Early deadline could hurt Browns
Posted: Tuesday December 15, 1998 02:45 PM
By forcing underclassmen to declare themselves eligible for the NFL Draft
by January 8, the NFL is putting the No. 1 pick in this year's draft in a
difficult position.
The Cleveland Browns have the top pick, but they don't have a head coach,
and likely won't until after that January 8 deadline has passed. That's why
Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch asked for an extension on that deadline. The
league rejected his request, making a tough choice tougher for him.
The front-runner for the Cleveland job looks to be Denver offensive
coordinator Gary Kubiak. Couch said this weekend that he loves the Broncos
offense and would like to play for Kubiak. Unfortunately, he won't know if
Kubiak has the job until the Broncos are done for the year, likely long
after his deadline has passed.
Browns president Carmen Policy has already been fined once for tampering,
so he'll choose his words carefully between now and the Super Bowl. Couch
knows that whether he stays in school or enters the draft, he'll have a
team built around him. Plain dealers?
Don't rule out the Browns trading the top pick. Look at what the Cardinals
got last year just for trading down from the No. 2 spot to No. 3 -- a
second-round pick (used on promising defensive back Corey Chavous) plus a
first-round pick this year and three other players. Given the number of
teams needing a franchise quarterback, Cleveland should have some tempting
offers by draft day.
There's plenty of precedent for expansion teams trading high draft picks.
In 1995, Carolina gave Cincinnati the top pick (used on Ki-Jana Carter) in
exchange for the fifth pick, used on quarterback Kerry Collins, and the No.
36 pick. The Panthers then gave up six picks to gain two more first-round
picks, and Jacksonville also traded up in the first round to take tailback
James Stewart. The day
before the draft, the Jaguars stole Mark Brunell from the
Packers for third- and fifth-round picks.
Right now, three teams -- Washington, Arizona and New England -- have two
first-round picks and could use those to trade up. Who's No. 1?
Two major scouting services, NATIONAL and Blesto, each work with about a
dozen NFL teams, evaluating and grading college prospects for the draft.
These evaluations are based on the measurables -- height, weight, speed,
etc. -- and leave the intangibles to the team scouts. | Blesto's Top 10 Seniors
| The Blesto scouting service ranks their
top 10
senior draft prospects, regardless of position.
Evaluations
are based largely on measurables
like height, weight, speed and
statistics. | |
No. |
Name | Pos. |
School |
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
| Cecil
Collins
Torry Holt
Rob Konrad
Ricky Williams
Daunte
Culpepper
Aaron Gibson
Floyd Wedderburn
Gary Stills
Matt
Stinchcomb
Todd Frohbeiter
| RB
WR
FB
RB
QB
G/T
OT
LB
OT
OT
| McNeese St.
N.C. State
Syracuse
Texas
Central Fla.
Wisconsin
Penn State
West
Virginia
Georgia
Arkansas State
|
| |
Blesto's top senior, surprisingly, is McNeese State tailback Cecil Collins,
a former LSU star who has played in only six games in the past two years.
Heisman winner Ricky Williams, who tops most teams' draft boards, is down
at No. 4.
Collins, however, brings a lot of baggage -- multiple arrests got him
kicked off the LSU team last year. On the flip side is a player like UCLA
quarterback Cade McNown, who lacks the ideal size but brings a great field
presence and leadership that can't be measured.
Keep in mind that NFL coaches haven't seen any prospects in person yet, and
it's the coaches, not the scouts, who are in charge on draft day.
Everything to this point is just first impressions, and the real
evaluations will come in February and March. Introducing ...
Here are five small-school players who haven't heard of who could make a
splash in the draft:
Anthony Gray, tailback, Western New Mexico: At 6-foot, 233 pounds,
he's a big, strong guy who's been timed at 4.63 in the 40.
Lonnie Shelton, tackle, Eastern Michigan: Shelton's 6-foot-5 and
324 pounds, a great run blocker who's fairly athletic for his size.
Lamar King, defensive end, Saginaw Valley State: At 6-foot-3 and
276 pounds, King is very agile (4.8 speed) despite being pretty big for an
end. His speed is what scouts like most.
Jimmy Kleinsasser, tight end, North Dakota: At 6-foot-2, 274
pounds, he could be the top tight end on the board. He runs a 4.65 and was
very productive in college, both as a blocker and downfield receiver.
Robert Daniel, defensive end, Northeast Louisiana: This 6-foot-5,
270-pound prospect nearly came out last year, but stuck around after a
late-season injury. Scouts like him has a speed rush end around the corner,
citing his 4.87 speed.
Check out the War Room's '99 Mock First Round
and look for weekly updates from now until April 17, when the real thing
takes place.
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