Sports Quick Hits - 8/15

Sorry for the delays between posts. But we're back, and there's a rumor going around that we may see the return of Chizzy soon.

NFL
Football is finally back! Well, preseason football that is. Just a few observations from the limited action I saw over the weekend:

1) Philip Rivers is good. Really, really good. The Chargers offense should be fine.

2) It could be a really long season for Andy Dalton and the Bengals. Question: If they finish as bad as I think they will, do they draft Andrew Luck next year? If he enters the Draft that is.

3) Colts fans should start worrying about Peyton Manning's neck injury. Without him, they're not a good football team.

4) As dumb as the new kickoff rule is, I was surprised to see some long returns this weekend. Kudos to Lovie Smith and the Bears for totally ignoring the rule and having Robbie Gould kickoff twice from the 30 yard line to practice coverage (the new rule dictates you must kickoff from the 35 and players may have only a maximum of a 5 yard run-up to the ball).

5) Ryan Mallett is by far and away the most pro-ready of the rookie QBs, but he won't start this year being stuck behind Tom Brady. That said, Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, and Jake Locker were all fairly impressive in their preseason debuts.

Obviously there were a ton of transactions right after the lockout ended. Here's 5 moves that I like and don't like made by teams.

Moves I like:

1) The Eagles signing multiple free agents and dealing Kevin Kolb. The Eagles got a king's ransom for a pretty unproven player. Landing Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha gives them the best trio of CBs probably ever. Ronnie Brown gives them a power runner, and adding the Giants Steve Smith gives them a nice option in the slot. However, I'm not sure they'll get away with having Casey Matthews starting at MLB all year.

2) The playing hardball and retaining Ahmad Bradshaw. The diminutive power runner tried to up his contract status by visiting Miami and scheduling one to Cincinnati. Miami said his demands were too high and the Giants brought him back for slightly less than what Bradshaw wanted from Miami. Good move for both parties there.

3) Darren Sproles to the Saints. Mark Ingram will be the workhorse there, but let's face it, Sproles is an upgrade to Reggie Bust...I mean Bush. While he's not as fast as Reggie, he's a better runner between the tackles, is a much better kick returner (look up the numbers for yourself, Reggie was pretty damn bad), and can do all the things out of the backfield that Bush did for New Orleans. Their offense could be scary-good. Remember, in 2009, Brees was only 18 yards shy of breaking Marino's signle-season record (5,084 in 1984). Brees could challenge that.

4) Minnesota trading for Donovan McNabb. This comes with the caveat that McNabb is 100% into football this year. The Vikings have a lot of pieces in place and have Adrian Peterson to rely on. Sidney Rice leaving creates a void on offense, but I think Minnesota will find ways to manage their downfield attack. McNabb at least offers a nice mentor to Christian Ponder, again, with the caveat that he's totally into football this year.

5) Okay, not NFL related, but Andrew Luck's beard is on the road to magnificence.

5 Moves I don't like:

1) Reggie Bush to Miami: New Orleans gave him up for a 6th round pick and reserve safety Jonathon Amaya. That's pretty telling to me. He himself has admitted his knee is messed up, and Miami trying to pass him off as a true #1 RB is just a disaster in waiting.

2) The 49ers keeping Alex Smith. Just watching their first preseason game was pretty ugly. I'll give Jim Harbaugh the benefit of the doubt for now, but Colin Kaepernick wasn't stellar either. However, a reunion of Harbaugh and Andrew Luck in 2012 would bring more attention to the 49ers than they've had since a man named Rice caught passes there.

3) Chris Johnson holding out in Tennessee. I understand the man wants paid, and deservedly so, but just get to camp already. Tennessee is willing to play ball and will make you the highest paid RB ever. But, the more Johnson stays away, the more Javon Ringer (a high school nemesis of mine) can ease into the starting role.

4) Marcel Dareus in Buffalo. What happened man? You showed up at the Draft weighing in at 318lbs and looking great. 1st day of training camp in Buffalo - 343lbs. Yikes. However...

5) ...that's small potatoes compared to Bryant McKinnie in Minnesota. The once elite left tackle has eaten himself off the roster and up to nearly 400lbs. Someone has to protect Donovan McNabb's backside or the Ponder era will start early.

MLB
First and foremost, apologies to JM. His Brewers are for real this year and are a legitimate contender. My Reds however, are done - stick a fork in them. Too much drama in the front office between Dusty Baker and Walt Jockety, too many injuries, and half the team coming back to earth (I believe I said that would happen in my NL preview) a little harder than expected has ended their season prematurely. Nice to see Dontrelle Willis coming back strong though.

How good are the Phillies? At 37 games above .500 (78-41 record) they have a nice lead on the Atlanta Braves, currently 9 games. They've run away with the divison as the third place Mets are just 20.5 games back.

The NL East aside, there's some really good races in every other division. Starting in the AL, Boston's only got a .5 game lead over the Yankees in the East. In the Central, the White Sox and Indians are both within 4 games of first place Detroit (it feels weird typing "first place Detroit" when not talking hockey). In the West, it's a close two-horse race as the Angels are just 4 back of the Rangers.

In the NL Central, Chizzy's Cards are trying to close a 5 game gap between them and first place Milwaukee and out West the surprise Diamondbacks hold a 2 game lead over defending Champs San Francisco.

I'll be the first to admit that I typically lose a lot of interest in baseball around this time of year, especially since the Reds aren't in contention this year (back to normal for Cincinnati) and I turn into a football junkie yet again, so apologies in advance if our baseball coverage is a little lax.

Other Sports News
Due to inclement weather, NASCAR had a road course race this morning at Watkins Glen in New York. Can you say ratings boom?!?

Terrelle Pryor is supposedly meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell tonight or tomorrow to see if he can become elgible for this Wednesday's Suppelemental Draft. Both Miami and Oakland have shown interest, but his eligibility remains a question mark. Former Georgia RB Caleb Kings is the only other noteworthy name up for grabs.

Mark Sanchez admits he wanted to fight Rex Ryan after Ryan considered benching him during the 3rd quarter of the Jets 10-6 loss to Miami last November. Sanchez put together back-to-back stinkers in a loss to the Patriots the week before the Dolphins game. All things considered, give me Rex Ryan, and his new tattoo, in the battle of "The Weight-Watcher vs. The Cradle-Robber". It might as well be the undercard of the proposed Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight next spring.

Speaking of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao - that really needs to happen, and soon. I've given up on watching any UFC event, unless Anderson Silva is involved, but I've been a boxing fan since I watched Tyson bite off Holyfield's ear. Gone are the glory days of the world's once most followed sport.

Way Too Early College Football Top 10's: Top 10 Players

I hope everyone enjoyed the first installment of my way too early college football top ten's, the top 10 teams. In this week's installment, I've got my top 10 college football players. Now, this one got a little more tricky. How can you define a top 10 player? The Patriots Danny Woodhead shattered all kinds of records, but he did it at Division II Chadron State. Obviously small-school guys creep up and have oustanding NFL careers and so on, so I had to make a few limitations.

First, all players have to be in the FBS, or what we all refer to as Division I.

Second, they have to be someone whose got the potential to win a college football award at their respective position, and for many of the skill guys, you'd like to see them mentioned as a potential Heisman (in reality, the best offensive player on the best team) Tropy.

And third, while I didn't limit my players to coming seniors, I wanted to give everyone a chance to sort of see what the scouts see, and rated players that have the potential to be drafted and go onto successful NFL careers. For example, Andrew Luck made my list, but he's only a redshirt junior and could stay yet another year in Palo Alto.

So, here's my list of who I think are the Top 10 College Football Players as we head into the 2011 season. I also added my 11th - 20th ranked players for those who will be calling for my head to roll as they feel I'll have left someone deserving off the top 10...Cough*Denard Robinson*Cough!

Please note that I've tried to link the best highlight clips of each prospect, along with any interesting pieces on them as well.

1) Trent Richardson - RB - Alabama - JR
For all the talk surrounding the potential QB class for next year (keep in mind Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley aren’t seniors) the best player in college football is actually a running back. Richardson, a 5’11” 224lbs junior holds the title. If you haven’t seen him play, he’s one of the hardest runners I’ve ever seen. For all the pre-draft talk about how “angry” Mark Ingram ran the ball, his understudy runs even harder. In fact, for my money he’s probably one of the top 5 hardest runners I’ve ever seen. The great Earl Campbell still ranks up there, but after that, I think I’d have to go Jerome Bettis, Adrian Peterson, Eddie George, and Ricky Williams’ 2002 season. Richardson probably runs harder than a couple guys on that list.

An absolute terror in the weight room, posting a 475 pound bench press, Alabama coaches were afraid to let him go any higher, even though Richardson wanted to (keep in mind, most NFL linemen bench around this much weight), a 365 pound power clean, and squats over 600 pounds. As a true freshman, Richardson ran for 751 yards and 8 touchdowns…yes, in Mark Ingram’s Heisman campaign. Last year, getting a bit more of the workload as Ingram missed the fist few games for the Crimson Tide, he carried 112 times for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns and added 23 catches for 223 yards and 4 more scores.

I watched the Alabama spring game this year, mostly because it’s a pretty good sneak preview of some top tier NFL talent, as the Tide has not only Richardson, but linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower, safety Mark Barron, and corner Dre Kirkpatrick and several talented receivers led by Marquis Maze. With Greg McElroy gone, A.J. McCarron will take over the reigns offensively. He’ll need some breaking in, and Nick Saban gave the ball to Trent Richardson plenty of times in a multitude of different ways. He can line up as a single back, take Wildcat snaps, catch out of the backfield, and was even split out wide. Richardson should get the lion’s share of the offensive workload for Alabama, and provided he stays healthy, he could be an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.

2) Andrew Luck - QB - Stanford - RS JR
The Cardinal quarterback shocked the world by opting to head back to school for his red-shirt junior season instead of becoming the Carolina Panthers quarterback of the future. I, for one, am glad as that means my beloved Dolphins may still have an outside shot at getting him next year, if he comes out. Smart as a whip, an architectural design major, he’s by far the best quarterback in college football.

From the time he led the Cardinal to an upset win over USC as a red-shirt freshman, big things were forecasted for Luck, and he hasn’t disappointed. In 2010, Luck threw for over 3,300 yards and had 32 touchdowns against only 8 interceptions. For his two years as a starting quarterback, Luck is a shade under 6,000 yards passing and has thrown 45 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions.

He’s certainly got the smarts to run an NFL offense and got to learn under one of the great quarterback teachers in Jim Harbaugh. An aside story on Harbaugh that relates to the Dayton Flyers. Harbaugh tutored Josh Johnson, the current backup to Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Harbaugh was coaching at the University of San Diego. Johnson, in his senior year, led the Toreros with 2,976 passing yards and threw 42 touchdowns and only 1 interception. That interception was against the Dayton Flyers in a 35-16 Flyers victory, and was San Diego’s first loss that season. Back to Luck, he had an outstanding campaign in 2010, losing only to Oregon. He should be just fine for this year, but he’ll have to replace several departing seniors on his offensive line and top target Ryan Whalen, who was drafted by the Bengals. I’d expect, if the Cardinal can deal with the losses on the line, Luck should also get a good amount of Heisman consideration, and should still be the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, should he come out, and more importantly, if there is an NFL Draft.

3) Justin Blackmon - WR - Oklahoma State - JR
Everyone remembers how great Dez Bryant was at Oklahoma State. They also remember him getting kicked off the team for having lunch with Deion Sanders and possible an agent. Whatever the case was, Dez Bryant did just fine in his first season for the Dallas Cowboys. Now, if he could only avoid shopping malls. Justin Blackmon, who was once in Bryant’s shadow, is now the star and has surpassed what Dez Bryant did. Like Andrew Luck, Blackmon’s return to Oklahoma State came as a bit of a shock as many draft experts thought he’d give Julio Jones a run at being the second receiver selected in this year’s draft. However, despite hauling in 111 catches for nearly 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns, Blackmon returned to school.

At 6’1” and 211 lbs, Blackmon’s not the biggest or the fastest guy out there, but he reminds me in some ways of a cross between Reggie Wayne and Sidney Rice. Blackmon’s physical off the line and gets into his routes quickly and gets in and out of cuts very sharply, often gaining a lot of separation in the process. He’s got outstanding hands and doesn’t have many drops. Blackmon’s also got pretty good leaping ability - not on par with A.J. Green’s for example - but still far more than adequate.

One additional benefit for Blackmon was the return of his quarterback, Brandon Weeden. In case you’re wondering, yes. Yes, this is the same Brandon Weeden who was once chosen as a second round pick by the New York Yankees as a pitching prospect in the 2002 draft. As a pitcher, he played for the Yankees single A team and was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers before winding back up in Stillwater for the Cowboys. Weeden, 27 is a pretty good quarterback prospect in his own right and he and Blackmon will have another year of experience working together to build upon., which should be worrisome to defenses that will oppose Oklahoma State in 2011.

4) Dont’a Hightower - LB - Alabama - SR
Many remember the Oakland Raiders drafting former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain with the 8th overall pick in the 2010 draft. McClain pretty much ruined Florida’s chances to repeat in the SEC title game and was outstanding against Texas in the BCS Title Game. While he’s still adapting to the speed of the NFL, McClain was pretty productive for the Raiders as a rookie. Hightower, who was injured that year, is even better. An absolute monster at ILB standing 6’4” and clocking in at 260lbs, he’s a true thumper…with range.

I saw him play personally against Tennessee last year, and man, he’s every bit as big as he’s listed. For a program as storied as Alabama, Hightower is one of only 11 true freshman to start the season opener for the Tide since 1972 - which is impressive by itself. He’s a sure tackler and doesn’t make many mental mistakes. He can play for 3 downs, meaning he can drop into coverage and run with backs and tight ends. In his career, he’s got 80 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 1 sack and 8 quarterback hurries. In 2010, he was still recovering from a knee injury that somewhat limited his mobility.

In the ‘Bama spring game, he was all over the place. He truly understands the defense and is like an on-field coach. He blitzed more often in that game than I’d seen of him at any time in 2010, which is a good sign that he’s 100% again. The one main knock against Hightower is that he doesn’t generate the game-changing play, having never recorded a forced fumble or an interception. Part of that’s due to the abundance of talent on the Alabama defense; part of it’s due to his not being 100%; and part of it’s due to him just not making those plays. I expect that to change in 2010, and if you’re NFL team is a 3-4 defense that needs help at LB, he’s one to watch. He’s a traditional inside linebacker, but if you watch Alabama, you’ll see him line up at OLB, and even with his hand on the ground on occasion.

5) Alshon Jeffery - WR - South Carolina - JR
There are few receivers as physically imposing as Alshon Jeffery. He reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall in terms of size, athleticism, and style of play. At 6’4” and 233lbs, he’s a nightmare for college corners to have to matchup against. Jeffery is a very physical player, and while he lacks the elite speed - in my opinion, he looks like a 4.5 player on the field - he’s going to be exceptional at the next level. He can totally dominate a game when he wants to.

Jeffery pulled in 88 receptions for 1,517 yards and 9 scores in 2010, and is well on his way to bettering that stat line in 2011, even without Stephen Garcia, potentially. In 7 games, he recorded at least 7 receptions and he had to multi-score games. The most impressive stat however, might be his yardage per reception which is a staggering 17.2 clip.

Jeffery should provide plenty of big plays for the Gamecocks this year, provided they find a suitable starting quarterback to throw to him. Having a running back like Marcus Lattimore, who surprisingly didn’t make my list, should help to keep defenses stacking the box to give Jeffery more single coverage on the outside. What’s most impressive to me about Jeffery is that he had some of his biggest games against the best competition. See for yourself. Against Auburn, he tallied 8 catches, 192 yards and 2 scores. Against Alabama, 7 catches, 127 yards and 2 scores. Against Clemson he caught 5 for 141 and a score. If Jeffery keeps up that kind of production, he’s got an outside shot at entering the Heisman race, which, let’s face it, is about as corrupt as it gets in college athletics.

6) Landry Jones - QB - Oklahoma - JR- No one thought something good could come out of Sam Bradford’s injury against BYU at the beginning of the 2009 season, then Landry Jones happened. All you have to do to see how good Jones can be is to look at the jump he made statistically from 2009 to 2010. In ‘09, Jones’ completion percentage was 58.1%, about what you’d expect for someone just getting into the starters’ role full-time. He threw for 3,198 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Jumping to 2010, Jones upped his completion percentage to 65.6%, increased his yardage to 4,718 and threw 38 touchdowns while cutting down his interceptions by two to 12.

Jones has some excellent targets led by Ryan Broyles, who should be one of the top receivers in next year’s draft class. Broyles tabbed over 1,400 yards and hauled in 12 touchdowns. Kenny Stills gives him another option outside and TE James Hanna is pretty underrated in his own right catching 7 touchdowns in just 18 total receptions.

Jones has a decent arm and has shown an adept touch at throwing downfield. I think a lot of NFL personnel will look to Sam Bradford’s rookie year and see that he was able to come from the Oklahoma spread system and make a full transition to the NFL system, including taking snaps from center. Jones, just a junior, has ample size at 6’4” and 230lbs and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he were to jump ahead of someone like Matt Barkley or Ryan Lindley and be the second quarterback taken after Luck. That is, assuming Luck, Barkley, and Jones all enter the draft.

However, there’s been some sad news for the Sooners recently as middle linebacker Austin Box passed away unexpectedly last week.

7) LaMichael James - RB - Oregon - JR
There’s no other player as explosive as the little Oregon running back in all of college football. James rips of highlight reel runs week after week as he powers the high-tempo Ducks offense. A small guy standing just 5’9” and 185lbs, James shows an innate ability to run between the tackles that typical smaller backs haven’t shown. Still, he’s at his best getting to the outside and using his speed to run past the defense. While he’ll be suspended for the first game of the 2011 season for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor harassment case stemming from an incident with his ex-girlfriend, it’d be shocking if James doesn’t end up in the thick of the Heisman race.

He’s got a nice counterpart in Kenyon Barner that will allow James to spell himself when needed. However, based on his season last year, 294 attempt for 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns, James is fully capable of handling a massive workload. Chip Kelley did a good job of keep James touches in check, allowing him to only eclipse the 30 carry mark twice, against only Stanford and USC, arguably the two best defensive teams in the Pac-10 last year.

While James isn’t much of a receiver out of the backfield, only totaling 4 catches last year, I expect him to see some more work in that department as Oregon lost it’s top to receivers to graduation. I also expect his rushing carries to be slightly lower and mixed more with Barner, as Oregon did in the BCS Title Game. However, James is still what makes this offense go, and he’ll be a great crutch for Darron Thomas while he’s still getting used to some of his new targets on the outside.

8) Jared Crick - DT - Nebraska - SR
Bo Pelini has really taken what he learned under Nick Saban to heart and has turned Nebraska into one of the better defensive program’s in the country. Everyone got enamored with Ndamukong Suh in the 2009 season, but he was just as good for the two years prior to that. It just goes to show that most people pay attention to the offensive side of the ball, but hey, that’s the way the game is. However, I must say, Ndamukong Suh should have been the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson. Clearly, it’s not about awarding it to the best player in college football, more so to the best offensive player on the top team in college football award. See: Troy Smith, Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Mark Ingram. But I digress.

Back to Jared Crick. He was a first team All-American in 2010 as he totaled 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. The 6’6” 285lbs Crick can play inside or outside, and he totaled 70 tackles in 2010, which is a heck of a lot for a defensive lineman, especially one that plays most of his snaps on the interior. But, should we really be surprised? Ndamukong Suh recorded 76 and 82 tackles respectively in 2008 and 2009. Playing next to and learning from Suh helped out Crick immensely, and Crick continues to get better on his own.

I think a fair comparison to former for Crick would be former Wisconsin standout J.J. Watt in terms of a size perspective. However, Crick is far more athletically gifted than Watt, but he’s got Watt’s motor as well. Crick still has the frame to get bigger and keep on developing, but he’ll have NFL teams salivating as his skills could translate to a 3-4 DE, 4-3 De, or even a 3-technique DT in the 4-3.

9) Kellen Moore - QB - Boise State - SR
For all the flak that the Broncos took last year after falling to Nevada, you still have to acknowledge that they’re a very solid football team, and one of the most dynamic offensive squads in all of college football. That offense is triggered by quarterback Kellen Moore. A lefty thrower standing just 6’0” 187lbs, I’ve seen a lot of people compare him to a poor man’s left-handed Drew Brees. And that’s actually not a bad comparison.

Moore’s completion percentages have been outstanding as they read 69.4%, 64.3%, and 71.3% in his three years as a starter. The big issue for him this year will be who he’s going to throw to as both Titus Young and Austin Pettis went in the NFL Draft. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem as the Boise State system is pretty plug-n-play friendly. Moore totaled 3,845 yards and threw just 6 interceptions while tossing 35 touchdown strikes in 2010. He’ll be put to the test early as they’ll take on the Georgia Bulldogs the first week of the season.

Moore, despite the rumored lack of arm strength has shown pretty good ability at throwing the ball downfield, but he’s best at throws under 20 yards. He’ll make good use of throwing into windows on crossing routes and pick plays, much like Kurt Warner in his early years with the St. Louis Rams. Moore should post some gaudy numbers even with the new receivers, but that’s mostly due to a weak schedule that Boise will take on. Now, if he shreds Georgia the first week, watch out.

10) Cordy Glenn - G - Georgia - SR
Yes, I went there. I’m guessing no reader expected me to dip into the offensive line category, but I did, and Cordy Glenn is certainly worth it. In most draft circles, he’s probably the highest rated senior prospect at this point for the 2012 NFL Draft. Now, while I fully acknowledge there’s other players that should be in consideration (see my list of players 11-20), Glenn is deserving of this spot.

At 6’5” 320lbs, Glenn is a big-mover that can play multiple positions. While he doesn’t have the athleticism to play left tackle, he’s done it. In all, he started all 13 of the Bulldogs games at left guard in 2010, but played 4 games at left tackle in 2009, and has played 4 games at right guard over the course of 2008 and 2009.

Glenn’s a decent pulling guard, but is at his best when he’s in-line blocking. Just to show you how strong Trent Richardson is, Glenn’s bench press max is 375 lbs and his squat is 465 lbs. However, when you’re Glenn’s size, you have some natural strength about you. Glenn should continue his ascension as a senior this year and should be the top interior lineman in the 2012 Draft.

Prospects 11-20.

11. Marcus Lattimore - RB - South Carolina
12. Michael Floyd - WR - Notre Dame
13. Courtney Upshaw - LB - Alabama
14. Denard Robinson - QB - Michigan
15. Zach Brown - LB - North Carolina
16. Ryan Broyles - WR - Oklahoma
17. Quinton Coples - LB - North Carolina
18. Mark Barron - S - Alabama
19. Alfonzo Dennard - CB - Nebraska
20. Brandon Weeden - QB - Oklahoma State

Way Too Early College Football Top 10's: Top 10 Teams

Now that the NFL Draft has concluded, and assuming that the NFL Labor talks eventually allow undrafted rookies and veteran free agents to sign, there’s really not too much in the way of actual college football now that most spring games have concluded. Having watched bits of several spring games, I thought it might be time to take a look at some teams on the college gridiron and how they’ll fare this fall.

I saw a segment on ESPNU a few weeks ago with Mark Schlabach’s “Way Too Early Top 25”. In it, there were times that had a ton of talent coming back like Oklahoma, who had 14 offensive players and 15 defensive players with starting experience. Oregon falls into that category as well with Darron Thomas and LaMichael James expected back, but they lost three starting offensive linemen and their top two leading receivers. You have your perennial SEC powers in Alabama and LSU up there, and upstarts Arkansas and South Carolina, though both will have new starting quarterbacks this fall. Stanford got a gift as Andrew Luck, otherwise known as “Football Jesus” returned to Palo Alto. Terrelle Pryor returned under different circumstances for the Ohio State Buckeyes who might’ve gone through the toughest offseason despite losing just three players to the NFL Draft. Then you’ve got some programs that generally aren’t considered powerhouses knocking on the door in Oklahoma State and Michigan State, and perennial BCS party-crashers Boise State and TCU all hovering out there.

All these teams with the potential to be so good almost make me feel like it’s college basketball again where you can have a VCU and Butler make it to the Final Four and Championship Game respectively. I just hope it’s more entertaining to watch. With that in mind, I thought I would take a look at some College Football Top 10s, despite it being way too early. I’ll give you my Top 10 Teams, players, and games as we head into the 2011 College Football Season.

My predicted Top 10, is as follows:

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. LSU
4. Oregon
5. Stanford
6. Boise State
7. South Carolina
8. Oklahoma State
9. Florida State
10. Ohio State

Let’s take a closer look at each team, and why I think they’ll be slotted in that ranking.

1) Alabama Crimson Tide
Say what you want about Nick Saban, but the man is a top 5 football coach regardless of level. Yes, this coming from a Dolphins fan. Yeah, he left under bad circumstances, but he didn't want to be in the NFL - and I can't blame him. He's outstanding at the college level, having never compiled a season worse than 6-6. He had success at Toledo, Michigan State, won a national title at LSU, turned around a decrepit Miami Dolphins team in a year, and won a national title at Alabama.

Alabama is losing some talent - Marcel Dareus, Julio Jones, James Carpenter, Mark Ingram, and Greg McElroy - but they have a ton coming back. RB Trent Richardson might be the best player in college football. He's already got NFL size and speed, and having watched 'Bama's spring game, he looks better than the 2009 version of Mark Ingram - yes the Mark Ingram that won the Heisman. Quarterback A.J. McCarron is a tall pocket passer who has some nice touch on the deep ball. Obviously he'll have some growing pains, but with a heavy does of Richardson, they shouldn't be felt too much. Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks will return at receiver and Brad Smelley and Michael Williams give them some good options at H-Back and tight end respectively. The O-line is solid, anchored by C William Vlachos and enormous RT D.J. Fluker.

Defensively with Dont'a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, Nico Johnson, Mark Barron, and Dre Kilpatrick, the back seven should be outstanding. Hightower, in my opinion, might be even better than Rolando McClain was a few years ago. Also, keep an eye on freshman Trey Depriest, as he could be a player for now, and will be one for the future. Saban's scheme is very much like an NFL defense that puts an emphasis on trick blitzes, stunts, and overloads that not many teams see. Dont'a Hightower is the key here. The 6'4" 260lbs middle linebacker can play inside, outside, and put his hand on the ground and rush. He's like a coach on the field and is a solid player who rarely misses tackles.

While 'Bama has talent, they have a tough schedule. A tricky week two matchup at Penn State is the first obstacle before SEC play. The Tide does get Arkansas and LSU at home, but they will visit the Swamp, Mississippi State, and Auburn to close the season. However, they won't have to face every team that's coming off a bye week this year, which should help them. If they can get through the early road games against Penn State and Florida, I like them to come out of the SEC and return to the National Championship Game. A lot rests on A.J. McCarron's development, but 'Bama has a multitude of weapons, and perhaps another Heisman winner in the backfield in Trent Richardson, to help the young QB.

2) Oklahoma Sooners
Is this the year "Big Game Bob" Stoops finally gets the Sooners to go undefeated? Well, they've got a darn good shot. Quarterback Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles will both be back to lead a talented offense that will be missing DeMarco Murray at RB. Roy Finch will get first crack at replacing Murray, having totaled 398 yards on 85 carries and 2 scores in 2010. Broyles (131 rec. 1622yds. 14 TDs), Kenny Stills (61 - 786 - 5) and TE James Hanna (18 - 292 - 7) give Landry Jones some excellent targets to look for.

Defensively, losing Jeremy Beal and Quinton Carter will hurt, but the Sooners have a lot of experience on defense to team with Freshman All-American LB Tom Wort, a British phenom, check out his story here. Travis Lewis and Austin Box should help anchor the linebacking corp. Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander will supply plenty of pressure from the DE spots. Alexander had 7 sacks in 2010. The Sooners have been known to produce solid defensive backs and CBs Jammell Fleming and Demontre Hurst might be one of, if not the bests duos in all of college football. Replacing Quinton Carter will be the toughest job of the secondary this season.

Schedule-wise, Oklahoma has two big road trips - against Florida State in week 2, and against Oklahoma State to close out the season. A trick opener against Tulsa should be a good measuring stick as the Golden Hurricane can score points in bunches. If Oklahoma survives Tallahassee and Stillwater, I expect to see them in the BCS Championship Game.

3) LSU Tigers
Les Miles had good reason to stay in Baton Rouge instead of going back to Ann Arbor. The Bayou Bengals should be loaded this year despite losing several talented defenders in Patrick Peterson, Drake Nevis, Kelvin Sheppard, Lazarius Levingston, and Terrance Tolliver. Jordan Jefferson or Jarrett Lee will handle the QB duties, though Jefferson looked very good in their spring game. The offense should get a shot in the arm with Spencer Ware, a 190lbs high school quarterback turned 225lbs running back (and pride of Cincinnati's Princeton high school!). Rueben Randle and Russell Shepard should do well enough to make Tiger fans forget about Tolliver. Two tight ends in Deangelo Peterson and Chase Blackwell should also help along with an experienced offensive line anchored by senior center P.J. Lonergan.

Defensively, the Tigers always seem to put together a good unit even when they lose talent. And man, did they lose talent in the Draft. A trio of good DEs should help pressure the passer - Ken Adams, Sam Montgomery, and Keke Mingo - as well helping out Michael Brockers and Josh Downs in the interior. Sophomore Kevin Minter should get the first shot at stepping in for Kelvin Shepard at middle linebacker, but Karnell Hatcher and Ryan Baker should expedite his development. There's not much experience in the secondary, but LSU has produced some good players there in the last few years.

The Tigers schedule is brutal. They open against the Oregon Ducks in Dallas, Texas in week one. They have a short week to prepare for a Thursday-nighter at Mississippi State in week 3 and have to travel to West Virginia the week after. October to November presents an absolutely terrifying four-game stretch of Florida, at Tennessee, Auburn, and at Alabama. They close the season on another short week with a Friday home game against Arkansas. If the Tigers can navigate the Ducks in Dallas and the trips to Starkville and Morgantown, they should be alright by the time the thick of the SEC schedule swings into high gear.

4) Oregon Ducks
Despite rolling out an uglier set of uniforms ever year (I mean, what in the world were the Ducks wearing in the BCS Title Game?). Despite the wardrobe questions, Oregon's offense looks really good. LaMichael James might be the most electric player in the country, and QB Darron Thomas will have an extra year of experience under his belt. Top target Jeff Maehl won't be back, but Kenjon Barner will receive more balls this year. Justin Hoffman, Keanon Lowe, Lavasier Tuinei should team to give Thomas a nice set of WRs. Oregon's offense is a quick-tempo one that doesn't allow much opportunity for oppenents to put much pressure on the QB, so the average O-line shouldn't be too much of a problem for the Ducks.

Defensively, they won't be producing players on the level of Jarius Byrd and Walter Thurmond III any time soon. Gone is the overrated Clay Matthews along with DT Brandon Bair, but the Ducks have some solid players in Dion Jordan, Michael Clay, and Cliff Harris on that side of the ball. The Ducks better hope their defense tightens up over the summer as they travel to Dallas to take on the LSU Tigers in their first game of the season.

After that, it's somewhat smooth sailing with only trips to Arizona and Colorado looming before their final 3 games, which form the toughest stretch of the season. Stanford will be out for blood when the Ducks come to town in early November. Oregon gets to finish the season with two home games against USC and Oregon State. I'm guessing they'll be making an appearance in the Pac 10 Championship Game (yeah, it was weird typing that). I don't think they'll get past the Tigers the first week of the season, and I expect they'll lose another in Pac 10 play, so I don't think we'll get to see a new awful uniform in the BCS Championship Game this year.

5) Stanford Cardinal
Andrew Luck returns for his redshirt junior season...Cardinal fans were rejoicing that, but coach Jim Harbaugh left to coach the San Francisco 49ers. David Shaw takes of the reins after coordinating the Stanford offense since 2007. There really shouldn't be a whole ot of difference, and Andrew Luck's experience should help set the tone. One of Luck's targets, Ryan Whalen, was drafted, Chris Owusu, TE Coby Fleener, and Griff Whalen return to give luck targets. Stanford will lean on their deep running game as well with Stepfan Taylor and Anthony Wilkerson. Ricky Seale was impressive in their spring game and figures to get some touches as well.

Defensively, Stanford lost some players to graduation, but they play very disciplined football and shouldn't drop off too much. One of the few teams that runs a true 3-4, Shayne Skov, who had a nice Orange Bowl, will take over for Owen Marecic to anchor the defense at ILB. Bringing pressure off the edges will be Chase Thomas and Trent Murphy who will have to replace Thomas Keiser. In the secondary, the Cardinal have three seniors and a sophomore. Johnson Bedamosi leads the way at CB, but opposite him will be that sophomore, Barry Browning. Delano Howell and Michael Thomas will roam the back end at the safety spots.

Of the top 10 teams, Stanford's got one of the "easier" schedules. There's really no outstangind out of conference games, but they do have back to back road games at USC and Oregon State before a home game against Oregon in early November. Notre Dame comes to Palo Alto to close out the year in a fun rivalry game. In one interesting game, Stanford will travel to Duke in week two for what I'm going to dub the "Academic Bowl". Stanford should win big.

6) Boise State Broncos
Cinderella stays in the top ten as the smurf turf gang refuses to die. Head coach Chris Petersen just keeps on churning out wins for the Broncos. Offensively, they should be outstanding yet again as QB Kellen Moore and RB Doug Martin return. However, replacing Titus Young and Austin Pettis will be tough for the Broncos. Tyler Shoemaker and Geraldo Hiwat will get the first crack at it with slot man Chris Potter. TE Kyle Efaw will help to open holes for Martin with a decent offensive line. Boise State's offensive creativity and the powerful running of Martin should help take away some of the sting of the losses of Young and Pettis, but they'll have to get some production out of the new receivers.

Defensively, Jaron Johnson graduated and went undrafted - he was their best player. Ryan Winterswyk, the best pass-rusher, is also gone this year. Byron Hout, better known as LaGarrette Blount's punching bag, will call the defense from the MLB position. Jamar Taylor and Jerrell Gavins will hold down the corner positions while George Iloka and Cedric Febis will try to replace Jaron Johnson deep in the secondary.

The Broncos should make another strong run at going undefeated this year. They'll start off with their toughest test with an opening game trip to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs - a pseudo-rivalry going back a few years - to open the season. The only other real strong test this year in the Mountain West comes in late November as the Broncos travel to San Diego to take on the Aztecs of San Diego State and super quarterback Ryan Lindley. If you're not a fan of the BCS part crashers, you better root for the Bulldogs or Aztecs, because I don't see the Broncos losing anywhere else on their schedule.

7) South Carolina Gamecocks
Stephen Garcia, subject of our first "Daily Rant", and his future are still up in the air for the Gamecocks, despite being listed as a "co-starter" after Connor Shaw's ipressive showing in the spring game. But not all is bad news in Columbia as the Gamecocks could have their best team in quite some time. The Gamecocks have two absolute studs on offense in huge running back Marcus Lattimore and receiver Alshon Jeffery. Lattimore, a sophomore, rushed for 1,197 yards and 12 TDs as a freshman, in the SEC. He's big at 6'0" and 231lbs, and should get even better this year. Jeffery set single-season South Carolina for catches (88) and yards (1,517) to go with his 9 touchdowns. Shaw, or Garcia, should make this offense go as Jason Barnes and D.L. Moore provide good targets to throw to as well. South Carolina's O-line is very talented, but not very deep. At all. If injuries occur here, they could be in trouble.

Defensively, while there's no Eric Norwood on the roster, Jadeveon Clowney, the number 1 recruit in college football, figures to get thrown into the fire at DE right away. Devin Taylor and Melvin Ingram should help him find his groove. The Gamecocks are loaded up front at the DT position as well with a nice rotation of Travian Robertson, Alderick Fordham, and Kelcy Quarles. Shaq Wilson leads the defense, but needs to stay healthy at MLB. Stephon Gilmore, an All-American candidate at CB will anchor a relatively weak secondary that gave up too many big plays last year.

The Gamecocks received a gift from the football gods as they avoid having to play both Alabama and LSU this year and get Auburn, Florida, and Clemson at home. However, as punishment, the Gamecocks do have three straight road games against Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Arkansas in late October/early November. A week two trip to Georgia should be a good early test for the Gamecocks.

8) Oklahoma State Cowboys
If there's one receiver that can stake a claim to be better than Alshon Jeffery, it's the Cowboys' Justin Blackmon. Better than Dez Bryant, Justin Blackmon and QB Brandon Weeden surprisingly came back for another year in Stillwater. Weeden, a former baseball prospect (1st overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Yankees) will be 29 midway through the season. Blackmon hauled in 111 catches for 1,782 yards and 20TDs last year. He'll have to keep up that production as the Cowboys look to replace running back Kendall Hunter. Sophomores Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith should form a nice tandem to replace Hunter. The line boasts four seniors and a junior, and should be solid again.

The defense will be the key to the Cowboys season. There's not much experience there, but they have some talent. Christian Littlehead is a massive DT and only a redshirt freshman. Richetti Jones and Blatnick give the Cowboys some size at the DE position which will protect their very undersized linebackers. Shaun Lewis may be the best of the bunch there, but he stands a paltry 5'11" and 214lbs. The secondary is a little more experienced with Devin Hedgepeth and Markelle Martin leading the way.

The Cowboys have an easy schedule this year. Arizona and QB Nick Foles come to town early on and that might be their toughest game before closing out the year against Oklahoma. Even back-to-back roadies against Texas and Missouri don't seem all that daunting. However, Oklahoma State is always known as a choker team and they seemingly give away a game once a year. If they can avoid getting upset (hello trip to Tulsa in week 3), they have a legitmate shot to unseat the Sooners atop the Big 12.

9) Florida State Seminoles
Renegade, Chief Osceola, and the War Chant are going to be happy this year (watch the whole video, but turn down your volume a bit). Christian Ponder went in the first round of the draft, but thrived in Jimbo Fisher's pro-style attack in Tallahassee. E.J. Manuel will take over at QB, and while he's got experience, he'll lean heavily on FSU's trio of backs in Chris Thompson, Jermaine Thompson, and Ty Jones. Taiwan Easterling should lead the receiving corp and the O-line remains solid despite losing Rodney Hudson with Andrew Datko, Zebrie "C'mon Man" Sanders, and David Spurlock all returning.

Defensively, Bjoern Werner at DE, Jeff Luc and Nigel Bradham at LB, and Xavier Rhodes at CB will lead the defense. The 'Noles expect to get significant contributions from Everett Dawkins, Brandon Jenkins, and Greg Reid as well. The Noles defense was solid last year and should be even better this year.

Florida State's got a pretty smooth schedule after the Oklahoma Sooners come to town. Louisiana-Monroe and Charleston Southern probably won't provide them great warm-ups either. Traveling to Clemson a week after the Sooners will be tough, but that's the only "big" game until the Noles travel to the Swamp to close out the season against the Gators.

10) Ohio State Buckeyes
No team has had a more tumultuous offseason than the Buckeyes. Jim Tressel's already in hot water, and now there's a probe being launched about car deals. Quite honestly, I'm surprised it's taken them this long to investigate this matter as I know one player personally who told me he received a "free" car back in 2002. Either way, with 5 players suspended along with Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes still have a ton of talent.

Braxton Miller or Joe Bauserman figures to get the first shot to replace Terrelle Pryor for the first five games. My money is on the freshman Miller to be quite honest as Bauserman has never looked impressive, although all the QBs were quite unimpressive during OSU's spring game. Any army of runningbacks will keep up steady proudction while Dan "Boom" Herron sits out, and they'll be led by Jamal Berry, Jordan Hall, and Rod Smith. Losing Dane Sanzenbacher hurts as DeVier Posey will be suspsended, but I was impressed with Verlon Reed and T.Y. Washington in the spring game. TE Jake Stoneburner will need to up his production as well. The offensive line should be strong with J.B. Shugarts and Michael Brewster holding down the RT and C spots until LT Mike Adams returns from suspension.

Defensively, the Buckeyes bring a lot more back to the table despite losing Cameron Heyward to the NFL Draft. Nathan Williams, and Andrew Sweat will look to lead the front seven along with John Simon, Jonathan Hankins, Storm Klein, and Etienne Sabino. I'd like to give a shoutout to one of my brother's former teammates in high school, reserve linebacker Chris Maxwell, who may get a look on some special teams this year. The secondary has a lot of new faces on the field this year to go with Travis Howard. Dominic Clark, Ohrian Johnson, and C.J. Barnett should fill out the other three spots in the secondary.

The Buckeyes have four of their first five games at home, so that will help soften the suspsensions of Tressel and the players. However, the one road game is a trip to Miami Gardens to take on the Hurricanes, which could be tricky, but Miami isn't even as good as last year, and has a first year coach in Al Golden. Michigan State should be a very tough test, and traveling to Nebraska the following week should serve as a rough welcome back gift to the sweater vest, should his suspension only be 5 games. The Buckeyes get Wisconsin and Penn State both at home, so they've certainly got a chance to make it to the Big 10 Championship Game. Terrelle Pryor's return should give them a nice boost for Big 10 play.

Hopefully that's gotten you ready for some football that won't be played in the courtroom, except potentially in Ohio State's case. In my next installment of the "Way Too Early College football Top 10's" I'll look at the 10 best players, and close it out with the 10 best games of the year.

If your team wasn't on the list now, perhaps they will be come October, as this year's college crop doesn't seem to have that one, clear-cut top team as there's been in the past with Alabama, Florida, and USC.

KD's Draft Guru Interview

For those that don’t know me, despite being born in and living 23 of my 25 years in Cincinnati, Ohio, and working for their only player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I am not a Bengals fan. I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I have been since Thanksgiving Day 1993 when the Dolphins, sans Dan Marino who was out with an Achilles injury, beat the Cowboys (thank you Leon Lett), in Dallas 16 – 14. Every boy in my 2nd grade class had a Dallas Cowboys Starter jacket – hell, I did too. I got rid of it after that game and I have religiously followed the Dolphins ever since. Needless to say, Miami was 9-2 after that Cowboys game, and promptly loss their last 5 games to miss the playoffs. I suffered through that. Dan Marino’s last game was played on my 15th birthday – a 62-7 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2nd round of the playoffs that I thought I’d blocked from my memory. I guess not. I made it through the Cam Cameron 1-15 season and joined a Dolphins message board that year. I’m a pretty frequent visitor, and through the forums there, I came to know Alen Dumonjic, a then 18-year old who knew more about football than anyone else I’ve ever met, including me, and my friends would tell you that I myself probably know way too much as it is.

Alen is truly a student of the game and could tell you about the intricacies of Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense (which was practiced when Walsh was a Bengals assistant, and perfected by some guy named Montana out in San Francisco), to the Air Coryell offense run by Dan Fouts and the Chargers, to the Dolphins “Wildcat” offense, which has been around since the 1940s – known as the Single Wing then - contrary to what ESPN would have you believe. But I digress. One of the things that many of the forum visitors turn to Alen for is his knowledge of the draft. Alen’s been known to frequent the East-West Shrine Bowl practices, and his knowledge never disappoints.

For more on the X’s and O’s of the game, check out his blog – it’s a must read for football junkies – www.footballpressbox.blogspot.com – thank me later.

Alen was kind enough to answer some draft-related questions for us now that the draft is only 22 days away (boy that looming Labor Issue makes it seem further away doesn’t it?). Here’s what he had to say:

TGTS: As someone who follows college football and the draft process very closely, what factors do you often look at when grading your prospects? Is it program pedigree, the player's makeup, 40 times, team interviews, or is it a combination of all things?

AD: First you have your positional analysis. You look at different things for each position obviously but in general, I look for the makeup of the player, I look how he handles the team, how he handles his duties at his position and I look at what scheme or philosophy he comes from and then last of all, I'll look at what he's faced. 

TGTS: This year's draft is somewhat top-heavy with quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert, both of whom come from more open, spread offenses that are prevalent in college football. Does that make those prospects harder to evaluate than QBs who come from a pro-style offense such as Christian Ponder and Andrew Luck? 

Yes, they are a bit harder to grade because of the offense they come from. Blaine Gabbert comes from a very wide open and simplistic offense that relies on comeback routes and hitches that are tagged onto vertical routes. They really like to spread themselves out and create mismatches by using the receiving threat all over the field. Christian Ponder is viewed as a pro-style quarterback because he worked a lot under center and he comes from an offense that is a lot of 3 and 5 step game with triangle reads; read one side of the field and work it. That's a stepping stone in the development of the quarterback and then from there, you can read the entire field when you get good. Guys like Andrew Luck can do everything. He's really a fantastic quarterback because he sees the field so well and has such great control over the offense.  

TGTS: Obviously many people know some of the big names in the draft, such as Ingram, Newton, Fairley, Peterson, etc. Who are some of your mid-later round prospects that you have your eye on?

AD: Prospects that I have my eye on in the mid to later rounds include quarterback Greg McElroy, quarterback Ben Chappell, running back Delone Carter, running back Jamie Harper, running back Bilal Powell, running back Evan Royster, running back Damien Berry, wide receiver Vincent Brown, wide receiver Ryan Whalen, wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, wide receiver Aldrick Robinson. 

On the defensive side of the ball, nose tackle Sione Fua, linebacker Mark Herzlich, cornerback Davon House, cornerback Brandyn Thompson, cornerback Kendrick Burney, cornerback/safety Marcus GIlchrist, safeties Eric Hagg and Jaiqwuan Jarrett. 

A lot of the guys I list above have some good talent that can be improved upon and made into contributing players. McElroy is well known but Indiana's Ben Chappell has flown under the radar. His decision making is sometimes in question but he sees the field very well. Running back Bilal Powell reminds me of James Starks up in Green Bay as they have the same running style. Wide receivers Vincent Brown, Ryan Whalen and Dane Sanzenbacher are all guys who are the cookie-cutter route runners who understand the game and have good hands. All three work hard and are overachievers. Aldrick Robinson has talent but he needs to continue to work hard. 

Defensively, Sione Fua is somewhat reminiscent of Aubrayo Franklin out in San Francisco. Mark Herzlich is well known and has a lot of talent. How far has he come from his recovery of cancer? How will it affect him at the next level? For a guy who works so hard, you might be tempted to take a chance on him somewhere in round four or five. Cornerback Davon House has flown under the radar because he's out in New Mexico State but he's a quality talent that has a ton of upside. He's durable and is tough. Big fan of his. Brandyn Thompson is somewhat forgotten because he's not all that big but he's got some Asante Samuel qualities in his game. I think he may surprise some people. Burney is a Cover 2 Buc corner; a hard corner who can play nickel and cover the flats. Gilchrist is versatile while Jarrett and Hagg are smart, tough players. 

TGTS: You're the Carolina Panthers...the GM has mandated you draft a defensive player, so who do you take between Marcel Dareus, Patrick Peterson, Von Miller, Nick Fairley, or someone else and why?

AD: I select Marcel Dareus out of Alabama because he's the best player from that group. He's a hard working defensive tackle that has versatility in the way that he can play most positions on the line and he's a damn good player. He's explosive, tough, can play the run and as I said, is versatile. In some ways, he is similar to Richard Seymour but he's not as dominant as Seymour is/was. 

Nick Fairley has too many questions and not enough on his resume for me. Patrick Peterson is a good cornerback that has a lot of natural talent but he needs to work on his technique. He can't forever rely on his natural talents. Von Miller is a very talented player but I think that he needs work as a pass rusher. He's going to be a good player in this league and he will make someone happy but I'd rather have Dareus.

TGTS: Some teams, like the Eagles and Patriots, who have 6 picks in the first 3 rounds, often trade down and/or trade players for future picks. What do you think of this strategy, and does it help or hinder teams like that when you have so many rookies?

AD: I am a big fan of the strategy because I think you need to stick to your board. If the player(s) you don't want are there, move the pick. Teams sometimes end up forcing the selection and are not happy with the outcome. The Patriots have a strict board and a smaller one than other teams. Runs about 90 players and Belichick likes to use the old Jimmy Johnson strategy of picking out guys from the draft that he likes and then if the guy is not there, get rid of the pick. 

I think if you keep the picks, it does hinder your team because you end up being very young. To be successful in the NFL, you need to have a good blend of veterans and younger guys. That way the young guys can learn and are not pressured into the lineup but are still contributors. 

TGTS: We saw the Packers win a Super Bowl with a RB drafted in the 6th round; Arian Foster led the league and rushing and went undrafted, as did LeGarrette Blount. Do you think teams are abandoning taking RBs early because it's an easy position to fix, or is there additional value in drafting someone highly - such as guys like Mark Ingram and Mikel Leshoure figure to be this year?

AD: I think it’s a little bit of both. The running back position is one that has a short career and a lot of the players at that position can be replaced when you have a strong offensive line. Taking a running back high, like Ingram or LeShoure, has value because some of the running backs you take high likely have a trait that separates them from other tailbacks. For example, instincts, the ability to find the cutback lane at a higher rate than others, the ability to hit the homerun. The homerun is not something that's common in the NFL so when you have a guy that can break it every now and then, you consider taking him higher than you would other running backs. Guys like Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson fit that criteria. 

TGTS: Aside from Andrew Luck, give us 5 potential draft prospects you're looking forward to seeing in the 2012 draft.

AD:

Seniors only list

1. Ryan Lindley, QB, San Diego St.
2. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
3. Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
4. Tank Carder, LB, TCU
5. Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Potential underclassmen

1. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
2. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
3. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
4. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
5. Josh Robinson, CB, UCF

A big thanks goes out to Alen for helping us with this interview. I’ll have some more about the NFL Draft coming up soon, including my take on the Big 4 QBs in the draft – Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Mallett, Cam Newton, and Christian Ponder (no, Jake Locker is NOT one, sorry Todd McShay), as well as a mock draft coming up towards the weekend.