PI LIST OF TOP NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS AT EACH POSITION

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's OC Rankings:

1. RYAN KALIL
2. DOUG DATISH
3. SAMSON SATELE
4. LeROY HARRIS
5. SCOTT STEPHENSON

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's RB Rankings:

1. ADRIAN PETERSON
2. MARSHAWN LYNCH
3. ANTONIO PITTMAN
4. KENNY IRONS
5. BRIAN LEONARD
6. BRANDON JACKSON
7. DARIUS WALKER
8. TONY HUNT
9. MICHAEL BUSH
10. KOLBY SMITH
11. CHRIS HENRY
12. DESHAWN WYNN
13. LORENZO BOOKER

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's QB Rankings:

1. JAMARCUS RUSSELL
2. BRADY QUINN
3. DREW STANTON
4. KEVIN KOLB
5. TRENT EDWARDS
6. TROY SMITH
7. JOHN BECK
8. JORDAN PALMER
9. JARED ZABRANSKY
10. JEFF ROWE

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's DE Rankings:

1. JAMAAL ANDERSON
2. GAINES ADAMS
3. ADAM CARRIKER
4. ANTHONY SPENCER
5. TIM CROWDER
6. VICTOR ABIAMIRI
7. JARVIS MOSS
8. CHARLES JOHNSON
9. IKAIKA ALAMA-FRANCIS (father played for the Packers)
10. LaMARR WOODLEY
11. DAN BAZUIN
12. QUENTIN MOSES

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's DT Rankings:

1. AMOBI OKOYE
2. JUSTIN HARRELL
3. ALAN BRANCH
4. QUINN PITCOCK
5. BRANDON MEBANE
6. DEMARCUS TYLER
7. MARCUS THOMAS
8. RAY McDONALD
9. TURK McBRIDE
10. KAREEM BROWN
11. DEREK LANDRI
12. ANTONIO JOHNSON

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's LB Rankings:

1. PATRICK WILLIS
2. LAWRENCE TIMMONS
3. PAUL POSLUSZNY
4. JON BEASON
5. DAVID HARRIS
6. JUSTIN DURANT
7. TIM SHAW
8. BUSTER DAVIS
9. ZAC DEOSSIE
10. BRANDON SILER
11. QUINCY BLACK
12. ANTWAN BARNES

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's CB Rankings:

1. DARRELLE REVIS
2. LEON HALL
3. AARON ROSS
4. CHRIS HOUSTON
5. MARCUS MCCAULEY
6. JONATHAN WADE
7. TRAVAROUS BAIN
8. ERIC WRIGHT
9. DAVID IRONS
10. KENNY SCOTT
11. JOSH WILSON
12. FRED BENNETT

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wallbanger's S Rankings:

1. LARON LANDRY
2. REGGIE NELSON
3. MICHAEL GRIFFIN
4. ERIC WEDDLE
5. BRANDON MERIWEATHER
6. AARON ROUSE
7. TANARD JACKSON
8. SABBY PISCITELLI
9. JOSH GATTIS
10. JOHN WENDLING
11. MICHAEL JOHNSON
12. CRAIG DAHL (homer pick)

[Fritz]

Sabby Piscitelli - wasn't he a character on The Sopranos?

[Bretsky]

Bob McGinn
E-MAIL

Green Bay - In an off year for linebackers, Mississippi's Patrick Willis is a heavy favorite among National Football League personnel men as the best on the inside and Florida State's Lawrence Timmons rates the edge on the outside.

But the form chart means almost nothing because the next two in line, Miami's Jon Beason and Penn State's Paul Posluszny, come from schools with linebacker-producing traditions unmatched in college football.

Since 1960, Penn State has had 19 linebackers selected in the first three rounds. Six of them - Dave Robinson, Jack Ham, Matt Millen, Lance Mehl, Shane Conlan and LaVar Arrington - combined to make a total of 19 Pro Bowls, and Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Although Miami did spawn Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks back in 1969, the program didn't move into the big time under the early 1980s. Twelve Hurricane linebackers in all have gone in the first three rounds, and Hendricks, Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan and Jon Vilma have combined for 17 Pro Bowls.
Another ex-Hurricane, Jessie Armstead, made the Pro Bowl five times after being picked in the eighth round in 1993. Since then, the real "Linebacker U" has been Miami given the fact it has four first-round picks and three seconds compared to one first and no seconds for Penn State.

Few scouts are forecasting greatness for either Beason or Posluszny. Then again, almost no one is ruling it out.

"Beason is your typical Miami linebacker," said Tom Heckert, general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. "Super instinctive. They're all like that. I don't know how they get them but they do."

Physically, Beason is almost a clone of Lewis, Vilma and D.J. Williams when they came out. All four measured between 6 feet 1/4 inch to 6-0 3/4, all were fairly comparable in weight and all had fairly comparable Wonderlic intelligence test scores.

Beason's 40-yard dash time of 4.72 was somewhat disappointing and probably will prevent him from fitting into the top 20 picks. But while Williams (4.59) and Vilma (4.66) clearly were faster, it should be remembered that Lewis ran almost exactly the same time (4.73).

"Beason's really instinctive, real good athlete, reacts quick, plays fast," Buffalo national scout Marc Ross said. "He's not Vilma or D.J. Williams but he's just a notch below."

Beason signed with Miami as a safety but played fullback as a true freshman in 2003, the position Williams also played in his first year. Beason observed Vilma and Williams as a youngster, then won a job at linebacker late in '04.

"When you come to the University of Miami to play linebacker, you want to be like those guys," Beason said. "You have big shoes to fill and a lot pressure on you but it's a good thing. It's a repeating cycle."

Posluszny received the ultimate compliment last year when Ham, an analyst on the Nittany Lions' radio network, labeled him the greatest linebacker in Penn State history.

"When I heard he made that comment I was in shock," Posluszny said. "For him to make a comment like that, I was just extremely honored. He's the greatest linebacker ever from Penn State."

Coach Joe Paterno has compared Posluszny (6-1 1/2, 237, 4.66) to Conlan (6-2 1/2, 226, 4.65), the eighth pick in 1987. In '06, he changed his jersey from No. 39 to Conlan's old No. 31, hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Posluszny, a native of Aliquippa, Pa., did break the Penn State record for tackles with 372. He was the Nittany Lions' first captain to come from the junior class since 1968. And he won the Butkus Award in 2005 as the nation's best linebacker over A.J. Hawk.

"When he was a junior, before he hurt his knee, he would have been a high first-rounder," Tampa Bay personnel analyst Jim Gruden said. "Because he made all the plays. He was sideline to sideline.

"He's smart, he's got good speed, he's 230 pounds of muscle and he'll be there every day. A.J. would be more talented but this guy was close."

Asked by the Journal Sentinel to rank their five favorite linebackers on a 1-to-5 basis, 18 personnel people with knowledge of the entire country gave Willis 11 first-place votes compared with three for Beason, two for Michigan's David Harris and one each for Timmons and Posluszny.

With a first-place vote worth five points, a second worth four and so on, Willis finished with 75 of a maximum 90 points.

Following, in order, were Timmons with 55, Posluszny with 51, Beason with 48, Harris with 29, Clemson's Anthony Waters with six, Florida State's Buster Davis with five and Florida's Brandon Siler with one.

After the top five players, many scouts say the linebacker group drops off precipitously.

NEXT: Defensive backs

[Bretsky]

NFL Draft Scouting Report: LINEBACKERS
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pro football writer Bob McGinn assesses the top linebackers in the draft next weekend. Included are each player's school, height, weight, 40-yard dash time and round in which he is projected to be selected.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

LINEBACKER
School HT. WT. 40-Yd. Dash Rd.

1. PATRICK WILLIS
Mississippi 6-1 237 4.39

1

Shot up based largely on five or six textbook run-stuffing plays in the Senior Bowl and a blistering 40 at the combine. "At the Senior Bowl I was really impressed with him, the way he can run for a big guy," Tampa Bay personnel consultant Jim Gruden said. "He was like a big cat." Fought through personal travails and injuries. His work ethic and football tunnel vision have been compared to A.J. Hawk's. "Led the (Southeastern) conference in tackles two years in a row, ran a great time, great kid," Chicago GM Jerry Angelo said. "Nothing not to like." Others question his instincts and change of direction. "He plays so side-to-side," one scout said. "Little bit of a long strider which may (affect) him in coverage. As a real good take-on guy he just doesn't do it very often." Finished with 355 tackles (33 for loss) and 11 sacks. "To me, he's Napoleon Harris," another scout said critically. "If he sees it he can go get it. He just doesn't always see it."

2. JON BEASON
Miami 6-0 233 4.72

1

Whether it's in the middle or on the weak side, he will bring energy and instincts. "He's my best linebacker," Arizona scout Jerry Hardaway said. "He plays physical and he's plays as fast as (Ray Lewis). I'm not saying he's Ray Lewis but he will be a good linebacker." Fourth-year junior with 171 tackles (18 for loss). "He's a really tough dude," Gruden said. "Plays hard. Great instinct. They say he's just like Jon Vilma. And every day in practice is a game for him." Not over the top like Lewis but a strong leader nonetheless. Showed his toughness in mid-2006 by missing just two with a sprained knee ligament. "He looks to me like a safety playing linebacker," one scout said. "A will backer in a 3-4 or a will in a 4-3 that you protect and let run. He can man cover. He's a perfect fit to replace Cato June in Indy."

3. DAVID HARRIS
Michigan 6-2 245 4.59

1-2

He's another player who helped him tremendously with fast 40 at the combine. "A very, very solid football player," Indianapolis President Bill Polian said. "And he ran better than everybody thought he would." Played all three downs at Michigan (196 tackles, 20 for loss) as a two-year starter and might have the speed to do the same in the NFL. "He's not the most explosive, take your head off kind of guy," one scout said. "But he runs well. He's athletic, he's smart (25 on the Wonderlic, high among top inside players), he's always in the right place." Underwent reconstructive knee surgery in '03.

4. ANTHONY WATERS
Clemson 6-2 1/2 238 4.68

2-3

Needed reconstructive knee surgery after Week 1 injury. "Had he not gotten hurt, he was a first-day guy," Arizona scout Jerry Hardaway said. "He and Timmons and Beason would all be right there." Ran a 4.68 this spring and is expected to be 100% by August. "People were shocked because he's six months removed from an ACL," one scout said. "The defensive coordinator (Vic Koenning) there is tough on players and liked this guy a lot." Started in the middle in '04, outside in '05. "Plays hard and he's tough," Buffalo national scout Marc Ross said. "Just more of a straight-line type of athlete." Finished with 217 tackles (22 1/2 for loss).

5. BUSTER DAVIS
Florida State 5-9 241 4.66

3

Diminutive three-year starter with 265 tackles (27 1/2 for loss) and eight sacks. "Great kid, really knows football, you pull for him," one scout said. "He got up there and was able to draw defenses and offenses. But it boils down to size. How many London Fletcher's are there? Do you want to spend that high of a pick on that type of a guy?" Fierce hitter. Some scouts say he made the plays whereas Lawrence Timmons stood around watching. "I wouldn't touch that guy," another scout said. "(Expletive), he thinks he's Dick Butkus. Talks all the time. It's fun for about two seconds."

6. BRANDON SILER
Florida 6-1 1/2 239 4.63

4

Started 31 of 37 games (218 tackles, 28 1/2 for loss) and declared a year early. "He made a mistake," one scout said. "Middle linebacker only. He just can't really run." Worked out poorly at the combine. "I guess his claim to fame is the championship game against OSU," another scout said. "He's as stiff as the pen you're using right now. He was surrounded by a bunch of good players." Understands the game well. Emotional leader of Seminoles.

7. MICHAEL OKWO
Stanford 5-11 1/2 231 4.70

4-5

Special-teams dynamo who didn't start until '06. Named MVP on a bad team. "Undersized, run-and-hit, weak-side linebacker," San Francisco scout Trent Baalke said. "He's got to be in that Colt-Tampa type defense where they can protect him and let him run and make plays." Managed 181 tackles (15 1/2 for loss). "He's a little bit like Freddie Keiaho (Colts, third round) last year," one scout said. "Very tough. He played with his hand in a cast most of the year."

8. TONY TAYLOR
Georgia 6-0 1/2 240 4.92

5

Started 35 of 49 games, missing all of '04 and four games of '05 with a blown knee. "Everybody had Taylor high until he ran that 40 and he just dropped off the map," Angelo said. "He still will play." Given his speed, probably has to play middle now. Intercepted an astonishing seven passes in '06 and had 17 turnovers plays in all. "All fluff," one scout said. "No substance."

9. H.B. BLADES
Pittsburgh 5-10 1/2 237 4.75

5-6

Three-year starter and Pitt MVP in '06. "He's short," one scout said. "It will be awful tough. He's a good little player but height will kill him." Father, Bennie Blades, the former Lions' safety, recently became more involved in his son's life. Finished with 433 tackles (28 for loss) and 15 turnovers plays. "Try-hard, undersized guy," another scout said. Father of twin daughters.

10. ZAK DeOSSIE
Brown 6-4 1/2 249 4.59

6

Father, Steve, played linebacker and long-snapped for four teams from 1984-'95. "He still has room to grow into his body and into his position from an awareness and instinct standpoint," Seattle scout Charles Fisher said. "He probably will fit more in a 3-4 mode outside. He has some athletic ability." Three-year starter with 315 tackles (36 1/2 for loss). Also has a chance to long snap. "More of an athletic guy that really runs around well than a guy that can stand in and play power ball," one scout said.

OTHERS: Desmond Bishop, California; Kelvin Smith, Syracuse; Blair Phillips, Oregon; Jon Abbate, Wake Forest; Thaddaeus Washington, Colorado; Marvin Mitchell, Tennessee; Mark Zalewski, Wisconsin; Chad Nkang, Elon; Quinton Culberson, Mississippi State; Oscar Lua, Southern California; Justin Warren, Texas A&M.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

LINEBACKER
School HT. WT. 40-Yd. Dash Rd.

1. LAWRENCE TIMMONS
Florida State 6-1 233 4.66

1

Third-year junior who didn't start until '06, then ran a disappointing 40 at the combine. "We think he plays faster than he times," San Diego GM A.J. Smith said. "He can move around pretty good." Those that like him value his potential and hitting ability. "He's not as good as the guy (Kamerion Wimbley) that Cleveland took out of there last year but he's up there," one scout said. "This kid is the most explosive hitter of all the linebackers, of all the defensive players. He can play all three positions and also can put his hand down." Besides his speed, the concerns are his thin frame, average instincts and what some say is just adequate power. "He's young and immature," another scout said. "I don't know how mentally quick he is. That will eventually kill him. He's the one that has a chance to be the biggest flop." Finished with 126 tackles (22 1/2 for loss) and eight sacks.

2. PAUL POSLUSZNY
Penn State 6-1 1/2 237 4.66

1

What you see is what you get. "He'll play on smarts and anticipation and quickness and his love of the game," Polian said. "You'll always want him to have more punch but he doesn't have it in his body. He will be a very fine player." Broke Greg Buttle's school record for tackles with 372 (35 for loss), adding nine sacks and six turnover plays. Might have come out a year ago but suffered non-surgical ligament damage in the Orange Bowl. Then didn't move as freely in '06. "He's all right," one scout said. "He's a try-hard, self-made, smart (30 on the Wonderlic) guy. He's tough enough. I don't think he's special in anything. Does he know where to go? Yeah. Does he get there all the time? No." His statistics were almost the same each of his three starting seasons. "He kind of reminds me of Nick Barnett," Angelo said. "It's his intangibles. Everything about him is good."

3. STEWART BRADLEY
Nebraska 6-3 1/2 256 4.73

2-3

Bounced back from torn ACL in October 2005 to start 14 games in '06. "Big guy that can run," St. Louis VP Tony Softli said. "Not overly productive but aware in space. He can cover a tight end man. Tough guy." Strong-side linebacker all the way. Rapped for not being a more jarring tackler. "People that draft height-weight-speed will look at him in the latter part of the first day," Baalke said. "Stack him over a tight end. He played out in space a lot for them. Not a bad mover. Does a solid job in coverage." Three-year starter with 175 tackles (25 for loss) and eight turnover plays.

4. JUSTIN DURANT
Hampton 6-1 229 4.52

3-4

Three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference defensive player of the year. "He played middle there but he can play other spots," one scout said. "He can run. He's got passion for the game." Looked right at home in the East-West game. "With his speed you want him in on third down," Angelo said. "He's good. Level of comp. Little more guesswork there." Had 353 tackles (47 for loss), 10 sacks and eight turnover plays. "Plays real hard," Ross said. "Fairly good instincts. Just an undersized guy and has problems taking on."

5. QUINCY BLACK
New Mexico 6-1 1/2 240 4.45

4

"He is not (Brian Urlacher), I can tell you that," Minnesota personnel consultant Jerry Reichow said. "He's a hard-playing kid. He might be a special-teamer." Paced all linebackers at the combine with 41 1/2-inch vertical jump. "On my watch he ran 4.42, 4.49," Tennessee national scout C.O. Brocato said. "Big guy that can run but he's not a face-up guy. As big as he is, he ought to cold-cock people. He don't do those things." Played at Chicago Kenwood High School, then spent two years at Harper Junior College. Two-year starter with 195 tackles (4 1/2 for loss). "He's built like an outhouse," Gruden said. "Huge."

6. TIM SHAW
Penn State 6-1 1/2 235 4.48

4-5

Arrived as a running back, started at inside linebacker in 2004-'05 before moving to a hybrid end position in '06. "Probably a 3-4 guy," Buffalo assistant GM Tom Modrak said. "He's an on-the-line guy who's a bit stiff but runs fast and plays hard. I don't think he always finds his way through traffic or to the ball. Now when he has a straight line to it and open space he can run and close, which is exciting." Also worked out extremely well. "He could be an outside linebacker or maybe move him back to running back," one scout said. "He's a very fast, straight-line guy." Finished with 177 tackles (16 for loss) and 12 sacks.

7. STEPHEN NICHOLAS
South Florida 6-1 229 4.65

5

Started 45 of 50 games. Will be 24 May 1. "He can run," one scout said. "Gets caught on blocks a lot." Finished with 326 tackles (53 1/2 for loss), 20 sacks and seven turnover plays. "He's an athletic guy that runs fast," another scout said. Added a third: "We like him. He's a will, a space guy. First day."

8. ANTWAN BARNES
Florida International 6-0 1/2 240 4.45

5

Started portions of four seasons, generally at linebacker in 2003-'04 and at end in 2005-'06. "He's just like (Robert) Mathis," Softli said. "I think people will leave him at end and Indianapolis will draft him. He's their kind of guy, man. He's 245ish and can run like the wind." Other teams have him as a base linebacker and third-down rusher. "He really has some ability," one scout said. "But he's a loafer and he's not very smart." Finished with 224 tackles (57 for loss), 23 sacks and 10 turnover plays."

9. RORY JOHNSON
Mississippi 6-0 235 4.58

3-7

It's common knowledge among teams that he failed positive tests for marijuana both at Hinds (Junior) College and Ole Miss. "It all depends on what each organization thinks and feels," one scout said. "People see it differently." Played two seasons in JC and one in Oxford before declaring early. "He's athletic and makes some plays," another scout said. "Not a real tough guy. He would have a chance to go, especially in this draft. I don't know how much people will knock off for all the other stuff." Forced five turnovers in 12 games, including seven starts.

10. RUFUS ALEXANDER
Oklahoma 6-1 230 4.78

5-6

Three-year starter with 296 tackles (38 for loss), 10 1/2 sacks and 19 turnover plays. "He should have worked out great at the combine but he didn't work out worth a (expletive)," one scout said. "He's instinctive and makes some good plays but he can't play outside running 4.85." Overcame a blown knee in '03. "I'm not quite sure what he does well," another scout said. "He doesn't play athletic, he's definitely not tough, he's definitely not strong."

OTHERS: Earl Everett, Florida; Prescott Burgess, Michigan; Nick Roach, Northwestern; Juwan Simpson, Alabama; KaMichael Hall, Georgia Tech; Dallas Sartz, Southern California; Will Herring, Auburn; Danny Verdun Wheeler, Georgia; Clint Session, Pittsburgh; Zach Latimer, Oklahoma.


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[HarveyWallbangers]

Did Durant get drafted?

Boss at TE?

[RashanGary]

Hey, PI's scouts had Harrell rated higher than Branch. That is interesting.

[Bretsky]

Did Durant get drafted?

Boss at TE?

Durant was drafted; I don't think Boss was