Brand New Year!

The Bowl Season is upon us, which means draft prep moves into overdrive! Stick with Draft IQ as we take you from the end of the college football season to the NFL draft...with all the news and updates along the way!

The Guide is Here!

We'll call this year's guide the "Thesis Edition" as it finally goes to print a mere two days before "Christmas in April" as I complete my Master's degree. I thought at least my mock would be a little more accurate, right? Wrong. Less than an hour after going to print, the Falcons trade for TE Tony Gonzalez, all but nullifying my mock selection of Oklahoma St. TE Brandon Pettigrew. Such is life! Enjoy the 2009 NFL Draft Preview - available for download below or linked in the right navigation tool!

2009 NFL Preview Magazine

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The (Real) Draft Enigma

If you haven't already bought into the NFL Network's hard sell on Pat White, which we hope you haven't, then allow us to introduce you to the real enigma of the 2009 quarterback class: Rhett Bomar. Bomar began his college career at Oklahoma before running into trouble by violating NCAA rules. He transferred to Sam Houston State, where he continued to flash his strong arm and moxie you want to see in a pro prospect. Pro teams have to ask if Bomar has NFL skills based on the lower level of talent faced at SHS, and if he's learned his lesson from the Oklahoma fiasco. While we see Pat White as a slash-type player, Bomar could be the real deal at the QB position.

Gimme Five!

We love the NFL Scouting Combine for two reasons: It's a great chance to see guys you don't see alot of during the regular season (I'm talking about you Lawrence Sidbury of Richmond), and it also helps you make up your mind when rating extremely similar players. Case in point - Brian Orakpo really separated himself from those pesky "tweeners" at DE that project as OLB's in the pros - including Penn State's Aaron Maybin and FSU's Everette Brown. Now that the combine is finished, we've completed our intial ratings and posted our top five at each position on the right side of your screen. Feel free to chime in on any discrepancies and injustices. We're game to argue, er, state our case. The ratings are a bit fluid as we continue watching tape of the hundreds of pro prospects, but usually the end result is pretty close to what's there now.

See Spot Run

The offensive players have run the 40 yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, and Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey gets the early nod as fastest available player with a 4.30 time. There were a few unofficial sub-4.3 times, but according to the NFL's official measurments, 4.3 was the fastest. An interesting note - one of the knocks on Heyward-Bey wsa his ability to separate. For now that 4.30 time should put some naysayers to rest. By the way - we here at Draft IQ think 40 times are completely overrated. Players don't run them in pads for one - and the list of top NFL guys with poor 40 times is a long one. Anquan Boldin ran in the 4.7 range. Brandon Marshall a 4.6. Jerry Rice - also in the 4.7's. It is entertaining to see five NFL Network analysts break down 40 yard dashes for hours on end. Welcome to the combine!

Senior Bowl Thoughts

The 2009 Senior Bowl is in the books. Despite the final score (South 35, North 18) it was a game where the defenses really shined. For the North, Ohio State LB Marcus Freeman proved his worth with 8 total tackles and broke up a pass. Scrappy Pitt LB Scott McKillop also looked good with 7 total tackles, 1 for a loss. On the South defense, West Virginia CB Ellis Lankster had 5 total tackles, 1 for a loss, and an interception. There were a few offensive performance to take note of. Oregon RB Jeremiah Johnson looked electric with the ball in his hands, with 22 yards rushing, 26 receiving and a TD catch. Liberty RB Rashad Jennings led the South team with 41 yards rushing at 4.6 yards a clip. North Carolina State RB Andre Brown caught my attention with 72 total yards (31 rush, 41 receiving). On the QB front, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell imploded, stumbling on his first snap from center and never recovering. Watching tape from the Texas Tech-Texas game and the Senior Bowl, you would never guess Harrell was the same QB. He finished 4-13 for 40 yards and an interception - while another sure INT was dropped by Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith.

Despite all the hooplah surround the game, the week of practice is really what scouts are looking at. Some scouts don't even stick around for the game, so take these peformances for what you will. West Virginia QB and fringe prospect Pat White was named the game's MVP if that tells you anything. Then again, last year Tulane RB and super-rookie for the Bears, Matt Forte was the 2008 MVP. Can you name the 2007 MVP? Penn State RB Tony Hunt. He's toiled away in the NFL so far, so you see how the MVP can be hit or miss.

Most Valuable Overhype?

West Virgina QB Pat White was an unlikely 2009 Senior Bowl MVP...or was he? For a guy who may not even be a pro prospect at any postition, much less quarterback, the NFL Network gave White an awful lot of face time during the week of practice leading up to the game. After the second drive of Saturday's game, a South team TD drive led by White, NFL Network was there immediately after for a sideline interview with White. Later, another sideline report featured an interview with South coach Jack Del Rio, who was asked about White and his performance. I'm not trying to bash on the Senior Bowl MVP (although as a QB he completed less than 50% of his passes for the game), but with more than a few potential first-round picks in the game, and even more "day one" picks, the attention given to White before, during and after the game seemed to be a bit much.

Unfinished Business

USC phenom prospect, safety Taylor Mays, has announced he will return for his senior season at Southern Cal. Mays stands 6'3" and runs under a 4.3 40-yard dash...and oh, yea, he can lay the wood. In the Rose Bowl Mays was taking out two guys at a time. His decision comes as a surprise at a time when a record number of underclassmen are entering the draft, likely due to a potential rookie salary cap included in the next collective bargaining agreement. Crabtree, Maclin, Wells - they're all in. But Mays says he still has work to do as a player and student athlete at USC.

Why Listen To Us?

"Who led the 2007 Arkansas backfield in receptions? Not McFadden or Jones; it was Hillis. Good runner and receiver who could help open up an offense." - 2008 Draft IQ info on Peyton Hillis

If the fact that we eat, breathe and sleep the NFL draft isn't good enough for you, here's some food for thought:

If you read our Draft Guide, you know that Peyton Hillis, our top rated FB, had more receptions in 2007 than his Razorback teammates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. He ended up putting together a great string of games as Denver's starting RB late in the season before landing on injured reserve.

We told you about guys like QB Josh Johnson (drafted by Tampa Bay), WR Jerome Simpson (drafted by Cincinnati), KR Kevin Robinson (drafted by K.C.) and QB Kevin O'Connell (drafted by New England) - all guys from smaller programs who caught our attention as well as the attention of pro scouts.

Jerod Mayo was our #2 LB, rated ahead of Keith Rivers, who was taken one pick before Mayo. Mayo ended up as the undisputed defensive rookie of the year.

A talented but raw coverted safety from Iowa, Charles Godfrey, was in our crosshairs. Godfrey ended up starting at safety for the NFC South Champions, the Carolina Panthers.

So stick around in 2009...you just might learn something new every day (or at least every time we post).

Beginning The Year With A WTF Moment

The 2008 college football season is offically over, which means it's time to gear up for the 2009 NFL draft! Todd McShay began the new year by giving us his top five QB's, speculating that Tim Tebow would enter the draft. That list had Tebow listed at #5, and Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell at #....wait, he wasn't on the list! Tim Tebow is a heck of an athlete, but I felt Harrell got robbed by not even receiving consideration for the Heisman Trophy. Now Todd McShay goes and lists a guy who at this point doesn't even project as an NFL quarterback ahead of Harrell on his list of top QB's. Come on, McShay, you're better than that. In fact, I'm now ashamed that we share the same opinion of who the top QB is (here's a hint...he has an afro and plays for Oklahoma).