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The top junior or juniors at every position except quarterback, linebacker and kicker
opted to join the 2002 draft. As a result, a bad group of running backs became a
respectable one. The wide receivers went from terrible to very good, and the tight ends
went from average to excellent. The offensive line became a little stronger, and the
defensive line added two potential future All-Pros. In the secondary, Roy Williams is
obviously the big name, but juniors such as Derek Ross and Lito Sheppard made cornerback a
much stronger area. Even without the juniors, this is a very respectable year for
quarterbacks, and all the junior signal-callers who opted to stay in school should really
benefit from the extra year. However, the LB corps is very weak until you get down to
second-level depth. Overall, look for between 12-15 juniors to be taken in the first
round. Barring a trade, it looks as if Fresno State QB David Carr will be the first pick
in the draft. If Carr had come out a year earlier, he would have been a second-round pick.
The other players who everyone seems to have rated in their top 10 are North Carolina DE
Julius Peppers, Texas OT Mike Williams, Miami (Fla.) OT Bryant McKinnie, Texas CB Quentin
Jammer and Oklahoma S Roy Williams. Peppers, a junior, is the biggest gamble of the group,
but he also has the most upside. The fact that Williams is a safety could hurt him because
safety is considered a low-priority position.
Carr is good bet to go No. 1 if he does not stumble in his workouts. Some rate
Oregon’s Joey Harrington right up there with Carr, while others — like yours
truly — like but don’t love him. Tulane’s Patrick Ramsey and Sam
Houston’s Josh McCown went from also-rans to big factors in the equation at the
Senior Bowl.
Before the juniors entered the field, it looked like the only running back who was
going to get first-round consideration was UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, and he wasn’t
even viewed as a lock. Now, you could end up with three or four backs going in the first
round.
This is the strongest, and by far the deepest, group in years with the influx of so
many juniors. Miami (Fla.) junior Jeremy Shockey should go in the first round, and
Colorado senior Daniel Graham could as well. Some scouts feel Shockey can be a Tony
Gonzalez-type pro. Graham is more compact and complete, but his lack of ideal size could
keep him out of the first round
Before the juniors entered the draft, the only way a wide receiver was going to go in
the first round was if a team reached for one. But now you have six juniors who could get
first-round consideration.
This group is strong at the top but not very deep. It will be tough to find a Matt
Light later in the second round or a Kareem McKenzie in the third round this year.
However, teams picking at the top of the first round figure to snatch up Williams from
Texas and McKinnie from Miami (Fla.) before the draft is 10 picks old. Nebraska OG Toniu
Fonoti is functionally the strongest offensive lineman on the board, but most clubs
don’t consider guard to be a high-priority position, so he will not go as early as
his grade indicates. Ditto for Auburn OLT Kendall Simmons, because he is just over 6-2 and
most clubs don’t believe he can be a tackle. On the other hand, Arizona State’s
Levi Jones, Florida’s Mike Pearson and Boston College’s Marc Columbo could go
earlier than their grades would indicate because many clubs feel they can play left
tackle, which is easily the most valued position on the offensive line.
This may be the strongest position in the draft and could dominate the first half of
the first round. It’s possible to see four defensive tackles and one or two ends
going in the first half of the first round. North Carolina’s Peppers may have the
most upside potential of any player in the draft, but right now, his teammate, unheralded
DT Ryan Sims, is the better every-down football player. Last year, Georgia had two tackles
(Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud) who went in the first half of the first round, and
Tennessee’s dynamic duo of Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson may be even better
this year. Some people believe Wisconsin’s Wendell Bryant can be the best tackle
given time, while others have serious questions about him. The same can be said about
South Carolina DE-OLB Kalimba Edwards, who some liken to Jevon Kearse and others compare
to Aundray Bruce.
This is far and away the weakest position on the defensive side of the ball in this
year’s draft. There is no true middle linebacker projected to go in the first two
rounds, although UCLA’s Robert Thomas played the middle in college.
Overall, this is a good group with three potential stars in Jammer, Phillip Buchanon
and Williams projected to go in the first half of the first round.
If you need one, sign a free agent with NFL experience. |
