MMLB (Draft Preview Edition)

As many of you probably know (especially my fellow college football bloggers), we've hit that dead period in the year where really all we can do is wait for fall practice to start while watching YouTube videos of last year's games. It's getting dangerous financially as well. You might wonder how that could be, but I'm moving into a new house in a month and my love for Nebraska is making me consider some unneeded purchases that I would never get under normal circumstances. But that's what happens the week after a spring game. Your in withdrawal, and there's nothing to fill the void except being surrounded by Husker paraphernalia, thinking that maybe if you are surrounded by the stuff, it will make fall seem closer. I'm even looking at giant 10 foot throw rugs. I could go off the deep end, become a complete tool, and get one of those Husker Fatheads.

But I think that is where everybody is at right now. We're looking for stuff to read about, to write about, anything to help us pass the time between now and those glorious fall Saturdays. It's going to be even worse after this coming weekend's NFL Draft. While I don't particularly care for any teams in the NFL, the Draft itself is one of my favorite weekends out of the entire year. When else do you get two full days that are comprised almost entirely of college football highlights? The fact that Michael Irvin no longer works for ESPN makes this twice as enjoyable, mostly because he has never brought anything to the table other than the stories from his pseudo-gay relationship with Terrell Owens. What really tops it off for me though? This year's draft is the first time in a long time that there will be a significant number of Huskers in the talent pool. Expected to be among the first-day picks are Adam Carriker, Jay Moore, Stewart Bradley (pictured above), and maybe even Brandon Jackson. The second day may feature the rest of our defensive line, along with Zac Taylor (although that may be a longshot) and Matt Herian.

While I've already written about Taylor , I'll always feel bad for Herian. That guy would have been a first round pick had he never gotten injured against Mizzou a couple years back. I was watching the game on TV, and I knew right when he went down (even before the instant replay) that he would never be the same. His speed suffered greatly, and though he'll still get a chance in the league, he's no longer the sure-fire prospect he once was. Too bad, it woulda been pretty cool to have two NU guys in the first round (Carriker being the other). Either way, I'm impressed by his determination in coming back, as well as thankful for his contributions to the program while he was here. He was Joe Dailey's safety valve that first year, and probably contributed to keeping the current Tar Heel wideout alive and in football-playing condition. Despite the injury, Herian is the most accomplished tight end that Nebraska has ever had, finishing with 65 career receptions for 1,243 yards. Most analysts say that he is more suited to an offense that uses the tight end in a H-back role, the reason being he lacks high-end strength, is better at cut blocking, and is a good pass catcher who knows how to find soft spots in coverage. Also, his size presents match up problems, particularly in the red zone. Look for him to be drafted in the latter part of the second day.

Stew Bradley is someone who most people outside of Big 12 country might not know about, but that hasn't stopped some of the NFL's best teams from getting to know about the largest linebacker in the draft. Over in an informative article done by the Omaha World Herald, Bradley's trek from walk-on to All-Conference performer is told. I've always been partial to Bradley because of the fact that he wasn't initially offered a scholarship, it adds a little more to the lore of walk-ons at Nebraska. Standing 6'4" and weighing 256 pounds, Bradley is the kind of physical freak that NFL teams drool over, particularly those that use a 3-4 defensive alignment (such as New England and San Diego). More and more pro teams are switching to the defensive scheme to take advantage of players like Bradley, guys who can come off the edge and pass rush but still drop into coverage. Look at guys like Terrell Suggs of Baltimore or Shawne Merriman of the Chargers for a comparison. While Bradley might not have the hype that those players had coming in, he does have the body type and ability to succeed in the NFL. He has the frame to add another 10 pounds of muscle without sacrificing any quickness. He may not have high-end speed, but he is a smart and consistent player who makes the right reads and will not hesitate to physically punish someone with a tackle. He's also a true "football guy", coach-speak for the players who spend the necessary time hitting the weights and in the film room. Way back when the first mock drafts were coming out, Don Banks of SI had Stew possibly headed to Baltimore at the end of the first round. Since then, his pedestrian 40 times have pushed him back to the second or third. If all else fails, he can always pull a Merriman and take some roids to boost his performance, since apparently the NFL (nor it's fans) really is concerned with steroid use (evidenced by Merriman's nearly-forgotten about 4 game suspension). Either way, I think Bradley is going to have a very serviceable career. I don't know if he'll ever be an all-pro, but being a solid starter for a decade isn't out of the question.

Jay Moore is the less-heralded half of the defensive end duo coming out of NU. Often characterized as a "high-motor" guy, he is a more than capable prospect that could be employed in either a 4-3 front (he'd have to put on weight), or as a stand-up guy in a 3-4 alignment. Let me take this opportunity to say this: does it strike anyone else as slightly racist that whenever a white guy is playing a defensive position and he has low-end speed, he's considered a "high-motor guy"? I never hear any African American prospect get called this. Even Grant Wistrom, one of the most consistent (not spectacular, consistent) guys in the league at his position the past ten years, was considered "high-motor". Which isn't to say it's a bad thing, being lauded as someone who hustles is a compliment, but at what would you start getting insulted that nobody was calling you athletic? ANYWAYS, Moore is seen as another potential second or third rounder. He gets high marks in both his effort (the aforementioned high-motor thing) and his ability to both rush the passer and drop into coverage, but the thing that holds him back in many draft "experts" minds is his lack of bulk and the fact that he's white, er...uh.... slow. That said, in a league whose teams are adding more 3-4 looks into their schemes, look for Moore to be a solid first-day pick.

Most of you probably know about Brandon Jackson's rise from middle of the depth chart to potential first-day draft pick. A lot of people criticized his decision to come out, saying that another year as the Husker's starter would have elevated his draft stock, but I beg to differ. While he obviously would have gotten a good share of the touches, Randy Jordan and the rest of the staff have shown that they will always offer Marlon Lucky and opportunity to establish himself. This, coupled with the return of Cody Glenn and the addition of Roy Helu, Marcus Mendoza, and Quentin Castille meant that there were no sure things if he came back this year. I wonder if he's had any second thoughts after our depth problems this spring. In any event, Jackson is seen by many in the NFL as a good change-of-pace back, one who makes good cuts and has good field vision when it comes to seeing lanes develop backside. While he ran a 4.4 at the Husker's pro day, many don't think he possesses top-end speed, which I disagree with considering we all saw him beat a lot of opposing defenses to the edge this past season. He has added value as someone who could potentially return kicks (he did it early in his career at NU), and versatility is something that is highly valued in the NFL, where you only get 53 roster spots. His drawbacks are that he may not be an every-down back, is a bit on the small side (only 210 pounds), and isn't as good of a receiver out of the backfield as some teams may like. Either way, I'd love to see him get taken the first day. I was shocked to find out from the article that NU hasn't had a running back drafted since 2001. Even more surprising? Ahman Green (an AMAZING back) also lasted till the third round back in 1998. To give you a bit of a reading break, here's a little video of B-Jax in action:




The last Husker I'll be talking about is Adam Carriker, who will be the Husker's first opening-round pick since Fabian Washington went to Oakland in 2005. Carriker's ability to play both the 3-4 and 4-3 well make the D-coordinators of the league salivate. A physical specimen (6'6", 300) who frequently commands double teams, Carriker is expected to go anywhere from Miami at 9 (probably not) to Denver at 21 (he'll most likely be gone by then). The popular choice right now seems to be San Francisco at 11, but one has to keep in mind that nobody shows their cards before the draft, which means we'll all have to watch to find out where he's really going. He is most consistently compared to Richard Seymour of the New England Patriots. The knock against Carriker is that he isn't a force in the pass rushing game, which might be attributed to the style of defense run by Cosgrove (this is what Carriker has pointed out in several interviews). I don't think he'll crack the top 10 like some are predicting, but either way he's gone by midway through the 1st round. Don't be surprised if St. Louis grabs him at 13, they fared pretty well the last time they drafted a Husker defensive end in the first round (Grant Wistrom, the 6th pick in 1998). Another plus for Carriker is the NFL's turn to players with good character (actually this helps all the Husker prospects).

That does it for the NFL draft preview for today. If I get bored later in the week (a good possiblity), I'll probably write something up for Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer, both of whom have a shot at being drafted late or getting signed as free agents. Person whose pro prospects I will not write about: Andrew Shanle.

Anyways, it's all kind of depressing for me to think about, considering my old college roommate had the nerve to SCHEDULE HIS WEDDING FOR THE DAY OF THE DRAFT!. Now, this guy is a huge NFL fan, so it's obvious that he had nothing to do with it, so what it comes down to is this: his wife, obviously having some vendetta against the male species, decided to schedule it on a rare holy day for both college and pro football. Of all the days, why this Saturday? Why couldn't we do this during the WNBA draft? I wanted to do a running diary of the first day (we usually get a keg for five guys and just watch the whole thing), but now that's looking unlikely. The lesson, as ESPN's Bill Simmons so eloquently puts it: Women are evil, pure and simple.

5 Things I'm Thinking About this Morning

1.) Optimism does not spring eternal after KSU's spring game. Our favorite de-commit Josh Freeman had a rough go during the outing, going only 9-22 for 44 yards and no touchdowns to go along with his two interceptions. While it's easy to point out the bad game by Freeman, the article doesn't give a glowing review of any aspect of the Wildcat's team, which could be in rough shape from the outset considering they open with a tough Auburn Tigers team on the road. Plus, from what I've read, the Purple Pussycats have relatively equal sides in their spring game, which might account for the fact that Freeman didn't have a Keller-esque spring game stat line. But still, that doesn't bode well for K-State fans. If your starter played crappy against a decent-at-best Big 12 defense, what is going to happen when he faces an elite one?

2.) Chase Daniels, a.k.a. the Boogerman, had a good outing in his spring game, going 8-11 for 95 yards and a score. The Tigers figure to be our toughest competition in the Big 12 North, and they are already receiving a solid amount of national attention, evidenced by this ESPN feature by Bruce Feldman. They can talk up this team all they want, but I am confident that the Huskers can handle them. While we've had a rough go in Columbia the past couple years, Mizzou always fades as the season progresses. It's going to be one of the most key games of the season, as we will be coming off a three game home stand before going against Mizzou, Okie State, Texas A&M, and UT in a four week span. The Missouri game will go a long way in determining if we play in the Big 12 title game again.

3.) While the Huskers have been making some small headlines with it's great recruiting start, it pales in comparison to the torrid pace being set by the Golden Domers over in South Bend. Notre Dame picked up two more commitments over the weekend, during which they held their spring game. QB hopeful and tool-of-the-decade winner Jimmy Clausen only attempted 7 passes, but nobody else impressed enough to determine who the next over-hyped Irish signal caller will be. As far as the recruiting goes, the Irish now have 10 commitments, which puts them 4 ahead of the Huskers. I find it asinine that there is a competition to see who has the best recruiting classes, all of which is determined by guys who watch a ton of high school film and then come up with star values to assign to each player. What perhaps is even more surprising is just how much attention is paid to these national rankings. Just look at the Husker's 2005 class. It might have been #1, but how many of those guys have become bona-fide studs?

4.) Nice job to the folks down at Alabama packing it in for their spring game. While big spring games are nothing new to those of us who are Nebraska fans, when somebody gets over 90,000 one can't help but be impressed. While some of this can be contributed to the fact that it was Nick Saban's Tide debut, it has other factors. Football has become far and away the most popular sport in the country, and the trickle-down effect from the pros to college can be seen in events like this. It can also be seen by looking at MTV programming, which now has shows like Two-a-days, which follows a high school program and it's players around. The largest thing to factor in to the record spring game crowd may be the fact that Alabama has sucked lately. They are 26-22 since 2003, which is even worse when you factor in that 10 of those wins came in one season (2005). If Saban doesn't turn it around down there, I'm terrified to see what 'Bama fans will do.

5.) This may not be a football story, but I thought it was worth mentioning here, because so often in sports are stories hyped as feel-good tales without them really qualifying as one. Josh Hamilton qualifies. As I'm sure most have you have heard, Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft. Over the next few years, Hamilton wasted his money and talent on drugs, and was kicked out of the league after testing positive too many times. He has fought his way back from the depths of his own personal hell and, at least for now, defeated his demons and is on the Reds' opening day roster, where he is doing quite well. I hope you all read the article I've linked to. Even more than that though, I hope Hamilton continues his Phoenix-like rise from the ashes. Stories like his are refreshing in a time when Pacman Jones and company rule the front page.


Husker-glorifying Quote of the Week

"Nebraska has the best fans, hands down. Friendly, good sports, happy to have you in town, even if they lose, which is rare."---Dan Jenkins, Sports Illustrated