Bretsky needs to find the elite chose one from this year's draft......aka Odell Thurman....AJ Hawk..Michael Crabtree....Brooks Reed. The history is long; but bust ratios just might be a bit higher than the norm
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The NFL's annual pre-draft dog-and-pony show kicked off in earnest in the days before Super Bowl XLVII, with the Senior Bowl highlighting a full slate of prospects.
We still will not get a glimpse at a lot of the draft's elite talent -- Luke Joeckel, Jarvis Jones, Chance Warmack, etc. -- until the Combine and then, for some, at individual team Pro Days. As such, the caveat presented with Big Board 1.0 holds true again here: The Top 40 will undergo several shake-ups between now and April.
There were some impressive (and not-so-impressive) performances during the Senior Bowl, though, that impacted our latest rankings, even though the top few names will look fairly familiar. You can see my rationale for a few key decisions.
And without further delay, Big Board 2.0:
Chris Burke's NFL Draft Big Board
1 Luke Joeckel
Texas A&M, junior
6-6, 310
OT
The gap between Joeckel and Central Michigan's Eric Fisher may have closed in some people's minds, but that says more about Fisher's outstanding Senior Bowl week than anything Joeckel did. Joeckel was up here for Big Board 1.0, and he may remain until the draft.
2 Chance Warmack
Alabama, senior
6-2, 322
OG
Warmack passed on a Senior Bowl invite, a smart decision since, quite frankly, there's little he could have done to help his cause further in Mobile. This will be an intriguing case come draft day -- teams don't often take guards early.
3 Jarvis Jones
Georgia, junior
6-2, 242
LB
This is me taking a bit of a mulligan. I had Jones four spots lower in Big Board 1.0 because of lingering medical concerns (spinal stenosis). Here's the thing, though: Jones explodes off game tapes. His upside outweighs the risk.
4 Damontre Moore
Texas A&M, junior
6-4, 250
DE
Not to oversimplify the issues, but for a team running a 3-4, I think Jones is a touch better fit; and in a 4-3, I'd give Moore an edge. Either way, you can't go wrong, and both Jones and Moore could be stars from Day One.
5 Eric Fisher
Central Michigan, senior
6-7, 305
OT
Fisher's one-spot drop is 100-percent related to Jones' bump, and not at all indicative of Fisher fading. In fact, it's just the opposite. During the NFL Network's Senior Bowl broadcast, Mike Mayock said Fisher was "by far" the best player that week.
6 Dee Milliner
Alabama, junior
6-1, 198
CB
If there's a knock on Milliner, it is that he needs to improve his man-to-man cover skills -- in a zone, he can be lights out. That's fine (and accurate), but he still strikes me as a potentially elite NFL corner.
7 Star Lotulelei
Utah, senior
6-3, 320
DT
The more film I've watched of Loutlelei, the more noticeable it has become just how much attention he garnered from opposing O-lines. If he eats up multiple blockers in the NFL, he'll be invaluable; if teams try to go one-on-one, he could dominate.
8 Bjoern Werner
Florida State, junior
6-4, 256
DE
As mentioned in Big Board 1.0, there does not appear to be a future for Werner as a 3-4 OLB (he's a 4-3 DE), so his value takes a little hit. My guess is that whichever team winds up taking him, however, quickly will come to love him.
9 Barkevious Mingo
LSU, junior
6-4, 240
DE
Mingo presents the type of case that can be tricky this time of year. There is some chatter that his lack of production has teams concerned. But is that concern real or a red herring? Mingo's athletic abilities will find him a home early.
10 Ezekiel Ansah
BYU, senior
6-5, 270
DE
And while we're on the topic of draft conundrums ... Ansah struggled through Senior Bowl week practice, then dominated the game. The former is troubling; the latter speaks to his tantalizing ceiling.
11 Keenan Allen
California, junior
6-3, 210
WR
Because Allen probably will not blow anyone away with his Combine 40 time, he may wind up sliding at the draft. And then within a year or two, fans will be upset that their team didn't take the productive wideout.
12 Jonathan Cooper
North Carolina, senior
6-3, 310
OG
Like with Joeckel and Fisher, the gap between Warmack and Cooper may not be all that vast. Where Warmack goes will set the stage for Cooper's draft prospects, but the North Carolina product should be a first-rounder.
13 Cordarrelle Patterson
Tennessee, junior
6-3, 205
WR
I'm hedging a bit on Patterson until we get to the Combine. His highlight reel from 2012 is thrilling, especially on plays in which he found himself in space. He's raw, though, so the progress he makes during pre-draft season will be key.
14 Alec Ogletree
Georgia, junior
6-3, 234
LB
I have a feeling Ogletree will be in the top 10 here by the end of the month. There is very little not to like in his game tape, and he figures to knock it out of the park at the upcoming Combine.
15 Sheldon Richardson
Missouri, junior
6-3, 295
DT
Richardson holds firm in this range. Truthfully, there might not be a ton of room to move up in a loaded class for interior linemen -- and there are a number of players on his heels, like Florida's Sharrif Floyd.
16 Dion Jordan
Oregon, senior
6-6, 243
DE
Jordan suffered an injured shoulder at the end of the season and had to skip the Senior Bowl because of the resulting surgery. That's too bad, because he would have had a real chance to solidify himself as a top-15 pick with a good showing.
17 Kenny Vaccaro
Texas, senior
6-1, 218
S
Vaccaro's late decision to bail on the Senior Bowl should have hurt him, especially as Jonathan Cyprien and Phillip Thomas (especially Cyprien) put up big weeks. Thomas, though, remains the clear top safety in this class -- and the excitement around others at his position proves how in demand he'll be.
18 Alex Okafor
Texas, senior
6-4, 261
DE
Hard to find too much fault in what Okafor did during Senior Bowl week -- he held his own against some top linemen, like Fisher, and occasionally grabbed the upper hand. Okafor did not skyrocket his stock upward, but he definitely did not hurt it either.
19 Lane Johnson
Oklahoma, senior
6-6, 302
OT
O the South's first touchdown play of the Senior Bowl, Johnson found himself matched up with SMU's Margus Hunt. By the time QB E.J. Manuel crossed the goal line, Hunt was barely even in the TV picture. Johnson is our biggest riser from 1.0 to 2.0, and he deserves that jump based on a spectacular Senior Bowl week.
20 Geno Smith
West Virginia, senior
6-3, 220
QB
On the one hand, Smith might receive a boost simply from the struggles quarterbacks endured during the Senior Bowl. But, by skipping those festivities, Smith missed a chance to really set himself apart.
The NFL's annual pre-draft dog-and-pony show kicked off in earnest in the days before Super Bowl XLVII, with the Senior Bowl highlighting a full slate of prospects.
We still will not get a glimpse at a lot of the draft's elite talent -- Luke Joeckel, Jarvis Jones, Chance Warmack, etc. -- until the Combine and then, for some, at individual team Pro Days. As such, the caveat presented with Big Board 1.0 holds true again here: The Top 40 will undergo several shake-ups between now and April.
There were some impressive (and not-so-impressive) performances during the Senior Bowl, though, that impacted our latest rankings, even though the top few names will look fairly familiar. You can see my rationale for a few key decisions.
And without further delay, Big Board 2.0:
Chris Burke's NFL Draft Big Board
1 Luke Joeckel
Texas A&M, junior
6-6, 310
OT
The gap between Joeckel and Central Michigan's Eric Fisher may have closed in some people's minds, but that says more about Fisher's outstanding Senior Bowl week than anything Joeckel did. Joeckel was up here for Big Board 1.0, and he may remain until the draft.
2 Chance Warmack
Alabama, senior
6-2, 322
OG
Warmack passed on a Senior Bowl invite, a smart decision since, quite frankly, there's little he could have done to help his cause further in Mobile. This will be an intriguing case come draft day -- teams don't often take guards early.
3 Jarvis Jones
Georgia, junior
6-2, 242
LB
This is me taking a bit of a mulligan. I had Jones four spots lower in Big Board 1.0 because of lingering medical concerns (spinal stenosis). Here's the thing, though: Jones explodes off game tapes. His upside outweighs the risk.
4 Damontre Moore
Texas A&M, junior
6-4, 250
DE
Not to oversimplify the issues, but for a team running a 3-4, I think Jones is a touch better fit; and in a 4-3, I'd give Moore an edge. Either way, you can't go wrong, and both Jones and Moore could be stars from Day One.
5 Eric Fisher
Central Michigan, senior
6-7, 305
OT
Fisher's one-spot drop is 100-percent related to Jones' bump, and not at all indicative of Fisher fading. In fact, it's just the opposite. During the NFL Network's Senior Bowl broadcast, Mike Mayock said Fisher was "by far" the best player that week.
6 Dee Milliner
Alabama, junior
6-1, 198
CB
If there's a knock on Milliner, it is that he needs to improve his man-to-man cover skills -- in a zone, he can be lights out. That's fine (and accurate), but he still strikes me as a potentially elite NFL corner.
7 Star Lotulelei
Utah, senior
6-3, 320
DT
The more film I've watched of Loutlelei, the more noticeable it has become just how much attention he garnered from opposing O-lines. If he eats up multiple blockers in the NFL, he'll be invaluable; if teams try to go one-on-one, he could dominate.
8 Bjoern Werner
Florida State, junior
6-4, 256
DE
As mentioned in Big Board 1.0, there does not appear to be a future for Werner as a 3-4 OLB (he's a 4-3 DE), so his value takes a little hit. My guess is that whichever team winds up taking him, however, quickly will come to love him.
9 Barkevious Mingo
LSU, junior
6-4, 240
DE
Mingo presents the type of case that can be tricky this time of year. There is some chatter that his lack of production has teams concerned. But is that concern real or a red herring? Mingo's athletic abilities will find him a home early.
10 Ezekiel Ansah
BYU, senior
6-5, 270
DE
And while we're on the topic of draft conundrums ... Ansah struggled through Senior Bowl week practice, then dominated the game. The former is troubling; the latter speaks to his tantalizing ceiling.
11 Keenan Allen
California, junior
6-3, 210
WR
Because Allen probably will not blow anyone away with his Combine 40 time, he may wind up sliding at the draft. And then within a year or two, fans will be upset that their team didn't take the productive wideout.
12 Jonathan Cooper
North Carolina, senior
6-3, 310
OG
Like with Joeckel and Fisher, the gap between Warmack and Cooper may not be all that vast. Where Warmack goes will set the stage for Cooper's draft prospects, but the North Carolina product should be a first-rounder.
13 Cordarrelle Patterson
Tennessee, junior
6-3, 205
WR
I'm hedging a bit on Patterson until we get to the Combine. His highlight reel from 2012 is thrilling, especially on plays in which he found himself in space. He's raw, though, so the progress he makes during pre-draft season will be key.
14 Alec Ogletree
Georgia, junior
6-3, 234
LB
I have a feeling Ogletree will be in the top 10 here by the end of the month. There is very little not to like in his game tape, and he figures to knock it out of the park at the upcoming Combine.
15 Sheldon Richardson
Missouri, junior
6-3, 295
DT
Richardson holds firm in this range. Truthfully, there might not be a ton of room to move up in a loaded class for interior linemen -- and there are a number of players on his heels, like Florida's Sharrif Floyd.
16 Dion Jordan
Oregon, senior
6-6, 243
DE
Jordan suffered an injured shoulder at the end of the season and had to skip the Senior Bowl because of the resulting surgery. That's too bad, because he would have had a real chance to solidify himself as a top-15 pick with a good showing.
17 Kenny Vaccaro
Texas, senior
6-1, 218
S
Vaccaro's late decision to bail on the Senior Bowl should have hurt him, especially as Jonathan Cyprien and Phillip Thomas (especially Cyprien) put up big weeks. Thomas, though, remains the clear top safety in this class -- and the excitement around others at his position proves how in demand he'll be.
18 Alex Okafor
Texas, senior
6-4, 261
DE
Hard to find too much fault in what Okafor did during Senior Bowl week -- he held his own against some top linemen, like Fisher, and occasionally grabbed the upper hand. Okafor did not skyrocket his stock upward, but he definitely did not hurt it either.
19 Lane Johnson
Oklahoma, senior
6-6, 302
OT
O the South's first touchdown play of the Senior Bowl, Johnson found himself matched up with SMU's Margus Hunt. By the time QB E.J. Manuel crossed the goal line, Hunt was barely even in the TV picture. Johnson is our biggest riser from 1.0 to 2.0, and he deserves that jump based on a spectacular Senior Bowl week.
20 Geno Smith
West Virginia, senior
6-3, 220
QB
On the one hand, Smith might receive a boost simply from the struggles quarterbacks endured during the Senior Bowl. But, by skipping those festivities, Smith missed a chance to really set himself apart.

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