Gosselin's PreSeason Top 15 (Seniors)

[SpringStein]

Draft watch: The top 15
Friday, August 12, 2005
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News

Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart attempts to become only the second player to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies this fall. So he's the player all of college football will be watching in 2005.

But the player the NFL has its eye on is Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway, who enters the college season as the top-rated prospect for the 2006 draft. Auburn offensive tackle Marcus McNeill is also rated above Leinart by the slimmest of margins by NFL scouting combines.

Greenway became a starter in 2003 and finished second in the Big Ten in tackles with 132. He followed that up with 113 tackles in 2004 on the way to All-Big Ten acclaim.

Playing alongside Greenway at Iowa is another All-Big Ten linebacker and top-15 draft prospect, linebacker Abdul Hodge. He finished first in the Big Ten in tackles in 2003 with 141 and led the team again in 2004 with 114.

But Greenway is bigger (6-2, 243) than Hodge (6-0, 231) and therefore viewed as a better pro prospect. A preseason look at the Top 15 players on the 2006 draft board:


Player Pos. School Ht. Wt.
1. Chad Greenway OLB Iowa 6-2 243
2. Marcus McNeill OT Auburn 6-7 ½ 332
3. Matt Leinart QB Southern Cal 6-4 224
4. Jimmy Williams CB Virginia Tech 6-0 190
5. Leon Washington HB Florida St 5-7 ½ 210
6. Eric Winston OT Miami-F 6-6 310
7. A.J. Hawk OLB Ohio State 6-1 243
8. Davin Joseph G Oklahoma 6-2 ½ 315
9. Mathias Kiwanuka DE Boston Coll 6-5 ½ 258
10. Jason Allen FS Tennessee 6-2 200
11. Abdul Hodge MLB Iowa 6-0 231
12. Johnathan Lewis DT Virginia Tech 6-0 ½ 308
13. Roger McIntosh OLB Miami-F 6-2 235
14. Max Jean-Gilles G Georgia 6-4 358
15. Rodrique Wright DT Texas 6-4 ½ 306

[SoCalBronco]

Originally Posted by SpringStein

Draft watch: The top 15
Friday, August 12, 2005
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News

Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart attempts to become only the second player to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies this fall. So he's the player all of college football will be watching in 2005.

But the player the NFL has its eye on is Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway, who enters the college season as the top-rated prospect for the 2006 draft. Auburn offensive tackle Marcus McNeill is also rated above Leinart by the slimmest of margins by NFL scouting combines.

Greenway became a starter in 2003 and finished second in the Big Ten in tackles with 132. He followed that up with 113 tackles in 2004 on the way to All-Big Ten acclaim.

Playing alongside Greenway at Iowa is another All-Big Ten linebacker and top-15 draft prospect, linebacker Abdul Hodge. He finished first in the Big Ten in tackles in 2003 with 141 and led the team again in 2004 with 114.

But Greenway is bigger (6-2, 243) than Hodge (6-0, 231) and therefore viewed as a better pro prospect. A preseason look at the Top 15 players on the 2006 draft board:


Player Pos. School Ht. Wt.
1. Chad Greenway OLB Iowa 6-2 243
2. Marcus McNeill OT Auburn 6-7 ½ 332
3. Matt Leinart QB Southern Cal 6-4 224
4. Jimmy Williams CB Virginia Tech 6-0 190
5. Leon Washington HB Florida St 5-7 ½ 210
6. Eric Winston OT Miami-F 6-6 310
7. A.J. Hawk OLB Ohio State 6-1 243
8. Davin Joseph G Oklahoma 6-2 ½ 315
9. Mathias Kiwanuka DE Boston Coll 6-5 ½ 258
10. Jason Allen FS Tennessee 6-2 200
11. Abdul Hodge MLB Iowa 6-0 231
12. Johnathan Lewis DT Virginia Tech 6-0 ½ 308
13. Roger McIntosh OLB Miami-F 6-2 235
14. Max Jean-Gilles G Georgia 6-4 358
15. Rodrique Wright DT Texas 6-4 ½ 306

Wow i disagree.

Too high: Greenway, McNeill, Leinart, Williams, Washington, Joseph, Allen,
Hodge, Lewis, McIntosh, Jean-Gilles.

Too low: Wright, Kiwanuka,

Just a slight tad too low: Hawk.

[SpringStein]

I was surprsied, frankly, to find this by Gosselin. If anyone is not aware of him, he doesn't even watch the college players. He soley depends on information he gets from NFL teams and almost always has one of the best final mocks before the draft.

Of course the ones leading up to the draft can be kinda strange.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

No D'Brickshaw? Great list when the guy who probably would have gone #3 overall to Cleveland if he declared early is no where to be found.

[SoCalBronco]

Roger "Rocky" McIntosh is a good linebacker but nowhere near the 13th best prospect in the draft. I realize the ranking is based only on the seniors but still. Rocky is a 2nd round pick. He will likely run very well at the Pro Day however and might vault his way into the late 1st. He doesnt do one thing particularly well, but he is pretty solid in all aspects. He is similar to Kelly Jennings in the regard that in their first year as starters in 2002, they really looked like future stars, but have levelled off into just solid, good players, although Jennings is primed for a big season. Rocky is a good athlete and is consistent, he still has upside but he has to reach it. This evaluation places him too high though.

[Bronco LB 59]

Originally Posted by Hercules Rockefeller

No D'Brickshaw? Great list when the guy who probably would have gone #3 overall to Cleveland if he declared early is no where to be found.

Even though I like D'Brickshaw, some of his detractors think he needs to add more weight (6'5, 295). Going into this season, I think there are 6 1st round quality offensive tackles and it will be interesting to see where they rise or fall between now and April.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Originally Posted by Bronco LB 52

Even though I like D'Brickshaw, some of his detractors think he needs to add more weight (6'5, 295).

That's fine, but on the flip side he's got a guy so big in McNeill that a lot of people think he'll end up being an RT in the pros. RTs are not #2 overall draft prospects.

[Bronco LB 59]

Originally Posted by Hercules Rockefeller

That's fine, but on the flip side he's got a guy so big in McNeill that a lot of people think he'll end up being an RT in the pros. RTs are not #2 overall draft prospects.

That's an excellent point. Same goes with Greenway. If memory serves me correctly, the last LB taken first overall was Aundray Bruce in 1988.

[SpringStein]

I've tried to create a new thread 3 or 4 times w/o success, so I'll put this here.

FoxSports lists top 200 college players. I wish they hadn't tried to order them - having Mario Williams at #39 loses credibility - but I like it for those of us watching college players for the '06 draft.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/3896714