Top 50 players
Posted: Feb. 25, 2006
Indianapolis - With the NFL draft nine weeks away, here is a brief look at 50 of the top players. Players are listed by value at each position.
WIDE RECEIVERS (2)
Santonio Holmes, Ohio State: 5 feet 10 1/2 inches, 198 pounds. Generally regarded by scouts as the only wide receiver worthy of a first-round selection. "He's not a Terry Glenn and he's not a Joey Galloway, by any means," one scout said. "He's not a very tough guy. He's got to be an outside receiver. He has good, not great speed." Junior with 29 starts in 36 games. Had 140 receptions for 2,295 yards (16.4-yard average) and 25 touchdowns. Some scouts question his character.
Chad Jackson, Florida: 6-0, 213. Another junior. Had 88 catches as a senior but for only 900 yards (10.3) after averaging 22.3 as a part-time player in '04. "As a junior in the Urban Meyer offense all he did was run underneath stuff," one scout said. "If he comes in and has a big workout and runs well, he could go above Santonio. He's a bigger guy with good hands. Tough guy."
TIGHT ENDS (4)
Vernon Davis, Maryland: 6-3, 254. Junior. "He's the closest thing to Keith Jackson I've seen in a long time," one scout said. "He is a freak. He's an aggressive blocker and has run 4.41 at 260." Led the ACC in yards per catch in '05 at 17.1. On the short side. "He can block, he can catch and he can run with the ball," another scout said. "But he's not as good as Heath Miller last year." Started just 17 games in three-year career.
Joe Klopfenstein, Colorado: 6-5 1/2, 245. Three-year starter. "He's sure-handed," one scout said. "He's a little tight in the midsection. He's not the most fluid athlete. Guys are trying to compare him to Todd Heap. He's not Todd Heap, he's Mark Chmura. He's tough." Had 33 catches in each of last two seasons. Beat linebacker Thomas Howard for 15-yard touchdown in Senior Bowl on an impressive wheel route.
Mercedes Lewis, UCLA: 6-5 1/2, 255. Tremendous athlete who had multiple Division I basketball offers out of high school. "He's a gifted receiving tight end who still needs a lot of work on his routes," one scout said. "He's got run after the catch, he does have hands and he does have body control. He needs an inordinate amount of work on his in-line blocking." Agent is Shaun Howard, a scout for Green Bay in the early 2000s who now represents players on the West Coast in association with James "Bus" Cook.
Leonard Pope, Georgia: 6-6, 250. Junior. "A lot of people like him because he can be an on the line of scrimmage guy," one scout said. "It's really a mismatch because of his size and strength. He's a good athlete, too." Two-year starter who averaged 19.3 in 2004 and 13.9 in '05. "Little inconsistent catching the ball," another scout said. "He can block but he doesn't do it all the time."
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, T, Virginia: 6-6, 312. A solid top-five pick and easily the finest blocker in the draft. "He's as sure of a bet as anybody," one scout said. "He's an athlete and he's smart. He wants to get better. He was as impressive as any kid that I met this year. He asks the right questions." Had an average score (18) on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test but stunned his coaches at the Senior Bowl with his attention to detail and desire to learn. "He's better than (Robert) Gallery," another scout said, referring to the Iowa left tackle selected with the second pick in the '04 draft. Showed up 15 pounds heavier at the combine than he was in Mobile, something scouts were pleased to see.
Winston Justice, T, Southern California: 6-5, 300. Started in 2002, '03 and '05. Missed all of '04 after being suspended for pulling a replica gun on a student. "Winston has first-round talent and may get drafted there, but he would scare me," one scout said. "The off-field stuff ain't no big deal. But I don't think he's a real physical guy." Played the right side but probably has the ability to play the left. "He's needs all levels of strength but he plays the game really with good effort," another scout said.
Eric Winston, T, Miami: 6-6 1/2, 310. Underwent reconstructive knee surgery in October 2004 and struggled in '05 trying to regain previous form. "He played left tackle but probably should be a right tackle or maybe a guard," one scout said. "He played a little tentative this year because he was coming off an ACL. He's a big, physical and aggressive guy."
Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State: 6-3 1/2, 300. Three-year starter. "I don't know if he's as good as LeCharles Bentley but he's close," one scout said. "He does a lot of good things but he's just not a real big, big guy." Doesn't have the most defined body and isn't a gifted athlete. "Not first round but he's a really good football player," another scout said. "There's nothing not to like about him."
David Joseph, G, Oklahoma: 6-2 1/2, 311. Started at guard in 2003 and '04. Struggled somewhat when forced to play left tackle in '05 for a depleted line. "He did a great job at the Senior Bowl and very well could get in the first (round)," one scout said. Hard worker. "He's a little short but he's a pretty good athlete," another scout said.
Marcus McNeill, T, Auburn: 6-7 1/2, 336. Massive size is his distinguishing characteristic. Played the left side but probably better-suited for the right. Some teams won't even consider him because of a back condition that has gotten worse over the years. "Got a lot of talent," one scout said. "He's a big-time waist-bender because of his back. I wouldn't take him in the first round but he's a first-day guy."
Max Jean-Gilles, G, Georgia: 6-4, 358. Might be as physical as any lineman in the draft. Really went after people at the Senior Bowl and could be a late first-round pick. "He could go ahead of Joseph," one scout said. "He's a big, strong guy." Scored just 12 on the Wonderlic test and has been overweight for years. "Big guys that have weight problems will always have a weight problem" another scout said. "Can he grab and hold guys? Absolutely. If you ask him to zone block he'll be OK."
Chris Chester, C, Oklahoma: 6-3, 295. Backup tight end until 2004, when he moved to guard and saw limited action. Started eight games at center in '05, missing a month with a broken hand. "Very intriguing prospect," one scout said. "He can get to the second level faster than probably anybody in this draft. His biggest asset is his quickness."
Daryn Colledge, Boise State: 6-4 1/2, 300. Four-year starter at left tackle. Hails from North Pole, Alaska, which is just outside Fairbanks. Compared by one scout athletically to Mike Wahle. "He came to school at like 220, he's now 300 and he has tremendous strength," the scout said. "He will be tried at left tackle but his best position will be left guard."
QUARTERBACKS (3)
Matt Leinart, USC: 6-5, 223. One of the most productive passers in college football history, finishing with 99 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. "He hardly ever gets rattled, he's got vision and he's smart," one scout said. "He's not a gifted foot athlete." Has had two operations on his left (throwing) shoulder. "I really worry about his arm strength, being able to drive the ball," another scout said. "Most of his balls are touch passes with a lot of air. He's been a winner but I don't know how good he really is." Said a third scout: "Leinart was in a great system with a bunch of great players around him. He's awful stiff and doesn't get the ball out of there real quick. I don't think he's like (Peyton) Manning or (Ben) Roethlisberger."
Vince Young, Texas: 6-4 1/2, 229. Declared a year early after leading Longhorns to national title with his arm and feet. "He's big, strong and has effortless throwing action, similar in some ways to Michael Vick," one scout said. "As a runner, he's a long, fluid strider with a little shake." Started 32 games from 2003-'05, finishing with 44 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. "I think he can read coverages a little better than Michael Vick can," another scout said. "I have my reservations." Said a third scout: "He will be absolute dead accurate and nail it, then he will throw it in the nickel seats. But he just wins. His accuracy issues are all in his feet. He'd be a worthwhile project."
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt: 6-3, 226. Started every game for the last four seasons. "He's a big, stiff kid," one scout said. "I didn't like him at all. Not mobile. Not accurate." Finished with 59 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions. "Arm, toughness, accuracy, smarts (26 on the Wonderlic), competitive. . . he's got it," said another scout. "Go watch the Tennessee and Florida games. There's a reason why he was the SEC player of the year." Added a third scout: "I like him a lot but I think people talking about him as a top-five pick is a little bit of a reach. Like Brett Favre, he's a little bit of a gunslinger. If you want a ball-control offense he's not your guy. If you want a guy to throw it around the field and be tough in the pocket and be an athlete, he is your guy."
cont'd...
