Prospects that I irrationally like more than anybody else…
Because easily formattable posts are fun. These are my players that I’m super-high on in relation to everybody else, because I’m irrational.
What about you? Please list players you like a ton more than everybody else in comments. I’m fascinated by who you guys like, as well.
1. RB Mike Leshoure, Illinois — A big (6’0″, 230 lbs.), tough running back which reminds me of the last powerful runner out of Illinois: Rashad Mendenhall. I was convinced at the time that Mendenhall was the next Larry Johnson, but Mendenhall turned out to have great hands out of the backfield. I’m happy to announce that I think Leshoure is the next Mendenhall. I have a mid-1st grade on him, which is insane because nobody else likes him in the 1st at all. He has those bruiser qualities and has quite a few moves in open space that are uncommon in a big guy like him.
2. CB Brandon Harris, Miami — I see Harris as a Brandon Flowers type corner. Decent size (5’11”, 195 lbs.) and lacking great speed (4.53), Harris makes up for it in his ferocious play and his mental toughness. Harris was repeatedly punished by opposing QBs when he entered college football. But he learned, got better, and finished his career at Miami in the footsteps of all the fine secondary players that have preceded him. I have a low-1st grade on him, higher than Colorado’s Jimmy Smith and Texas’ Aaron Williams. Safe to say, I’m alone on that.
3. QB Ricky Stanzi, Iowa — Looking at physically limited but whipsmart QBs like Stanzi is a lot like looking at an ink blot test: where you may see limitations and a spunk that won’t transfer to the next level, I see a game manager extraordinaire with a short memory. Stanzi was heralded coming into his last year at Iowa, but the reviews of his somewhat inconsistent play were just as varied as his game-to-game completion percentage. But I love how tough he is, and he comes from a great Iowa program, that I’m actually insane enough to have a 2nd round grade on him.
4. OT Joseph Barksdale, LSU — I actually thought Barksdale would have been a first or high-second rounder if he had come out in 2010. But he decided to hang on for another year, and what you get here is a super-high-upside polished technician who can play both sides. His size (6’4″, 325 lbs.) is tremendous, and his athleticism is very natural and fluid (he doesn’t look like he’s laboring all over the field like Phil Loadholt). Nonetheless, he’s still a right tackle, but one that I like so much that I have a 2nd round grade on him for some reason. Don’t ask me why, I’m just high on the guy.
5. CB Shareece Wright, USC — I’m a sucker for much of this year’s corner class. It’s loaded with tough, smart players, many of them physically gifted. And many of them just hard, hard workers that you desperately want on your team. Shareece Wright is the latter, and mentally tough as they come as he’s had to battle through USC’s deep roster and injuries to make his mark in 2010. Rumored to be an addict to game film, Wright has only had one year to prove that he can study an opposing QB as much as a QB studies an opposing secondary. And it’s made him a great pass defender (20 passes defensed) and a good run defender (73 tackles). I put low 2nd, high 3rd value on Wright, but he’ll fall to the midrounds.
6. DE/OLB Ugo Chinasa, Oklahoma State (pictured above) — Chinasa is a project worth embarking on. At a towering 6’5″, he barely weighs in at 255 lbs. This is a guy who is tailor made for a 4-3 defensive end position, but will need about three years to get there due to adding some 20 pounds of weight. He has a nose for disruption, and is a defensive lineman willing to sacrifice his body so that others may penetrate. He’s not a guy who can drop back into coverage, but he has a handful of passrush moves that merit some development, and he could be a boom-bust pick in the midrounds. Because I liked his play in the Big 12 all year, I have a low-3rd round grade on him.