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This year will be known as the year of the quarterback because there are more potential
starting quarterbacks than in any draft since 1983. However, the overall quality of this
draft does not come close to that of ’83. That year’s draft was the deepest and
strongest across the board in the past 30 years. A future All-Pro, Karl Mecklenburg,
lasted until the 12th round. The biggest reasons the quarterbacks all did not go right off
the top were that teams had to decide if they wanted a future All-Pro such as Eric
Dickerson, Curt Warner, Chris Hinton, Bruce Matthews or Jimbo Covert, or a quarterback;
and the quarterbacks were the players the rival USFL was going after the hardest. How many
people realize Dan Marino was the first pick in the entire USFL draft by a Los Angeles
franchise that had a lot more money than the Patriots’ then-owner Billy Sullivan ever
dreamed of having and that the USFL succeeded in signing up the second line of
quarterbacks (Reggie Collier, Bobby Hebert, Tom Ramsey, etc.) before the NFL draft even
started?
There’s a good chance that five quarterbacks (Kentucky’s Tim Couch,
Oregon’s Akili Smith, Syracuse’s Donovan McNabb, Central Florida’s Daunte
Culpepper and UCLA’s Cade McNown) will go in the first round, or perhaps as many as
seven. (Tulane’s Shaun King and Ohio State’s Joe Germaine conceivably could go
in Round One.) Couch will probably be the first to go but, as of presstime, still had not
worked out. If he has a good workout, Cleveland will take him with the first pick in the
draft.
There are no pure fullbacks to write home about and not a lot of depth in general, but
this draft does have two potential franchise backs in Texas’ Ricky Williams and
Edgerrin James of Miami (Fla.). A third back with similar talent, Cecil Collins of McNeese
State (La.), has top-5 to top-10 ability but could last a long time because he has more
baggage than one would generally find on a 747 jumbo jet filled with people going to
Europe on vacation.
An average group without any probable first-round picks.
North Carolina State’s Torry Holt and Ohio State’s David Boston are sure-fire
first-round picks, Louisiana Tech’s Troy Edwards has been unbelievably productive,
and, if not for prior injuries, Northwestern’s D’Wayne Bates would be up there
with Holt and Boston. Scouts could also throw in Fiesta Bowl hero Peerless Price of
Tennessee, but, after that, there is a drop-off.
This is a very strong OT group with players such as Eastern Michigan’s L.J.
Shelton, Brigham Young’s John Tait, Wisconsin’s Aaron Gibson (whom many scouts
like better as a guard), Penn State’s Floyd Wedderburn, Georgia’s Matt
Stinchcomb, West Virginia’s Solomon Page, Michigan’s Jon Jansen, Notre
Dame’s Luke Petitgout, UCLA’s Kris Farris, etc. But the only center who excites
is Boston College’s Damien Woody, and guard is a so-so area.
Quality and depth are lacking, but the need among NFL teams is great, so players will
be forced into the first round.
USC’s Chris Claiborne and Florida’s Jevon Kearse could be special players for
the next decade, and, at one point, scouts looked at Ohio State’s Andy Katzenmoyer
the same way. Tennessee’s Al Wilson, Northwestern’s Barry Gardner, West
Virginia’s Gary Stills and Florida’s Mike Peterson are awfully good players who
played much better than Katzenmoyer in ’98, but they are undersized by today’s
standards.
Georgia’s Champ Bailey is in the Charles Woodson mold, and Arizona’s Chris
McAlister is a potential top-10 pick, but then there is a drop-off at cornerback. After
Anthony Poindexter’s knee injury, there is not a first-round pure safety.
The kicker with the best chance of being taken in the first three rounds is Kansas
State’s Martin Gramatica. Scouts have learned the hard way that most college kickers
fail with the team that drafts them originally, which is why teams are very reluctant to
draft kickers at all. |
