- DaJuan Morgan (S) North Carolina State:
Morgan morphed into one of the
better safeties in his class
this year while intercepting 4
passes, breaking up 6 others,
recording 97 tackles and causing
a fumble. He's got fine
size and speed. Workouts
will be huge for Morgan, who
could be picked as early as the
very late second round.
- Adrian Arrington (WR)
Michigan: Rich Rodriguez or no Rich
Rodriguez, Arrington was likely on his way out of Ann Arbour.
He saved his best for last with a 9 catch, 153 yard, 2 touchdown
performance in the Capitol One Bowl. A bigger receiver with
decent speed, Arrington should be a second or third round selection.
- Geno Hayes (OLB) Florida
State: Typical of most Florida State outside linebacker, Hayes
has a history of being an extremely disruptive player off the edge.
He's also undersized by any tangible definition for a linebacker.
He should run well and if he can quell character issues, he could
wind up being a second round pick.
-
Ryan Grice-Mullen (WR) Hawaii:
Grice-Mullen has been a very productive player in the Hawaii wide
open offense, including 106 catches and 13 touchdowns this season.
He's got good, not great speed with the ability to sneak behind
defenders now and then. He appears to be a mid-second day kind
of guy at this point.
- Ray Rice (RB) Rutgers:
One of the most productive running backs over the past three years
in college football. Rice burst onto the scene as a freshman
by running for 1,120 yards and finished up with 2,012 yards as a
junior before leaving for the draft. A younger player, Rice
will be 20 throughout his entire rookie season. The downside
is that this 20 year old already has 910 carries under his belt.
- Patrick Sims (DT) Auburn:
Here's another player who initially declared his intentions to
return to school only to change his mind and enter the 2008 draft.
Sims is a potential first round pick and currently falls behind only
Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis as far as overall defensive tackle
prospects go.
- Jerod Mayo (LB) Tennessee:
Here's an entry that came out of the blue. An extremely gifted
outside linebacker, Mayo is another player who has off the field
concerns that could give pause to teams who would potentially be
interested in drafting him. At this point Mayo would appear to
be a top three outside linebacker in this class.
-
Jack Ikegwuonu (CB) Wisconsin:
A deep group of cornerbacks gets even deeper with Ikegwuonu
declaring. A bigger, physical cornerback, all the skills are
there to be a first round pick. Off-the-field issues will hurt
him some and the big telling point will be how he runs his 40.
- Jermichael Finley (TE)
Texas: We had a feeling that this one was coming. With
that said, we flat-out disagree with this decision by Finley.
While he supposedly received an encouraging grade from the advisory
committee, we feel like he could have turned into an elite prospect
with another year in college. A fantastic athlete at the tight
end position, he'll need to add muscle before being an every-down
guy in the NFL.
- Anthony Collins (OT)
Kansas: Much like his teammate (and fellow early entry) Aqib
Talib, Collins saw his stock soar this season. The 6'6" tackle
is a good athlete with quick feet who could excel in a number of
different offensive line blocking schemes. At this point he
appears to fall into the second/third round range, but he has a
chance to move up because he should excel in workouts.
- Aqib Talib (CB) Kansas:
Perhaps no play has risen as far up the draft board this season as
did Kansas' cornerback Aqib Talib. Talib is a talented two-way
player for the resurgent Jayhawks. He's likely one of the top
2-3 cornerbacks in the class at this point. The only thing
worth noting is that he may fit best in a Cover-2 scheme.
- Kevin Smith (RB) Central
Florida: Maybe everything isn't right in the world, but it sure
makes a lot more sense today as Central Florida running back Kevin
Smith has changed his mind and will go pro. Smith flirted the
the all-time NCAA single season rushing mark this year after toting
the ball a mind-boggling 450 times in 2007. There's a little
bit of concern about Smith's 40 time, but if he runs well he should
wind up a second round pick.
- Brandon Flowers (CB)
Virginia Tech: Flowers matured into one of the better
cornerbacks in the nation this season. He has a good
combination of speed, suddenness and ball skills. There are
some character concerns that need to be addressed in the interview
process and he needs to measure in at 5'10" or above. If both
those things turn out well, he could sneak into the late first
round.
- Martellus Bennett (TE)
Texas A&M: Bennett reportedly "got the news he wanted" from the
NFL Draft advisory committee and has elected to take the next step
and go pro. An outstanding natural talent, Bennett wasn't
exactly showcased in Texas A&M's run oriented offense and as such
didn't put up the numbers expected. Right now it looks like he
could challenge Fred Davis to be the first tight end selected.
- Rashard
Mendenhall (RB) Illinois: Rashard really burst onto the national
scene (along with the Illinois program as a whole) as a junior.
A well built back at 5'11" 225, he also has shown the burst to take
it to the house at anytime. When it's all said and done,
Mendenhall should fall right behind McFadden as one of the first
three running backs selected.
- Devin Thomas (WR)
Michigan State: Well the hits just keep on coming as Thomas
marks the third major wide receiver prospect to declare today alone.
A former juco player, Thomas jumped from 6 catches and 90 yards as a
sophomore to 79 catches for 1,260 yards as a junior. A big,
strong receiver Thomas also has impressive downfield ability and
should clock in the high 4.4 range. He'll likely wind up in
the second round, but workouts could sneak him into the late first.
- Davone Bess (WR) Hawaii:
With Colt Brennan graduating this year, Bess has decided his stock
is likely as high as it's going to get and has elected to turn pro.
He's got decent speed with excellent quickness and separation
ability. Bess catches the ball cleanly and runs good routes.
He may never be a star in the NFL but he should have a good career.
Right now he could be a middle/late second round pick to mid third
round pick.
- James Hardy (WR) Indiana:
Hardy has a shot to grow into the top wide receiver prospect in this
year's class and to be selected in the same area as a player he
resembles, Plaxico Burress. Hardy presents a huge mismatch for
any defensive back at the NFL level and is sneaky fast.
-
Orlando Scandrick (CB) Boise State:
Scandrick reportedly received a fourth or fifth round grade from the
advisory committee and his agent has prepared him to be selected
later then that. A good athlete, Orlando has a real chance at
an NFL future.
-
Derrick Harvey (DE) Florida:
Harvey's entry makes an already deep group of defensive ends even
that much better. One of the better natural pass rushers in
college football Harvey will almost certainly be a first round pick.
He has the ability to play DE in a 4-3 or OLB in a 3-4.
- Calais Campbell (DE) Miami Fl:
In a move that surprises absolutely no one, Campbell has made it
official that he's going pro. Much like the Miami program as a
whole, Campbell underperformed in 2007 but still rates as a top 3
defensive end and potential top ten selection overall.
- Taj Smith (WR)
Syracuse: Despite having the
ability to apply for another season at Syracuse, Smith has elected
to turn pro and focus himself on a possible professional future.
The speedy receiver proved a big play threat for Cuse this past
year. He does have a history of injuries to worry scouts
however. If he's selected it will likely be towards the end of
the second day.
-
Branden Albert (OG) Virginia:
This one came out of left field a little bit, but is an interesting
move none the less. Albert is a huge (6'7" 315lbs) player at
the left guard position who has been a key piece on the Virginia
offensive line since his freshman season. He becomes a top
three guard upon entering. Some believe he could also
potentially be groomed as a right tackle.
- Erin Henderson (LB) Maryland: In a move that's been rumored
for weeks, Henderson finally drops his name into the draft pool.
He has the ability to play inside or outside at the NFL level, but
we'd prefer him at middle linebacker where he would rate as one of
the top 4 or so.
- Jamaal Charles (RB) Texas: Charles may be the most
unexpected of the entries so far, although it's a smart move on his
part to cash in on the fantastic season he had. His world
class speed will help him rise up the board even further during
workouts. Right now, depending on the other junior running
backs to declare, he appears to be a second round pick with an
outside shot at the first.
-
Ryan Clady (OT) Boise State:
Clady's entry into the 2008 draft has a major effect on the
early/mid first round and the overall offensive tackle rankings.
Clady has a decent chance to be the first offensive lineman selected
and could wind up being a top 5 pick when it's all said and done if
he works out well.
-
James Banks (WR) Carson-Newman:
Banks landed at Tennessee as a celebrated recruit
in 2001 and was expected to become the superstar quarterback who
would lead the team to a national championship. James had
trouble both in the classroom and off-the-field, leading to his
dismissal from the team. He landed at Carson-Newman as a
fulltime wide receiver (a position he played some with the Vols) and
caught 22 passes while facing constant double teams. He's an
older prospect now (24), but with age seems to have come maturity.
He could sneak his way into the later parts of the draft.
- Johnny Dingle (DE) West Virginia: Dingle, a senior
who would have had another year of eligibility at West Virginia has
decided to leave to pursue his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.
Dingle recorded 8 sacks last season for the Mountaineers and
currently projects as a late round pick type.
- Franklin Dunbar (OT) Middle Tennessee State: Dunbar
leaves Middle Tennessee State early in hopes of providing financial
support for his mother. The 6'5" 320lb offensive tackle is a 2
time All-Sun Belt selection and currently grades as a potential late
round selection.
