Top Ten Underrated Draft Prospects

There are literally hundreds of players vying to be drafted in April be an NFL Football team. The media, and Mel Kiper especially, help many with their draft stock, but there are always a few underrated players that go overlooked. Yeah, they may get drafted in the late rounds and become those "late-round gems" finds like Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Giants, last year was drafted in the seventh round. Other finds have been Larry Foote (4th Round), Terrell Davis (6th Round), Jason Taylor (3rd Round), Zach Thomas (5th Round) and Terrell Owens (3rd Round) just to name a few. Here are my top ten sleepers of this draft, though some may argue that a few aren't sleepers, they've just been pushed down.

Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers 5'9" 205lbs
2007 stats-380 carries 2012 yards 5.29 average 24 touchdowns
For three years at Rutgers he has consistently averaged over five yards a carry, I don't care where you go to school that is ridiculous, especially when you average nearly 30 carries a game. I don't know if he is underrated as much as he's being overlooked. He doesn't have the height that teams want but you know what, Emmitt Smith was 5'10" and Barry Sanders was 5'8". You don't need to be tall to be a running back, you need to be able to move with a burst north and south and make plays, which is what Ray Rice does very very well.

Steve Justice, C, Wake Forest 6'4" 284lbs
A bit undersized for an NFL center, but their going to change his eating and work out habits so he'll reach 300lbs easily. I believe whole heartedly that Steve Justice is the best interior lineman in this draft, bar none. I have been nothing but impressed with his production at Wake Forest and believe he's going to be an All-Pro in the NFL. Mike Pollack is getting most of the center press after the Senior Bowl, and he's a pretty damn good player too, but for my money I'd take Steve Justice if I'm a Seahawk of Chief team that is looking to solidify it's interior line.

Kevin Ellison, S, USC 6'1" 220lbs
2007 stats-57 tackles 2 interceptions 2 sacks 8 tackles for loss 1 forced fumble
USC is the school that has put out more star safeties then probably any other college out there. From Ronnie Lott to Troy Polamalu they have consistently given the NFL good quality. Kevin Ellison came out early and probably could have benefited from another year in school. That being said, I still have him as my number three safety in this draft. I think he's still learning how to play the game and we haven't seen his best as of yet. He's all over the field making tackles, not too much of an interception machine, but 8 tackles for loss by a safety is quite impressive.

Kenny Iwebema, DE, Iowa 6'4" 267lbs
2007 stats-28 tackles 3.5 sacks 5 tackles for loss 2 blocked field goals
I don't know what it is about Iwebema, he isn't a statistical machine, he's not putting up eye opening numbers, but being the only beast on a defensive line causes teams to double team you quite a bit. He's probably going to go up to 270-275 in the NFL and he's already running in 4.8 range, which means he's got the skill to be a devastating defensive end. He won't be facing the constant double teams in the NFL, but there is some motor questions. I just can't explain it though, I just have a feeling about this kid and what he's going to do.

Marcus Henry, WR, Kansas 6'4" 210lbs
2007 stats-54 catches 1014 yards 18.78 average per catch 10 touchdowns
I don't know how the NFL and teams be overlooking Marcus Henry and the job he did for Kansas this season. Any time you get over a thousand yards in a season in college is impressive, especially in a conference like the Big 12 where it tends to be run first throw second. He has great height, great hands and runs decent routes. Apparently the knock on him is that at 6'4" he needs to have more bulk to his frame, which is fair, but that can always been adjusted. I don't know if he's a number one receiver, but he can produce which is something every team needs.

Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon 6'4" 205lbs
2007 stats-67.6% completion 2129 yards throwing 20 touchdown passes 4 interceptions 105 carries 590 yards 5.62 average 9 touchdowns
I find it amusing how no one seems to be talking about Dixon. His numbers compare to Vince Young's at Texas, and may have had a similar season if he hadn't been injured. For me, the team who takes a shot with Dixon may very well walk out of the draft with the biggest gem of them all. Will he be able to run like he did, we don't know, but he still should be mobile. I think the misconception on him was that he was a run first quarterback, which if you look at the numbers he wasn't. If you throw 20 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in the Pac 10, you are likely going to be a pretty decent NFL quarterback.

Kenny Moore, WR, Wake Forest 6' 204lbs
2007 stats-98 catches 1011 yards 10.32 average 5 touchdowns
How can the man who holds the ACC record for receptions be overlooked? It's not like he's playing in a pass happy conference like the MAC, this is the ACC and when you catch 98 passes in the ACC you must be doing something write. I know the knocks, he has 98 catches and only 5 touchdowns, he's too short, blah blah blah. Think about this the previous record holder of receptions for the ACC was a man who was also only six feet tall, goes by the name Torry Holt, and he's had himself a pretty decent NFL career hasn't he.

Ezra Butler, ILB, Nevada 6'2" 250lbs
2007 stats-93 tackles 3 interceptions 13.5 tackles for loss 3.5 sacks
Look at those stats, impressive right? Well Ezra Butler also didn't play the first two games of the season for the Wolfpack, which would likely have made his tackle numbers gone up over one hundred. The last few years I've been trying to predict the linebacker that no one sees coming. I had D'Qwell Jackson, DeMeco Ryans, but didn't call Patrick Willis. This year, Ezra Butler is likely to be my selection. Mainly because I think everyone is coming around to Erin Henderson and Linebacker U that Maryland has become. Butler runs a 4.5 40, at 250 pounds, the man is all over the field. This kid is going to make whoever takes him very very happy, especially when he's making all the tackles next year.

David Vobora, OLB, Idaho 6'1" 215lbs
2007 stats-148 tackles 6.5 tackles for loss 1 sack 1 interception
Vobora is a tackling machine, which is something I always look for. Now the problem he really has is his size, at 215 pounds no one is seriously going to consider him for linebacker. No he runs a 4.5-4.6 40, which is decent for a linebacker, but not one his size. If he can get his speed up I can see teams trying to move him to safety, but I'm sure they'd rather try bulking him up and keeping him at linebacker. If neither works, he'll be one of those special team mavens that is making tackles all over the field. I think he has a real nose for the game, his body just has to catch up to his instincts.

Curtis Gatewood, DE/OLB, Vanderbilt 6'3" 245lbs
2007 stats-30 tackles 7 tackles for loss 3.5 sacks 1 forced fumble
Much like Iwebema, I have a feeling about Gatewood. He's going to have to transition back to outside linebacker as he's too small for a defensive end in the NFL. Now his numbers this year aren't impressive, but much like Iwebema he was getting double teamed much of the year, the product of having seven sacks the year prior on a traditionally bad Vanderbilt team. He runs a 4.6 or so in the 40 so his transition to outside backer shouldn't affect him too much, it may all depend on if he's on a 3-4 or 4-3 team. When I look at him I just see a football player, and someone with a damn good motor. It may take a few years, but I think he's an investment that is likely to pay off in two to three years.

End of 07 or Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right

Well, we have returned to our pilgrimage to Cleveland and it has been decided that even when we move to Houston it will be a yearly thing that CityCat and I will partake in. Perhaps next year we will go see the Colts game and hopefully exact some revenge on this half-assing assclowns.

It seems to be the time of resolutions and predictions, as we see by Dewey's post below, and I thought I'd give a few thoughts about the end of 2007 and what I look forward to seeing and what I hope will happen in 2008, what we shall call the end of the Barstool President.

We ended 2007 with a party at the Frat House that saw Dews in his best Judge Smells outfit, complete with hat and purple velvet jacket. There were plenty of bunnies (Playboy party), delicious pudding shots, and as usual at this location the arrival of the police. The neighbor, as usual, called the cops on a bunch of twenty and thirty year olds but this time he didn't report a noise complaint. No apparently this man claims some of our party patrons were having sex on the front porch.

That's no lie.

Of course no one was actually having sex on the front porch, since with the way the house is built and where we were we would have heard and seen such activities and would of course put up a live feed here on LSWTF. It's just another ridiculous arrival by Arlington's "finest", more creative then their "following the trail of plastic cups" during the summer birthday party.

There is of course the Browns-Niners game that we attended, complete with Browns fans with Colts signs and Jerseys (brand new obviously you could still see the fold crease). The 49ers are great dancers, as their running backs preferred dancing to actually working out and preparing for the game. Then again, that might explain their current situation in the NFL. Of course everyone left the stadium pumped, especially after witnessing Brady Quinn's first NFL game. Then the Colts went against the NFL mantra of "always trying to win the game" and let a really bad Titans team win. I can understand why, they're less of a threat in the playoffs.

With the offseason beginning now for some NFL teams, here are the five things I want to see done by the Browns this offseason.

1. Sign Alan Faneca. We have an amazing offensive line right now, so why not bolster it even more by signing Faneca to play our right guard? Would we actually give up more then ten sacks a year with the offensive line?

2. The Derek Anderson situation may likely be the biggest story this offseason in the NFL period. I would like to see the Browns offer him a one year deal worth the first and third round tender money and only let him go if what we get in return is a top five pick in the draft. If we were able to get Chris Long, Sedrick Ellis, Vernon Gholston, Darren McFadden or James Laurinaitis then we have to go for it and improve this defense. I put Laurinaitis in there because he's an Ohio State kid and is a hell of a football player.

3. The coaches situation aka Fire Todd Gratham. The man doesn't know to not run the prevent defense which allowed every team we were crushing to come back and compete with us and keep us the Kardiac Kids. I know he's supposed to be this wunderkid, but the man doesn't know when to actually call the right defense. If Romeo Crennell does do the stupid thing and take the Dolphins job we need to focus on getting Mike Singletary as our head coach, and of course keeping Chud.

4. Sign Albert Haynesworth. We saw how much he meant to that Titans team when he wasn't playing and I think he'd do just fine in the 3-4 defense. Plus wouldn't it be lovely just to stick it to the Titans? We have the cap space to sign both Faneca and Haynesworth.

5. Resign Jamaal Lewis. The man proved he still has what it takes and deserves our appreciation in a new two year contract with about a $500,000 to $1 Million raise.

Happy New Year!

The firm of Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe would like to wish you all a Happy New Year. We hope that now that you've sobered up, you'll have a spectacular New Year. Alright, I will now stop pretending that I'm more than one person. It's hard to write that way.

In honor of all the Top-whatever lists of 2007 going around, here's the one I like the most: Dahlia Lithwick's Top Ten Stupidest Legal Arguments of 2007. My favorites: that Dick Cheney is not part of the executive branch, the section entitled "Alberto Gonzales," and the waterboarding is not torture argument. I also got fired up by the Scooter Libby-30 Months is too much argument. Reading this list makes me yearn for more ethical Republicans whose lies could at least pass the straight face test, like Richard Nixon's.

I think that the most fun part of beginning a New Year is making predictions. What does 2008 have for us? It's going to be a very interesting year to say the least, so without further ado, here are ten of my predictions for 2008.

8. LSWTF.com gets national attention after several of its writers create an international incident while celebrating Battle of Bennington Day in Vermont along the Canadian border.

7. Mike Huckabee wins the Republican nomination for President after combining social conservativism with some populist politics. This prompts Mike Bloomberg and John McCain to make a center-right bid for the executive offices, fracturing the Republican Party.

6. On the Democratic side, Barack Obama doesn't so much win the Democratic nomination so much as Hillary Clinton creeps everyone out. Joe "The Most Qualified Candidate" Biden shakes his head in frustration. John Edwards explodes a la Howard Dean.

5. Recession: sorry folks, it's coming. The bastard child of the Bush tax cuts comes back to get us as huge government deficits raise the cost of lending, stifiling job creation and growth. This leads Democratic nominee Obama to a near electoral sweep in November. Dems strengthen their majorities in the House and Senate at the same time, as Americans turn to more common-sense, non-ideological solutions to their economic problems.

4. After Obama's win, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens announces his retirement.

3. Your 2008 Best Picture? Cloverfield. That looks freaking awesome. Your 2008 Ripping-off-a-great-idea-from-Heroes movie of the year? Jumper. What the freakin hell? Other movies I want to see: the new Star Trek movie, Choke, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, James Bond 22, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

2. Your year in baseball: I'm not going out on a limb here when I say that the Red Sox will repeat. Jacoby Ellsbury will be the AL ROY. Terry Francona has the best job in sports. Surprise of the year: Devil Rays make a early bid for the wild card, a prelude to 2009.

1. Somewhere in early September: the DC & H show hits the road and checks into D.C. for a couple years, be it at a firm or with the feds. I simply cannot stand Vermont women any longer, and I need to get out. On a side note, I'm taking girlfriend applications. You may send them to me by way of Dews, who I am appointing (for better or worse) as my liason.

And now, your 2008 predictions?

More Ideas

2008 Top 25 NFL Draft Prospects

With the Mock Drafts bringing in record number of visitors, I figured I should probably publish my Top 25 prospects going into the draft, which is a mere 162 days or so away. This list is merely where I would rank all these players talent wise, not what number I would select them at.

1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas 6'2" 205lbs
1400+ yards rushing this season, 12 touchdown, 0 fumbles
2. Chris Long, DE, Virginia 6'4" 280lbs
65 tackles, 12 sacks, multiple ACC Defensive Player of the Week
3. Jake Long, OT, Michigan 6'7" 313lbs
Dominate tackle, likely to win post season award
4. Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU 6'2" 303lbs
Before this year, 110 tackles and 6 sacks in his career
5. James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio St 6'3" 244lbs
Bronko Nagurski Winner, Heir to the Legion of Doom
6. Kenny Phillips, S, Miami 6'2" 210lbs
5 career interceptions prior to this year
7. Keith Rivers, OLB, USC 6'3" 225lbs
69 tackles 2 fumble recoveries this season
8. Sedrick Ellis 6'2" 305lbs
36 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery this season
9. Malcom Jenkins, CB, Ohio St 6'1" 202lbs
34 tackles, 3 interceptions and 6 pass defenses this year
10. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal 6' 172lbs
56 catches, 654 yards, 5 touchdowns, multiple returns
11. Sam Baker, OT, USC
12. Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
13. Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
14. Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
15. Calais Campbell, DE, Miami
16. Dan Connor, OLB, Penn St
17. DeJuan Tribble, CB, Boston College
18. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville
19. Jonathon Stewart, RB, Oregon
20. Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona
21. Early Doucet, WR, LSU
22. Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
23. Xavier Adibi, OLB, Virginia Tech
24. Barry Richardson, OT, Clemson
25. Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC

NFL Hall of Fame List

Well, the preliminary list for the hall of fame was released today, along with what first year eligible players are included. The big names from that group are primarily Darrell Green, a no brainer first balloter, and Cris Carter, which I think has more resistance then most are going to expect.

Now next year I can't find one big name who retired that people are going to demand in the hall, so that could be a great year for some folks. The following though is who I would vote in the next two years, before Jerry Rice becomes eligible and SayHey takes a trip to Canton.

2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class

Darrell Green, CB, Washington Redskins
1983-2002 54 interceptions lifetime, 6 of them for touchdowns, fastest man in football

Art Monk, WR, Washington Redskins
1980-1995 940 receptions 12721 yards 13.5 average 68 touchdowns

Richard Dent, DE, Chicago Bears
1983-1997 137.5 sack 8 interceptions sixth all time on the sack list

Gary Zimmerman, OL, Minnesota Vikings
1986-1997 7 time pro bowler, one of the best linemen of his era

Derrick Thomas, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
1989-1999 642 total tackles 127.5 sacks 40 forced fumbles

Lester Hayes, CB, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
1977-1986 39 interception 1980 AP Defensive Player of the Year

Cornelius Bennett, LB, Buffalo Bills
1987-2000 1190 total tackles 71.5 sacks 30 forced fumbles

2009 Hall of Fame

Clay Matthews, LB, Cleveland Browns
1978-1996 19 seasons and 278 games in the NFL (third most in NFL history)

Russ Grimm, OL, Washington Redskins
1981-1991 A key part of "the hogs" on championship Redskin teams

Steve Atwater, S, Denver Broncos
1989-1999 1180 total tackles 24 interceptions ronnie lott light

Roger Craig, RB, San Francisco 49ers
1983-1993 1991 attempts 8189 yards 56 touchdowns rushing 566 catches 17 touchdowns catching

Ray Guy, P, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
1973-1986 1049 punts 44493 yards 42.4 average

Andre Reed, WR, Buffalo Bills
1985-2000 951 catches 13198 yards 13.9 average 87 touchdowns

Bob Kuechenberg, OL, Miami Dolphins
1970-1984 Member of undefeated Dolphins team and other championships

Faith always contains an element of risk, of venture

I know I've talked about this in the past, mainly about how much respect I have for Elizabeth Edwards, but John Edwards right now is without a doubt running the best campaign out of any candidates. Maybe I am being suckered, but he is talking about the issues that I think are most important to this country. It isn't Iraq, it's the wealth divide and the lack of insurance. It's the fact that two years ago today a great portion of the Gulf was destroyed and to this day most of it still has yet to recover from it.

He doesn't believe in gay marriage, but I don't believe he would stop legislation allowing it. He's young (well younger then the rest save for Obama) and has vision of great things for this country and that is what we need right now. We don't need who is most popular, we need who is most competent for the job. We've gone the popularity route the last two elections, beer or no beer that did not work out too well.

I have all the respect in the world for Barack Obama and I do believe one day he very well may be President of the united states, but this is not his election to be the primary candidate. To truly defeat the Republican Menace we need someone like John Edwards. Hate to say it, but what we need is this Southern white male to draw in the votes from Republicans who have lost faith in their party.

I don't believe people like Romney or Rudy can win in the south, they're too Northern. Yeah, some may get fooled by Fred Thompson, but I doubt he'll get the ticket. John Edwards may not be my favorite candidate but he is the person I feel has the best shot of winning this race. Poverty covers all races, not just minorities. Katrina hurt all races, including the majority.

Right now I am not too concerned about who the ideal candidate to push for the legislation I want accomplished. Right now I want a candidate who can win against the Right Wing Smear Machine. We need to take this country away from those who would change it, who would alter it into a police theocracy. This country was built on the premise that ALL men should be free, even if all men weren't free at the time. It does not matter race, religion, sex, or sexuality, all should be treated as equals. All should have say in their own lives and not me lorded over a group of aristocrats who believe their power is divine. We overthrew that kind of superiority once before and we most do so again before it is too late, when our enemy has been Eastasia and has always been Eastasia.

Sen. John McCain

I used to have respect for McCain, until he became another mouth piece for Dubya. He begins to recapture some respect back, he may be turning back into the Straight Talk Express.

They do bring up a good point. The last reigning Senator elected President? John F Kennedy