Mel's Big Board as of 1/7/05

[JPW]

ESPN

1. Cedric Benson Sr. RB Texas

Four straight years with over 1,000 yards.

2. Dan Cody Sr. DT Oklahoma

A fiery, intense end who came on strong

3. Aaron Rodgers Jr. QB California

A smart, accurate, athletic passer.

4. Alex Smith Jr. QB Utah

Intelligent QB with good athletic ability

5. Ronnie Brown Sr. RB Auburn

A complete, explosive back who does it all.

6. Braylon Edwards Sr. WR Michigan

Has the size, speed and athleticism to dominate.

7. Carnell Williams Sr. RB Auburn

Very creative and deceptively strong runner.

8. Mike Williams Jr. WR USC

Terrific combo of size and strength.

9. Travis Johnson Sr. DT Fla. St.

Vastly improved and a dominant performer.

10. Troy Williamson Jr. WR S. Carolina

The fastest receiver in the draft.

11. Shawne Merriman Jr. DE Maryland

Could play OLB, has a 41½-inch vertical.

12. Adam Jones Jr. CB W. Virginia

"Pac-Man" eats up receivers and ballcarriers.

13. Roddy White Sr. WR UAB

Elite size/speed combo at 6-1, 205 and 4.42

14. Erasmus James Sr. DE Wisconsin

Outstanding pass rusher who can play the run.

15. Antrel Rolle Sr. CB Miami

Great in coverage and a good tackler.

16. Alex Barron Sr. OT Fla. St.

6-6, 320 and an excellent pass blocker.

17. Shaun Cody Sr. DL USC

Vesrsatile performer at DT or DE.

18. Channing Crowder So. LB Florida

Ideal physical skills for a middle linebacker.

19. Carlos Rogers Sr. DB Auburn

Auburn's best defensive player this season.

20. Jammal Brown Sr. OT Oklahoma

Equally adept at pass and run blocking.

21. Matt Roth Sr. DE Iowa

An outstanding natural pass rusher.

22. David Pollack Sr. DE Georgia

Incredible intensity and passion.

23. Bryant McFadden Sr. CB Fla. St.

Good athletic ability and willing in run support.

24. Charlie Frye Sr. QB Akron

Another standout MAC passer.

25. Justin Miller Jr. CB Clemson

Aggressive corner and terrific kick returner.

Dropped Off:

Derrick Johnson

Marcus Spears

Adam Terry

Mark Clayton

Alex Smith

Mark Bradley

Marcus Johnson

Corey Webster

[jditty47]

wheres matt leinart...might as well put him on there.

[JPW]

wheres matt leinart...might as well put him on there.

He doesn't put under-classman on his list until they declare for the draft...

[Bobcat Bengal]

Antrell Rolle @ 15?

LOL, Ok.

I wish he'd slide that far. If Marvin and Co. didn't trade up to get him......

[JPW]

Antrell Rolle @ 15?

LOL, Ok.

I wish he'd slide that far. If Marvin and Co. didn't trade up to get him......

How about Derrick Johnson dropping off of the board altogether.

It's a long way to Draft Day...

We will see a lot of changes in Player's Rating between now then.

[bengalsfan33]

I wouldn't mind one bit to have a Derrick Johnson or Artell Rolle fall to the 17th pick...haha

[schweinhart]

Kiper needs to lay down the crack pipe.

Dan Cody as #2 He may have come on strong but Kiper must have missed the USC game. Cody was virtually erased by the left tackle the whole game. To put him ahead of Pollack, James, Spears, Roth, and Shaun Cody seems ridiculous to me. I'd figure Dan Cody would be battling w/ Bill Swancutt and Adrian Awasom for the 7th or 8th DE picked

Roddy White at #13 is interesting and does reflect that White is NFL caliber but still too high IMO. JR Russell of Louisville (who absolutely abused Antrell Rolle) and Terrence Murphy seem to have better shots of going higher than White, much less Clayton.

Clayton got throttled by USC but he was doubled and tripled most of the time. Clayton had 4 defenders on him on the INT Jason White threw up for grabs.

[chrishcovga]

I don't think Crack could do that to a person.. What we're talking about here is Heroine. Or PCP. Something that makes you delusional and para-noid !

Derrick Johnson not being on the list, just shows you that Mel needs rehab along with a good barber.

* Shawne Merriman wasn't even considered on the top list of eligible players available to come out this year. He's athletic, but that's about it. Not even sure he was the best DE in the ACC this year.

[schweinhart]

Maybe Mel is just confused by the prospects this year.

Is it me or does the talent difference from Rounds 1 through 3 look a lot less marginal from player to player than it did last year.

I'm looking for no-brainers like Sean Taylor, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, D.J. Williams, Kenechi Udeze and I'm not quite seeing it in the 2005 class. Braylon Edwards might not have even been the 5th WR last year and this year he looks like the 1st.

And Cedric Benson as the #1 overall much less than #1 RB........Steven Jackson to me was a no-brainer last year but I don't see Benson having great success in NFL, especially after watching the Wolverines handle him.

There's a lot of RBs this year and I do think Ronnie Brown will have a fine NFL career but I got to say I'm a lot more interested in T.A. McClendon (who is very, very similar in style and ability to Jackson), Eric Shelton, Kay-Jay Harris, and especially J.J. Arington.

[San Antonio Bengal]

And Cedric Benson as the #1 overall much less than #1 RB........Steven Jackson to me was a no-brainer last year but I don't see Benson having great success in NFL, especially after watching the Wolverines handle him.

You're judging a lot from just one game. Kinda like how people do their Heisman ballots, but anyway... I believe Benson will be very sucessful in the NFL. The Michigan game you're judging him on was only one out of a long Texas career. A long Texas career where he rushed for 1000+ yards every year! His type of running is very similar to Ricky Williams'. However, he doesn't possess the physical strength that Ricky did. I don't know if he should be the #1 overall pick, but he should go pretty early. The downside to him is that he had a lot of carries at Texas (how else do you have 1000+ yards every season?) and so he has some wear on him already. I don't know how long it will be before the body starts to break down, but it'll probably be a bit sooner than other RBs in this class. However, that's a long term issue. In the short term, he should provide a big boost to whoever drafts him.

[schweinhart]

The big games are the best to judge IMO because they usually represent the best opposition possible to approximate the accelerated level of skills these players will face in the NFL. Not that they don't get it a few games a year or have a lot of adrenalin behind them. I did see part of the Texas loss to Oklahoma and noticed much of the same about Benson.

Benson will probably get his shot somewhere down the line but I wouldn't expect him to be better than Ron Dayne. He does have some speed that will allure teams and maybe he can catch the ball -- Texas isn't exactly the place for an RB to find that out.

And just so you know San Antone, it may look like judging one player from one game but it's also a matter of watching a lot of players over a number of years at both levels and noticing what works and what busts.

[Abqbengal]

Kiper doesn't know squat. Why do you think ESPN dropped his dumb A$$ all he does is talk talk and most of it doesn't make sense. After the draft look at his projection and then the actual draft and you'll see why.

[bengalboomer7]

ESPN didn't drop him, His contract ran out before they negoiated a new one and now he is with ESPN again

[Kirkendall]

wheres matt leinart...might as well put him on there.

He doesn't put under-classman on his list until they declare for the draft...

We should find out Thursday -- that's the day he said he'd declare.

[schweinhart]

However, he doesn't possess the physical strength that Ricky did. I don't know if he should be the #1 overall pick, but he should go pretty early. The downside to him is that he had a lot of carries at Texas (how else do you have 1000+ yards every season?) and so he has some wear on him already. I don't know how long it will be before the body starts to break down, but it'll probably be a bit sooner than other RBs in this class. However, that's a long term issue. In the short term, he should provide a big boost to whoever drafts him.

This should be another reason for teams to judge Benson in lesser terms than Kiper does.

Both Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams split time at Auburn and combined they caught 53 passes in 2004 with Brown catching 34 for 313 yds. Of these 2, Brown is the more physical runner and Cadillac the faster through the gap. Both of them should be picked ahead of Benson IMO.

On the fresh legs angle, J.J. Arrington is at the top of the list coming off his 1st year of full-time running and getting 2,018 yds on the ground in 2004 plus cathcing 21 balls.

Overall, Arrington might have the best shot at excelling in NFL now that Deangelo Williams has decided to stay at Memphis and recupe from his clean fibula break. Citarick Fason (1,173 yds, 31-226) and the powerful Kay-Jay Harris have enough upside to get them 1st rd consideration.

Now Benson did catch 22 passes in 2004, which will add to his value. It's a different Texas O since it looked like Chris Simms needed to have his head examined for becoming a Longhorn when a Texas QB hadn't been drafted in over a decade.

Of the teams that draft before the Bengals, the most in need of an RB are Fins, Bucs, Raiders, and Zona. Can't see the Fins rolling w/ "Little Ricky". Another dredlocked Austin freethinker is proly the last thing the Fins fans and ownership want to see.

Outside shot the Niners consider an RB w/ reports of Kevan Barlow due a $6.5 million roster bonus in 2005 but the Niners and cap-strapped Fins seem more likely to trade down their 1 and 2 picks if they can get any takers.

Benson won't be as bad as Ron Dayne -- that's a pretty low blow. He's got the tools to maybe convince a team he should be the 1st RB taken but IMO he slots better as 3rd or maybe 4th RB taken.

[chrishcovga]

Schweiney : This is another one of those posts where we're going to have to agree to disagree...

If Cedric Benson had declared last year, He would have gone ahead of Steven Jackson plain and simple. Benson has a great mix of speed, size, and power. He's used on every type of run possible and is a pretty darn good blocker in pass protection. -

I honestly don't see how you could make a comparison to Ron Dayne considering the majority of yards Benson has to create on his own. And tell me what better runningback there is available for the '05 draft, can break tackles the way he does. Once again the biggest thing people overlook when they judge runningbacks, is whether or not they fall forward or backward after contact. Benson is a bruiser with enough wiggle in his hips to make tacklers miss, and get tough first downs. What he doesn't have is breakaway speed. He's fast, but he's a Rudi type of runner that won't break too many long runs, but he has done it before.

[schweinhart]

Naw Schwammy -- I just don't think Benson is the sh*t. But comparing him to Ron Dayne was a bit much The real point there is that Dayne was an 11th pick in Rd 1 and has been a bust -- but Benson should fare better than that since it would be damn hard to fare any worse.

Benson's probably the 4th best RB on the board IMO behind:

1. Ronnie Brown

2. J.J. Arrington

3. Cadillac Williams

The bruising, yards after contact ability of Benson may work vs. teams like Texas A & M (who still stoned him pretty good except for big runs) but it was held in check by Sooners and neuralized by Wolverines. That's all I saw of Benson this year and likes to go with what I sees

[chrishcovga]

Naw Schwammy -- I just don't think Benson is the sh*t. But comparing him to Ron Dayne was a bit much The real point there is that Dayne was an 11th pick in Rd 1 and has been a bust -- but Benson should fare better than that since it would be damn hard to fare any worse.

Benson's probably the 4th best RB on the board IMO behind:

1. Ronnie Brown

2. J.J. Arrington

3. Cadillac Williams

The bruising, yards after contact ability of Benson may work vs. teams like Texas A & M (who still stoned him pretty good except for big runs) but it was held in check by Sooners and neuralized by Wolverines. That's all I saw of Benson this year and likes to go with what I sees

You think that's a draft board.. HA... look at my top 10 running backs..

1. Cedric Benson rb, Texas - He can make any offense good.

2. Ronnie Brown rb, Auburn - Can he carry a team for 16 games ?

3. Cadillac Williams rb, Auburn - wouldn't be surprised if he falls to round 2.

4. Marion Barber rb, Minnesota - I love how this kid runs.... He's a clone of Rudi.

5. Vernand Morency rb, Oklahoma St. - speed , speed, speed.

6. J.J. Arrington rb, California - can't knock a 2000 yard runner.

7. T.A.Mclendon rb, N.C.State - he's better than his injuries.

8. Ronnie Moats rb, Louisiana Tech. - Next Tiki Barber !

9. Maurice Clarett rb, Ohio St. - yep he's still on my board.

10. Ciatric Faison rb, Florida - I don't think he's got good vision. But I could be wrong.

[schweinhart]

Have to go w/ Brandon Jacobs over Moats after watching both of them in Shrine Game.

Morency no doubt has the Tatum Bell speed and should serve him well but he caught only 5 passes last year. Faison is more versatile and I'm still liking Kay-Jay Harris better than either.

Barber and McLendon are definitely in the mix and there's some Day 2 possibles in Cedric Houston, Ryan Grant, Noah Herron, Walter Reyes, Alvin Pearman, and yes...I'll say it... Darren Sproles.

[chrishcovga]

Have to go w/ Brandon Jacobs over Moats after watching both of them in Shrine Game.

Morency no doubt has the Tatum Bell speed and should serve him well but he caught only 5 passes last year. Faison is more versatile and I'm still liking Kay-Jay Harris better than either.

Barber and McLendon are definitely in the mix and there's some Day 2 possibles in Cedric Houston, Ryan Grant, Noah Herron, Walter Reyes, Alvin Pearman, and yes...I'll say it... Darren Sproles.

As part of my New Year's resolution.. I refuse to hype any running back smaller than 5'9.. I cut the line off at Moats. Gotta love his production and quickness.

So gone are any profiles of Sproles, and Anthony Davis...

I do like the kid Reyes from Syracuse. I really thought he would have panned out more in college. He's got decent size and speed, maybe he's just in a bad system. Adam Terry ( OT - prospect ) may have to answer some questions as to why his production dropped..?

[schweinhart]

Good God...and there's Eric Shelton who is the most powerful runner I saw this year

BTW Cadillac Williams accepted Gruden's invite to the Senior Bowl.......Hmmmm.....Maybe a #5 pick in the works.

[chrishcovga]

Good God...and there's Eric Shelton who is the most powerful runner I saw this year

BTW Cadillac Williams accepted Gruden's invite to the Senior Bowl.......Hmmmm.....Maybe a #5 pick in the works.

Shelton's huge, He's more straight line though, dare I say... Ron Dayne...

Sorry to say this to ya man.. but gone are the days of the Bus, Pete Johson, Marion Motley, and whatever other fat guy with quick feet that could run. These guys now are all weightlifters and sprinters.

* AS for the Senior Bowl invites go.. I'll wait till after the game to say anything. Agents have a habit of talking guys out of those type of games ya know.

agents - any coincidence that the villians in the Matrix trilogy shared the same name..?

[schweinhart]

Shelton's huge, He's more straight line though, dare I say... Ron Dayne...

I dunno...Shelton's got some nifty balance for the size that he is. But at least Shelton won't have the pressure that comes w/ being picked #11 overall. More like 111th.

I hope somebody tells Bettis the Big Back era is done before he suits up next year 'cause enough of him in the division is enough already.