2008 NFL Draft Position
Rankings
The Defensive Tackles
Rankings & Breakdowns
Top 50 Players - 1 to
25 |
Top 50 Players - 26 to 50
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs |
Wide Receivers
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Tight Ends
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Offensive Tackles
Offensive Guards |
Centers
|
Defensive Ends
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Defensive Tackles
Linebackers |
Safeties
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Cornerbacks
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Punters & Kickers
By
Pete Fiutak
The Class
Is ... Top heavy. Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis have the
potential to be all-timers, and there's great upside in Trevor
Laws and Kentwan Balmer, but there's going to be a lot of
busting going in with the mid-range picks.
The Best Value Pick Will Be ... Pat Sims, Auburn
Most Underrated ... Red Bryant, Texas A&M
Most Overrated ... Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina
The Deep, Deep Sleeper Is ...
Ogamdi Nwagbuo, Michigan State |
THE FRANCHISE
1.
Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU
Everyone's trying to poke holes in a near-perfect prospect, but
there aren't any. An ultimate warrior who'll play through injury,
pain, triple teams, and everything you throw at him, he played over
the second half last year when most players who project to be a top
five pick would've sat out and not risked his future. Dorsey
would've been fully justified to sit out the rest of the year after
the nasty chop block on his knee against Auburn, but he ended up
battling his way through the national title season as the anchor of
fantastic defense. Strong, agile, and as hard a worker and as high a
character guy as any in the draft, he's exactly what you want in a
leader. For some reason his height, at under 6-2, is a knock, but if
anything that helps him with his leverage. Yes, the durability
concerns are legitimate, to a point, but it'll take something
serious to keep him off the field. He's a player you build a defense
around for the next ten years.
CFN Projection: Top Five Overall
2. Sedrick Ellis, DT USC
Lost in the Glenn Dorsey spotlight was the tremendous 2007 season had by
Ellis. A phenomenal interior pass rusher who took his game up another
level in his senior season, Ellis anchored the USC line and showed the
strength and toughness to handle double team after double team and still
produce. He's a more creative pass rusher than most ends and it a brick
wall against the run. He's not the warrior Dorsey is and he was too good
at getting into the backfield for his own good sometimes, missing out on
a few run stops here and there trying to get to the quarterback, but
he's strong, quick, and a rock to build around. In any other year he'd
be the tackle everyone would be raving about.
CFN Projection: Top Ten Overall
POTENTIAL NFL STARTERS
3. Trevor Laws, DT Notre Dame
112 tackles as a senior. For a tackle. Again, 112 tackles in one season.
While he's not necessarily a tackle to build a defense around, he has
the drive and the fire to become a bear of a starter and a phenomenal
second interior option next to a bigger established starter. Very active
and with a great motor, he can be used in a variety of ways and will
still produce. At only six-feet tall, he's a bit of a bowling ball and
he isn't a good interior pass rusher, but he'll make plays and will
always keep working.
CFN Projection:
Second Round
4. Pat Sims, DT Auburn
It'll take some work and a little bit of time, but there's tremendous
upside if he can get used to being beaten on and if he actually decides
he wants to be a star. With all the skills and excellent 6-2, 310-pound
size, he has the look of a starting NFL defensive tackle, but he only
started for one season at Auburn and he needs to prove he can be a bit
of a warrior. He needs to get stronger both mentally and physically, and
if someone lights a fire under him, he could be special.
CFN Projection:
Late Second Round
5. Kentwan Balmer, DT/DE North Carolina
Easily the toughest call among the tackles, Balmer went from being a
nice inside presence for the Tar Heels to a major producer in his senior
season. With his 6-4, 308-pound size and shocking quickness, he has the
power to be an anchor who occupies a few blockers at a time, and he has
the athleticism to dominate as an end in a 3-4 scheme. Now the question
is whether or not he wants it badly enough. He looks the part, but he's
the type of prospect who gets scouts fired or promoted depending on how
he turns out.
CFN Projection:
First Round
6.
Dre Moore, DT Maryland
A potential lead brick of a tackle, he's a run stopper who beat the
tar out of everyone at the Senior Bowl when matched up one on one. He's
still a bit of a project and he needs a year or two of NFL coaching, but
he's extremely strong and very powerful. Even though he needs polish on
his technique, he doesn't miss many tackles.
CFN Projection:
Third Round
7. Red Bryant, DT Texas A&M
Really strong, really big, and really tough, Bryant was a four-year
anchor for the Aggies and could just now be reaching his potential being
two years removed from a torn ACL. While he's not all that nimble and
he's not going to every hit the quarterback, his 6-4, 318-pound size
makes him a tough wall to move.
CFN Projection:
Third Round
8. Andre Fluellen, DT Florida State
He's not going to be your star tackle, but he'll be great at the third
man in or next to a star. Extremely quick and with the athleticism to
grow into a top interior pass rusher, if he gets the right coaching, he
has a ton of upside. However, he'll get shoved around with anyone with
any strength. He's not huge and he can't stay healthy, and he's not the
playmaker he should be for a player with his athleticism.
CFN Projection:
Third Round
9. Marcus Harrison, DT Arkansas
Character and
durability are going to be the main concerns, and he'll never get to the
quarterback, but at 6-2 and 317 pounds with shocking athleticism and the
strength to handle two blockers without a problem, he's a major
prospect. The key is his health. As his knee gets better and better, so
should his production. On skills he's a first rounder, but on
intangibles he's a question mark.
CFN Projection:
Late Second Round To Early Third Round
10. Frank Okam, DT Texas
He should've
been a lot better than he actually was. A three-years starter for the
Longhorns, Okam was fine, but nothing special even though he came up
with a really nice senior season. At 6-4 and 335 pounds he's the biggest
of the top tackles by far and he knows how to use it. even though he
needs to play stronger. The question will be how he plays when the
lights go on. Terrific in the off-season circuit, it left many wondering
where that player was for four years.
CFN Projection: Late Third Round To Early Fourth
11. DeMario Pressley, DT NC State
A total underachiever, he has all the tools to be phenomenal. Big,
fast, athletic, and a good tackler, he was a good player for NC State,
but he never became an interior pass rusher and he didn't dominate like
he should've. He got dinged up with a variety of problems and didn't
always play through the injuries. The upside is there, but he needs to
be shoved by the coaches.
CFN Projection: Third Round
12. Nick Hayden, DT Wisconsin
While he
projects to be a backup, he should be a decent one. Without the
athleticism to become a regular starter at the pro level, Hayden has to
use his toughness and run stuffing ability to be a part of a rotation.
He's not going to get into the backfield, but it won't be for a lack of
want-to. He just doesn't have the tools.
CFN Projection: Sixth Round
13. Ahtyba Rubin, DT Iowa State
Really big at 6-2 and 315 pounds, he's a nose tackle who'll sit in
the middle of a line and occupy two and three blockers while everyone
else works. Now he has to learn how to handle the double team and still
make plays. He doesn't always play to his size and he won't get in the
backfield, but he has upside. He also has a major downside. If he
doesn't want it enough, he's not going to stick around for more than ten
minutes.
CFN Projection:
Late Third Round To Early Fourth
BEST OF THE REST
14. Letroy Guion, DT Florida State
For a player who's supposed to get by on his athleticism, he didn't
do a whole bunch at FSU to show it off. He looks more like a big end
than a tackle and will likely be more useful in a 3-4 scheme. Because of
his lateral quickness and because of his ability to clean things up when
they come to him, he'll be a decent backup. He was one of the players
suspended from the bowl game for academic issues.
CFN Projection: Third Round
15. Eric Foster, DT Rutgers
Where's he going to play? A total tweener who needs to be in a 3-4
scheme, Foster is 6-1 and 277 pounds but not a pass rushing end.
However, he's a fantastic at getting into the backfield from the inside
and he has a motor that won't quit. Give him the tools of a DeMario
Pressley or a Frank Okam and he'd be a top 20 pick.
CFN Projection: Sixth Round
16. Keilen Dykes, DT West Virginia
Dykes can
stop the run and he has the drive and the motor to work his way into the
backfield. Not a natural pass rusher and limited in his overall skills,
there's a hard ceiling on what he can do at the NFL level. Great at West
Virginia with the type of overachiever career that helped take the
program to another level, he'll be tough to boot off a team.
CFN Projection:
Late Third Round To Early Fourth
17.
David Faaeteete, DT Oregon
It'll be interesting to see if the light goes on. At 6-0 and 324
pounds, he's a good-based bowling ball of a tackle who should play on
the nose and be a rock against the run. Very strong and very tough, he
set Oregon weight-room records and showed it on the field. Durability is
a problem and he's not always going at top speed, but with his base set
of skills, he'll get a long look. He'll probably get cut once or twice
before he finds a good home.
CFN Projection: Late Sixth Round To Seventh Round
18. James McClinton, DT Kansas
A tremendous worker and a high-character guy who can be a team
leader, McClinton is the kind of tackle you want somewhere in your mix.
Unfortunately he doesn't have the talent to be more than a fringe
prospect. He's very slow, not that big, and he can get shoved around a
bit. That combined with an issue with seizures knocked him off some
draft lists.
CFN Projection: Seventh Round
19. Derek Lokey, DT Texas
Extremely strong with tackle-power, he's able to hold up well and he
doesn't get pushed around. A high-character, high-motor player, he's got
the attitude and the drive you'd love to see in a far more talented
player. Not that big and not nearly quick enough to get into the
backfield on a regular basis, there's a limit to what he can do, but
he'll have a few wow moments in training camp when he'll beat the tar
out of someone who isn't giving 100%.
CFN Projection: Seventh Round
20.
Carlton Powell, DT Virginia Tech
He was fine over the last few years, but he didn't dominate like he
should've. At 6-2 and 288 pounds he doesn't have the space-eater body to
be a must-have prospect, and he's not in good enough shape to be the
type of athlete who'll make a push into the backfield. He might be good
in short bursts, but he can't be used for more than a few plays in a
row.
CFN Projection:
Late Sixth Round To Early Seventh
21. Ogamdi Nwagbuo, DT Michigan State
The upside is
there, but the athleticism isn't. Where you stick him, that's where he's
going to stay. He won't push his way in the backfield and he won't get
shoved around. He's a block of granite, for good and bad. However, he
has room on his frame to get bigger and could eventually get to around
315-320 pounds
in a good way. He's still raw; there's a good upside.
CFN Projection: Late Sixth Round To Early Seventh
22. Lionel Dotson, DT Arizona
While he had a good senior year, he played like the bulked up defensive
end he was. Not a big body, he's only 283 pounds and he times slowwwwww.
He hasn't been able to tough it out through a variety of injuries and he
doesn't have the strength to survive as an every down tackle, but he
could be a decent interior pass rusher and he'll do the work needed to
get better.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round to Sixth
23. Barry Booker, DT Virginia Tech
He has the inside skills to make plays up and down the line, and he can
play far bigger and far stronger than his 6-4, 288-pound size, but he
has a short ceiling. He'll get shoved around a bit too often and he'll
be erased by any NFL double team. Even so, in the right system in the
right rotation, he could be a functional backup who grows into a role.
CFN Projection: Sixth Round
24. Frank Morton, DT Tulane
A pure run
stopper and nothing else, the 6-2, 307-pounder isn't going anywhere, he
isn't going to make any plays in an NFL backfield, and he isn't going to
do anything laterally. He'll be stuck in the mud, won't move, and will
stop anything that comes to him. He'll never stand out, but his inside
presence could make him tough to cut.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
25. Josh Thompson, DT Auburn
Ridiculously strong, the three-time Georgia state high school
weightlifting champion can hold his own, and a 5-11 and 305 pounds could
emerge as a backup nose tackle. A smart, tough player who'll try to work
through his limitations, he has the potential to stick on a team if he
can show any sort of movement. That could be a problem.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
ON
THE RADAR
26. Jason Shirley, DT Fresno State
27. Colin Ferrell, DT Kent State
28. Michael Lafaele, DT Hawaii
29. Leger Douzable, DT/DE UCF
30. George Chukwu, DT Rice
31. Landon Cohen, DT Ohio
32. Teraz McCray, DT Miami
33. Maurice Murray, DT New Mexico State
34. Richard Ciebert, DT South Florida
35. Henry Smith, DT Texas A&M
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