Tux of Borg Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Dr...arlyEntries.htm 2006 NFL Draft Early Entries from D-I By Pete Fiutak To go or not to go. Tis nobler to return to school for a senior season than to leave early and get taken late. Even so, it's impossible to tell a legitimate pro prospect not to come out early after what happened to Willis McGahee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl or Wisconsin's Joe Thomas in this year's Capital One Bowl. If you win the lottery, you don't sit on the ticket for a year. Some of these players are going to be instant millionaires while others are making a big mistake. My rule of thumb for pro prospects is this: If your game relies purely on speed, come out. Every football player needs speed to some degree, but a receiver, running back and defensive back only has so many years of blazing speed in them. Any slippage in that top gear, and you're out of the league. Running backs can only take so many shots and should come out as soon as humanly possible. Everyone else should stay in school unless they're a sure-fire first or second round pick. Here are the early entries so far. Antonio Cromartie, CB Florida State Projected: 2nd round Good or bad move? He has to prove he's 100% healthy, but he would've likely been a top ten pick if he never had the knee injury. Vernon Davis, TE Maryland Projected: 1st round Good or bad move? In a loaded year for tight ends, Davis should be the first one taken. He's a field stretching receiver playing tight end. Maurice Drew, RB UCLA Projected: 4th to 5th round Good or bad move? Size will be an issue, but ticky-tack injury history will be an even bigger problem. He'll be drafted as a kick returner and change-of-pace back. Ray Edwards, DE Purdue Projected: 2nd to 3rd round Good or bad move? He could quickly rise into the first round with the right workouts. His tremendously disappointing junior year will quickly be forgotten about with a few good workouts. Charles Gordon, WR/CB Kansas Projected: 2nd to 3rd round Good or bad move? If Justin Miller can be a first round pick, then so can Gordon. He didn't have the All-America season expected of him this year, but that's because no one threw at him. Willie Hall, OT MTSU Projected: 5th round Good or bad move? He has the measurables at 6-6 and 302 pounds, and he has improved in each of the last three seasons. He'll be a solid career backup. Devin Hester, WR/CB Miami Projected: 1st round to early 2nd round Good or bad move? He'll fall under the category of too-good-to-pass-up, but no one really has a clue of what to do with him. Is he a corner that needs a ton of work, or is he a receiver that hasn't reached his potential? At the very least, he's a scary-good kick return prospect. Santonio Holmes, WR Ohio State Projected: 1st round Good or bad move? It'll be an upset if he's not the first receiver taken. He might not be Randy Moss/Terrell Owens-sized, but he can fly. He's a bigger Steve Smith. Chad Jackson, WR Florida Projected: 2nd round Good or bad move? Possibly the best combination of size and speed among the receiving prospects, Jackson will be a steal midway through the second round, and could replace Derek Hagan as the second receiver taken behind Santonio Holmes. Omar Jacobs, QB Bowling Green Projected: 2nd round Good or bad move? There was talk before the season of Jacobs being on the verge of being a better pro prospect than Matt Leinart. He was dinged up and didn't put up the numbers he did in 2004, but he still rocked when healthy. He needs work on his throwing motion and the scouts have cooled on his overall skills, but he's accurate enough to get at least a few offensive coordinators excited about his potential. Greg Lee, WR Pitt Projected: 3rd round Good or bad move? He has the size and the big-play capability, and he has the potential to grow into an early second round pick if he times well. Expect his physical style to make him a late first-day selection. Laurence Maroney, RB Minnesota Projected: First round Good or bad move? His speed might put him in the top 15. He'll likely be the third back taken behind Reggie Bush and DeAngelo Williams. Richard Marshall, CB Fresno State Projected: 4th round Good or bad move? He'll slide because of his size, but he'll move into the first day if his 4.4 speed becomes 4.38 speed in workouts. He's tough and a nice ball-hawker. Stanley McClover, DE Auburn Projected: 3rd round Good or bad move? Size is the issue. He needs to gain about 10-15 more pounds, but there's no questioning his pass rushing skills or his speed. If someone believes he'll get bigger and won't lose his quickness, he might be an early second rounder. Haloti Ngata, DT Oregon Projected: Top ten pick Good or bad move? The first tackle off the board. He could go top five. Bernard Pollard, S Purdue Projected: 2nd to 3rd round Good or bad move? In a thin year for safeties, he'll likely find his way into the second round because of his hitting ability. He's questionable at best in pass coverage. Leonard Pope, TE Georgia Projected: 1st round Good or bad move? Pope is too big and too good a receiver to fall out of the first round. Rob Smith, G Tennessee Projected: 3rd to 4th round Good or bad move? He has the size and the athleticism, but he has to prove he's really over all the little injuries over the years. He's a strong run blocker. Stephen Tulloch, LB NC State Projected: mid-to-late first day Good or bad move? All question marks about his shoulder appeared answered this year. He's a tremendous tackler with great range and instincts. He can find his way into the second round if someone becomes enamored with his tackling skills. Demetris Summers, RB South Carolina Projected: 6th round to undrafted Good or bad move? He'll stick with a team for at least a year, likely as a free-agent. He has decent talent and good speed, but off-the-field questions will be a problem. Marcus Vick, QB Virginia Tech Projected: late 3rd round to early second day Good or bad move? Think Adrian McPherson. Someone will be ecstatic to groom him for a few years as a quarterback of the future. Dee Webb, CB Florida Projected: late 2nd to early 4th round Good or bad move? He isn't all that big, but he's a sure-tackling corner with nice ball skills. He's a second rounder with a tremendous combine. Donte Whitner, S Ohio State Projected: 3rd to 5th round Good or bad move? He needs work. He could've used another year to build more of a buzz. He would've been one of the Big Ten's best defenders in 2006. Mario Williams, DE NC State Projected: Top 15 Good or bad move? Some think he would've been a first rounder as a freshman. Vince Young, QB Texas Projected: Top five pick Good or bad move? He might be the future of the NFL. Think Michael Vick if he was a quarterback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeBill Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 Vince Young, QB Texas... Think Michael Vick if he was a quarterback. 559664[/snapback] Now that's funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 To be included at a later date: Definitely Bush, and possibly LenDale White and Winston Justice (OT) from USC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bflojohn Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 You can also add Ko Simpson a safety from South Carolina along with his teammate Jonathan Joseph, DB. Ernie Sims, the LB out of Florida State and Kai Parham from Virginia also opted out of their Senior year. Ashton Youboty, CB from THE Ohio State University has joined the list. The list grows EVERY DAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 You can also add Ko Simpson a safety from South Carolina along with his teammate Jonathan Joseph, DB. Ernie Sims, the LB out of Florida State and Kai Parham from Virginia also opted out of their Senior year. Ashton Youboty, CB from THE Ohio State University has joined the list. The list grows EVERY DAY! 560319[/snapback] wher do you get your info on who's coming out? I know the other day i was wtrong about cromartie, but i'm in friggin tallahassee and go to FSU, and there wasnt sh-- about it on the news or school websites or anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
port allegany Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 As everyone has noted, we really need to replenish the team this year so this draft is crucial. While I am not a draftnik, it appears that this draft is deep and getting deeper, especially along the lines. We might have lucked into the right year for our needs. Does anyone have a good site/link that outlines the top 100 players in a way similar to the starting post of this thread? The Bills should have 4 of the top 100 due to their unfortunately lofty draft position and the Tennessee pick. We should be able to get real quality in Round 1 but Round 2 and, most importantly, Round 3 will determine the success of this draft. If the draft really is that deep this year, we might get 3 eventual starters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scurdog1 Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/rankings.html It isn't finished yet but will have your top 100 when all the juniors have cleared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortured Soul Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Can someone who followed these players elaborate on the Vick-McPhearson comparison? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jokeman Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Can someone who followed these players elaborate on the Vick-McPhearson comparison?Thanks 560457[/snapback] Like McPherson, Vick comes out with a lot of baggage but at the same time has the physical skills one would want from a QB ie good arm, strong running ability etc. (but Vick might be considered on the short side at on 6-0) As a result he will probably be drafted in the middle (Round 3-5) as a low risk high reward type selection. Ie by taking him so low if he doesn't pan out it won't be considered a wasted pick yet if he lives up to his skill level you have a great QB to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bflojohn Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Actually, Ramius, I stay with ESPN's bottom line throughout my day and when they scroll NCAAF, I'm glued! I forgot a player and thats Anthony Fasano the TE from Notre Dame. By the way, sounds like you're a student, I'm a retired Veteran. That alone affords me more time. The news on Antonio Cromartie is that hes fully healed and ready for the combine and personal workouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Can someone who followed these players elaborate on the Vick-McPhearson comparison?Thanks 560457[/snapback] Well, with mcphearson, it was more of hanging with the wrong crowd than causing his own trouble. while vick was pulling guns and getting 15 yr olds drunk, mcphearson was involed with gamblers and took blank checks to cash for himself and such... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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