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The top 100 draft prospects on the board

by Jeff Legwold, Special to FOXSports.com


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Updated: April 22, 2009, 6:20 PM EDT
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The video has rolled, the numbers have been crunched — and a survey of scouts and personnel executives throughout the league over the past six months reveals the top 100 prospects available in this year's draft — regardless of position or team needs in the selection order.

WANT A SECOND OPINION?

Aaron Curry The No. 1 pick often has to do with team needs instead of talent. All mock drafts aside, Scout.com's Chris Steuber ranks his Top 25 players in the draft.

When all is said and done with a class that is not considered strong overall — players likely will have been drafted ahead of their true rankings all over the board, because there are thin spots in Round 1 as well as in Rounds 3 through 5 — it's an offensive tackle at the top.

Why? Left tackles are more difficult to find and can have a bigger impact as rookies than linebackers — just ask the Broncos and Dolphins what Ryan Clady and Jake Long did for their offenses last season. And other than quarterback, there may be no position more difficult to fill with a rookie who can come in and start as well.

So if teams have the chance to get one with big-time potential, they are always wise to take him.

So, let's begin the countdown from No. 100 to No. 1:

  • THE NEXT 25: No. 51-75

    100. Sebastien Volmer, OT, Houston (6-7, 315)
    Born and raised in Germany. Played tight end in '05, missed '06 with an injury and started two years at tackle. Coaches said he surrendered one sack this past season. A late bloomer with huge potential.

    99. Johnny Knox, WR, Abilene Christian (5-11½, 185)
    Blazing speed — some had him at 4.28 hand-timed at the combine — but an either/or player. Had two 200-yard receiving games in '08 and had 5 with less than 50 yards receiving, as well.

    98. Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati (5-11½, 184)
    One of the younger players on the board — won't be 22 until July. Scouts believe his speed is better than he has timed recently. Was a four-year starter for the Bearcats.

    97. Jasper Brinkley, LB, South Carolina (6-1⅝, 252)
    Struggled some in '08 with a heel injury and it showed in his play at times. Missed all but four games in '07 with a torn ligament (LCL) in his right knee.

    96. David Bruton, S, Notre Dame (6-2, 219)
    Top-shelf athlete who certainly got lost in the Irish's defensive struggles in recent seasons. Great speed (4.46 at the combine), quality range and will be a good special teams player. Had 85 tackles in '07, 97 tackles in '08.

    95. Lawrence Sidbury, DE, Richmond (6-2⅜, 266)
    Fastest of the tweener defensive ends on the board this time around — some teams had him in the 4.5s at the combine. Had 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in '08.

    94. Tyrone McKenzie, LB, South Florida (6-1⅝, 240)
    Because of family issues, played at three different schools — Michigan St., Iowa St. and South Florida. But had three 100-tackle seasons overall.

    93. D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt (5-8⅞, 192)
    Has worked at cornerback, wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner for scouts since the end of the season. Undersized, but the guy snared six interceptions in the speed-heavy SEC in each of the last two seasons.

    92. Ricky Jean-Francois, DT, LSU (6-2⅝, 295)
    Came out as a junior and has some notable athleticism. Plays light on his feet on the inside — he blocked three kicks in his career — yet still started just eight games in his career. Missed '07 because of academics.

    INSIDE THE TOP 100
    Digging inside Jeff Legwold's rankings, here are his top 100, broken down by conference.
    Conf.
    Nos.
    1-25
    Nos.
    26-50
    Nos.
    51-75
    Nos.
    76-100
    TOTALS
    SEC
    6
    5
    4
    7
    22
    Big 10
    5
    2
    3
    4
    14
    Big 12
    5
    3
    3
    2
    13
    ACC
    5
    3
    4
    1
    13
    Pac 10
    3
    4
    3
    2
    12
    Big East
    1
    6
    2
    3
    12
    Best of the rest:
  • 3 — Mountain West
  • 2 — MAC, WAC, Conference USA
  • 1 — Sun Belt, Missouri Valley, CAA, Lone Star, Independents
  • 91. Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa (5-10½, 227)
    Had one big year — "1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns" kind of big — and that makes some nervous about projecting him. Won't consistently pop the big play, but durable and keeps his speed late in games, so plays a little faster as he goes along.

    90. Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin (6-3, 243)
    His '08 season was cut short by a fractured leg. Has shown good upper body strength in workouts and he competes in the run game. As a receiver, he had 61 catches in '06 and 75 catches in '07 in the Badgers' ground-pounding offense.

    89. Sherrod Martin, S, Troy (6-1, 198)
    Has had surgeries on both shoulders to repair torn labrums — both in '06 — so there are some medical concerns, but forced 6 fumbles in '07 and had 94 tackles this past season.

    88. Fili Moala, DT, USC (6-4, 305)
    Was a three-year starter in a loaded defense. A well-schooled player who knows how to get upfield and make something happen — 10 tackles for loss in '08.

    87. Coye Francies, CB, San Jose St. (6-0⅜, 185)
    Played just one year in San Jose after transfer from Oregon St. — he was dismissed from the program, though gun charges in a traffic stop were later thrown out. Fluid player and tackles fairly well. Didn't run as well as some had hoped, but plays the ball well in traffic and has run stride-for-stride with players who timed better than he has.

    86. Kraig Urbik, G/T, Wisconsin (6-5⅛, 328)
    Helped by the fact so many in the league believe Badgers' offensive linemen come into the league ready to go. A four-year starter who has impressed teams with his understanding of the game.

    85. Derrick Williams, WR, Penn St. (5-11½, 194)
    "A little of this, a little of that" kind of player. Returned punts, returned kickoffs, ran the ball and played receiver. Also lined up at quarterback from time to time. Had touchdown rushing, receiving and on a kickoff return against Illinois in '08.

    84. Keenan Lewis, CB, Oregon St. (6-0⅞, 208)
    Plenty of experience with 47 career starts. Physical player who has a big reach and good enough speed to contribute on special teams immediately. Weighed 208 at the combine and then 191 at his pro day.

    LSU's Herman Johnson has his weight under better control, which will help him fulfill his huge potential. ( / Getty Images)

    83. Herman Johnson, G, LSU (6-7¼, 364)
    Biggest player in the draft. Weighed just over 400 pounds when he arrived at LSU as a freshman, so weight will be a concern for some. At his best, though, he overpowers people and is conditioned well enough to have topped 1,000 snaps in '07.

    82. Andre Brown, RB, North Carolina St. (6-0⅛, 224)
    Oft-injured back had just one season with more than 130 carries — 175 in '08 — and has already had two surgeries on his right foot. But has significant speed for a 220-pound back and catches the ball well.

    81. Sen'Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn (6-1¾, 306)
    Came out as a junior but started 37 games in his career. Gets upfield, plays into the gap and is quick off the ball — so much so that he played both end and tackle, as well as having at least nine tackles for loss in each of his three seasons.

    80. Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M (6-2⅞, 225)
    Hard-nosed quarterback who has pushed himself up in a shallow class. Had limited playing time in '08 because of a sprained throwing shoulder, but former Packers coach Mike Sherman has gone to bat for him.

    79. Jerraud Powers, CB, Auburn (5-9⅛, 188)
    Doesn't quite have all the measurables people get excited about. But scouts like the way he covers in man and the way he competes when he does it.

    78. Mike Wallace, WR, Mississippi (6-0⅜, 199)
    Led the high-powered SEC in yards per catch in both '07 (18.8) and '08 (20.1). Ran a 4.33 on the electronic clock at the combine, to go with a 40-inch vertical. Also holds school record for kickoff return yards in a game, season and career.

    77. Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri (6-5¾, 244)
    Mackey Award winner has great body control and catches almost everything he can get to with one hand or two. Gritty player, but has already had a fractured left foot and bone spurs removed from right ankle.

    76. Scott McKillop, LB, Pitt (6-0⅞, 244)
    The Big East's Defensive Player of the Year in '08 with 126 tackles, 16.5 of those for loss. Fractured his nose on a huge collision this past season.

  • THE NEXT 25: No. 51-75

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