SI.com - SI On Campus - The Vent: 04/15/2007

4/19/2007 03:32:00 PM

Who are the NFL Draft sleepers?

Washington State receiver Jason Hill surprised many scouts with his 40-yard dash time in Indianapolis.

Kevin Terrell/WireImage.com

Coming out of Division I-AA Hofstra, Marques Colston wasn't quite a beacon for hype leading up to the 2006 NFL Draft. His Combine performance -- which included a mediocre 4.53 40-yard dash -- didn't really stand out and he wasn't interviewed in a one-on-one setting by any of the NFL's 32 teams. So it wasn't much of a surprise when he was available for New Orleans in the seventh round. But what followed sure was. Colston quickly worked his way up the Saints' depth chart, became a starter and went on to catch 70 balls for a team-leading 1,038 receiving yards.

As we inch closer to this year’s draft, speculation on the first round will hit a torrent pace. But what about the rest of the weekend? Who are the sleepers beyond the first couple rounds?

Here at SIOC, we have a few potential steals up our sleeve. Sleepers come at all levels, so we'll give you three. In the first-day sleeper category, our guy is Washington State receiver Jason Hill. Besides making 148 catches and scoring 32 touchdowns in college, Hill posted a 4.32 40 time at the Combine. Our middle-rounds gem is Cal defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. A three-time all-Pac-10 selection, Mebane boasts an impressive combination of speed and power. And our diamond in the rough (aka "this year's Marques Colston") is Iowa State CB DeAndre Jackson. If he can bounce back from tearing his ACL, he could end up being quite the steal.

But, more importantly, who are your sleepers?

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4/17/2007 11:25:00 AM

Who would you take with the first overall pick?

If we were the Raiders, we'd take JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick. Who would you choose?

Kevin C. Cox/WireImage.

With the NFL Draft less than two weeks away, who should the Raiders take with the first pick. Oakland has needs at many positions and the draft represents an opportunity for one of the NFL's most celebrated franchises to start over. And this brings us back to one of the most fundamental questions in football: How do you build a team from scratch?

Do you take the safe route and grab Joe Thomas, Wisconsin's enormous (6-foot-8, 315 pounds) left tackle, and make sure your quarterback stays protected? Do you grab JaMarcus Russell, the top QB in the draft, and hope he reignites the franchise like Vince Young did with Tennessee last season? What about Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson, who most scouts agree is the best talent in the draft? Or do you take your chances on a defensive stud like Lousiville's Amobi Okoye, Clemson's Gaines Adams or LSU’s LaRon Landry?

If we were Al Davis, we'd take Russell. Thomas is tempting, but so was Robert Gallery, who the Raiders chose with the No. 2 overall pick in 2004, and has been nothing short of a bust in his first three seasons. Russell, meanwhile, has the arm, the body and the ability to appease the Raiders' No. 1 weapon, Randy Moss. There are some lingering questions about his passion for the game, but we think a month in football-rabid Oakland will solve that problem.

Now you're on the clock. Who do you take with the first overall pick?

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4/16/2007 12:25:00 PM

Who are the top athletes of the spring?

Virgina's Ben Rubeor has 54 points in 11 games. Which other spring athletes deserve recognition?

Al Tielemans/SI

It's mid-April. The days are longer, the weather is nicer (at least it should be) and college athletes are less celebrated. That's right, after eight straight months of football and basketball, the spring offers a chance to decompress and get away from the college sports scene for a while. But if you’re like us, and just can't get enough of college sports, then the spring offers a chance to meet some of the nation's less-heralded athletes. Though baseball is America's game, a recent SIOC poll revealed that 66 percent of respondents don't follow college baseball, which is a shame because you're missing stud pitchers like Vanderbilt lefty David Price, who is off to a 6-0 start with 108 strikeouts in 74 innings; and Texas outfielder Kyle Russell, who has 20 HRs and 51 RBIs through the Longhorns first 41 games.

If baseball isn't your thing, there are plenty of other sports to keep you occupied, and athletes to pay attention to. Here are some others:

Monica Abbott, Tennessee (softball) – The Vols senior is 32-1 with a 0.56 ERA with 498 strikeouts in 229 innings. I repeat: 498 strikeouts in 229 innings.

Ben Rubeor, Virginia (men's lacrosse) - The junior from Towson, Md is leading the nation with 54 points (37 goals, 17 assists) in 11 games this season.

Mary Key, Johns Hopkins (women’s lacrosse) – We were impressed with Rubeor ... until we saw Key's statline: 44 goals and 37 assists in 11 games! That's Jordan-esque.

And that's not even mentioning men's volleyball, men's water polo, golf, tennis and track & field. So today, we want to know which spring athletes should we be keeping an eye on.

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