The list of players is courtesy of http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9914530. The analysis is courtesy of me.
Jon Abbate, LB Wake Forest - I can understand why Abbate didn't return, given that Wake probably won't come within 5 wins of their magical 2006. However, his lack of size and top-notch speed are going to hurt him, and he could've used another year to prove himself at the college level. Still, he's a first-day prospect in my opinion, and could get into the upper half of the second round with a good Combine.
Jamaal Anderson, DE Arkansas - Anderson is drawing comparisons to Jason Taylor, and at 6'6 280 with 13.5 sacks in 2006, they appear to be quite legitimate. By the time the Combine rolls around, don't be too surprised if Anderson is the #1 defensive player on most draft boards. He is certainly capable of passing Gaines Adams and Alan Branch. Right now though, he's a top-15 prospect.
Antwan Applewhite, DE San Diego State - Interesting prospect who has been basically under-the-radar thanks to playing for a disastrously bad San Diego State team. Applewhite has explosive quickness and projects as a first-day prospect.
Jon Beason, LB Miami - A little undersized but with dynamite quickness, Beason probably would have benefitted from another year in college. However, given the lack of 4-3 linebackers in this year's draft class, expect him to be off the board by the end of round 2.
Alan Branch, DT Michigan - Easy call to go pro for Branch. The run stuffer is highly unlikely to fall out of the top-10, given the demand for players like him in the NFL (work ethic questions aside).
Colt Brennan, QB Hawaii - With Brian Brohm staying, Brennan sees an opportunity to be the #3 QB off the board. He's got character issues and played in an offense that's nowhere close to anything that's being run in the NFL, but right now he's a late first-round prospect.
Michael Bush, RB Louisville - Hate this decision. Bush left college with a whole lot still to prove, from durability issues to questions about how exactly he'll be an every-down back in the NFL. Right now, he'd be very lucky to get into the first round, and is more of a second round prospect. Even with Slaton and McFadden eligible for next year's draft, Bush could have seriously improved his stock with another year at Louisville.
Keenan Carter, DT Virginia - Monstrous size, but Carter has work to do this off-season to become a first-day prospect.
Stanley Doughty, DT South Carolina - Not quite sure about this decision to go pro. Right now, Doughty is a 5th-6th round prospect.
C.J. Gaddis, CB Clemson - Has good size, but Gaddis could have seriously used another year to prove himself at Clemson. He'll have to be impressive this off-season to become a day one prospect.
Ted Ginn, Jr., WR Ohio State - Given the max exodus on Ohio State's offense, it's good that Ginn's getting out while he can. Should be electric in the 40. He reminds me too much of Troy Williamson for me to endorse him, but that won't stop a GM from drafting him high. A borderline top-10 pick.
Anthony Gonzalez, WR Ohio State - Would've been the team's clear-cut #1 receiver next year, and probably helped his stock quite a bit. Right now, a third round prospect.
Chris Henry, RB Arizona - Great size and speed, but Henry was generally ineffective at the college level, averaging only 3.5 ypc in 2006. Barring a great off-season performance, he's looking at the 5th or 6th round.
Chris Houston, CB Arkansas - Great athletic ability. With a good Combine, could get up to the early second round.
Brandon Jackson, RB Nebraska - Maybe I'm missing something, but Jackson looks to me like a 7th round prospect at best.
Dwayne Jarrett, WR USC - It was expected that Jarrett would make this decision, but I'm on the fence about it. While his stock is very high after his bowl performance, there's absolutely zero chance that he passes Calvin Johnson (a better prospect in every way), and with a shaky off-season Jarrett could fall to the pick 15-20 range. He's not as fast nor as strong as people think he is, so the possbility of a disastrous Combine is definitely there. At the same time, it's hard to fault a guy for leaving when he's a guaranteed first rounder.
Calvin Johnson, WR Georgia Tech - No brainer here. Johnson was stuck with an awful quarterback at GTech, or his numbers would have been significantly better. Probably the most talented player in the draft, and nearly a top-5 lock.
Charles Johnson, DE Georgia - A little short, but Johnson has very good athletic ability. A solid second round prospect.
Marshawn Lynch, RB Cal - A potential top-10 pick. Had to enter the draft because this isn't a great year for running backs. Lynch's stock is about as high as it'll get.
Robert Meacham, WR Tennessee - Bit of a curious decision for Meacham to go pro. It's a good crop of receivers this year and Tennessee's offense has huge upside next year. Meacham is a borderline first rounder right now.
Zach Miller, TE Arizona State - In what is a very poor tight end class, Miller's the clear frontrunner right now. Reminds me of Heath Miller a couple years ago, and will likely be taken in that same late first round range.
Jarvis Moss, DE Florida - Moss exited Florida on the strenght of a dominating Championship Game performance, but the draft is months away. If he loses his momentum this off-season, he could fall out of the first round.
Reggie Nelson, S Florida - Love his decision to go pro. It's a thin draft for safeties, yet there's a huge need in the NFL for them, making Nelson a top-20 pick.
Greg Olsen, TE Miami - Never lived up to the hype at Miami, but has plenty of physical tools and should be impressive in the off-season. A solid second round pick who could sneak into the first.
Adrian Peterson, RB Oklahoma - For his sake, I'm very glad he went pro. With one more big injury at Oklahoma, Peterson's stock would've started falling. As it stands, he's a top-10 prospect who could go as high as #3.
Antonio Pittman, RB Ohio State - The writing was on the wall that Chris Wells was going to seriously cut into Pittman's playing time next year, so from one perspective I understand why he went pro. But still, Pittman has no dynamic athletic ability and was not tremendously effective at college (given the situation he was in), and would be lucky to be selected on day one of the draft.
Darrelle Revis, CB Pittsburgh - Revis throws his name into the hat with a pretty good crop of corners this year. However, there's no 'elite' guy as of now, and with Revis' physical gifts he could very well move to the front of the group this off-season. A top-15 prospect.
Sidney Rice, WR South Carolina - I'm not surprised he went pro, but it's a very poor decision. This year's receiver class is strong, and despite tremendous athletic ability, Rice is likely to be lost in the shuffle. Though he has top-10 talent, Rice will probably be selected in the second round.
Gary Russell, RB Minnesota - Not sure about the decision to go pro; Russell is a day two prospect.
JaMarcus Russell, QB LSU - After the dismantling of Notre Dame, Russell did the right thing in declaring. Having clearly outplayed fellow #1 pick candidate Brady Quinn, Russell's stock is sky-high. Could very well be the top pick in April.
Brandon Siler, LB Florida - Would have really liked to have seen him stay another year and improve his stock, but Siler still has a fair shot at getting into the first round.
Luke Smith-Anderson, TE Idaho - First; Uh, who? Second: We said "Uh, who?" about Tony Scheffler in last year's draft, and he went in round two. Third: Unfortunately, Smith-Anderson is probably not this year's Tony Scheffler. Combine/workouts will determine where he goes.
Ramonce Taylor, RB Texas - Not entirely sure why Ramonce is going pro, but barring a dynamite off-season, he's looking at day two at best.
Lawrence Timmons, LB Florida State - Timmons was the bright spot in a disappointing year for the Seminoles, and is a mid-to-late first round prospect right now.
Darius Walker, RB Notre Dame - Not even the Notre Dame hype machine can save Walker, who runs too upright, doesn't move well laterally, and doesn't have elite speed. He's got a lot to prove this off-season. A day two prospect right now.
Danny Ware, RB Georgia - Really? Ware's Georgia career was disappointing after being a highly sought-after recruit. A day two prospect.
Dwayne Wright, RB Fresno State - Is it just me, or did a lot of running backs make highly questionable decisions to enter the draft this year? With a good off-season, Wright could get into the third or fourth round.
Eric Wright, CB UNLV - Wright is a good athlete who transferred from USC, but suffered through an injury in 2006 and probably should have returned to the school. He's a borderline first-day prospect, with the fourth round being more likely. |
