, Kansas State — Projected round: 3
Dexter Jackson, Appalachian State — Projected round: 4
Keenan Burton, Kentucky — Projected round: 5-6
Adrian Arrington, Michigan — Projected round: 5-6
Tough luck, Duck
Oregon star Jonathan Stewart, the second rated running back on many draft pundits' big boards, underwent surgery to repair a toe he injured in November last week. The damage? Recovery time is expected to take at least four to six months. To be certain, Stewart will miss Oregon's second pro day coming up this month. As for his draft stock? You'd have to imagine it takes at least a small hit.
Why have the surgery now, you ask? A mere month away from the biggest day of Stewart's football life? Agent Ben Dogra explained that NFL general managers and scouts recommended Stewart have the surgery now — in late March — so that he won't have to miss any training camp or games in 2008.
Stewart suffered the injury on Nov. 15 against Arizona and played through the pain for much of the remainder of the season. If anything, it proved that Stewart's a tough kid. Let's hope his decision to go under the knife a mere 40 days before the NFL draft doesn't alter his draft status too much.
I still think he's a late first round/early second round draft pick. If not at No. 18 to Houston or No. 28 to Dallas, then quite possibly at No. 32 to Miami or No. 37 to Atlanta.
Justin time
Last week, we told you about Ohio State DE Vernon Gholston's jaw-dropping Pro Day performance out in snowy Columbus on March 6. Gholston's 42-inch vertical and 4.5 40-yard dash time might have been enough to catapult him over Chris Long as the draft's top pass rushing prospect. While Vernon's Pro Day likely moved him up a few spots in the top 10 and probably made him a few more million dollars along the way, some players need strong Pro Day performances to ensure a spot in the draft at all.
One of those prospects is Arizona State cornerback Justin Tryon. Sun Devils fans know Tryon as one of ASU's defensive leaders on this season's pleasant-surprise, Holiday Bowl-qualifying squad. An All-Pac 10 second team selection and winner of the team's Most Improved Defensive Player of the Year, Tryon wrapped up a solid collegiate career with a three-interception campaign in '07.
But after a so-so performance at the East-West Shrine game, Tryon's draft stock remained an unknown. Was he worth a second day selection? Did he crack the Top 25 cornerback list? Shorter than most of the other corners invited to the Shrine Game, he didn't exactly exhibit blazing speed that week either.
Tryon worked on the whole speed issue, silencing critics with a 4.42 40 at the combine in February.
Yet, he likely solidified a spot in the 2008 draft last week at Arizona State's Pro Day. With scouts on hand with their clocks ready, Tryon backed up his combine performance, ripping off a 4.41 40 time and blazing through a 10-yard dash in 1.48 seconds. The combine was no fluke. The guy has wheels.
With a productive career spent at College of the Canyons (JC) and Arizona State, and now the workout speeds to back that on-the-field production, look for Tryon to be a sure-fire 2008 draft selection.
Gholston's Pro Day exhibition likely jumped him a few spots and made a soon-to-be millionaire some more cheddar. Tryon's Pro Day likely confirmed a place in the NFL draft for a guy who entered late February as a giant question mark.
Which player's Pro Day was more important? Well, that really depends on the eye of the beholder.
