VS 
Miami-Fl
Eight of the ten potential first
round picks are wearing Hurricane jersey's. Running
back Willis
McGahee is turning into a complete back and should he expectedly and enter
the draft he's a top ten pick while
receiver Andre
Johnson won't be more but a few slots
behind. Tackle Vernon
Carey looks like a tremendous prospect for 2004 and Carlos Joseph is
also coming along. To our minds quarterback
Ken
Dorsey is a newer version of Joe Germaine
and a solid back-up at the next level while center
Brett
Romberg lacks the bulk to be
an immediate starter at the next level but will be a competent lineman in
time. Both are middle round selections. Guard
Sherko
Haji-Rasouli plays with
great fundamentals and strength but has a litany of injuries which will push him
deeper into the draft than his talents warrant. Wide out Ethenic Sands
disappointed
us and did not take his game to the next level as we thought he could but may
slide into the late rounds. While the defense has talent at every level you
could almost start and stop on the line. Vince
Wilfolk has made several recent announcements he plans on staying in
college but should he reverse course, a top eight pick is in the offing. William
Joseph has immense physical skills but is inconsistent; he looks like a dominant force on
one snap then rather ordinary at times. He's a two gap lineman with the
potential to play several positions up front which teams want but his
penchant to disappear at times is worrisome. Still, you are looking at a
player who'll be selected in the beginning of round one's middle third. You
cannot help but love the relentless, high revving playing style of defensive
end Jerome
McDougle, a tremendous pass rusher
who will hear his name called towards the
end of round one. Andrew
Williams is a tremendous athlete with a great amount of upside
potential and a player that should be off the board in round two. Likewise
outside
linebacker D.J.
Wiliams is another naturally gifted player with a great future but one
that should stay in school for another season to learn his position. If he
leaves Williams may be disappointed not to be selected in round one. Another
junior, Jonathan Vilma, reminds us of a lesser version of Ray Lewis while
defensive
tackle Matt
Walters did not have a breakout campaign as a senior but is as reliable as any defender on
this unit and may squeak into the first day. Did we forget anyone?
The Green's, maybe Howard Clark but we could go on forever.
Ohio State
Coach Tressel did
what John Cooper never could; win the games that matter. This is a Buckeye
team with a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive
end Will
Smith is an amazing athlete and terrific pass rusher that also pursues
ball carriers with speed to the flanks or effectively plays off the line of
scrimmage in pass coverage. He will be a very high pick in the
future. Darrion
Scott will also be an early choice but needs to physically mature and
stay on the field as Scott suffered with injuries in 2002. Kenny
Peterson offers leadership and brains on the line but may lack the
great explosion you want in a smaller (6-3/275) lineman. Cie
Grant took well to his new position of
linebacker and just needs a
little more experience to
learn the nuances of a middle line defender (he's not efficient and takes to
many steps) but is worth a middle round look. If you subtract the
occasional lapse in concentration and a one bad game each season Michael
Doss is a first round pick. Unfortunately for Doss you can't which will push him into the
second frame. When he's not playing tentative Doss is a forceful
safety. Donnie
Nickey has the heart and head for the game but is a little too
straight-linish. Inside
linebacker Matt Wilhelm is a terrific run stuffer but lacks
range and coverage skills against the pass. On offense the next great
receiver from this program would be Michael
Jenkins, a tall and speedy wide out that not only consistently breaks
it deep but also makes the important catch over the middle. Chris
Vance was almost non-existent this season and may have lost the
opportunity to get drafted. The offensive line has been the achilles
heal of the team; highly ranked Adrien
Clarke seemingly ate himself out of a starting job while neither Shane
Olivea nor Bryce
Bishop really took it to the next level as we thought they could.
The
Bottom Line: Boy I hate doing this...Miami is as talented as any
team in football in the nation this year, last year and probably next year but they are slow
starters and you can run on the defense. That said Ohio State's offensive
line is the most contentious unit on the team and recent comments by star
running back Maurice
Clarett are head scratching. OSU needs to get out to an early lead by at
least ten points to have a chance or it could be curtains as Miami can flip the
switch and destroy opponents in a blink of the eye. We hope its' a good
game.
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