Coach
07-01-2005, 01:05 PM
I figured it was at least worth a read. There's also some more news "Around the League" but the whole thing is terribly long, so you'll have to check it out by via link.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2097888
Winston, McNeill among top prospects
Offensive tackle was in a down cycle the past two years, when a total of just four prospects were plucked in the first rounds of the 2004 and 2005 NFL drafts. But the position is poised for a comeback in 2006.
At least that's the indication from the early draft grades for senior prospects from National Football Scouting and Blesto, the two combine services that provide scouting reports for franchises around the league.
Two of the top three prospects overall, according to the spring Blesto grades, are tackles Eric Winston of the University of Miami and Auburn's Marcus McNeill. Notable, though, is that Winston, the highest-rated player in the Blesto rankings, is rehabilitating from left knee surgery after an injury limited him to four games in 2004. National Football Scouting also regards the pair as top-shelf performers, with McNeill as its second-highest prospect overall and Winston among its top six seniors.
"It's good to see [tackles] getting that kind of respect," said McNeill, who practices yoga and meditation, and seriously deliberated about entering the 2005 draft before opting to return to Auburn. "It shows the way the position has grown over the last few years in importance. People understand, especially at the NFL level, because the passing game is so important, how critical it is to have great tackles."
One disclaimer here before moving on: The NFS and Blesto spring grades evaluate just senior prospects and are notorious for being only a modest indicator of how players are graded at the end of the long information-gathering process. At times, in fact, the two combines' grades resemble nothing like the final draft order.
The grades do, however, offer some early insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the following year's draft. And this year, they certainly point to a strong group of offensive tackle prospects, perhaps one of the best contingents in several years. If the two combine services are accurate in their early assessments, the 2006 lottery could snap the recent slump at the tackle position. Only two tackles – Jammal Brown (to New Orleans) and Alex Barron (to St. Louis) – were chosen in the first round of this year's draft. The '04 draft produced just two first-round tackles, as well: Robert Gallery (to Oakland) and Vernon Carey (to Miami).
The recent first-round fall-off at the position comes after a nine-year stretch in which 34 tackles were selected in the first round. In every one of those drafts (1995-2003), at least three tackles were chosen in the first round. In three of the drafts – '95, '96 and '99 – there were five first-round tackles. That period included a 1997 draft that brought to the league Orlando Pace (St. Louis) and Walter Jones (Seattle), generally regarded as two of the three premier tackles in the NFL, and the underrated Tarik Glenn (Indianapolis).
With so many well-respected tackle prospects among the top seniors on the early 2006 grades, next year's draft could produce a bumper crop of pass protectors, one that might rival 1997 in quality and 1986 (a record six first-rounders) in quantity.
Some of the top tackles, besides Winston and McNeill, are: D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia), Jeremy Trueblood (Boston College), Jonathan Scott (Texas), Jami Hightower (Texas A&M), Daryn Colledge (Boise State) and Andrew Whitworth (LSU). And that just scratches the surface of an impressive tackle lot, and does not account for underclass prospects, like Winston Justice (Southern California), who likely will enter the '06 draft.
Fact is, the early combine grades seem to point to an '06 draft that will be strong on the offensive line in general. Blesto features two guards among its top-rated players and the NFS grades include two centers and a guard among the top 13 prospects. It could make for a relatively un-sexy, but still productive, first round.
The player many observers feel will be the top overall selection in 2006, Southern Cal quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, is rated second by Blesto and sixth by NFS. The highest grade from NFS went to Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway.
Some of the other players who show up among the top prospects on both NFS and Blesto ratings include tailback Leon Washington (Florida State), guard Max Jean-Gilles (Georgia), linebackers A.J. Hawk (Ohio State) and Roger McIntosh (Miami), defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College) and corner Jimmy Williams (Virginia Tech).
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2097888
Winston, McNeill among top prospects
Offensive tackle was in a down cycle the past two years, when a total of just four prospects were plucked in the first rounds of the 2004 and 2005 NFL drafts. But the position is poised for a comeback in 2006.
At least that's the indication from the early draft grades for senior prospects from National Football Scouting and Blesto, the two combine services that provide scouting reports for franchises around the league.
Two of the top three prospects overall, according to the spring Blesto grades, are tackles Eric Winston of the University of Miami and Auburn's Marcus McNeill. Notable, though, is that Winston, the highest-rated player in the Blesto rankings, is rehabilitating from left knee surgery after an injury limited him to four games in 2004. National Football Scouting also regards the pair as top-shelf performers, with McNeill as its second-highest prospect overall and Winston among its top six seniors.
"It's good to see [tackles] getting that kind of respect," said McNeill, who practices yoga and meditation, and seriously deliberated about entering the 2005 draft before opting to return to Auburn. "It shows the way the position has grown over the last few years in importance. People understand, especially at the NFL level, because the passing game is so important, how critical it is to have great tackles."
One disclaimer here before moving on: The NFS and Blesto spring grades evaluate just senior prospects and are notorious for being only a modest indicator of how players are graded at the end of the long information-gathering process. At times, in fact, the two combines' grades resemble nothing like the final draft order.
The grades do, however, offer some early insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the following year's draft. And this year, they certainly point to a strong group of offensive tackle prospects, perhaps one of the best contingents in several years. If the two combine services are accurate in their early assessments, the 2006 lottery could snap the recent slump at the tackle position. Only two tackles – Jammal Brown (to New Orleans) and Alex Barron (to St. Louis) – were chosen in the first round of this year's draft. The '04 draft produced just two first-round tackles, as well: Robert Gallery (to Oakland) and Vernon Carey (to Miami).
The recent first-round fall-off at the position comes after a nine-year stretch in which 34 tackles were selected in the first round. In every one of those drafts (1995-2003), at least three tackles were chosen in the first round. In three of the drafts – '95, '96 and '99 – there were five first-round tackles. That period included a 1997 draft that brought to the league Orlando Pace (St. Louis) and Walter Jones (Seattle), generally regarded as two of the three premier tackles in the NFL, and the underrated Tarik Glenn (Indianapolis).
With so many well-respected tackle prospects among the top seniors on the early 2006 grades, next year's draft could produce a bumper crop of pass protectors, one that might rival 1997 in quality and 1986 (a record six first-rounders) in quantity.
Some of the top tackles, besides Winston and McNeill, are: D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia), Jeremy Trueblood (Boston College), Jonathan Scott (Texas), Jami Hightower (Texas A&M), Daryn Colledge (Boise State) and Andrew Whitworth (LSU). And that just scratches the surface of an impressive tackle lot, and does not account for underclass prospects, like Winston Justice (Southern California), who likely will enter the '06 draft.
Fact is, the early combine grades seem to point to an '06 draft that will be strong on the offensive line in general. Blesto features two guards among its top-rated players and the NFS grades include two centers and a guard among the top 13 prospects. It could make for a relatively un-sexy, but still productive, first round.
The player many observers feel will be the top overall selection in 2006, Southern Cal quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, is rated second by Blesto and sixth by NFS. The highest grade from NFS went to Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway.
Some of the other players who show up among the top prospects on both NFS and Blesto ratings include tailback Leon Washington (Florida State), guard Max Jean-Gilles (Georgia), linebackers A.J. Hawk (Ohio State) and Roger McIntosh (Miami), defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College) and corner Jimmy Williams (Virginia Tech).