|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
David and the Goliaths Deep WR class is highlighted by Terrell
The prevailing opinion about the 2001 NFL Draft is there aren't many star prospects, but there are a lot of players with the potential to have good, solid pro careers. The position deepest with these kind of promising players is wide receiver. A foot injury aside, David Terrell should be the first receiver taken and likely will be a top-5 pick. The junior from Michigan has great hands, and at 6-foot-3, 213, he's big, and reminds me of Keyshawn Johnson only faster. Another early entry, N.C. State's Koren Robinson, will go shortly after Terrell. Robinson skipped the workout at the Combine and then had a bad showing at his individual workout, running a 4.6 40. And though he may struggle early in his career against press coverage, a lot of NFL personnel people consider him to have the greatest upside of the wideout prospects. Fresh off some eye-opening personal workouts, Clemson's Rod Gardner has moved into the No. 3 spot in the receiver class. At 6-2, 219, he's another big target and he can run after the catch. The shortest player among the top receivers is 5-foot-9 Santana Moss and he may just be the most explosive. As he showed at the University of Miami, Moss has great hands, can get deep, is dangerous after the catch and can run the reverse -- basically, he can do all the things that the Rams receivers do. Moss will catch a lot of balls from the slot position in three-receiver sets. Chad Johnson emerged as a one-year wonder at Oregon State, and Keyshawn's cousin has the potential to be a big-play guy. Johnson displayed tremendous speed during games, but he did not run well at the combine. From what I can tell, it was more an issue of sprinting technique than a lack of speed. The draft is so loaded with receivers, don't be surprised if Miami's Reggie Wayne, Wisconsin's Chris Chambers, Kansas State's Quincy Morgan and UCLA's Freddie Mitchell are off the board before Round 2. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Chat with Pat at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesdays.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
