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Yesterday I featured the guy who gained the most ground at the Senior Bowl so it's only right that today I talk about the guy who probably dropped more than anyone else: André Woodson.
Widely regarded to be a first round pick heading into the Senior Bowl, Woodson had a terrible showing in Mobile. Not only did he struggle with his accuracy all week long but his slow delivery was magnified and his habit of making poor decisions reared its ugly head once again. At one point Woodson was being talked about as a potential #1 overall pick but now it looks like he has fallen out of round one all together and some feel he could possibly drop further than that. Personally, in my latest rankings update I now have Woodson as my #5 quarterback and #48 player overall. Woodson still has plenty of potential but it looks like he is more of a long-term project and the talk in Mobile was that his production and numbers were in large part a product of the Wildcats offensive system. It's really a shame that in a way Woodson is being punished for wanting to compete whereas a guy like Brian Brohm, who dropped out of the game with an injury, is getting rewarded for doing nothing but I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.
January 30th, 2008
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I just updated the rankings to reflect the Senior Bowl week so check those out. There were obviously a lot of major changes with guys moving both up and down.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee St. is the big winner and he jumps all the way up to the #4 cornerback spot and even broke into my Top 32 overall. I just can't say enough about how impressed with him I was the entire week in Mobile and to be honest I seriously considered moving him even higher. There really isn't much not to like about "D.R.C.", although he does still need to add some more bulk to his 183 lb. frame. With that said he is awfully similar to his cousin, Pro Bowler Antonio Cromartie, and he has a very impressive combination of height, speed, athleticism, ball skills and playmaking ability. He even answered questions about the level of competition he played against by standing out against the best of the best at the Senior Bowl. There is no question that Rodgers-Cromartie is flying up draft boards around the league as we speak and the first round is not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, I wouldn't rule out him challenging Leodis McKelvin, Mike Jenkins and Aqib Talib for that top cornerback spot.
January 29th, 2008
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Going into the Senior Bowl USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was already a sure-fire Top 10 pick but did his dominating performance in Mobile possibly put him in contention for the Top 3?
Depending on a coin flip the Oakland Raiders will be picking either #3 or #4 overall and even before the retirement of Warren Sapp defensive tackle was a need for them. If Glenn Dorsey is gone maybe Oakland will decide that they need help at the position so badly that they just take the next best available. Plus it's not like Dorsey is that much better than Ellis anyway. And don't forget they got an up-close and personal look at Ellis for a full week while coaching him in the Senior Bowl, a factor that could come into play. If Miami trades down a bit Ellis would have to be firmly on their radar and when it comes right down to it he is a better fit for their 3-4 scheme than Dorsey is anyway. And you can't rule out someone trading up for Ellis either. The bottom line is that Sedrick Ellis has now put himself into position to enter some rarified air on Draft Day.
January 28th, 2008
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There was some terrible news on the draft front late last week when it was revealed that Wisconsin CB Jack Ikegwuonu had torn his ACL in pre-draft training. Initial reports had him tearing his MCL and damaging his kneecap as well but further examination showed "just" an ACL tear. Ikegwuonu, who opted to come out after his junior season and is represented by Drew Rosenhaus, will have surgery to repair the knee soon and he'll be doing his rehabilitation with the same medical team that worked with Willis McGahee back in 2003.
Needless to say this is devastating news for Ikegwuonu's draft stock and he will most likely be in for a Draft Day freefall. As it was noted in some reports it's not as if Ikegwuonu was a first round pick but he was still in line to potentially be a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Now however he won't be able to answer one of the biggest questions people had about him (timed speed) before the draft and when you factor in the injury, his questionable availability for the '08 season and some off-the-field legal issues he will most likely be a late round pick now. Just a real sad story.
Obviously it's easy to look back now and say he should've stayed in school for his senior year but even before the injury his decision was borderline. This certainly isn't the end of the world for Ikegwuonu and he can still enjoy a long pro career but it looks like he's going to be taking a much tougher road to NFL success. If nothing else he is going to be a very intriguing player to watch out for late in the draft because he could wind up being a steal for some team that is patient and willing to roll the dice.
January 20-27, 2008
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I will be in Mobile, Alabama providing LIVE coverage of the Senior Bowl this entire week but that doesn't mean there won't be a blog. In fact, the blog will be bigger and better than ever with numerous updates every day! I will be trying to check in and update it as often as possible while I'm on location, letting you know what's going on, who I see, possible rumors, and much, much more. Every year this is without question the most popular element of my Senior Bowl coverage so be sure to check it out and stop back early and often for all the latest happenings.
It had been just about a month since the last update but I was waiting for the underclassmen deadline so I'd have a clear idea of exactly who was in the pool of eligible players. You can give it a read and decide for yourself which are the good, bad and controversial picks or check out the forums to see what others are saying but overall I am pretty happy with this effort. There is still a long way to go and there will be a lot of changes between now and April but pretty soon we are going to start really narrowing down who the first rounders are and what positions and players each team is targeting. Up to this point it has basically been educated guesses when it came to matching teams with players but now is the time to start backing up those projections with a factual foundation. Each version from here on out should be more accurate than the last.
The next update will probably be in a couple of weeks and that will reflect what happened at the Senior Bowl. Oh, and for the first time this year I am also planning to add a second round!!!
Enjoy the mock.
January 17th, 2008
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In yesterday's entry about the worst underclassmen decisions I had intended to talk about Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher, who initially opted to go pro. However he later changed his mind and announced that he would be heading back to Oxford next year and I think that's a great decision. In fact, even though I think very highly of him as a talent and he would've made this draft more interesting I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I heard he declared.
Had he stayed in the draft Oher was projected to be a first or second round pick and that is certainly nothing to sneeze at but as anyone who has read the book about him ("The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis) knows he also has some off-the-field issues that will likely give teams pause and impact his draft status. Now he will have another year to answer some of those questions and instead of being a fringe first rounder in 2008 he could be the next Jake Long, Joe Thomas or D'Brickashaw Ferguson in 2009. Oklahoma's Phil Loadholt could eventually challenge him for that top senior offensive tackle spot in the rankings but as it stands now Oher will probably be one of my higher rated overall players heading into next season and there is a decent chance you will see his image gracing this site's banner when I re-launch with '09 content this summer.
January 16th, 2008
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The underclassmen deadline has come and gone! Every year there are surprises so I thought today I would talk about who made the biggest mistake. Now I'm not going to talk about the Xavier Lee's of the world because that's obvious and they have just a slightly better chance of being drafted than you or I do. Instead I am going to focus on a couple of guys who may have made a bad decision by opting to go back to school for one more season of "amateur" football.
Had Ohio St. linebacker James Laurinaitis come out this year he would have been the first player chosen at his position and most likely a Top 10 overall pick. Like A.J. Hawk before him Laurinaitis is heading back to Columbus for his senior year but if I were him I'd have made the jump. The bottom line is he has accomplished just about everything he can at the college level and in all honesty it's pretty darn tough to do much better than Top 10 as a linebacker. It's difficult to place a monetary value on the college experience and maybe he'll have another amazing year and go Top 5 in 2009 but what if he blows out his knee? It's like sitting on a winning lottery ticket and deciding not to cash it right away. And on a similar note if I was USC's Rey Maualuga I'd have been pulling a hamstring backtracking on my earlier decision to stay in school as soon as I heard Laurinaitis was going back. Like his Buckeye counterpart Maualuga would probably have been a Top 15 pick and with Laurinaitis out of the picture he'd have easily been the best player available at his position. As it stands now both are really rolling the dice with millions of dollars and now they will have to compete with each other for draft position a year from now. All other things aside that just does not made strategic sense to me. I wish them the best of luck and hope it works out well for both of them but for what they are putting on the line that one final year of college life had better amazing.
January 15th, 2008
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For months I have been saying that the class of junior running backs has a chance to be one of the best we've seen in a decade and it looks like we're going to find out if I was right sooner rather than later. Why you ask? Because they are all going to be playing in the NFL next year!!!
It's been clear for a while that this crop of senior running backs was pretty unimpressive as a whole and apparently the young guys have been paying attention because they are now all jumping at the chance to take advantage of that situation. In fact, nine junior running backs have already opted to go pro early and they are Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, Rashard Mendenhall, Felix Jones, James Davis, Jamaal Charles, Kevin Smith, Ray Rice and Steve Slaton.
So what will all this mean?
Well, first of all some of these guys are going to end up being disappointed on Draft Day. At most there are usually only twenty running backs chosen in any given year and last year the tenth off the board was Michael Bush, who went with the first pick of the fourth round. That means, hypothetically, even if no senior goes ahead of these underclassmen (which is unlikely) at least one of them is going to fall to the fourth round or perhaps even further. Even the great Darren McFadden should be a little worried because if I am a team who is thinking about taking him in the Top 3 and giving him a $60 million contract I might think twice knowing that I can get a Rashard Mendenhall at the top of round two or a Kevin Smith or Ray Rice in round three at a fraction of the cost. The real irony of this is so many of these guys tried to take advantage of a weak senior crop at their position that too many of them came out and now there might actually be an overabundance of talent. Some of these guys should have taken that into consideration.
Looking a little further down the line this will also have a trickle down effect on the 2009 NFL Draft as well and next year's crop of senior running backs is once again looking awfully thin. Andre Brown of North Carolina St. and Marlon Lucky of Nebraska should be among the best the position has to offer going into next year but it's probably a safe bet that the first running back chosen in '09 will be a junior with Chris "Beanie" Wells of Ohio State the very early front-runner.
It's always nice to have a weak position supplemented by underclassmen and it usually works out well for both sides but this might be the exception to the rule. I will almost guarantee you that every single one of those nine juniors who have declared fully expect to be at worst a 2nd or 3rd round pick but that just isn't realistic anymore. This is a great year to be an NFL team in need of a top runner though because there will be no shortage of talent available on Draft Day.
January 14th, 2008
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Just a little "State of the Site" address today.
Here is what you can look out for in the coming days and weeks.
* There is now a scouting report for every player slated to take part in the Senior Bowl. That means you can read up on the strengths and weaknesses of more than 100 top prospects!
* On Tuesday I am going to overhaul the rankings and integrate all of the underclassmen.
* On Wednesday and Thursday I will be hard at work on a new mock draft, which will be the first since the entire player pool was finalized. Depending on time I may even add a 2nd round!
* On Friday I am going to launch the new mock and do a ton of Senior Bowl prep work.
* Then on Sunday I head to Mobile and I'll begin the best Senior Bowl coverage out there!!!
This is an exciting time of the year for draftniks and I think you will agree that there is a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. I do apologize for the short entry today but I am wiped from knocking out all of those scouting reports. However I will be sure to make it up to you on Wednesday when I will examine the best and worst underclassmen decisions in depth.
January 11th, 2008
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Now that Kansas junior cornerback Aqib Talib has officially declared for the draft I figured I'd take this time to answer some questions and clear up a couple of misconceptions about him.
First of all his name is pronounced "Uh-keeb Tuh-leeb".
Second of all he is not a top prospect.
Don't get me wrong there is a lot to like about Talib and there is a reason he's been an All-American for the Jayhawks. He has terrific size, outstanding athleticism, excellent hands and is the definition of a playmaker in the secondary. However, timed speed is a major issue and it has even led some to project him to safety in the NFL and that's why he could easily fall to the second round in April. Now if he runs well at the Combine or in workouts he could absolutely move up and maybe even way up but from what I have seen of him on film the 4.55-4.60 estimates look to be pretty accurate. Falling to the 2nd or even 3rd round is obviously not the end of the world and if he lands in the right situation Talib could be the next Ronde Barber but don't buy into the media hype that has labeled him as a elite prospect / potential Top 10-15 overall pick because unless he surpasses expectations in workouts that simply won't be the case.
January 10th, 2008
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It looks like this could be a record year for underclassmen in the NFL Draft. In fact, with almost a week left to go before the January 15 deadline for underclassmen to declare there are already 35 juniors or redshirt sophomores who have opted to move on. Just for some perspective last year we had 40 underclassmen total declare and if I'm not mistaken I believe the all-time record is 49, which was set in 2005 and may very well be in danger. Once the final list is released late next week I'll detail some of the biggest surprises but it appears as though the youngsters are flocking to take advantage of a real weak crop of seniors. This will certainly upgrade the overall talent pool and transform some positions like running back and cornerback from weaknesses to strengths but it's not going to do much to address the lack of elite talent at the top of the draft.
The days leading up to the underclassmen deadline are always a fun time for draftniks, with a handful of new additions every day, and it looks like this is shaping up to be a pretty wild year.
January 9th, 2008
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A bunch of underclassmen have declared since I've been gone so I thought I would take this opportunity to catch everyone up. Below is a list of the juniors and redshirt sophomores who have announced their intentions to go pro early and you can click on their names (which are in blue) to be taken to a story about that decision. And as always you can stay up to date on the latest early entries by watching my underclassmen page. So without further adieu here we go:
* Virginia OG Branden Albert, who was a third-team All-American, hopes to be a Day One pick.
* Former Tennessee quarterback / wideout James Banks, who is 24-years-old and last played at Carson-Newman, will enter the draft and attempt to overcome a litany of off-the-field issues.
* After entering the NBA Draft out of high school a few years ago Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett has opted to enter the NFL Draft early as well rather than try to learn a new system.
* With his coach and quarterback now gone Hawaii junior WR Davone Bess is moving on too.
* Underrated Central Florida CB Joe Burnett will follow his teammate Kevin Smith to the NFL.
* Even though he isn't the sure-fire Top 10 pick that many felt he would be just a few months ago Miami's 6-8 defensive end Calais Campbell will indeed leave school early for the NFL Draft.
* Texas RB Jamaal Charles is going pro early following a terrific junior season but he will have to live up to the hype in pre-draft workouts to solidify himself as a legitimate Day One selection.
* As expected Boise St. OT Ryan Clady has signed with an agent and will enter the '08 Draft.
* Kansas OT Anthony Collins will follow his friend to the NFL after receiving a 3rd round grade.
* Underrated Clemson RB James Davis has told teammates he plans to enter the NFL Draft.
* West Virginia's Johnny Dingle, a productive DT / DE 'tweener, is leaving early for the NFL.
* Due in large part to financial problems Middle Tennessee St. OT Franklin Dunbar is going pro.
* In a somewhat surprising move Texas Longhorns redshirt sophomore TE Jermichael Finley has announced that he will forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2008 NFL draft.
* Despite a rather disturbing incident with his Facebook page Virginia Tech junior CB Brandon Flowers has decided to enter the draft after being projected as a potential second round pick.
* June Jones left Hawaii. Colt Brennan is gone. Davone Bess too. Now so is Ryan Grice-Mullen.
* Indiana WR James Hardy has declared for the draft and some feel he could be a 1st rounder.
* Florida DE Derrick Harvey declared and says he is projected as a first-round selection.
* Maryland LB Erin Henderson will soon be joining his brother E.J. in the NFL.
* Wisconsin CB Jack Ikegwuonu declared but he might have to move to safety in the NFL.
* Athletic Florida TE Cornelius Ingram is reportedly going to enter the draft.
* Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo, who led the SEC in tackles this year, is leaving for the pros.
* According to reports Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall is going pro and could be a 1st rounder.
* Miami safety Kenny Phillips was the first junior to declare his intention to go pro early.
* Despite being benched as a junior Oklahoma State athlete Bobby Reid has declared for the draft instead of using his final year of eligibility to transfer and play at a Division I-AA program.
* After outstanding sophomore and junior campaigns Rutgers RB Ray Rice is going pro.
* Cornerback Orlando Scandrick became the 2nd Boise State player to ever go pro early.
* After dancing around the issue Auburn DT Pat Sims will indeed opt for the NFL.
* After holding a press conference saying he would return to school for his senior season Central Florida RB Kevin Smith had a change of heart and will in fact enter the draft after all.
* Kansas CB Aqib Talib is going pro but despite speculation that he will be a very high pick he was actually only given a second round grade by the NFL's Underclassmen Advisory Board.
* After a breakout junior season Michigan State WR Devin Thomas is heading to the NFL.
* Despite seeing his stock drop drastically after a shaky junior season Louisville WR Mario Urrutia has opted to enter the draft anyway, a decision that "disappointed" his college coach.
January 5-8, 2008
ON VACATION IN LAS VEGAS!!
January 4th, 2008
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As you may or may not know I have always believed that quarterback is the most important position in football. In fact, that's why I like to say that the golden rule of the NFL Draft is that unless you already have a franchise signal caller you don't pass on one. Yes, I am talking to you Miami. Some say that quarterbacks receive too much credit when things are going well and too much blame when things go bad but I don't necessarily think that's the case. In fact, I'm ready to prove just how important the quarterback position is using the 2007 regular season results.
First let's take a look at the situations under center for the eight worst teams in the NFL:
* Dolphins - Cleo Lemon and John Beck. Enough said! * Rams - Marc Bulger missed 1/3 of the season and they started Brock F. Berlin at one point. * Falcons - The fact that Chris Redman not only started but was their best QB speaks volumes. * Raiders - Oakland fans were treated to a dynamic duo of Josh McCown & Daunte Culpepper. * Chiefs - Damon Huard played like a veteran journeyman and Brodie Croyle struggled mightily. * Jets - Chad Pennington was benched very early on in favor of the unproven Kellen Clemens. * 49'ers - Alex Smith was terrible and injured and they had to start Trent Dilfer and Shaun Hill. * Ravens - Steve McNair is cooked, Kyle Boller is still a bum and they started Troy Smith late.
For those of you who are keeping track each of the eight worst teams in the NFL this year had issues at the quarterback position ranging from moderate to serious. Coincidence? I think not!!!
Now let's take a look at the state of the quarterback position for each of the playoff teams:
* Patriots - Tom Brady: League MVP. Super Bowl Winner. Hall of Famer. * Cowboys - Tony Romo: Pro Bowler and one of the top young quarterbacks in football. * Colts - Peyton Manning: Former League MVP. Super Bowl Winner. Hall of Famer. * Packers - Brett Favre: Former League MVP. Super Bowl Winner. Hall of Famer. * Jaguars - David Garrard was a revelation and he is widely credited for the team's success. * Chargers - Philip Rivers: Former #4 overall pick who struggled but has a bright future. * Giants - Eli Manning: Former #1 overall pick who mixes flashes of brilliance with inconsistency. * Titans - Vince Young: Pro Bowler Rookie of the Year and former #3 overall pick in the draft. * Steelers - Ben Roethlisberger: Super Bowl winner. Former 1st round pick. Pro Bowler. * Seahawks - Matt Hasselbeck has been of the Top 10 QB's in the league the last few years. * Redskins - Journeyman Todd Collins took over when former #1 Jason Campbell was injured. * Buccaneers - Jeff Garcia was credited as the main reason the team went from worst to first.
Of the 12 teams that are still alive eight of them have excellent, if not down right outstanding, production from the quarterback position and even the four that still have some question marks (Charges, Giants, Titans, Redskins) feature former 1st round draft picks. That is not a fluke!!!
Now I'm not saying that you have to have a future Hall of Famer at quarterback (although it sure doesn't hurt!) but if you aren't at least above average at the position odds are you have a pretty bad team. Will there be exceptions to this rule? Absolutely. But by and large how healthy you are under center is a good indicator of what kind of team you have. So next time someone tries to tell you that quarterbacks aren't that important and that you don't need to use premium draft picks on them simply point to the results that I have listed above because they do not lie.
January 3rd, 2008
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The Jets may have won last weekend but in the long run they might have actually lost.
How so you ask?
If the Jets had lost to Kansas City in Week 17 they would have been picking #3 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft but by winning it dropped them all the way down to #6. What's a few spots you ask? Well, it probably takes them out of the running for Darren McFadden, Jake Long and Chris Long, the three prospects who would have addressed their most glaring needs and made the most sense for them. Sure there are still going to be talented players on the board at #6 but now they are looking at prospects from the 2nd tier rather than the 1st. We actually see this every year, with terrible teams winning meaningless late season games that drop them in the draft. The argument everyone gives for playoff teams resting their players in the final week is that they have to do what's best for their franchise but the same logic should apply to porous teams as well. Who cares if you finish 4-12 or 3-13? Either way you had a dismal season. The only difference is that now instead of getting an impact player and franchise cornerstone the Jets will now be left to choose from guys the other bad teams didn't want. Can you tell I feel strongly about this? Coaches and GM's will tell you that they want to win regardless and that they don't care about draft position but maybe they should. In fact, I think they are doing their franchise a huge disservice by not paying attention to that factor. Would it essentially be a case of tanking? Sure. But don't you think that what teams like Indy and Dallas did in Week 17 was textbook tanking as well? Furthermore, it's not like the outcome of the Jets/Chiefs game had an affect on anyone other than those two teams whereas the Colts and Cowboys lackluster effort actually eliminated Cleveland and Minnesota from the playoff race. In a perfect world everyone would play their hardest and try to win every single game but that just isn't reality and since that is the case teams need to be cognizant of the big picture and what those inconsequential late season games really mean for their franchise long-term. Once again that doesn't appear to be the case though and New York Jet fans will just be the latest to pay the price for their teams poor management. In fact, maybe that is why they are one of the worst teams in the league...
January 2nd, 2008
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As I mentioned yesterday the initial 19 selections of the draft order are set with the exception of picks 3-5. Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City all finished with identical records and opponents winning percentages and the tie will be decided by a coin flip. Oakland actually has a tiebreaker over the Chiefs based on their having a worse record in common games, which means Kansas City cannot pick ahead of Oakland. So how is this going to work? Basically Atlanta and Oakland will have a coin flip and if the Falcons win they will choose third followed by Oakland and Kansas City. If the Raiders win that flip then Atlanta and Kansas City will flip for the fourth pick. Are you still with me? The bottom line is this: Atlanta could end up choosing anywhere in that 3-5 range but Oakland can only pick #3 or #4 and Kansas City can only pick either #4 or #5. You got it?
Coin flips to break ties in the draft order aren't that unusual and we had one last year between Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the #3 pick but a three-way tie is a little out of the ordinary. Last year the flip took place at the Scouting Combine and at this point it looks like that will be the case again. There is actually going to be a lot riding on that flip because Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City might be looking at some of the same prospects.
* All three franchises could really use is Michigan left tackle Jake Long
* Atlanta and Oakland would both take a long look at Darren McFadden.
* Atlanta and Kansas City could both be in the market for Matt Ryan.
So as you can see there will be a lot riding on that coin flip in late February!
January 1st, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
•Due to the holidays it's been a while since the last blog update but rest assured I have been hard at work knocking out the first batch of scouting reports. So far I've done about 50 and the goal is to have all 100 Senior Bowl invitees finished before I leave for Mobile, AL on January 20.
Also, with the NFL's regular season complete the draft order is starting to shape up, although there is a three-way tie for the #3 pick. You can view the latest order update by clicking HERE.
So check out the latest additions below and be sure to stop back often.
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Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee St. is the big winner and he jumps all the way up to the #4 cornerback spot and even broke into my Top 32 overall. I just can't say enough about how impressed with him I was the entire week in Mobile and to be honest I seriously considered moving him even higher. There really isn't much not to like about "D.R.C.", although he does still need to add some more bulk to his 183 lb. frame. With that said he is awfully similar to his cousin, Pro Bowler Antonio Cromartie, and he has a very impressive combination of height, speed, athleticism, ball skills and playmaking ability. He even answered questions about the level of competition he played against by standing out against the best of the best at the Senior Bowl. There is no question that Rodgers-Cromartie is flying up draft boards around the league as we speak and the first round is not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, I wouldn't rule out him challenging Leodis McKelvin, Mike Jenkins and Aqib Talib for that top cornerback spot.
Needless to say this is devastating news for Ikegwuonu's draft stock and he will most likely be in for a Draft Day freefall. As it was noted in some reports it's not as if Ikegwuonu was a first round pick but he was still in line to potentially be a 2nd or 3rd rounder. Now however he won't be able to answer one of the biggest questions people had about him (timed speed) before the draft and when you factor in the injury, his questionable availability for the '08 season and some off-the-field legal issues he will most likely be a late round pick now. Just a real sad story.
Had Ohio St. linebacker James Laurinaitis come out this year he would have been the first player chosen at his position and most likely a Top 10 overall pick. Like A.J. Hawk before him Laurinaitis is heading back to Columbus for his senior year but if I were him I'd have made the jump. The bottom line is he has accomplished just about everything he can at the college level and in all honesty it's pretty darn tough to do much better than Top 10 as a linebacker. It's difficult to place a monetary value on the college experience and maybe he'll have another amazing year and go Top 5 in 2009 but what if he blows out his knee? It's like sitting on a winning lottery ticket and deciding not to cash it right away. And on a similar note if I was USC's Rey Maualuga I'd have been pulling a hamstring backtracking on my earlier decision to stay in school as soon as I heard Laurinaitis was going back. Like his Buckeye counterpart Maualuga would probably have been a Top 15 pick and with Laurinaitis out of the picture he'd have easily been the best player available at his position. As it stands now both are really rolling the dice with millions of dollars and now they will have to compete with each other for draft position a year from now. All other things aside that just does not made strategic sense to me. I wish them the best of luck and hope it works out well for both of them but for what they are putting on the line that one final year of college life had better amazing.
First of all his name is pronounced "Uh-keeb Tuh-leeb".
Coin flips to break ties in the draft order aren't that unusual and we had one last year between Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the #3 pick but a three-way tie is a little out of the ordinary. Last year the flip took place at the Scouting Combine and at this point it looks like that will be the case again. There is actually going to be a lot riding on that flip because Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City might be looking at some of the same prospects.