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National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
November 6, 2006
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Matt Smith
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Nov 6, 2006 3:26 PM
Subject: Michigan prospects
I was wondering what your thoughts of chad henne are?
I think he is a solid pro prospect but he should stay in school for his senior year, he doesnt put up huge numbers but he isnt given the oppertunity, plus he is the victim of drops., and he's got a great arm
also how do you like the linebackers, burgess, harris, crable
love your site keep up the good work, i appreciate your educated incite
Lou: Chad Henne has been a good leader for Michigan this season. From a statistical standpoint, he has had a prolific career for Michigan, though his career will likely be remembered for what happens in the forthcoming showdown with Ohio State.
From a developmental standpoint, Henne would benefit from returning to Michigan for his senior year, and with no less than four QBs likely to go ahead of him (Brady Quinn, Brian Brohm, Drew Stanton, and Troy Smith), it would make sense for him to hold off until the 2008 Draft. There's no guarantee that he'd go ahead of other QBs who will be in that draft, including Chris Leak, Jordan Palmer, and even Tyler Palko. And when you factor in possibilities like JaMarcus Russell, the field starts to look quite crowded.
If Henne returns, he'll have a shot at some of John Navarre's school records. Not that breaking records is necessarily going to make or break a decision, but it couldn't hurt. Plus, there will be many, many Michigan fans urging him to return for one more year. I could be wrong, but I don't anticipate that Henne will come out this year.
From the LB corps, Prescott Burgess and David Harris are both bona fide NFL prospects. Harris in particular has shown elite talent at ILB, and he is likely going to be the second ILB taken in the draft (behind Ole Miss' Patrick Willis.) Harris is listed between 6'1" and 6'2" and in the 240-245 range. He runs about a 4.6 40, and he excels at finding the ball and making tackles, which is (obviously) what you want from an ILB.
Burgess gained national attention with the pair of INTs he made vs. Notre Dame (one he returned for a TD), and at 6'3" 245 he has the size to play OLB in the NFL. He runs a 4.7ish 40, so blazing speed isn't going to be his ticket to the pros, but he should go on day one, probably in the second round, maybe the third, depending on how the post-season goes for him (i.e. staying healthy, his 40 time at the combine, etc.)
Shawn Crable has a year of eligibility remaining, though it's unclear if he'll return for 2007. For Michigan's sake he'd better, as losing Burgess and Harris to the pro ranks will be hard enough to handle. At 6'5" 245, Crable has the size needed to match up with big TEs, which is something that more and more NFL defensive coordinators are having to deal with.
Crable projects well to a team that runs a 3-4, or he could end up playing DE in the NFL, as he has explosive speed (in the 4.5 range.) He has faced criticism for having trouble shedding blocks and playing in space, and realistically it would be better for his overall game if he put in another year at Michigan. So we'll see.
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