2008 NFL Draft

Here's a look at some more prospects for the 2008 NFL Draft:

WR Ryan Grice-Mullen-Jr.-Hawaii- was arguably the most decorated receiver this past season for the Hawaii Warriors, which ran the nation’s most prolific passing attack the past two college football seasons. Grice-Mullen lacks the prototypical size you look for in a receiver at 5’11, but he does more than make up for that lack of height with his ability to make the defender miss in the open field after the catch. Hauled in 106 catches for 1,372 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2007-2008 campaign. He also ranked in the top 10 in three major receiving categories in 2007-2008: receptions(6th), receiving yards per game(8th), and total receiving yards(5th). An excellent prospect who might lack elite speed, but has shown the ability to post astronomical numbers on the gridiron.


Hawaii WR Davone Bess was one of the finest receivers in college football.

WR Davone Bess-Jr.-Hawaii-yet another member of one of the nation’s most prolific receiving corps over the past few seasons on the islands. He might be a little undersized at 5’9, but Bess is blessed with a remarkably soft set of hands, excellent leaping ability and body control that remind you of a shorter version of Larry Fitzgerald. He racked up over 1,000 receiving yards during each of his three seasons at Hawaii, becoming one of Colt Brennan’s favorite targets. Led the team in catches in 2007-2008 with 108 grabs.


LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson established himself as one of the premiere cover corners in the nation.

CB Chevis Jackson-Jr.-LSU-Chevis Jackson was arguably the top cover corner in the SEC over the past two seasons. In the Tigers’ 2007-2008 national title run, he snagged five interceptions and racked up 16 pass breakups! In 2006, he picked off two passes and tallied 14 pass breakups! Those are unreal numbers and are among the best of any cornerback in the 2008 NFL Draft class. Blessed with excellent instincts and jaw-dropping ball skills, look for Jackson to make a splash in a big way in the NFL.


Auburn DB Patrick Lee knocks a pass away from a Florida receiver

CB Patrick Lee-Sr.-Auburn-one of the top cover corners in the SEC over the past few seasons, Patrick Lee has excellent ball skills and great instincts as a cover corner. Tied for the team lead this past season with four interceptions and eight pass breakups. Lee also displayed his versatility, leading the Tigers with a 25.8 yard per kick return average on his kickoffs. He’s one of the top cover corners in this draft and will definitely make some serious noise in the NFL.


Florida State LB Geno Hayes is a ferocious tackler in the open field.

LB Geno Hayes-Jr.-Florida State-Florida State produces linebackers like Krispy Kreme produces donuts, and linebacker Geno Hayes has continued that legacy in a big way for the Seminoles. In the 2007-2008 season, Hayes ranked second on the team in tackles, reeling in 80 tackles on the season for FSU. Perhaps the most impressive statistic he posted was an eye-gouging 17.5 tackles for loss this season! Hayes also showed the ability to get after the quarterback with 5 sacks this season for the ‘Noles. He also displayed excellent ball skills for a linebacker with three pass breakups and one interception. Blessed with excellent lateral speed and the ability to play sideline-to-sideline, Hayes looks to be a future star at the linebacker position in the NFL!OT Jeremy Zuttah-Sr.-Rutgers-Zuttah was the best offensive lineman on what was arguably the Big East’s top offensive line unit this season and one of the best in college football. He helped clear the way for one of the best power running backs in the country in Ray Rice. Rice churned out over 2,000 yards this past season on the ground and racked up 24 touchdowns. In 2006, the Rutgers’ offensive line unit only surrendered eight sacks all season, the fewest in the country! A very dependable college offensive lineman, Zuttah should be excellent in the trenches in the NFL.

DE Johnny Dingle-Sr.-West Virginia-Dingle teamed with fellow defensive lineman Keilen Dykes to form one of the most devastating pass rushing tandems in the Big East. Dingle was one of the biggest reasons the Mountaineer defensive unit ranked seventh in the nation in total defense for the 2007-2008 college football season. He also posted solid numbers in the Mountaineers’ Fiesta Bowl throttling of Oklahoma, two tackles and a sack. He finished the 2007-2008 campaign with 48 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered fumble! Those are simply jaw-dropping numbers folks and are a huge reason why so many NFL scouts and managers will be drooling all over him once the April 26th NFL Draft rolls around. Dingle is oozing with potential and is a top-notch defensive line prospect in this draft.


Stanford QB T.C. Ostrander never really lived up to his hype coming out of high school.

T.C. Ostrander-QB-Sr.-Stanford-While Ostrander has good size at 6’3, 215 lbs. that is about all he has. He’s one of the riskiest quarterback prospects to take in this draft. When you think of Stanford football in 2007, the first game that immediately comes to mind is their stunning upset of the USC Trojans. Ostrander wasn’t even cleared to play in that game due to a seizure he suffered at a Palo Alto restaurant on September 30th. That will be a serious concern for NFL GMs and scouts, because NFL quarterbacks take a brutal amount of punishment and they will be very concerned for Ostrander’s health, first and foremost. When breaking down Ostrander’s career at Stanford, he was a highly touted(four-star) prospect coming out of high school who never lived up to his high school hype. He played the role of backup to current Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards for most of his career, but when he got his chance to shine in 2007, his numbers were less than stellar. In eight games of competition he completed 130 of 229 passes for 1,422 yards while tossing in seven touchdowns and three interceptions. To Ostrander’s credit, his subpar performance may not have been entirely his fault. He was surrounded with inferior talent at Stanford the past few seasons and never really got the chance to showcase his talent. He was sacked a total of 51 times the past two seasons despite only seeing action in 18 games. It would be hard for any quarterback to perform at a consistently high level under those conditions. That being said, Ostrander is too much of a risk to waste a draft pick on, being picked up as a free agent is his only hope. His numbers at the Hula Bowl certainly didn’t help his draft stock. As a matter of fact, they likely made it drop like a lead filled balloon. He only completed three of eight passes for 52 yards and 2 interceptions.


QB Bernard Morris is one of the hottest sleeper prospects for the 2008 NFL Draft.

Bernard Morris-QB-Sr.-Marshall-Over the past few months Bernard Morris has made his name as one of the hottest “sleepers” of the 2008 NFL Draft. In the Hula Bowl, helped lead the Aina to a 38-7 victory after he threw for 172 yards and a touchdown in the first half of action. He’s certainly one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in this draft and he picked the best season to have a top-notch performance. In 2007 he posted impressive numbers, completing 63.6% of his passes for 3,149 yards while tossing in 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. This past season he also displayed dual-threat capability, he had 130 rushing attempts for 488 yards and four touchdowns. He even showed the ability to rip off the big gain, scooting his way for a 75 yard touchdown run in one game in ’07. Morris is very elusive in the open field and while he may not pile up yards like Vince Young, he has still displayed the ability to escape pressure in the open field and make things happen with his fleet feet. He has excellent quarterback fundamentals as well, with a nice compact release when he throws the football. Morris is a name I think you will only see rise up the NFL Draft boards, because this guy is blessed with a tremendous amount of athleticism and has an excellent “upside” to him. He reminds you of a poor man’s version of San Diego quarterback Josh Johnson.


Purdue's Cliff Avril is one of the hottest prospects for the 2008 NFL Draft.

Cliff Avril-DE/LB-Sr.-Purdue-Cliff Avril is one of the most athletic defensive lineman in this draft. He displayed that athletic ability in 2007 against Minnesota, when he tipped the ball in the air to himself, caught it at the 45 and outraced a few Minnesota offensive players to find the end zone. He’s excellent at putting pressure on the quarterback and batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage. He had five pass breakups in ’07. The rest of his numbers in 2007 were just as impressive: 41 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 recovered fumbles. Those numbers were good enough to land him honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. He’s shown his versatility as he has played both linebacker and defensive end for the Boilermakers, as he started four games at linebacker in 2006. He posted excellent numbers at the NFL combine recently and has been timed with a blazing sub 4.51 40 yard dash time. Scouts should be excited about Avril, because he’s one of the fastest and most athletic defensive ends/linebackers in this draft class. You won’t find too many hybrids like Avril who have experience playing both positions on the collegiate level and the athleticism to help them translate that to the next level. He’ll definitely be drafted and is one of the top defensive end/linebacker prospects in the draft. Oozing with jaw-dropping level of athleticism, speed, and talent, Cliff Avril is a name you should remember in April.


Justin King of Penn State was one of the best cornerbacks in college football and will bring his excellent ball skills and speed to some lucky NFL team.

Justin King-DB-Jr.-Penn State-The first-team all Big-Ten selection made a name for himself as one of the most versatile players in college football the past few seasons, playing at cornerback, receiver, and on special teams’ units for the Nittany Lions. King is blessed with an uncanny amount of speed that makes sure that he will rarely get beat deep. He also has excellent recovery speed because of his top-notch acceleration. He has excellent instincts as a cover corner and once he was given the opportunity to focus solely on defense in ’07, he put up big numbers. In 12 starts this season, he racked up 49 tackles, 17 passes defended, and hauled in two interceptions. His ball skills rival any other corner in this draft class. Simply put, Justin King is easily in the top 5 cornerbacks in the ’08 draft class. Blessed with a eye-popping combination of speed, instincts, and ball skills, King will be a future star in the NFL. He might even be utilized as a wide receiver for certain plays, but his best position is cornerback.


Kirk Barton-OT-Ohio State-Sr.-Kirk Barton is one of the better offensive tackle prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft. He’s a tough, hard-nosed player who has helped clear the path for one of the nation’s most punishing ground attacks over the years. Ohio State loves to run the football and Barton’s powerful blocking was a big part of making that a possibility. He opened up holes for one of the nation’s most prolific running backs in sophomore Chris “Beanie” Wells. In 2007, he piled up over 1,600 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground thanks to Barton. The first-team All-Big Ten selection played in 35 of 38 games during his final three years Columbus. He played a vital role in the Buckeyes earning back-to-back BCS national championship game berths. He is one of the best pass-blocking offensive lineman in the ’08 draft class because of his ability to slide to the edge. He’s also blessed with excellent balance. Look for Barton to be an extremely solid, dependable offensive tackle prospect in the NFL.


Kevin Robinson of Utah State was one of the most dynamic kick returners in all of college football.


Kevin Robinson-WR/KR/PR-Utah State-It should tell you right away just how good a prospect Kevin Robinson is when you see that he played for a school with such little exposure such as Utah State, but still managed to land first-team All-America honors from cbssportsline.com and second team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation. Simply put, Robinson was one of the most dangerous and dynamic punt returners/kick returners in college football the past four years. In 2007, he led the nation in punt return average, returning 20 punts for 378 yards and one touchdown, an average of 18.9 yards per return. In 2007, he had one of the best all-purpose seasons by any player in Division 1-A college football, racking up over 2,300 all-purpose yards in just one season. He shredded opposing defenses for 640 receiving yards, 378 punt return yards, and an eye-gouging 1,260 yards on kickoff returns. He even had three kickoff returns for touchdowns as well in ’07. Throughout his career as a Utah State Aggie, he had eight total touchdowns on special teams, four on kickoffs and four on punt returns. The thing that will blow your mind even more about Robinson is that he has a soft set of hands as well, hauling in 55 passes for 640 yards and five touchdowns in ’07. Look for him to get drafted in the early rounds and if teams pass on him they will make him pay dearly. Bursting at the seams with athleticism and top-notch speed, Robinson can take the rock the distance within a flash. This man is destined to be the next “special teams’ demon” in the NFL ala Devin Hester.