Buchsbaum's top 10
(as of March 10)

1. Peter Warrick
2. Plaxico Burress
3. Travis Taylor
4. Sylvester Morris
5. Dez White
6. Jerry Porter
7. Dennis Northcutt
8. Todd Pinkston
9. R. Jay Soward
10. Darrell Jackson

Positives: Rare size. Outstanding athletic ability. Creates instant matchup problems with his size and athleticism. Good hands, balance and excellent body control. Can make the acrobatic, circus catches. Plays big in big games. Caught 10-255-3 vs. Michigan and 13-185-3 vs. Florida this past season.

Negatives: Poor practice habits. Has good hands but has a lot of concentration lapses that lead to dropped passes. Is not a disciplined route runner and does a lot of freelancing. Does not have a big-league work ethic at this point. Knows how gifted he is and takes advantage of it. As a result, he can create some internal problems. May have gotten a little too heavy.

Summary: Has the ability to be a lottery-type selection, but his intangibles and immaturity make him somewhat risky as a top pick.

Positives: Has good size and excellent hands, body control and pass-catching skills. Adjusts to the ball well. Wants the ball in big situations. Will catch over the middle. Turns upfield quickly and runs with power after the catch. Can return punts. Improved dramatically in ’99 and really stepped up after Travis Taylor was injured, which made Jackson the Gators’ No. 1 receiver. Appears to have legitimate playing speed in some games.

Negatives: In other games, Jackson seems to lack explosive speed and quickness. May have a harder time beating tight man-on-man coverage on the next level.

Summary: Is not a home-run hitter but is a very good, solid receiver who catches the ball well. If he runs and works out well, Jackson could go as high as late in the first round, but if he runs a 4.6- to 4.65-second 40 on a fast surface, he could really see his stock fall.

Positives: Good intangibles. Appears to have courage, character and work ethic, as well as ability. Excellent size and good playing speed. Big hands and long arms. Has been clocked as fast as 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and some have even clocked him faster than that in the past. Quick for his size and has big-play ability. Eats up the defender’s coverage cushion and knows how to get the defender turned the wrong way. Will catch over the middle yet also knows how to work the sidelines. Shows good ability to run after the catch and will generally turn upfield after the catch. Will block. Had a strong week at the Senior Bowl.

Negatives: Somewhat erratic catching the ball. Does not always look the ball into his hands and will drop some because he is looking to run with the ball before he secures it. Needs to improve his route-running skills and do a better job of being precise and sharp when cutting during the route. Could get away with being a little sloppy and rounding things off in college, but he will not be able to do so on the next level. Will also have to learn more about reading coverages and making sight adjustments in concert with his quarterback in most offenses. Was heavier and slower than expected at the Combine, where his 40-time was only in 4.6 range.

Summary: Needs some development and refinement but has the size, speed and ability to develop into a top player in the NFL. Made huge strides at the Senior Bowl, which could very likely put him into the first round. Better than Jackson State product Jimmy Smith (36th pick in ’92) at a similar stage of development.

Positives: Good competitor. Big heart. Seems to like to play the game. Natural football player with an excellent feel for the game. Very quick, shifty and nifty. Darting, elusive runner with very good, quick feet who makes tacklers miss. Does a nice job with head fakes and can really swivel his hips. Rarely gets hit cleanly. Has been durable. Shows a quick, explosive burst of speed. Catches and adjusts to the ball well. Will catch coming across the middle. Has NFL-caliber ability as a punt returner. Might also be able to help out at cornerback in a pinch. Was a dominating player and big-play guy in college.

Negatives: Small with a slight build. More quick than fast. Not a super, world-class burner like a Jacquez Green or Cliff Branch. May struggle vs. the bump-and-run if lined up on the line of scrimmage as opposed to in the slot or in motion. (In both cases, he would have a better chance of avoiding the jam.)

Summary: An exceptional athlete and football player who lacks size but has been very durable, versatile and productive throughout his career. A playmaker.

Positives: Good height. Excellent playing speed. Very good hands. Exceptional body control. Can adjust to the ball even if he is off his feet and jumping for it. Will make the tough catches and plays as if he is not afraid. Has really nifty feet for a tall receiver. Despite body build and lack of bulk, he was a durable player in college. Has improved dramatically every year and gotten faster. Average per catch increased each of the past three years.

Negatives: Very skinny and narrow build. Looks like a pencil and may have a hard time avoiding injuries on the next level. Will drop a few passes.

Summary: Has emerged as one of the top receivers in the draft. Went from second fiddle to perhaps the best pro prospect on a team featuring pro prospects Adalius Thomas and Sherrod Gideon.

Positives: Great size. Superlong arms. Big hands. Tremendous athletic ability. Was considered the best athlete in the program. Has the speed and acceleration to get deep, a huge wingspan and rare (40-inch-plus vertical) jumping ability. As a result, plays as if he is about 6-5. Is too big and physical for most defensive backs to handle. Can outsize and outmuscle most DBs. Improved by leaps and bounds after moving back to wide receiver in ’99 and had a tremendous run in the all-star games. Got a chance to strut his stuff at the Senior Bowl and went from a late-rounder to a potential top pick thanks to his performance during Senior Bowl week.

Negatives: Went on a real run at the end of his senior year and played like a world beater at the Senior Bowl, but can and will he sustain that level once he is drafted and signs a big contract? Was not a consistent player in the past. Often looked lost on defense and was an inconsistent hitter who lacked instincts on that side of the ball. Caught the ball very well in the postseason, but hands and concentration were concerns in the past, and there was some question about his toughness.

Summary: Has the size and athletic ability to be a special player and showed people how good he can be at the Senior Bowl, but Porter’s past indicates he is no sure thing.

Positives: Tremendous athlete. Has great speed, quickness, acceleration and explosiveness. Has a gear nobody else seems to have. Can explode off the line and into and out of his breaks. Seemed more focused from ’96 to ’98, when he touched the ball 186 times and scored 27 TDs, with his average scoring play covering 49.5 yards. Can be a true home-run hitter in the Cliff Branch/Mel Gray mold.

Negatives: Lacks size. Small target. Has very limited strength and gets pushed off his routes. Is not a weight-room worker. Runs a lot of sloppy, rounded-off routes. Does not always seem to be trying or focused. Lets up at times. Very moody player. Does not put the ball away and has a tendency to fumble. Inconsistent catcher who lacks concentration. Big-time trash talker. Is very difficult to coach. Seems to march to the tune of a different drummer.

Summary: A rare talent who turns you on with his ability and off with his behavior. Despite lack of size is a first-round talent, but he could fall a long way in the draft if he doesn’t get his act together and learn how to be a team player.

Positives: Good size and playing speed. Has very good hands and concentration most of the time. A strong runner after the catch who can make the first man miss. Gets separation from the defender. Has enough speed to get deep and make the big play. Has made big plays in big games and always seemed to step it up in bowl games. In two bowl games at Florida, caught 20-315-5 and brought home a couple of MVP trophies.

Negatives: Still will do some body catching. At times will drop some catchable balls. As an early entrant, does not have a lot of experience. Has not always been much of a factor in little games.

Summary: With strong workouts and an excellent 40-time, he could be a top-10 pick. However, if he doesn’t run well, he could slip.

Positives: Superior athlete with rare balance and body control. Plays a lot faster than he clocks. Has great suddenness and burst. Tracks the ball extremely well and can make the acrobatic catches. Will go up and take the ball away from the defensive back. Times jumps very well and catches the ball at its highest point. Extremely rare ability to run with the ball after the catch. Tremendous open-field running ability. Excellent return specialist. Versatile. Can run, catch, pass and block and has played quarterback. Could be a goal-line quarterback on the next level, as well as a receiver-returner. Has very good hands and natural catching ability. Played like the first pick in the draft should in the last and biggest game of his college career vs. Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

Negatives: Despite having very good hands, still drops an awful lot of passes because he has erratic concentration and tends to run before he catches the ball in his zeal to make a big play. Also does not do a good job of protecting the ball once he has it and fumbles too often when running with the ball. Has had a couple of off-the-field run-ins with the law. Somewhat immature and temperamental. Judgment off the field can be very shaky at times.

Summary: Dynamic game-breaker thanks to his great ability to run with the ball after the catch. Will be one of the first players taken in the draft and could even go No. 1.

Positives: Great physical specimen for a wide receiver and an excellent all-around athlete. Has big, long arms and the body of a running back or big safety. Smooth and fluid for his size and seems to be an effortless runner. Has deceptive speed and excellent deep acceleration. Can get deep and pull away from the defender. Adjusts to the deep ball well. Running sharper routes now. Has really improved his ability to adjust to the ball. Good kick returner who has the speed to go the distance and the size to be physical.

Negatives: Is not a pure hand catcher and may not have naturally soft hands. Late reacting on a lot of short throws. At times double-catches and drops balls that get on top of him quickly. May have a vision problem, as he does not seem to see the ball until it is almost too late. Was less impressive in ’99, when people knew who he was and accounted for him in their game plans, than in’98, when he was the unknown, emerging player.

Summary: You wish he had better hands and was a more accomplished receiver, but with his size and big-play ability, White will still be a high pick and potential big-play maker on the next level. If it turns out he needs glasses to see the ball better on shorter throws, teams could really have a find.