Centers

COMMENTS: Except for St. Clair, this is an undistinguished group. St. Clair is the only player likely to be drafted on the first day. O'Neal might be a higher pick if he were bigger; as it is he's a sound technician. Saipaia has the ability to be a starter and is versatile enough to play guard and tackle. Romero has great size but there are questions about his attitude.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 John St. Clair Virginia 6-5 300.
Seneca Gray Kentucky State 6-2 308.
Brad Meester Northern Iowa 6-3 295.
Matt O'Neal Oklahoma 6-2 277.
Blane Saipaia Colorado State 6-2 321.
John Romero California 6-3 316.
Mike Malano San Diego St. 6-2 295.
Rob Riti Missouri 6-1 293.
Ty Wise Miami (Fla.) 6-1 285.
Brent Ludwig Montana State 6-5 295.
             

Guards

COMMENTS: Claridge played tackle in college but will be a guard in the NFL. He runs well and has good balance. Coleman is a massive blocker who needs a consistency of effort. His teammate, Clifton, might be a better NFL prospect, at guard or tackle. Williams is the kind of huge inside player teams are looking for. Jordan must prove he can make the move from small college to the NFL.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Travis Claridge USC 6-5 305.
Cosey Coleman Tennessee 6-4 322.
Chad Clifton Tennessee 6-5 334.
Leander Jordan Indiana (Pa.) 6-4 330.
Bobby Williams Arkansas 6-3 325.
James Jeno Auburn 6-3 315.
Al Jackson Louisiana St. 6-3 304.
Kaulana Noa Hawaii 6-4 320.
Matt Johnson Brigham Young 6-4 345.
Andy Vincent Texas A&M 6-3 301.
             

Tackles

COMMENTS: Samuels brings excellent athletic ability to the tackle position. He has the kind of talent to be a 10- or 12-year starter in the NFL. McDougle may check in at 361 pounds but he's not fat. With his size he's a dominant run blocker but needs work on pass protection. McIntosh is another likely first-rounder. Wade is the tallest player in the draft. Klemm is talented but a bit light for the position. Alford, meanwhile, has to watch his weight.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Chris Samuels Alabama 6-5 320.
Stockar McDougle Oklahoma 6-5 361.
Chris McIntosh Wisconsin 6-6 315.
Marvel Smith Arizona State 6-5 320.
Todd Wade Mississippi 6-8 325.
Adrian Klemm Hawaii 6-4 305.
Greg Robinson-Randall Michigan State 6-5 330.
Darnell Alford Boston College 6-4 334.
Tutan Reyes Mississippi 6-3 295.
Jonathan Gray Texas 6-4 340.
           

Tight ends

This is another weak position after Franks and Becht, who figure to be the only tight ends taken on the first day of the draft. Franks has ideal tight end size and caught 45 passes last season, with 5 TDs. Becht has great size and has worked on improving his blocking to go with his receiving ability. Wheatley had an impressive combine, as did Stachelski. Davenport is a tall target who needs refinement to be an NFL tight end.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Bubba Franks Miami (Fla.) 6-5 265.
Anthony Becht West Virginia 6-5 270.
Erron Kinney Florida 6-5 275.
Dave Stachelski Boise State 6-3 250.
Austin Wheatley Iowa 6-4 255.
James Whalen Kentucky 6-2 230.
Jay Tant Northwestern 6-3 255.
Jason Gavadza Kent State 6-3 245.
Joe Dean Davenport Arkansas 6-7 268.
Casey Crawford Virginia 6-6 245.
             

Wide receivers

Deepest position in the draft, with plenty of variety as well, ranging from the gigantic Burress to a sprinter like Soward. Of course, Warrick is the class of the field and might be taken No. 1 by Cleveland. White and Morris both bring good size to the position. Farmer, a former volleyball player, knows how to go up for the ball. Taylor is a polished player. As many as five WRs could go on the first round.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Peter Warrick Florida State 5-10 195.
Plaxico Burress Michigan State 6-6 229.
Dez White Georgia Tech 6-1 218.
Sylvester Morris Jackson State 6-3 216.
Travis Taylor Florida 6-0 200.
Jerry Porter West Virginia 6-2 220.
R. Jay Soward USC 5-10 177.
Danny Farmer UCLA 6-3 217.
Dennis Northcutt Arizona 5-10 175.
Ron Dugans Florida State 6-1 206.
                  

Quarterbacks

Pennington, a possible draft pick of the 49ers, is the only player of first-round ability in this bunch. Carmazzi is a big-time talent from a small school. Martin is physically gifted but not ready to start right away. Husak's stock is rising while Redman's is plunging because he's amazingly slow and immobile. Brady is techically sound, if frail-looking. Wynn is the sleeper of the group.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Chad Pennington Marshall 6-3 229.
Giovanni Carmazzi Hofstra 6-2 224.
Tee Martin Tennessee 6-1 225.
Tim Rattay Louisiana Tech 6-0 215.
Marc Bulger West Virginia 6-1 208.
Joe Hamilton Georgia Tech 5-10 190.
Todd Husak Stanford 6-3 215.
Chris Redman Louisville 6-2 220.
Tom Brady Michigan 6-4 210.
Spergon Wynn SW Texas 6-3 230.
          

Fullbacks

To be honest, there are not 10 fullbacks who will be drafted next weekend. The position is perhaps the weakest in the draft simply because the better athletes line up elsewhere. Dyer is the best of the bunch, a big, straight-ahead runner and potentially solid lead blocker. Shea is a former tight end who could make somebody's team as an H-back. Kendra is a converted quarterback. The rest are just guys.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Deon Dyer North Carolina 5-10 260.
Aaron Shea Michigan 6-4 253.
Matt Keller Ohio State 5-10 235.
Durrell Price UCLA 5-10 230.
Terry Witherspoon Clemson 5-11 253.
Dan Kendra Florida State 6-0 251.
Terrelle Smith Arizona State 6-0 249.
D'Andre Hardeman Texas A&M 5-10 238.
Joey Goodspeed Notre Dame 6-0 250.
Maurice Smith N. Caro. A&T 6-0 225.
             

Running backs

Jones has everything NFL teams look for in a back, starting with 4.5 speed to run away from defenders. Alexander is a complete back with receiving ability. Lewis is a bit freakish as a 240-pounder with 4.45 speed and power to run over tacklers. Redmond id it all for Arizona State. Dayne, the Heisman Trophy winner, is a raging bull with speed but still might slip on draft day. Prentice is an intriguing prospect with size and speed.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Thomas Jones Virginia 5-10 215.
Shaun Alexander Alabama 5-11 218.
Jamal Lewis Tennessee 5-11 240.
J.R. Redmond Arizona State 5-11 215.
Ron Dayne Wisconsin 5-10 256.
Travis Prentice Miami (O) 5-11 227.
Curtis Keaton Jms Madison 5-10 210.
Rueben Droughns Oregon 5-11 215.
Trung Canidate Arizona 5-10 190.
Michael Wiley Ohio State 5-10 190.
           

Tackles

There's a pattern here in that most of these guys are short, powerful players built for filling the gaps to stop the run game. Simon and Johnson were a matched pair at Florida State. Hovan made himself into a player with long hours in the weight room and as a result tested well at the combine. Tosi, who started out as a basketball player, could project as a defensive end because of his height. Ioane is coming off major knee surgery and may not be effective as a rookie.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Corey Simon Florida State 6-1 297.
Chris Hovan Boston College 6-2 305.
Darwin Walker Tennessee 6-2 293.
Jerry Johnson Florida State 6-0 293.
Junior Ioane Arizona State 6-3 324.
Steve Warren Nebraska 6-0 307.
Mao Tosi Idaho 6-5 310.
Kendrick Clancy Mississippi 6-0 283.
Jabari Issa Washington 6-4 296.
Cornelius Griffin Alabama 6-3 297.
           

Ends

Brown is practically perfect, perhaps the best player on the board regardless of position. Ellis has the ability to be an anchor point at either DE position. Engelberger is a relentless worker. Howard is an accomplished pass rusher, with 27 sacks in his last three years in college. Flowers came on strong in '99 with 10 sacks. Thomas has tremendous speed on the edge.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Courtney Brown Penn State 6-5 270.
Shaun Ellis Tennessee 6-4 280.
John Engelberger Virginia Tech 6-4 260.
Darren Howard Kansas State 6-3 281.
Byron Frisch Brigham Young 6-4 281.
Erik Flowers Arizona State 6-4 271.
Robaire Smith Michigan State 6-4 275.
Adalius Thomas S. Mississippi 6-2 270.
Clark Haggans Colorado State 6-3 250.
John Milem Lenoir-Rhyne 6-5 287.
            

Inside linebackers

Like most BYU players, Morris is 25. He's also a terrific middle linebacker. Bell's stock fell with mediocre senior season and poor combine workout. Beck needs to prove he can stay healthy to make an NFL team. Simoneau may be better suited at OLB. Short is a better linebacker than he is an athlete. Towns needs to step up quality of play and productivity to make it.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Rob Morris Brigham Young 6-1 250.
Nate Webster Miami (Fla.) 6-0 220.
Brandon Short Penn State 6-2 252.
Matt Beck California 6-3 234.
Dustin Lyman Wake Forest 6-4 258.
Mark Simoneau Kansas State 6-0 237.
Jeff Ulbrich Hawaii 6-0 249.
Marcus Bell Arizona 6-1 237.
Lester Towns Washington 6-1 252.
T.J. Slaughter S. Mississippi 6-0 247.
            

Outside linebackers

If it's not Courtney Brown or Peter Warrick, Arrington could be the first pick in the draft. He's a rare talent, able to fly over blockers to make a tackle. Urlacher is the most intriguing player in the draft because he played so many positions in college (safety, linebacker, tight end, kick/punt returner). Moore's surly attitude toward the press makes him NFL-ready. Green is small but makes up for it with rabid intensity. Sanyika needs to be more consistent to make it in the NFL.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 LaVar Arrington Penn State 6-3 250.
Brian Urlacher New Mexico 6-4 258.
Corey Moore Virginia Tech 5-11 223.
Barrett Green West Virginia 5-11 233.
Julian Peterson Michigan State 6-5 233.
Raynoch Thompson Tennessee 6-2 220.
John Abraham South Carolina 6-3 252.
Keith Bulluck Syracuse 6-3 244.
Sekou Sanyika California 6-3 241.
Marcus Washington Auburn 6-3 252.
           

Cornerbacks

Plummer is the only likely first-rounder in the group, and he's not in the class of players like Charles Woodson or Champ Bailey. Charlton and Anderson both have good size for corners. O'Neal is doubly attractive because he's a ballhawk and a superior kick returner. Sanders had six interceptions in '99 after missing all of '98 with a shoulder injury. Edwards emerged from obscurity with a strong showing in the Senior Bowl.

Player, School, Height, Weight

 Ahmed Plummer Ohio State 5-10 191.
Ike Charlton Virginia Tech 5-11 205.
Rashard Anderson Jackson State 6-2 206.
Deltha O'Neal California 5-10 190.
Lewis Sanders Maryland 6-0 202.
Mario Edwards Florida State 6-0 191.
Hank Poteat Pittsburgh 5-9 197.
Dwayne Goodrich Tennessee 5-10 195.
Kareem Larrimore W. Texas A&M 5-11 190.
Ralph Brown Nebraska 5-10 178.
            

Safeties

Except for Grant, this is a talent-thin group. Grant has safety size and cornerback speed. Brown is instinctive but is short and not very fast. Bartee's stock is rising. Beckett needs consistency. Kennedy uses his size to good advantage when he's tackling someone; regarded as the best hitter among the safeties. Freeman is trying to overcome a host of injuries. Morris is especially good in run support.

Player, School, Height, Weight
Deon Grant Tennessee 6-2 210.
Mike Brown Nebraska 5-9 204.
Aric Morris Michigan State 5-10 209.
Rogers Beckett Marshall 6-1 207.
Tavares Tillman Georgia Tech 6-1 194.
Kenoy Kennedy Arkansas 6-0 222.
William Bartee Oklahoma 6-1 192.
Arturo Freeman South Carolina 6-0 190.
Gary Berry Ohio State 5-11 190.
Brandon Jennings Texas A&M 6-0 198.