Yomar Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Wide receiver crop continues to drop December 29, 2002 The War Room The Sporting News We expected the 2003 wide receiver class to be an exceptional group, but it's turned out to be just better than average. For starters, both Fresno State's Bernard Berrien and Wisconsin's Lee Evans are returning to school for their respective fifth years because of injuries. Then, unexpectedly, Texas' Roy Williams chose to return to school for his senior season. We are supposed to find out next week whether Oklahoma State WR Rashaun Woods will leave early or not. If so, he would be the second receiver taken in the draft behind Michigan State's Charles Rogers. And if Miami's Andre Johnson elects to turn pro after the Hurricanes play in the national championship game, he would likely be the third receiver taken behind Woods. Tennessee's Kelley Washington is no longer a certain first-round pick because of his durability problems, and even though Stanford's Teyo Johnson and Nevada's Nate Burleson decided to leave school a year early, neither is a first-round receiver. The only other receivers that could possibly fit in the first round are Penn State's Bryant Johnson and Florida's Taylor Jacobs, but they'll have to time well at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in order to do so. . . . Tennessee QB Casey Clausen is rumored to be contemplating leaving school a year early, but that wouldn't be a wise decision. We've been told that Clausen has concerns about next year's crop of receivers and the fact that his production could tail off as a result. The bottom line with Clausen, however, is that he missed the equivalent of three full games because of injuries (shoulder and ankle) this season and, because this year's quarterback class is so strong and deep, there's a chance he wouldn't be selected until the third round or later. On the other hand, if Clausen returns for his senior season, stays healthy and makes progress, he could elevate his status as high as the first round. Speaking of the '04 quarterback class, we've heard from reliable sources that both Mississippi's Eli Manning and Florida's Rex Grossman plan to return to school for their respective senior seasons. . . . Colorado guard Wayne Lucier, a third- or fourth-round center prospect in the '03 draft, suffered a combination ankle/knee injury in his team's loss to Wisconsin in the Alamo Bowl. Lucier is invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game, but his status is uncertain at this point…. Colorado punter Mark Mariscal had a somewhat disappointing showing in the Alamo Bowl, more because of his lack of depth on kickoffs than anything. Mariscal won the Ray Guy Award for the nation's top punter after averaging 48.2 yards per punt during this past regular season, but one of the reasons that he is considered a top punter prospect is the fact that he also can kickoff. His lack of hang time and power on his kickoffs in the perfect conditions inside the Alamo Dome, however, were concerning, especially for a guy that has been kicking in the thin air of Boulder for the majority of the season…. Colorado defensive tackle Tyler Brayton is everything he's cracked up to be. He has terrific initial quickness, great power, ideal leadership qualities, and a non-stop motor. He very well could fit as a first-round pick, but at 270 pounds there's no doubt in our minds that he has to move back to defensive end in the NFL, where he played as a junior for the Buffaloes. The War Room, a team of football scouts headed by Gary Horton, analyzes NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively for The Sporting News. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hauss Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I like Woods and Johnson if they come out. I don't think there is another receiver worth a first round pick unless Lloyd runs well at the combine. It looks like Woods doesn't have blazing speed. It is that old argument again--Woods has football speed and he is a playmaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I thought for sure Williams would come out. He is a sure-fire first rounder. I saw Woods in his bowl game against Southern Miss. He looked incredible. His brother is coming to OSU next year, which could keep him in school. I'm all for kids getting an education, but he'd be a great fit here. He'd probably (hopefully) drop far enough that we wouldn't have to move up very far if at all for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 That's good news if Grossman decides to stay in school. It would nice to not have to go the entire offseason listening to rumors of us drafting him. Then it would give Ramsey a good full year of starting and time enough for SOS to realize (hopefully) that he is the man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I'd take a chance on Kelley Washington in the mid rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefhogskin48 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Raushan Woods is excellent, but is he really that fast? He, like Gardner, has functional speed, but not gamebreaking speed as far as I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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