It's Almost Here

The NFL Draft is this Saturday and I am very excited. I get pumped about the draft every year, in fact, the draft is my second favorite day of the year behind Christmas. The idea of my favorite team (the New York Giants) getting give or take seven new players excites me.

I've been reading about prospects and watching the combine on the NFL network for the last two months or so in anticipation of the 28th. With that said, I'm going to give you my opinions of some of the draft's top prospects. Here we go.

LSU QB JaMarcus Russell and Safety LaRon Landry

Over the last five years or so, LSU has been a factory for NFL talent. LSU's players compete in practice against the top talent in the country, much like USC now and Miami before them. NFL caliber players at these big schools come in bunches. LSU's bunch is starting to take shape after last year's solid group of rookies, headlined by Joseph Addai and Dawan Landry. Both had ROY (Rookie Of The Year) caliber seasons for their respective teams. Dawan Landry, the older brother of LaRon, had a stellar season of the Baltimore Ravens recording 69 tackles, 3 sacks, and 5 interceptions. This bodes well for the younger Landry who is clearly the more gifted athlete of the two.

JaMarcus Russell is pretty much a lock to be the first QB taken in the draft. This guy has a cannon. I've been a fan of his for a while know, but I never really thought of him as the top overall pick. I do think he is a much better prospect than Brady Quinn. Russell has the stronger arm, delivered in big games, and played against far better competition in the SEC than Notre Dame did. Russell also has a higher career completion percentage than Quinn, showing that he has the touch to complement his cannon arm. Aside from Russell being a bit heavy at 260 lbs., he is a very complete prospect.

Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn

I don't like Brady Quinn nearly as much. I've watched him tear up mediocre teams for the last two years and there was only one game that really impressed me. That game was Notre Dame's home game against USC in 2005. This was a great game from start to finish and Quinn displayed the leadership and toughness that scouts love but his team lost. After watching Quinn play against the likes of North Carolina, Navy, Army, and Michigan State in '06, I found myself wondering why everyone was so enamored with him. He played crap teams and wasn't dominant against the weak competition. He played a mediocre game against USC and his Notre Dame team mailed it in against the JaMarcus Russell-led LSU Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. Here is a video that sums up how I see Brady Quinn.
In all fairness to Quinn, playing college football is hard and grueling, but he seems like a narcissistic pretty boy to me. Did you notice him chewing out whoever he was playing catch with? I'm not about to judge the guy over this one isolated incident, however, he does seem like an arrogant guy in a lot of his interviews and appearances. He and his agent, Tom Condon, are telling anyone who will listen that he should go number one, and I'm tired of it. In case you haven't already noticed, I really dislike Brady Quinn. That is all.

Geaorgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson

This guy is a freak. We've all heard about the 4.35 second 40 times and the 42 inch vertical, but he does it on the field as well. At 6'5'', 239 he's as good as it gets. Will he be great? Yes, but I do think that guys like Dwayne Jarrett out of USC and Robert Meachem out of Tennessee can be very good receivers and great value picks later on in the first round.

Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson

This guy is a horse. Watching him run the football is like watching a runaway train. I really think he's a psycho, which is a good thing in my book. The only issue is his build. He's already a tall back at about 6'1'', but he doesn't help himself with his running style. He runs tall and when you combine that with his reckless style there is a lot to be worried about in terms of staying healthy. I think he's the second best player in this draft, but injury concerns will hurt him. I see him going seventh, but not necessarily to the Vikings. I wouldn't be surprised if Buffalo traded up to get him if he fell to the 7th pick.

Well that's all I've got today, but I'll be back tomorrow with my take on Louisville DT Omobi Okoye, Cal RB Marshawn Lynch, and a few others. Have a good one.