Examining FOXSports.com's Top 200 college football players of 2005

(Note: I'm just looking at the Top 20 of their Top 200 and showing how some good college prospects are great pro prospects, while others aren't.)

As always, a player's ranking as a college player, and his projection as an NFL prospect, are two different things. Sometimes they are congruent, but often times (particularly at the QB position) they are day and night different. I've never done anything like this before, so we'll see how it goes.

This is not an assessment of FOXSports.com's ranking of college players. My outlook is on how players will do on the pro level, not how they'll do on the upcoming college season. I am not taking them to task on their selections. Keep that in mind going into this.

Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.

The full list, as of this posting, is available here. I figure it's only fair to give them a link if I'm going to analyze their work as it relates to the NFL Draft. I recommend that you read it, since they give reasons for each player as to why they have them ranked where they are.

1. QB Matt Leinart, Sr., USC
As was mentioned in yesterday's mailbag, it would take a major injury or a serious tank job this season by Leinart for him to not be the top prospect going into the 2006 NFL Draft. He took a risk to return to USC, minus offensive coordinator Norm Chow (now with the Tenneessee Titans), but Leinart has a chance to put himself among the all-time greats if he can lead USC to another national title in 2005.

2. RB Reggie Bush, Jr., USC
Bush is one of those all-purpose kinds of guys who has speed, power, quickness and pass-catching ability. With that said, I think DeAngelo Williams is still a better pro prospect at this point (and the next guy on this list trumps them both). As of this writing I have Bush penciled in to the Giants at #14. Why so low? Remember that last year was an abberation with so many RBs going high in the draft; think of 2001, where LaDainian Tomlinson went #5 and then Deuce McAllister dropped all the way to #23.

A sidebar on McAllister: I had him in my fantasy football keeper league (I drafted him the year before; don't ask, we can do that sort of thing in my league), since I knew he was going to be a great pro. The day of the 2001 Draft, I was at my friend and college fraternity brother Brad Ott's wedding -- yes, he got married on Draft Day, and yes, I flew up to Louisville to go to it. I'm not a jerk. "Sorry Brad, the draft is today, gotta pass." Anyway, after the wedding I was desperately trying to find out where McAllister went, and my heart sank when I saw him slip and slip and then saw that the Saints, who had Ricky Williams, had taken him. The lesson? Don't take college guys in keeper leagues.

3. RB Adrian Peterson, Soph., Oklahoma
Okay, maybe Peterson is the exception to that lesson. Peterson is 6'2", 210 (which is roughly my height and about 5 pounds heavier than me)... but he can run a 4.4 40 yard dash. There's a reason he plays ball and I write about it, I suppose. Peterson is a monster, an absolute athletic phenomenon who (barring injury) is going to show the Big XII this season that it doesn't matter who is back at QB, who is at WR... Just give him a sliver of daylight at the line and watch him work his magic. Peterson is the ultimate example of why the NFL's age discrimination policy is such a horrid thing, since he could easily be plying his trade on the pro level RIGHT NOW. It wouldn't be good for the NCAA game, but I don't see them handing Peterson a paycheck (though the free tuition is nice, to be fair).

But rest easy, OU fans, you have Peterson for at least two more seasons. Peterson would have received my Heisman vote last season, with no disrespect to Matt Leinart, and if he puts up the type of numbers I think he is capable of in 2005, he should capture the hardware, sophomore status be damned. Of course, Leinart would love to win another Heisman (he did pass up a potential 6 year, $49.5 million deal to come back for this, after all), but I am sold on Peterson like crazy.

If there's one downside, it's his shoulder injury, but he should be fine for the season. He's also smart. From the OU media day on 8/5/2005, regarding his rushing style this season: "It’s a little bit different, but it’ll be the same style. Got to work on seeing the hole. I’ve just got to be smarter about different situations I put myself in, not always initiating the contact, save my body. That’s basically going to be the difference." This is the type of guy who could potentially go #1 overall in 2007 or 2008. He's that good.

4. RB Laurence Maroney, Jr., Minnesota
This is a big season for Maroney; if he shows that he can carry the load by himself (without Marion Barber III), then he could be a first round pick in the 2006 Draft. I'm betting that he can at this point. Despite splitting time in 2004, Maroney had seven 100+ yard rushing games. He will face some top-notch competition: Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 6), Iowa (No. 11), and Purdue (No. 15) are all highly ranked going into the season, and don't forget about rivals Michigan State and Wisconsin on the docket. There's no Illinois or Northwestern this season for them. Even Indiana is a tough place for Minnesota to win, for some reason, and the Golden Gophers play there this year. Remember when the NFL promoted its playoffs with the "Show Me Something" catch-phrase? That's what Minnesota fans will be saying to Maroney this year. If he has a good season, I hope that the GMs and scouts don't get hung up on what Maroney does at the combines and in interviews. This is a murderers row schedule.

5. QB Vince Young, Jr., Texas
For his sake, I hope Young stays at Texas for his senior season, since the final piece of his puzzle that's missing is elevating his passing game to above-average status. He's 6'5" 230, which makes you think Daunte Culpepper with a little less bulk, but he's faster than Culpepper. Young rushed for 1,079 and 14 TDs last season. Read that last sentence again. The idea of a melding of Culpepper and Michael Vick would have NFL GMs salivating, but Young must perfect his passing mechanics to achieve that status (think about how it has taken time for Vick's passing skills to evolve on the pro level). One more year at Texas might be enough, and we'll see. I think two years there would make him a lock as the top QB prospect, regardless of who else breaks through. There's no questioning Young's heart or leadership. If you saw the Texas/Kansas game last year, where Young put the Longhorns on his back and willed them to victory, you know he has the fire inside to be a leader on the next level. I don't have Vince Young on my first round board at this point, and I'm very torn about that. Could the Dolphins really pass up on Young (if Leinart is gone) if he's there? But I just don't know if Young will come out this year, so for now I'm leaving him off on the basis that I think he's going to return to Texas for his senior season. If I get the feeling that he's going to turn pro, that could change. The nice thing about having total autonomy with this site is that I get to make decisions like that.

Continue to 6-10

1-5/6-10/11-15/16-20

Draft King NFL Mock Draft

NFL Draft Prospect Profiles

Draft King is owned and operated by Lou Pickney. © 2003-2024, all rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, the views expressed here are those of Lou Pickney alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any media company.