Reilly
03-22-2005, 01:21 AM
The offensive tackle position serves as a microcosm of the 2005 draft class – void of blue-chip talent but lots of quality depth running into the second day.
There's a good chance, for the first time since 1999, the top 10 picks will go by without an offensive tackle hearing his name called. There are, however, as many as 12 tackle prospects who could come off the board between the middle of the first round and the end of the third.
Florida State's Alex Barron (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8638), Washington's Khalif Barnes (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8648) and Oklahoma's Jammal Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8640) should all be gone by the end of the first round. Barron is clearly the most physically gifted of the group, as he has massive size (6-7 5/8, 320) and ran in the 4.9's in the 40-yard dash during his recent pro-timing day in Tallahassee.
If Barron were tougher and more physically dominating, he'd rank up there with the elite OT prospects from past drafts – Robert Gallery (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6761) (2nd overall, 2004), Jordan Gross (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6344) (8th overall, 2003), Mike Williams (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5890), Bryant McKinnie (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5893) and Levi Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5896) (4th, 7th and 10th, 2002), Leonard Davis (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5449) (2nd, 2001), Chris Samuels (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5032) (3rd, 2000), Orlando Pace (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3951) and Walter Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3949) (1st and 6th, 1997) and Jonathan Ogden (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3540) (4th, 1996).
Instead, he grades out as a mid-first-round prospect who could come off the board earlier than his grade warrants due to supply and demand.
There's a noticeable difference in talent between Barron and the next two first-round prospects, but Barnes and Brown both have the potential to develop into upper-echelon starters for years to come in the NFL. Barnes isn't quite as big as Brown and he wasn't as productive at the collegiate level, but Barnes runs better and is the more explosive athlete.
Despite suffering a season-ending wrist injury in practice prior to Washington's Oct. 16 meeting with Oregon State, Barnes' draft stock has skyrocketed over the last few months. An impressive Senior Bowl outing, followed by a jaw-dropping workout at the NFL combine, has generated supreme momentum for Barnes as we near draft weekend.
The second and third rounds are where the value of the offensive tackle class rests. There are as many as nine tackle prospects who could come off the board within that period and each has the potential to develop into a starter in the NFL if things fall into place. Marcus Johnson (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8646) is the best of the rest. There's no doubt in my mind that he will become a starter in the NFL, but will it be at guard or tackle?
Syracuse's Adam Terry (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8647) and N.C. State's Chris Colmer (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8641) are very different types of linemen, but they both project as second-round picks. Terry is one of the best athletes in this year's tackle class, but he needs to get stronger in order to compete for a starting left tackle job at the next level. Colmer, on the other hand, is a mauling right tackle prospect with just decent athletic ability and lots of durability issues.
The other six potential day-one tackle prospects – Tennessee's Michael Munoz (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8642), Alabama's Wesley Britt (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8644), Southern Miss' Jeremy Parquet (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8649), Mississippi State's David Stewart (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8654), Pittsburgh's Rob Petitti (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8643) and Eastern Washington's Michael Roos (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8658) – all project as third-round selections.
Munoz and Britt, who have NFL starting potential, will be haunted on draft day by their inability to stay healthy. Parquet and Stewart both have the size, strength and experience, but concerns about their below-average athletic ability will cause them to slip.
Petitti has the size and resume, but his below-average mobility and lack of toughness could cause him to slip to the second day. Roos, on the other hand, has above-average athletic ability and the frame to go with it, but concerns regarding his overall strength and level of competition as a DI-AA prospect could also force him out of the first day.
There are a few day-two prospects with an outside chance to develop into starters in the NFL. Washington State's Calvin Armstrong (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8650) has the size and work ethic but needs to improve his feet and balance. Florida State's Ray Willis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8645) has limited athleticism, but could win a starting job at ROT or OG in a power, run-oriented offensive scheme. Despite having just adequate NFL measurables, Oregon State's Doug Nienhuis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8653) was an extremely consistent and efficient blocker in college; he could be the type that continues to overachieve at the next level.
After that, the mid-to-late-round talent is broken up into three categories – versatile reserves, specialist reserves and the unproven with upside.
The versatile reserves are prospects with the potential to play a backup role at tackle and guard. Those include TCU's Anthony Alabi (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8667), Texas Tech's Daniel Loper (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8655), Northwestern's Trai Essex (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8699), West Virginia's Michael Watson (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8665) and Wisconsin's Morgan Davis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8652).
The specialist reserves are prospects who project only as backups at the tackle position, and most will be limited either to the left or the right side. Those specialists include Iowa's Pete McMahon (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8651), Colorado State's Erik Pears (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8659), Virginia Tech's Jon Dunn (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8664), Florida's Jon Colon (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8670) and Kansas State's Jon Doty (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8656).
There aren't as many true developmental prospects as usual, but Central Michigan's Adam Kieft (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8663), Nevada's Harvey Dahl (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8666), Colorado's Sam Wilder (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8680) and Washington State's Sam Lightbody (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8672) all fit the label.
Finally, this has to be one of the tallest tackle classes in NFL history, as 10 of the 28 participants at the combine stood over 6-7, and three of those stood 6-8 or taller. Lightbody, a free-agent prospect, stands the tallest at 6-9.
Guard
The position of offensive guard in the NFL is generally an unexciting one, and the 2005 draft class won't do much to spice it up. In the last three drafts, there has only been one guard – Kendall Simmons (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5916) (Steelers, 2002) – selected in the first round and an average of only four taken on the first day.
Virginia's Elton Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8522) is the only prospect in this year's class with a chance of breaking the two-year drought of first-round guards, but his odds are not that good.
Brown has rare physical tools and the potential to develop into an upper-echelon starter in the NFL, but he needs to improve his lower-body strength and play with more of a mean streak. The other thing that hurts Brown is that teams don't like to spend first-round money on a guard. If he had the potential to move to tackle, Brown would have a better chance of becoming a top pick.
Take Vernon Carey (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6778), for example. Carey was a career guard at the University of Miami, but he worked out in the postseason as a tackle and was drafted 19th overall by the Dolphins, who made him a right tackle immediately.
In my opinion, there are only six other guards who deserve day-one attention. Logan Mankins (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9041) (Fresno State) is the best of the rest. He missed the entire 2003 season with a knee injury, but bounced back strong as a senior and proved to be one of the most athletic and efficient offensive linemen in the country.
Mankins could be the only other guard to come off the board within the first two rounds, which means Utah's Chris Kemoeatu (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8530), Alabama's Evan Mathis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8531), Toledo's Nick Kaczur (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8526), New Mexico's Claude Terrell (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8527) and Oregon's Adam Snyder (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8523) all will wait until round three before finding out their NFL fate.
Teams could reach for one or more of the aforementioned five prospects in the second round. However, in my opinion, each has too much going against him – on top of the built-in negative of playing guard.
Kemoeatu is a road-grader, but he isn't a good athlete and has a bad temper that has gotten him in trouble. Mathis has great size and experience, but injuries have really cooled off his stock. Kaczur made a big ascent up the draft board this season, but he will be a 25-year-old rookie with just decent athletic ability. Finally, Terrell and Snyder both have great size, but their marginal athletic ability should scare teams away in rounds one and two.
The good news regarding this year's guard class is that it does have good depth. Several experienced and successful starters from BCS conferences – such as Wisconsin's Dan Buenning (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8528) and Jonathan Clinkscale (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8534), Maryland's C.J. Brooks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8525), Oklahoma's Wes Sims (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8538), Vanderbilt's Justin Geisinger (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8540), Miami's Chris Myers (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8537), Mississippi's Doug Buckles (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8529) and Tennessee's Jason Respert (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8541) – will be available in the draft's final four rounds.
As usual, there are several prospects who played tackle in college but lack the height and/or athletic ability to play on the perimeter in the NFL. Kaczur, Snyder, Sims, Geisinger, Connecticut's Ryan Krug (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8545) and Wisconsin's Mike Lorenz (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8532) will need to move inside in order to compete for a spot in the NFL.
Additionally, Clinkscale, Texas Tech's Dylan Gandy (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8536), Myers, Northwestern's Matt Ulrich (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8547) and Respert all have experience at center and could potentially back up both the center and guard positions.
The most intriguing day-two prospect might be BYU's Scott Young (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8568). A two-year starter at defensive tackle at Dixie Junior College from 2000-01, Young transferred to BYU in 2002 and played in 10 games as a DT that season. He finally made the move to guard in 2003 and elected to take a redshirt season while making the transition.
As a senior in 2004, Young was a full-time starter at guard and wound up earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. He built on that momentum with one of the best combines of any offensive lineman, as the 6-3½, 312-pounder put up the standard 225-pound bench press 43 times (the most of any prospect at this year's combine), while running the 40-yard dash in 5.06 and the short-shuttle in 4.37.
He also had the second-highest vertical jump (35 inches) in the guard group. Young is obviously inexperienced and unpolished, but some team will be willing to gamble on his upside somewhere in the fifth-to-sixth round range.
This year's guard class also has its fair share of small school developmental prospects, including Dan Connolly (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8535) (SE Missouri State) and Joe Berger (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8562) (Michigan Tech). Both Connolly and Berger were invited to this year's NFL scouting combine and Berger was the first player from MTU to ever attend.
Center
The 2005 class of centers is above average thanks to the position switch that David Baas (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8524) (Michigan) made from guard, as well as Chris Spencer (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9067)'s (Ole Miss) decision to leave school early.
There has only been one center selected (Jeff Faine (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6357), 2003) in the first round of the last four drafts and, unless a team reaches for need, there's a good chance that Faine will end up the only top pick in a five-year span. However, what makes this year's class of centers better than usual is the depth of the group.
For starters, Baas and Spencer should both come off the board in the early-to-mid range of the second round, followed by Ben Wilkerson (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8490) (LSU) and Jason Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8492) (UNC) in the third round. Baas is the most complete, experienced and versatile interior offensive lineman in this year's draft, as he was a three-year starter for Michigan at both guard and center.
Spencer also has experience at both positions and has the upside to quickly develop into an NFL starter. Wilkerson could have fit in the second-round equation, but his season-ending patella tendon injury in his left knee versus Vanderbilt has proved to be a major setback. His lack of ideal size and concern regarding his long-term durability will cause Wilkerson to slip on draft day.
Brown, on the other hand, has plenty of size and has been more than durable, but his below-average athletic ability may force him to make a transition to guard at the next level.
Richie Incognito (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9109) is one of the most intriguing story lines in the entire 2005 draft class. A two-year starter at left tackle in 2002-03, Incognito was supposed to be moved to center in 2004 before Nebraska suspended him. He left school before enrolling at Oregon in September of last year. However, he was ineligible to play under NCAA rules and he didn't attend a practice before the Oregon football program gave him an unconditional release for not meeting unspecified conditions.
Incognito attended the NFL's scouting combine and was one of the most impressive offensive linemen throughout the workout process. However, he wound up suffering a minor sprain to his right knee during pass-protection drills. The injury reportedly will have no long-term effect, but NFL personnel are left scratching their heads as to where this talented but volatile prospect fits on the draft board.
In my opinion, there are eight other prospects at center – in addition to Incognito – who deserve day-two attention. Scott Mruczkowski (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8493) (Bowling Green) and Geoff Hangartner (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8499) (Texas A&M) headline that group. Junius Coston (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8494) (North Carolina A&T) and Rob Hunt (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8515) (North Dakota State) are two small-school sleepers who will hear their names called on Sunday. Vince Carter (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8491) (Oklahoma) was one of the best centers at the collegiate level for the last three seasons, but his lack of NFL measurables will cause him to free fall on draft weekend. Eric Ghiaciuc (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8496) (Central Michigan), Lincoln Hodgdon (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8497) (Arizona State) and Raymond Preston (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8503) (Illinois) round out the day-two talent as late-round prospects with some developmental upside.
There's a good chance, for the first time since 1999, the top 10 picks will go by without an offensive tackle hearing his name called. There are, however, as many as 12 tackle prospects who could come off the board between the middle of the first round and the end of the third.
Florida State's Alex Barron (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8638), Washington's Khalif Barnes (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8648) and Oklahoma's Jammal Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8640) should all be gone by the end of the first round. Barron is clearly the most physically gifted of the group, as he has massive size (6-7 5/8, 320) and ran in the 4.9's in the 40-yard dash during his recent pro-timing day in Tallahassee.
If Barron were tougher and more physically dominating, he'd rank up there with the elite OT prospects from past drafts – Robert Gallery (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6761) (2nd overall, 2004), Jordan Gross (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6344) (8th overall, 2003), Mike Williams (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5890), Bryant McKinnie (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5893) and Levi Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5896) (4th, 7th and 10th, 2002), Leonard Davis (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5449) (2nd, 2001), Chris Samuels (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5032) (3rd, 2000), Orlando Pace (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3951) and Walter Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3949) (1st and 6th, 1997) and Jonathan Ogden (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3540) (4th, 1996).
Instead, he grades out as a mid-first-round prospect who could come off the board earlier than his grade warrants due to supply and demand.
There's a noticeable difference in talent between Barron and the next two first-round prospects, but Barnes and Brown both have the potential to develop into upper-echelon starters for years to come in the NFL. Barnes isn't quite as big as Brown and he wasn't as productive at the collegiate level, but Barnes runs better and is the more explosive athlete.
Despite suffering a season-ending wrist injury in practice prior to Washington's Oct. 16 meeting with Oregon State, Barnes' draft stock has skyrocketed over the last few months. An impressive Senior Bowl outing, followed by a jaw-dropping workout at the NFL combine, has generated supreme momentum for Barnes as we near draft weekend.
The second and third rounds are where the value of the offensive tackle class rests. There are as many as nine tackle prospects who could come off the board within that period and each has the potential to develop into a starter in the NFL if things fall into place. Marcus Johnson (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8646) is the best of the rest. There's no doubt in my mind that he will become a starter in the NFL, but will it be at guard or tackle?
Syracuse's Adam Terry (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8647) and N.C. State's Chris Colmer (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8641) are very different types of linemen, but they both project as second-round picks. Terry is one of the best athletes in this year's tackle class, but he needs to get stronger in order to compete for a starting left tackle job at the next level. Colmer, on the other hand, is a mauling right tackle prospect with just decent athletic ability and lots of durability issues.
The other six potential day-one tackle prospects – Tennessee's Michael Munoz (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8642), Alabama's Wesley Britt (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8644), Southern Miss' Jeremy Parquet (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8649), Mississippi State's David Stewart (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8654), Pittsburgh's Rob Petitti (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8643) and Eastern Washington's Michael Roos (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8658) – all project as third-round selections.
Munoz and Britt, who have NFL starting potential, will be haunted on draft day by their inability to stay healthy. Parquet and Stewart both have the size, strength and experience, but concerns about their below-average athletic ability will cause them to slip.
Petitti has the size and resume, but his below-average mobility and lack of toughness could cause him to slip to the second day. Roos, on the other hand, has above-average athletic ability and the frame to go with it, but concerns regarding his overall strength and level of competition as a DI-AA prospect could also force him out of the first day.
There are a few day-two prospects with an outside chance to develop into starters in the NFL. Washington State's Calvin Armstrong (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8650) has the size and work ethic but needs to improve his feet and balance. Florida State's Ray Willis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8645) has limited athleticism, but could win a starting job at ROT or OG in a power, run-oriented offensive scheme. Despite having just adequate NFL measurables, Oregon State's Doug Nienhuis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8653) was an extremely consistent and efficient blocker in college; he could be the type that continues to overachieve at the next level.
After that, the mid-to-late-round talent is broken up into three categories – versatile reserves, specialist reserves and the unproven with upside.
The versatile reserves are prospects with the potential to play a backup role at tackle and guard. Those include TCU's Anthony Alabi (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8667), Texas Tech's Daniel Loper (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8655), Northwestern's Trai Essex (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8699), West Virginia's Michael Watson (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8665) and Wisconsin's Morgan Davis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8652).
The specialist reserves are prospects who project only as backups at the tackle position, and most will be limited either to the left or the right side. Those specialists include Iowa's Pete McMahon (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8651), Colorado State's Erik Pears (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8659), Virginia Tech's Jon Dunn (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8664), Florida's Jon Colon (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8670) and Kansas State's Jon Doty (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8656).
There aren't as many true developmental prospects as usual, but Central Michigan's Adam Kieft (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8663), Nevada's Harvey Dahl (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8666), Colorado's Sam Wilder (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8680) and Washington State's Sam Lightbody (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8672) all fit the label.
Finally, this has to be one of the tallest tackle classes in NFL history, as 10 of the 28 participants at the combine stood over 6-7, and three of those stood 6-8 or taller. Lightbody, a free-agent prospect, stands the tallest at 6-9.
Guard
The position of offensive guard in the NFL is generally an unexciting one, and the 2005 draft class won't do much to spice it up. In the last three drafts, there has only been one guard – Kendall Simmons (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5916) (Steelers, 2002) – selected in the first round and an average of only four taken on the first day.
Virginia's Elton Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8522) is the only prospect in this year's class with a chance of breaking the two-year drought of first-round guards, but his odds are not that good.
Brown has rare physical tools and the potential to develop into an upper-echelon starter in the NFL, but he needs to improve his lower-body strength and play with more of a mean streak. The other thing that hurts Brown is that teams don't like to spend first-round money on a guard. If he had the potential to move to tackle, Brown would have a better chance of becoming a top pick.
Take Vernon Carey (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6778), for example. Carey was a career guard at the University of Miami, but he worked out in the postseason as a tackle and was drafted 19th overall by the Dolphins, who made him a right tackle immediately.
In my opinion, there are only six other guards who deserve day-one attention. Logan Mankins (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9041) (Fresno State) is the best of the rest. He missed the entire 2003 season with a knee injury, but bounced back strong as a senior and proved to be one of the most athletic and efficient offensive linemen in the country.
Mankins could be the only other guard to come off the board within the first two rounds, which means Utah's Chris Kemoeatu (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8530), Alabama's Evan Mathis (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8531), Toledo's Nick Kaczur (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8526), New Mexico's Claude Terrell (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8527) and Oregon's Adam Snyder (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8523) all will wait until round three before finding out their NFL fate.
Teams could reach for one or more of the aforementioned five prospects in the second round. However, in my opinion, each has too much going against him – on top of the built-in negative of playing guard.
Kemoeatu is a road-grader, but he isn't a good athlete and has a bad temper that has gotten him in trouble. Mathis has great size and experience, but injuries have really cooled off his stock. Kaczur made a big ascent up the draft board this season, but he will be a 25-year-old rookie with just decent athletic ability. Finally, Terrell and Snyder both have great size, but their marginal athletic ability should scare teams away in rounds one and two.
The good news regarding this year's guard class is that it does have good depth. Several experienced and successful starters from BCS conferences – such as Wisconsin's Dan Buenning (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8528) and Jonathan Clinkscale (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8534), Maryland's C.J. Brooks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8525), Oklahoma's Wes Sims (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8538), Vanderbilt's Justin Geisinger (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8540), Miami's Chris Myers (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8537), Mississippi's Doug Buckles (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8529) and Tennessee's Jason Respert (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8541) – will be available in the draft's final four rounds.
As usual, there are several prospects who played tackle in college but lack the height and/or athletic ability to play on the perimeter in the NFL. Kaczur, Snyder, Sims, Geisinger, Connecticut's Ryan Krug (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8545) and Wisconsin's Mike Lorenz (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8532) will need to move inside in order to compete for a spot in the NFL.
Additionally, Clinkscale, Texas Tech's Dylan Gandy (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8536), Myers, Northwestern's Matt Ulrich (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8547) and Respert all have experience at center and could potentially back up both the center and guard positions.
The most intriguing day-two prospect might be BYU's Scott Young (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8568). A two-year starter at defensive tackle at Dixie Junior College from 2000-01, Young transferred to BYU in 2002 and played in 10 games as a DT that season. He finally made the move to guard in 2003 and elected to take a redshirt season while making the transition.
As a senior in 2004, Young was a full-time starter at guard and wound up earning second-team All-Mountain West honors. He built on that momentum with one of the best combines of any offensive lineman, as the 6-3½, 312-pounder put up the standard 225-pound bench press 43 times (the most of any prospect at this year's combine), while running the 40-yard dash in 5.06 and the short-shuttle in 4.37.
He also had the second-highest vertical jump (35 inches) in the guard group. Young is obviously inexperienced and unpolished, but some team will be willing to gamble on his upside somewhere in the fifth-to-sixth round range.
This year's guard class also has its fair share of small school developmental prospects, including Dan Connolly (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8535) (SE Missouri State) and Joe Berger (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8562) (Michigan Tech). Both Connolly and Berger were invited to this year's NFL scouting combine and Berger was the first player from MTU to ever attend.
Center
The 2005 class of centers is above average thanks to the position switch that David Baas (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8524) (Michigan) made from guard, as well as Chris Spencer (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9067)'s (Ole Miss) decision to leave school early.
There has only been one center selected (Jeff Faine (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6357), 2003) in the first round of the last four drafts and, unless a team reaches for need, there's a good chance that Faine will end up the only top pick in a five-year span. However, what makes this year's class of centers better than usual is the depth of the group.
For starters, Baas and Spencer should both come off the board in the early-to-mid range of the second round, followed by Ben Wilkerson (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8490) (LSU) and Jason Brown (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8492) (UNC) in the third round. Baas is the most complete, experienced and versatile interior offensive lineman in this year's draft, as he was a three-year starter for Michigan at both guard and center.
Spencer also has experience at both positions and has the upside to quickly develop into an NFL starter. Wilkerson could have fit in the second-round equation, but his season-ending patella tendon injury in his left knee versus Vanderbilt has proved to be a major setback. His lack of ideal size and concern regarding his long-term durability will cause Wilkerson to slip on draft day.
Brown, on the other hand, has plenty of size and has been more than durable, but his below-average athletic ability may force him to make a transition to guard at the next level.
Richie Incognito (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=9109) is one of the most intriguing story lines in the entire 2005 draft class. A two-year starter at left tackle in 2002-03, Incognito was supposed to be moved to center in 2004 before Nebraska suspended him. He left school before enrolling at Oregon in September of last year. However, he was ineligible to play under NCAA rules and he didn't attend a practice before the Oregon football program gave him an unconditional release for not meeting unspecified conditions.
Incognito attended the NFL's scouting combine and was one of the most impressive offensive linemen throughout the workout process. However, he wound up suffering a minor sprain to his right knee during pass-protection drills. The injury reportedly will have no long-term effect, but NFL personnel are left scratching their heads as to where this talented but volatile prospect fits on the draft board.
In my opinion, there are eight other prospects at center – in addition to Incognito – who deserve day-two attention. Scott Mruczkowski (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8493) (Bowling Green) and Geoff Hangartner (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8499) (Texas A&M) headline that group. Junius Coston (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8494) (North Carolina A&T) and Rob Hunt (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8515) (North Dakota State) are two small-school sleepers who will hear their names called on Sunday. Vince Carter (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8491) (Oklahoma) was one of the best centers at the collegiate level for the last three seasons, but his lack of NFL measurables will cause him to free fall on draft weekend. Eric Ghiaciuc (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8496) (Central Michigan), Lincoln Hodgdon (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8497) (Arizona State) and Raymond Preston (http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/player?id=8503) (Illinois) round out the day-two talent as late-round prospects with some developmental upside.