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(Ed Note: From time to time, we'll be featuring guest columns and other related material from some of the top 'gurus ' and other analysts in the draft business.)

June 25, 2007

One Fan's Opinion - The 2008 Draft: The Juniors

by Greg Hansen

Any draft fan worth his salt knows that the bulk of the truly talented prospects come from the ranks of the declared juniors. This was fairly evident in the 2007 draft. 3 out of the top 7 and almost half of round one were underclassmen. The most dynamic and potential ROY candidates would have been seniors in the 2008 class: Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and JaMarcus Russell.

The 2008 draft will be no different. Juniors once again could dominate the first day of the draft. There is a boatload of talented skill position players lead by potential number one overall selection, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden. McFadden has already drawn comparisons to former SEC backs you might have heard of: Bo Jackson and Hershel Walker. The only thing he didn't do on fall Saturday's was sell popcorn and programs. He has a chance to be truly special at the next level. The second best RB prospect might be his backfield mate, Felix Jones. Jones was the most dominate performer in the Capitol One Bowl, which is saying quite a bit as he shared the field with McFadden and Wisconsin RB and Big Ten Frosh of the Year PJ Hill. Jones displayed excellent vision and top end speed rushing for 150 yards on 14 carries in defeat. Another potential junior RB prospect worthy of a round one grade is Steve Slaton of West Virginia. Slaton has a very similar skill set as Jones. I rank Jones slightly higher than Slaton due to Jones being the bigger of the two (6-0 205lbs vs 5-10 190lbs) Both backs remind me a bit former Cowboy and Denver great Tony Dorsett. When either back hits a seam, they are gone. Rutgers' Ray Rice was super productive as a soph, totaling almost 1800 rushing yards and 20 TDs. Another year of production similar to last, should leave him with a round one grade.

<>At the WR slot, one of the most talented players is the 'Ville's Mario Urrutia, who could potentially be one of the first WRs selected in next year's draft. Before long there will be whispers in draft circles as to Urrutia being the 2008 poor man's version of Calvin Johnson. While he doesn't have Johnson's blazing speed, he's every bit as big at 6-5 230 lbs. California's DeSean Jackson reminds me of former Vikings’ standout WR, Anthony Carter. The 5-11 and 172lbs 1st team Pac Ten WR is a dynamic return man, taking 5 kicks to the endzone as well as being the winner of the inaugural Randy Moss Return Man award. Jackson was not only a dynamic returner, but was also a top end WR, grabbing 59 balls for over 1,000 yards and 9 scores. Michigan's Mario Manningham is another prospect who could easily hear his name called early day one.

Same knock on Manningham is the one that may also hurt Jackson: He's 6-0 182lbs, a bit short and light for what the pros look for, but he was very productive his sophomore year and will likely clock a sub 4.40 at the combine or his pro day.

<>The D side of the ball also has several potential juniors' worthy of a first day selection. While there might not be as many big names on the D side of the junior class board, there are a couple potential top of the draft selection.

One of my favorites is Wisconsin's Jack Ikegwuonu. Since he stepped on the field in Madtown, Ikegwuono has displayed shutdown corner ability. He looks to be the first CB and maybe one of the first defensive players off the board. If Ikegwuonu isn't the first defensive player off the board, the Cane's HUGE DE Calais Campbell(6-8 255) might be. Campbell is already being touted in some circles as a potential top 5 selection. The question to me is: will Campbell live up to the hype like Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy, or will he disappoint like William Joseph and Orien Harris? LSU's Tyson Jackson, is another in a long line of Bayou Bengal D line prospects whose game should translate well at the next level. Jackson already has good pro size, and playing on a D with many other top prospects should help his cause. THE Ohio State's James Laurinaitis, son of former pro wrestler Road Warrior Animal, will be one of the first LBs off the board in 2008. Laurinaitis lead the Buckeyes with 115 tackles and 5 ints, and added another 8.5 TFL and 4 sacks.

If the majority of these talented and productive juniors declare, the 2008 draft promises to be a very good one. The class of seniors is one of the better ones in recent memory. High on the list: a couple top end OTs, maybe as many as 3-4 QBs worth high first day consideration, 3 very good WR prospects, several OLBs, and a good handful of D linemen.

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