The Guide is Here!!

2010 NFL Draft Preview Magazine

Gimme Five!

The NFL Scouting Combine is finished, and that means our initial position rankings are up! The top five players at each position are posted on the right side of your screen. A few surprises, even for us, after finishing our player reviews: West Virginia QB Jarrett Brown is our 3rd rated player at the position, ahead of Colt McCoy. We rank our players based on their chance of long-term NFL success, not how we think they'll do their rookie year. Brown is the complete package at QB and should make a solid - if not special - starter someday. As much as we hated to do it, Oregon's LeGarrette Blount is our 4th rated RB. Backs with size, speed and vision are very rare and Blount has the perfect combination of all three. And the big Alabama DT Terrence Cody showed up at the combines 15 pounds lighter (a nimble 356 lbs) than the Senior Bowl, showing he's serious about staying in shape, and that warranted a top 5 ranking in our book. 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.

Best Name, Best Story

Iowa LB Pat Angerer wins two of our awards during the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. The first is for having the best name for a linebacker: Angerer. The name is extremely appropriate for this 6'0" 235 lb. inside backer who lifted the 225 lb. bench press bar 26 times. The second award is for best combine story and comes via Charles Davis of the NFL Network. Davis asked Angerer how he prepares for night games, and Angerer responded, "I drink coffee and call a bunch of ex-girlfriends." Wow. We see Angerer as a second round pick with a first round attitude - a gamer you want to have inside your locker room. Here's to you Pat Angerer...and all your ex-girlfriends.

Weatherspoon is a Sure Bet

Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon put the 225 lb. bar up 34 times today at the NFL Scouting Combine. He's a versatile defender who can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. Weatherspoon was also one of the dominating players on the North squad at the 2010 Senior Bowl and answered some questions about his coverage skills by shadowing speedy RB Dexter McCluster and picking off a pass in the game. He may not be the first LB taken off the board in the draft, but he may end up being the best. Weatherspoon's combination of size, speed, instincts and motor should suit him well in the NFL for the next decade. He should be a mid-round pick in the first round and could have a Brian Cushing-like impact, starting and becoming a playmaker in his first season in the NFL. A team looking for the final piece of the puzzle or an aging team looking for a playmaker could benefit early from Weatherspoon's talent and positive attitude. He won't get all the headlines going into the draft, but he's as much of a sure thing as any other player heading to the NFL this year.

Your #1 Overall Draft Pick

Football logic would dictate the St. Louis Rams take defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh with the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. They have invested quite a bit in the defensive line the past few years with first rounders DT Adam Carriker and DE Chris Long, and adding Suh to the mix should aid in the development of all three men. However...St. Louis is also in desperate need of a quarterback and a "face of the franchise." Rumors continue to swirl about a trade for Michael Vick, but seriously, would any team looking for a new "face" want it to be Vick? Enter Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. The Rams have been in constant contact with Bradford's agent regarding the rehab of his injured shoulder. Bradford weighed in at the scouting combine at 236 lbs, 13 pounds heavier than his playing weight of 223. This is in response to critics saying he needs to bulk up his 6'4" frame. If Bradford has a solid pro day on March 25, we're going on an early limb to say Bradford will indeed be the Rams new "face of the franchise."

Bulger tips Rams Hand?

There are reports that St. Louis Rams starting QB Marc Bulger cleaned out his locker when he left for the offseason, leading us to believe he doesn't plan on being back with the franchise next season. What does this mean for the draft? With the first overall pick, the Rams can have their choice of QB's Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen or Colt McCoy for a little more per season than what Bulger is due in 2010 (8.5 million). With no salary cap for next season, the Rams don't have to make a move before the draft with Bulger, but Bulger's recent housecleaning certainly helps to paint a clearer picture as we move towards "Christmas in April."

Time to Make Things Right!

Every year I really fall in love with a few players, and inevitably my favorite team fails to draft them. I continue to follow my favorite college players throughout their pro careers, but there's nothing like hearing the commish announce your favorite team drafting one of your favorite prospects. Last year I got lucky when USC LB Rey Maualuga fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in round 2, but the Bengals are notoriously poor drafters so it doesn't happen often. ALAS - it is a new year, and time to erase the mistakes of past drafts! One guy I loved coming out of Utah last year was CB/S Sean Smith - he was big at 6'3" with coverage skills and wasn't afraid to tackle...the perfect combo DB. This year, that guy exists again - in Virginia's Chris Cook. He's 6'2" with decent speed and good coverage skills. He may even go in the same round - latter part of round 2 - as Smith did in 2009. I'll give you some more prospects who compare favorably to recent NFL draft selections as we approach the draft - but now I ask you - is there a current NFL player that you'd like to see a clone of on your favorite team? Leave a message and I'll give you the rundown on what prospect in this year's draft class may compare...and please don't state the obvious guys like Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson - those guys only come along once a decade.