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Tuesday Question - The 5 Best Pro Prospects
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Arkansas RB Darren McFadden
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CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Apr 22, 2008
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Regardless of position, the five best players in this year’s draft are …
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Pete
Fiutak
Q: Regardless of position, the five best players in
this year’s draft are …
A:
I get the final say on
the top overall players at Top 50
Players so you can read all the write-ups there.
My top five are: 1) Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU, 2) Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio
State, 3) Jake Long, OT Michigan, 4) Chris Long, DE Virginia, 5) Ryan
Clady, OT Boise State
Richard
Cirminiello
Q: Regardless of position, the five best players in
this year’s draft are …
A:
5. DE Vernon Gholston, Ohio State –
With a ceiling as high as any player in the draft, Gholston has Shawne
Merriman-like potential with a freakish package of athletic ability. If
a team can get him to play at a high level day-in and day-out, it’ll
have a pass rusher that gets to multiple Pro Bowls before he’s through.
4. DE Chris Long, Virginia – While not the flashiest of the
top players, Long is most likely to still be cashing NFL paychecks a
dozen years from now. On and off the field, he’s already the consummate
professional, a fundamentally sound workaholic that any defense and
franchise would love to have under contract.
3. OT Jake Long, Michigan – The knock on Long is that he didn’t
have the athleticism of a Joe Thomas or an Orlando Pace to be a
sure-fire left tackle in the NFL. Well, he looked plenty athletic in
pre-draft workouts, and has the nasty demeanor to be a pillar of
consistency for the next decade.
2. DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU – Everyone is spending too much time
worrying about the health of Dorsey’s leg, which, by all indications,
will be fine. Remember last year, when he was a one-man wrecking ball
and the best defensive prospect in the country? The injury aside,
nothing has changed since that point.
1. RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas – Forgetting any off-field
worries or team needs, McFadden is the one player in this draft most
likely to transform the organization that picks him. He’s capable of
being to that team what Adrian Peterson was to Minnesota last year.
John
Harris
Q: Regardless of position, the five best players in
this year’s draft are …
A: 1. Darren McFadden,
Arkansas – I know how the draft goes in some sense. A little character
baggage (okay, maybe more than a little), a short running back shelf
life and a team without a need at the position can force a great player
to fall. That’s the case here. If Miami didn’t have Ronnie Brown on
the roster, D-Mac would go number one. Quite simply, he’s the best,
with the best potential to impact his team immediately.
2. Glenn Dorsey, LSU – I thought, even with his health at 85%, Dorsey
was still the best defensive tackle in the draft. When healthy, I think
he’s going to be the most disruptive force inside within two to three
years.
3. Chris Long, UVa – Don’t get caught up in the “he’s not athletic
hype”. Just turn on the tape (uh, the Maryland game) and you see all
you want from a high level draft selection. His burst off the edge,
combined with a tenacity to get to the quarterback, will make him a more
productive Kyle VanDenBosch or Will Smith in a couple of years.
4. Vernon Gholston, Ohio State – Gholston may have a higher ceiling than
Dorsey or Long, but his floor could be much lower than the other two as
well. I love his explosive abilities, but he’s got to get after it for
a full 60 minutes. His athletic abilities are without peer in this
draft and I think his versatility will be a plus for him down the road.
However, I can’t get the Mike Mamula tag out of my head. Remember him?
That’s my point.
5. Jake Long, Michigan – Trying…to…get…Ohio State…game…out of…memory.
Of the five left tackles that should go in the first round, Long might
be the one better suited to go to the right side. That doesn’t make him
a bad, early pick, but it’s risky to look at a guy who will struggle
mightily as a left tackle, especially early in his career.
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