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National Football League
Draft King Analysis

January 1, 2009
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com

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Until the January 15, 2009 deadline arrives, it's hard to know for sure who will be in and who will be out of the NFL draft (and really until 1/18/2009 since players have three days to back out after the deadline). However, a few players have already made their draft intentions known.

Texas QB Colt McCoy insists that he's returning to Austin for his senior season. We'll see if he says the same thing after the Fiesta Bowl, but Texas coach Mack Brown is known for keeping players around.

Aaron Maybin
Aaron Maybin is quite talented. (Icon SMI)
The list of underclassmen declaring for the NFL Draft is at nine as of this writing (according to the great nfldraftscout.com), though one of those includes Myron Rolle, who will choose between the NFL and a Rhodes Scholarship that he received late last year.

A pair of underclassmen corners to watch as they head to the NFL are Illinois' Vontae Davis and Vanderbilt's D.J. Moore, as both are potential first-round picks (though I think Davis will go before Moore). Malcolm Jenkins is still the runaway favorite to be the top corner taken in the 2009 NFL Draft, but behind him it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I haven't written much about USC junior QB Mark Sanchez on here, and his future remains uncertain, but he looked masterful in running the Trojans offense today against Penn State. He says that he's uncertain of what he'll do, and until he finds out from the NFL advisory committee of his projected draft status, he probably will remain undecided.

There are some draft-eligible underclassmen who have bene moving up in the eyes of many prominent scouts, and I thought I'd go through some of them for you.

Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State (Redshirt Sophomore)

Any team needing a solid 3-4 OLB would be wise to look closely at Maybin. Todd McShay has him at #6 overall in his mock draft, which should tell you something about Maybin's ability. 6'4" 245 and running in the estimated 4.65 range, Maybin could also be a tempting defensive end prospect in a year where there is no clear, runaway #1 DE star.

Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma (Junior)
A sophomore who is 6'6" 260, Gresham shot past Brandon Pettigrew by pulling in nine catches for 158 yards and two TDs in a game, ironically enough, against Pettigrew's own Oklahoma State squad. Gresham has remarkable speed for his size (in the 4.7 range) and, while another year at Oklahoma could help him become an even stronger prospect, he might opt for taking a shot at the NFL if he really believes that he can end up as a first round pick -- an opinion held by a number of observers.

Jeremy Maclin, KR/PR/WR, Missouri (Redshirt Sophomore)
I've written about Maclin on here before, and he is electrifying as a kick returner. With Chase Daniel graduating, this might prove to be the time where Maclin decides to jump to the NFL. As a receiver Maclin came on strong down the stretch, finishing with 100+ yards receiving in four of the last five games of the regular season (he didn't do as well against Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship Game).

Russell Okung
Russell Okung is a three-year starter at right OT. (Icon SMI)
Ted Ginn, Jr. from Ohio State is the gold standard for kick return talent elevating a player's draft status (going #9 to Miami in the 2007 Draft), and while I doubt Maclin would go that high, he is a talented playmaker who could parlay a good combine performance into potentially going in the top 20. Might the Jets at #17 be interested in Maclin?

Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State (Junior)
Okung is an interesting prospect in that he's a three-year starter at right tackle; typically elite offensive tackles play left tackle (to defend the blind-side of right-handed QBs), but Okung could prove to be a great fit for either a team with a lefty gunslinger or a team that already has a solid left offensive tackle but which desires to add depth on its right side.

With this being such a deep draft already at offensive tackle, Okung might be well-advised to wait until 2010 to hit the pro level. But, if he opts to come out, he could be one of those second round guys who is able to come in and have a strong impact on a team at a bargain.

Everette Brown, DE, Florida State (Junior)
At 6'4" 250, Brown is similar in size to Aaron Maybin, though Maybin's speed makes him (at least for now) appear to be more likely to end up as a 3-4 OLB than Brown. But that's not to count Brown short -- from his defensive end position he finished 2008 with 12.5 sacks on the season. When the Detroit Lions look at their #19 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft (acquired from Dallas in October 2008), a player like Brown could be given quite a bit of consideration at that spot.


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