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The 2000 draft has three elite players at the top. Florida State WR Peter Warrick is
special because of his ability to run after the catch. Penn State DE Courtney Brown could
be a quicker, more athletic Kevin Carter, and his college teammate, LaVar Arrington, could
make the biggest impact of any outside ’backer to enter the league since the late
Derrick Thomas.
After the big three, there are a handful of semi-blue chippers. This list includes
Alabama OLT Chris Samuels (whom some teams rate in the same class as the big three),
king-sized Michigan State WR Plaxico Burress, Florida State DT-NT Corey Simon, Virginia RB
Thomas Jones, New Mexico SS/LB/TE/H-back/FB Brian Urlacher and Florida WR Travis Taylor
(if he runs well) could also be rated to go in the first half of the first round. Unlike
in ’99, when QBs went 1-2-3 and five were among the top dozen picks, this year no
quarterback is graded to go in the first half of the first round.
When a team feels a quarterback can become a quality NFL starter, that player goes to
the top of the list, but QBs who are considered good enough to play but not long-range
answers and backup types tend to go lower than their grades unless they are
"Slash"-type players. But if one team is convinced that a quarterback can be
their guy, that quarterback will be a first-round pick. I’m sure somebody feels that
way about Marshall’s Chad Pennington. (The 49ers could take him with one of the two
first-round picks they held at presstime.) Louisville’s Chris Redman was considered a
possible first-round pick until he ran the 40 slower than 5.3 at the Combine and major
concerns popped up about his health. Now, he will probably go no higher than late in the
second round and possibly much later than that. Tennessee’s Tee Martin has intriguing
down-the-road potential and could go as high as the second round but may also last a long
time because he is so far away from being ready to play. Most scouts don’t feel
Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton has enough size or arm strength to be drafted, but he has
some very special qualities in other areas that may allow him to defy the odds, and a
creative offensive team such as the 49ers could fall in love with him.
There are no superbacks this year, but Jones is a solid first-round pick. Some scouts
would take Heisman Trophy winner Dayne over Jones. Alabama’s Shaun Alexander gets
mixed reviews because scouts disagree about his toughness and durability, but some rate
him as one who should go in the first half of the first round. Tennessee’s Jamal
Lewis is the wild-card entry. Before he hurt his knee, he was viewed as a potential
superback, but coming off the injury last season, he did not look special anymore. Arizona
State’s J.R. Redmond could go in the first round if he runs and works out well.
Miami (Fla.)’s Bubba Franks has many of the tools to be special but will be
downgraded because of his 40-time. The big question is how high in the first round anyone
will take a tight end. West Virginia’s Anthony Becht is on top of the "best of
the rest" list. Some scouts even rate him as a late first-round pick, but most have
him going in Round Two or Three.
Warrick could be the first pick in the draft. He is that special. Burress could be as
special as Warrick or be the biggest disappointment of the first round, but with his
talent he should be a very high pick. Taylor could be a very high pick if he runs well but
could fall all the way to the second round if he runs poorly. Jackson State’s
Sylvester Morris has great upside potential, but he must run faster than he did at the
Combine to be a top-15 pick. Georgia Tech’s Dez White, West Virginia’s Jerry
Porter and perhaps Southern Mississippi’s Todd Pinkston, USC’s R. Jay Soward,
Arizona’s Dennis Northcutt and Florida State’s Laveranues Coles could also get
some first-round consideration
The only true standout is Samuels. Other potential first-round picks are Wisconsin OLT
Chris McIntosh, who may not be quick enough to play the left side in the NFL;
Oklahoma’s overpowering Stockar McDougle; Mississippi’s huge Todd Wade;
Tennessee’s Chad Clifton; USC’s Travis Claridge; and Hawaii’s Adrian Klemm.
McDougle and Wade are right tackles. Klemm has the tools to be an NFL left tackle if he
has the toughness and tenacity to go with them. The only pure guard who figures to get
first-round consideration is Tennessee’s Cosey Coleman, despite a disappointing
Combine. The top center is Virginia’s John St. Clair, but he is not a first-round
pick.
Brown is really special, and he could be the first pick in the draft. But he also could
fall to the fourth overall pick if Cleveland passes on him. Simon is the best inside
player. Players such as Boston College’s Chris Hovan, Tennessee’s Shaun Ellis,
Virginia Tech’s John Engelberger, Kansas State’s Darren Howard and
Nebraska’s Steve Warren will move up in the draft if they work out well because the
need for quality defensive linemen is so great.
Hybrids
These players are combination DE-OLB pass rushers who are probably too small to be
full-time defensive ends but who could be 3-4 rush ’backers or situational pass
rushers in a four-man front. The top two players in this group are South Carolina’s
superfast John Abraham and Michigan State’s Julian Peterson, who showed in ’99
that he could also play a SLB position in a 4-3. Others in this group are Southern
Mississippi’s Adalius Thomas, Arizona State’s Erik Flowers, San Diego
State’s Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Colorado State’s Clark Haggans and Auburn’s
Marcus Washington. Virginia Tech’s Corey Moore may be just too small to fit in this
category. He may wind up as a situational blitzer and rusher who comes in on passing downs
unless he finds a home as a ’backer or strong safety.
Arrington is a very fast, explosive impact player who figures to be one of the first
three players picked. However, he needs to grow up and to develop a little more
discipline. Urlacher is a super athlete and player who spent more time at strong safety
than linebacker in college but can play either and might also be an H-back or tight end on
offense. Brigham Young’s Rob Morris is the best inside ’backer, but his age and
injury past could hurt him. Peterson, Abraham, Syracuse’s Keith Bulluck and
Tennessee’s Raynoch Thompson also could get strong first-round consideration, while
undersized but superproductive players such as Moore and West Virginia’s Barrett
Green cannot entirely be ruled out. If Cal’s Matt Beck gets a clean bill of health,
he could be a solid second-round pick. The same goes for Wake Forest’s Dustin Lyman.
On the field, Miami (Fla.)’s Nate Webster is cut from the Ray Lewis mold.
At safety, Tennessee’s Deon Grant has the size-speed ratio, athleticism, hands and
ball skills to be top-10 pick, but his tackling leaves a great deal of room for
improvement. That is why many clubs rate him as a second-rounder. There is no cornerback
close to being in the Shawn Springs/Charles Woodson/Champ Bailey/Chris McAlister class,
but the need for corners is so great that we could see a run on them starting late in the
first round, with workouts and personal preference deciding the pecking order. Many feel
that Jackson State’s Rashard Anderson has the best long-range potential, that Ohio
State’s Ahmed Plummer is the best technician and that Virginia Tech’s Ike
Charlton makes the most impact plays. Cal’s Deltha O’Neal and Colorado’s
Ben Kelly are also top return men. Maryland’s Lewis Sanders and Pitt’s Hank
Poteat get mixed reviews, and preseason first-rounders Mario Edwards (Florida State) and
Dwayne Goodrich (Tennessee) had disappointing senior seasons. Arkansas’ David
Barrett, West Texas A&M’s Kareem Larrimore and Oklahoma State’s Jacoby
Shepherd could go surprisingly high. The same is true for Marshall S Rogers Beckett.
The only placekicker who figured to go very high, Florida State’s Sebastian
Janikowski, is now a huge question mark because of his legal problems, which could
possibly lead to his deportation, and his love of the good life. Texas A&M’s
Shane Lechler might be considered as soon as the third round if he punts well during
individual workouts because he has a big-time leg. |
