Scout.com: 2007 NFL Draft Analysis

1

211

New England (from Oakland) Oscar Lua, LB USC – Overshadowed by more talented, better linebackers and other defensive players at USC, Lua still managed to work his way into a role. He has decent size and good speed, but he’s an overachiever who’s not going to fly to the football and isn’t going to do much in pass coverage.

2

212

Dallas (from Detroit through New York Jets) Courtney Brown, CB Cal Poly – With good size and sub-4.4 speed, the former wide receiver is a nice late-round flier because of his raw skills and athleticism. The measurables jump off the charts, and so does he with a 41.5 inch vertical. He still needs to get the corner skills to come close to being a starting NFL corner. Even so, he could project into a good third corner in time.

3

213

Cleveland Chase Pittman, DE LSU – Not an NFL caliber pass rusher, either he’ll have to show he can stop the run or he’s not going to stick. He’s a good tackler and should fight his way on to the roster showing just enough to keep him around, but don’t expect anything special.

4

214

Tampa Bay Chris Denman, OT Fresno State – After a lousy 2006, his stock dropped in a hurry. With good athleticism and a great frame, he looks the part and will get what it takes to be an NFL lineman right off the bat. However, he might not have the quickness to be a tackle and might grow into a guard.

5

215

Arizona Ben Patrick, TE Delaware – After starting out his career as a Duke Blue Devil, he transferred to Delaware where he became a star receiver. He’s huge at 6-3 and 275 pounds, and while he’s not fast, he can move.

6

216

Washington Tyler Ecker, TE Michigan – Good hands, nice athleticism, and good at finding open spaces, he could grow into a good number two tight end. He’s not going to block anyone, so if he doesn’t show right away he can get open in camp, he’ll have a hard time sticking.

7

217

Minnesota Tyler Thigpen, QB Coastal Carolina – A lot of teams started to like him more and more going into the draft. At 6-3 and 220 pounds, he’s a big, strong passer who improved his accuracy by leaps and bounds for a good team. He’s a one-year wonder who only blew up in his senior year throwing for close to 3,300 yards and rushing for almost 656.

8

218

Houston Zach Diles, LB Kansas State – Good speed, good athleticism, not big. He’s a good former JUCO transfer who cranked out a nice senior year, but not a special one. He’s not going to be a starter and needs to stand out on special teams to make the roster.

9

219

Miami Kelvin Smith, LB Syracuse – A great college player who was often a one-man gang, he’s a cut 240 pounds with great tackling skills and tough. He’s not going to cover anyone and isn’t nearly athletic enough to be anything more than a run stopper. He has to make a few big plays early in camp to catch the coaching staff’s eye.

10

220

New Orleans (from Atlanta) Marvin Mitchell, LB Tennessee – He’s a tall, big, strong run defender who can make plays in front of him. What he can’t do is roam at an NFL level and chase down runners until they’re down the field. He’s not athletic to hang around a roster for too long.

11

221

Chicago (from San Francisco through Cleveland) Trumaine McBride, CB Ole Miss – While tough and productive at Ole Miss, he doesn’t have the speed or the size to become a regular corner at the NFL level. He’ll battle and he’ll work extremely hard with no fear of throwing his body around. He simply doesn’t have the skills to be anything more than little used backup.

12

222

Buffalo Derek Schouman, TE Boise State – A fantastic athlete who can block a little bit, he was great at making short running plays big ones with one key block. He has the ability to become a better pass catcher than he showed on a consistent basis at Boise State. Yeah, he can block, but he’s not going to bury anyone.

13

223

Tennessee Mike Otto, OT Purdue – With great quickness and good toughness, he has the size and raw skills to make a roster. What he doesn’t have is big-time strength or the ability as a run blocker to make big things happen. If he hits the weight room, he could be a steal because of his ability in pass protection.

14

224

N.Y. Giants Michael Johnson, S Arizona – One of the best combinations of size and speed for any safety in the draft, he’s good in coverage, busts his tail, and is a nice value compared to where other teams bought the top safeties. He’s not the best tackler and he isn’t nearly physical enough, but he has too much ability to not be decent.

15

225

Miami (from St. Louis) Brandon Fields, P Michigan State – Was a world-beater at times, inconsistent at others, all he might need is a little bit of tweaking to become a top NFL kicker. As long as he learns to get rid of the ball quicker and put more air under his punts to allow his coverage team time to work, he’ll be fine.

16

226

Carolina C.J. Wilson, CB Baylor – A versatile battler who can play free safety or corner, he projects as a backup fourth corner and special teamer. He’s not fast enough to start and not big enough or physical enough to be must use as a safety. Even so, if he shows the same nose for the ball when it’s in the air as he did at BU, he has a shot.

17

227

Pittsburgh Dallas Baker, WR Florida – A long, lean receiver, he should work his way into a number three role in a hurry. He’s dangerous against smaller receivers able to use his big frame to outplay them when the ball is in the air. While he’s not going to be a home run hitter, he’ll become good on the inside.

18

228

Green Bay DeShawn Wynn, RB Florida – He looks the part with 234-pound size, good speed, and nice quickness, but he can’t play. Never able to make a consistent impact in a Gator offense that begged for him to become a major factor, he has to show right away that he’s a changed player.

19

229

Jacksonville John Broussard, WR San Jose State – It’s all about speed. One of the WAC’s fastest players was a good, productive player for the Spartans after moving over from running back. He’s a bit of a wisp, but with his speed, he’s an interesting late-round flier to try to find a return man.

20

230

Cincinnati Dan Santucci, OG Notre Dame – He showed enough quickness and athleticism in the Combine to have generated a bit of a buzz. Quick off the ball, mean and tough, he’s worth a late-round flier as purely a guard prospect. He has to be more consistent.

21

231

Kansas City Michael Allan, TE Whitworth – With great size and terrific hands, he dominated D-III teams. He knows how to get open around the goal line and can be a slippery receiver if he gets the ball on the move. Now he has to get bigger, stronger, and learn how to not get pushed around.

22

232

Seattle Steve Vallos, OT Wake Forest – Arguably the most valuable player in the ACC last year as the leader of a tremendous Demon Deacon line, he has good size and is the type of smart leader you want on your team. He’s not quite as flashy as many might like and isn’t going to flatten anyone. Even so, he can play. It might be at center.

23

233

Minnesota (from Denver) Chandler Williams, WR Florida International – Very fast with 4.4 speed, he needs to make a splash as a return man to go along with his deep threat potential. He’s not all that big and still needs work, but is a good late-round flier because of his wheels.

24

234

Cleveland (from Dallas) Syndric Steptoe, WR Arizona – He’s not an NFL receiver. He’s not big enough, not fast enough, and he doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. However, he almost never got used to his potential at Arizona and could be the rare player who becomes far better as a pro camp than he showed in college. He needs to be a fourth receiver who makes the tough catches.

25

235

Green Bay (from New York Jets) Chansi Stuckey, WR Clemson – Not as fast as he needs to be considering his average size. Foot injuries have been his biggest problem and he’s still learning how to become a polished receiver after starting his career as a quarterbacks. He plays quicker than he times.

26

236

Philadelphia Nate Ilaoa, RB Hawaii – The unsung star of the high-octane Warrior attack, he’s a 245-pound back who can catch, block, and run with tremendous power. He could blossom into a tremendous fullback and an new kind of third down back if he can keep his weight in check.

27

237

Dallas (from New Orleans) Alan Ball, CB Illinois – Tall with good speed and physical for his weight, he isn’t going to handle himself well against better running teams and has to stay healthy. With just enough overall athleticism, he could be a nice project if he can make a few big plays early in camp.

28

238

Miami (from New England) Abraham Wright, DE Colorado – An ultra-productive all-star college player who’s missing the measurables to be an NFL player, he’ll be a tough cut. He’s a pass rusher who’s way too small to play on a pro line and way too slow to be a linebacker. Coming up with a niche as a pass rushing specialist will be his ticket, but he’s not going to blow past any NFL tackle.

29

239

Buffalo (from Baltimore) C.J. Ah You, DE Oklahoma – He should’ve been an amazing college player and it just didn’t happen. He has size, speed, and can get to the quarterback if everything breaks the right way, but he didn’t come remotely close to playing up to his potential. He’s an old rookie (25 at draft time) and may have already hit his ceiling.

30

240

San Diego Brandon Siler, LB Florida – A strong, tough inside linebacker who doesn’t miss a tackle and is smart enough to always find himself around the ball, he was a full-time starter almost from the start for the Gators and the leader of the national title defense. He’s not a natural in pass coverage and isn’t going to be a sideline-to-sideline playmaker at an NFL level, but he’ll be fine as long as he’s not asked to do too much on the inside.

31

241

Chicago Aaron Brant, OT Iowa State – He started at Iowa State from day one and never progressed over his four-year career. He was fine, but considering he looked like a possible All-American from his early practices, he was a disappointment. With good size and experience, he could become a backup guard, but forget about him as a tackle.

32

242

Indianapolis Keyunta Dawson, DE Texas Tech – 270 pounders who can move are rare. He’s not a linebacker and he’s certainly not going to be a tackle, like some think he might be. He’s a big end who could be terrific in a rotation as a decent pass rusher and potentially a big run stopper. With room to get bigger, he could grow into a late steal.

33

243

Green Bay (Compensatory Selection) Clark Harris, TE Rutgers – He has terrific hands, good route running ability and has plenty of experience as a main cog in the Scarlet Knight attack for four years. Unfortunately, he’s not fast and can’t block worth a lick. Was way overrated by several scouts and in many mock drafts.

34

244

Atlanta (Compensatory Selection) Jason Snelling, FB Virginia – A big tailback/fullback who’s stock dropped after an ankle injury, as long as he’s healthy he should be a major all-around producer in the right role. Not quite physical enough to be a true blocking fullback at an NFL level, he could be a power runner who can catch a few passes.

35

245

Tampa Bay (Compensatory Selection) Marcus Hamilton, CB Virginia – While he’s not a great athlete and he doesn’t have a whole bunch of speed, he’s a playmaker who could stick if given a chance. He’ll be a nice backup corner to use in several situations thanks to his smarts and tackling ability.

36

246

Tampa Bay (Compensatory Selection) Ken Darby, RB Alabama – A productive back for two years, he hit a wall last season with a stunningly disappointing 835-yard campaign with no rushing touchdowns. He’s not a special back to build a running game around. He doesn’t do any one thing particularly well.

37

247

New England (Compensatory Selection) Mike Elgin, C/OG Iowa – His versatility will be the key able to step in at either center or guard. Unfortunately, he’s not all the big and plays small. Don’t expect him to blow anyone up, but he could be a nice backup because of his quickness and work ethic.

38

248

St. Louis (Compensatory Selection) Keith Jackson, DT Arkansas – The son of the former all-everything tight end of the same name, the younger Jackson never generated any sort of a buzz among the scouts even though he made a ton of plays for the Hogs and has good size. The problem? He doesn’t do any one thing at a possible NFL level.

39

249

St. Louis (Compensatory Selection) Derek Stanley, WR Wisconsin-Whitewater – His 4.4 speed is enough to generate a big look in camp. Unfortunately, he isn’t big and got pushed around by D-III players. Can he compete against top competition? He has to be in space to do anything since he’ll get jammed by everyone. He needs to grow into a kick returner.

40

250

N.Y. Giants (Compensatory Selection) Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Marshall – While not huge and not fast, he was ultra-productive at Marshall and could’ve been an All-American had he stayed for his senior year. There are questions about his character after some off-the-field issues early on his career. On the field, he doesn’t do any one thing tremendously well and will have a hard time finding a role.

41

251

Jacksonville (Compensatory Selection) Chad Nkang, LB Elon – Very fast but way undersized for a linebacker, he might project to be a strong safety if he proves to be too valuable to get off the field. He was ultra-productive at a lower level and could be a heck of a special teamer if he stays on the roster.

42

252

Jacksonville (Compensatory Selection) Andrew Carnahan, OT Arizona State – The main issue is a torn ACL that knocked him out early last year. At close to 6-8, he has the long frame that could project into a decent pass protector, but he’s not nearly athletic enough to handle speed rushers and he has to get much, much stronger.

43

253

Cincinnati (Compensatory Selection) Chinedum Ndukwe, S Notre Dame – He hits like a ton of bricks, but he covers like he’s carrying them. Sometimes he tries to deliver the kill shot and misses out on making the needed play. Even so, he has good speed and the potential to become a dangerous defender if given the chance to develop and gets good coaching.

44

254

Oakland (Compensatory Selection) Johnathan Holland, WR Louisiana Tech – It’s all about the speed. You don’t get 4.4 receivers late in the draft. He could be a great special teamer and might grow into a good return man if he’s allowed to work. A long-time producer, he got better and better as his career went on.

45

255

Detroit (Compensatory Selection) Ramzee Robinson, CB Alabama – While undersized, he plays much bigger and works his tail off to try to make plays. He’s very quick and isn’t afraid to throw his body around to try to make a play. If he were just a little bit bigger, he’d be a first day prospect. As is, he’ll fight his way onto the team as a nickel back.