Limas
Sweed, WR, Texas
Scott's
Take: One of the more talented receivers in the
nation heading into the 2007 season, Sweed’s senior year at Texas has to be considered a disappointment. Sweed
is a big receiver who has the quickness and athleticism
to be a very good one down the road, but he has lapses in concentration and
he’s not a quick starter.
Sweed is at is best when
he uses his excellent size and strength to out-muscle defenders, both big
and small. He’s a physical receiver that doesn’t shy away from contact and
he has the athleticism to make the spectacular look routine. He’s probably
going to end up being a late first, or early second-round selection if he
runs well during private workouts.
Patrick Lee, CB, Auburn
Scott's
Take: I'd compare him to Cleveland's Eric Wright.
I like Lee’s speed and athleticism, but he’s a bit stiff and he uses his hands
a little too much for my liking. One thing that sticks out for Lee is the
fact he’s played against some of the top receivers in the country, getting
significant playing time over the past three seasons.
Lee
is at his best mirroring receivers and making plays when the ball is in the
air, but he can be too aggressive at times biting on moves and with his lack
of fluid hips he’s probably going to struggle if he makes a mistake at the
next level. Lee looks like a second day selection at this point, but teams
can tend to overrate speed when it comes to corners, and he has plenty of
that.
Jason Jones, DE, Western Michigan
Scott's
Take: Jones has a great frame (6-5, 270)
and really long arms. He loves to get into the backfield and cause problems
for offenses, posting over 50 tackles-for-loss over the past three years.
Jones has a quick first step and was dominant at a lower-level of competition,
but it’s unclear how he will perform against the top competition
that the NFL will put up against him week after week.
Jones
has good speed to get the edge and he pursues well off the edge when plays
are run away from him. He also has the versatility to move inside if the need
arises. If he can translate his talent into productivity at a higher level,
you could be looking at a real steal on day two of the draft.
Terrell Thomas, CB, USC
Scott's
Take: Big and physical corner who was a stalwart in the pass-happy
Pac 10. Has a fluid hip turn and transfers from his backpedal to a full sprint
quickly. Thomas is very good against the run and I really like how physical
he is as a tackler. You don’t see a lot of corners with his abilities be as
physical as he is, but he comes up and fills hard against the run and even
played some linebacker for USC in some sets.
Because
of his utter lack of disregard for his own body and health, Thomas has had
surgery on both shoulders and on his right knee, but he’s come back from all
three injuries and performed even better when he returned. It wouldn’t surprise
me to see Thomas go in the first round, but he’s no worse than a second round
choice at this point. A lot of where he ends up depends on how he runs in
his personal workouts.
Chauncey Washington, RB, USC
Scott's
Take: In a backfield loaded with talented backs, the Trojans constantly
turned to Washington to carry the ball for the first half
of the 2007 season. When some of the younger backs started to make their presence
felt, Washington lost carries, but
he still managed to lead the team in rushing the past two seasons after missing
both the 2004 and 2005 because he was academically ineligible.
Washington isn’t a dynamic runner
who can break the long run, but he’s very physical inside the tackles and
he can catch the ball well out of the backfield. Washington has never really had to carry the load since he’s been out
of high school, so sharing carries won’t be that big of a deal for him. I
think he could be a solid change-of-pace back, but it looks like he’ll be
a late-round selection or a free agent who will have to find a way to stick
on a roster through special teams play.
Marcus Griffin, FS, Texas
Scott's
Take: When your brother is Michael Griffin, it’s a tough shadow to come out from under. While the elder Griffin was one of the top athletes in the country
last year, Marcus isn’t in the same league and isn’t he same player his older
brother. Marcus has decent speed, but he doesn’t cover as much ground as teams
ask their free safeties to do in the NFL. He’s a good hitter, a solid tackler
and he’s got good instincts, but his ceiling is a tad lower because of his
size and his lack of true closing speed.
If
you want a football player who can make plays on defense and be a solid backup
safety, Griffin is your man. Asking him to start right
away though could be tough on him. Griffin is an early second day selection at this point.
Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana
Scott's
Take: I love players who have immense physical
talent, but haven't spent much time playing the game. Porter is that type
of player. He only played two years of high school ball and then proceeded
to start four straight years for an up-and-coming Indiana squad. As a freshman he was named to the freshman All-Big 10
squad and he took off from them improving every year he was in Bloomington.
He's quick and he makes plays on the ball when it's in the air.
Porter
is very aggressive and that can cause him issues, but with his decent size
and excellent top-end speed (4.35) he can make up for mistakes early as he
continues to learn the game. He changes direction quickly and he's improved
a lot at reading routes. He doesn't wrap up well when tackling, so that needs
to be worked on, but he has all the stuff to be a solid starter at the pro
level. Because there are more polished corners ahead of him, Porter may fall
to the early third round, but if a team takes a flier on him, they could end
up smelling like roses in a couple years.