SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE TALENT - STUDVILLE OR DUDVILLE?
The NFL Draft is four weeks from last night, the first round anyway. I continue to read & re-read my player notes, check the reports from pro days, watch the NFL Network & look for anything new on the players I am most interested in, hoping to find every speck of information I can. I also review past drafts, sometimes I can find something there that is relevant. I kept seeing SEC players being taken with the premium picks, rounds 1-3, in large numbers & the other thing I saw was a lot of these draft picks aren't working out like players taken this high should. Does the SEC provide the NFL with more productive players than other conferences?
I looked at the last four drafts, 2006 - 2009 & I narrowed it down to teams with the 5 best records over this period, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Alabama & Tennessee. The SEC has won the last four BCS Championship games, Florida(twice), LSU & Alabama have been crowned since '06. Tennessee was the 1st BCS Champ in 1998 & LSU won their first in 2003. That's 6 BCS championships in 12 years for the SEC, four more than the Big-12 & five more than any other conference. It's because of their superiority in this game, I think the conference gets a little too much credit. I believe that's especially true when it comes to talent evaluation in regards to the NFL Draft. I know such supposition is almost blasphemous in football circles, people just don't knock the SEC, it isn't done. Until now anyway.
These fine football programs produced 44 premium picks in these 4 drafts. I know hindsight can be 20/20, but honestly, if you gave me my choice of these players, I'd only pick 7 of them for my team, those will be in bold letters. The round they were selected in will be in parenthesis. Ask yourself how many of these highly touted prospects interest you. You might be surprised like I was.
Florida
2006 - (2) Chad Jackson (wr) New England/Denver, 14 career catches for 171 yards
2007 - (1) Jarvis Moss (de) Denver, 24 tackles 3.5 sacks
(1) Reggie Nelson (s) Jacksonville, 183 tackles 7 interceptions
(3) Ray McDonald (dt) San Francisco, barely on the team
2008 - (1) Derrick Harvey (de) Denver, 58 tackles 4.5 sacks
(3) Andre Caldwell (wr) Cincinnati, 59 rec. 488 yds. 3 TD's
2009 - (1) Percy Harvin (wr-kr) Minnesota, 60 rec. 790 yards 8 TD's 135 yds rushing
Alabama
2006 - (2) DeMeco Ryans (lb) Houston, 519 tackles 2 Pro Bowls & Defensive Rookie of the yr.
(2) Roman Harper (s) New Orleans, 307 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 int & 6 forced fumbles
(3) Brodie Croyle (qb) Kansas City, career backup QB
2009 - (1) Andre Smith (ot) Cincinnati, overweight, out of shape, contract holdout, broke his foot
(3) Glen Coffee (rb) San Francisco, averaged only 2.7 per carry
(3) Antoine Caldwell (c) Cincinnati, active for 11 games, 2 starts
(3) Rashad Johnson (s) Arizona, 5 tackles
Georgia
2006 - (2) Tim Jennings (cb) Indy/Chicago, 126 tackles, 2 int.
(3) Leonard Pope (te) Arizona/Kansas City, 48 rec. 476 yards & 5 TD's
2007 - (3) Quentin Moses (de) Oakland/Arizona/Miami, 11 career tackles 1.5 sacks
(3) Charles Johnson (de) Carolina, 27 tackles, 8 sacks
2009 - (1) Matthew Stafford (qb) Detroit, first overall pick, starter
(1) Knowshon Moreno (rb) Denver, 947 yards & 7 TD's
(2) Mohamed Massaquoi (wr) Cleveland, 34 rec. 643 yards & 3 TD's
(3) Asher Allen (cb) Minnesota, spot starter in '09
(3) Corey Irvin (dt) Carolina, active for 4 games
LSU
2006 - (1) Joseph Addai (rb) Indy, 3,525 yards rushing, 34 TD's & 1 Pro Bowl
(2) Andrew Whitworth (g) Cincinnati, spot starter
(3) Claude Wroten (dt) formerly with St. Louis, 3-time loser in NFL drug suspensions
2007 - (1) JaMarcus Russell (qb) Oakland, first overall pick, huge disappointment so far
(1) LaRon Landry (s) Washington, 239 tackles, 3 interceptions
(1) Dwayne Bowe (wr) Kansas City, 203 rec. 2,606 yards & 16 TD's plus 1 suspension
(1) Craig Davis (wr) San Diego, 24 rec. 247 yards & 1 TD in his career
2008 - (1) Glenn Dorsey (dt) Kansas City, 100 career tackles & 2 sacks Miscast as a DE in a 3-4 D
(3) Chevis Jackson (cb) Atlanta, spot player w/2 int, both returned for TD's
(3) Jacob Hester (rb) San Diego, 159 yards & 1 TD
(3) Early Doucet (wr) Arizona, 31 rec. 304 yards & 1 TD
2009 - (1) Tyson Jackson (de) 3rd overall pick 38 tackles & zero sacks
Tennessee
2006 - (1) Jason Allen (s) Miami, 123 tackles & 5 interceptions
2007 - (1) Justin Harrell (dt) Green Bay, 3 major injuries in 3 years, might be released
(1) Robert Meachem (wr) New Orleans, 55 catches for 999 yards & 12 TD's
(2) Aaron Sears (g) Tampa Bay, started 31 straight but head injury may end his career
(2) Turk McBride (de) K.C./Detroit, 54 tackles & 1 sack in his career
(3) Jonathan Wade (cb) St. Louis/Detroit, 67 tackles & 2 interceptions
2008 - (2) Jerod Mayo (lb) New England, 231 tackles & Defensive Rookie of the Year
(3) Brad Cottam (te) Kansas City, 9 rec. & 120 yards in 2 seasons
2009 - (1) Robert Ayers (de) Denver, 11 tackles & zero sacks
What do we have to look forward to in next month's draft from the SEC? More of the same I'm afraid, some career underachievers like Florida's Carlos Dunlap & 'Bama's Terrence Cody, still, the SEC could have as many as 6 first round picks. But hold onto your hats, the Big-12 could have 11, one third of the first round from one conference. They could even have the top four picks with Ndamakong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford & Russell Okung. OSU wide receiver Dez Bryant, Texas OT Brent Williams & fellow Longhorn safety Earl Thomas won't be far behind, probably in the top-20 picks. Okie State CB Perish Cox, Mizzou LB Sean Weatherspoon, OU TE Jermaine Gresham & Texas LB Sergio Kindle makes eleven.
The Big-10's top-5 teams(Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa & Michigan) had one more premium pick but two fewer first round selections. Those 16 first-round picks were more productive tho, with many more Pro Bowl trips. All in all, the Big-10 fared much better overall. Names like Jake Long, Joe Thomas & Levi Brown, all outstanding offensive tackles. David Harris, Lamarr Woodley, Chad Greenway, Tamba Hali, A.J. Hawk & James Laurinaitis at linebacker. Beanie Wells & Shonn Greene at running back, Santonio Holmes & Anthony Gonzalez at wideout & 3-time pro bowl center, Nick Mangold. This from a conference that hasn't done well in bowl games during this period & is considered slow & old fashioned. I too think of them in this way, but I can't argue with the NFL quality talent they produce.
The PAC-10 wasn't even close despite the good runs USC & Oregon had. I didn't figure the Big-12 because without even looking I can remember quite a few dud draft picks from OU & Texas in the first three rounds. The top-5 winning programs(Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri & Texas Tech) just didn't provide enough NFL caliber prospects. Limiting it to just the top-5 winning programs from every conference, no one can compete with the Big-10 over this period of time. That impressive run ends next month, the Big-10 might only have 10 total players taken with premium picks, probably just 3 in the first round.
I looked at the last four drafts, 2006 - 2009 & I narrowed it down to teams with the 5 best records over this period, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Alabama & Tennessee. The SEC has won the last four BCS Championship games, Florida(twice), LSU & Alabama have been crowned since '06. Tennessee was the 1st BCS Champ in 1998 & LSU won their first in 2003. That's 6 BCS championships in 12 years for the SEC, four more than the Big-12 & five more than any other conference. It's because of their superiority in this game, I think the conference gets a little too much credit. I believe that's especially true when it comes to talent evaluation in regards to the NFL Draft. I know such supposition is almost blasphemous in football circles, people just don't knock the SEC, it isn't done. Until now anyway.
These fine football programs produced 44 premium picks in these 4 drafts. I know hindsight can be 20/20, but honestly, if you gave me my choice of these players, I'd only pick 7 of them for my team, those will be in bold letters. The round they were selected in will be in parenthesis. Ask yourself how many of these highly touted prospects interest you. You might be surprised like I was.
Florida
2006 - (2) Chad Jackson (wr) New England/Denver, 14 career catches for 171 yards
2007 - (1) Jarvis Moss (de) Denver, 24 tackles 3.5 sacks
(1) Reggie Nelson (s) Jacksonville, 183 tackles 7 interceptions
(3) Ray McDonald (dt) San Francisco, barely on the team
2008 - (1) Derrick Harvey (de) Denver, 58 tackles 4.5 sacks
(3) Andre Caldwell (wr) Cincinnati, 59 rec. 488 yds. 3 TD's
2009 - (1) Percy Harvin (wr-kr) Minnesota, 60 rec. 790 yards 8 TD's 135 yds rushing
Alabama
2006 - (2) DeMeco Ryans (lb) Houston, 519 tackles 2 Pro Bowls & Defensive Rookie of the yr.
(2) Roman Harper (s) New Orleans, 307 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 int & 6 forced fumbles
(3) Brodie Croyle (qb) Kansas City, career backup QB
2009 - (1) Andre Smith (ot) Cincinnati, overweight, out of shape, contract holdout, broke his foot
(3) Glen Coffee (rb) San Francisco, averaged only 2.7 per carry
(3) Antoine Caldwell (c) Cincinnati, active for 11 games, 2 starts
(3) Rashad Johnson (s) Arizona, 5 tackles
Georgia
2006 - (2) Tim Jennings (cb) Indy/Chicago, 126 tackles, 2 int.
(3) Leonard Pope (te) Arizona/Kansas City, 48 rec. 476 yards & 5 TD's
2007 - (3) Quentin Moses (de) Oakland/Arizona/Miami, 11 career tackles 1.5 sacks
(3) Charles Johnson (de) Carolina, 27 tackles, 8 sacks
2009 - (1) Matthew Stafford (qb) Detroit, first overall pick, starter
(1) Knowshon Moreno (rb) Denver, 947 yards & 7 TD's
(2) Mohamed Massaquoi (wr) Cleveland, 34 rec. 643 yards & 3 TD's
(3) Asher Allen (cb) Minnesota, spot starter in '09
(3) Corey Irvin (dt) Carolina, active for 4 games
LSU
2006 - (1) Joseph Addai (rb) Indy, 3,525 yards rushing, 34 TD's & 1 Pro Bowl
(2) Andrew Whitworth (g) Cincinnati, spot starter
(3) Claude Wroten (dt) formerly with St. Louis, 3-time loser in NFL drug suspensions
2007 - (1) JaMarcus Russell (qb) Oakland, first overall pick, huge disappointment so far
(1) LaRon Landry (s) Washington, 239 tackles, 3 interceptions
(1) Dwayne Bowe (wr) Kansas City, 203 rec. 2,606 yards & 16 TD's plus 1 suspension
(1) Craig Davis (wr) San Diego, 24 rec. 247 yards & 1 TD in his career
2008 - (1) Glenn Dorsey (dt) Kansas City, 100 career tackles & 2 sacks Miscast as a DE in a 3-4 D
(3) Chevis Jackson (cb) Atlanta, spot player w/2 int, both returned for TD's
(3) Jacob Hester (rb) San Diego, 159 yards & 1 TD
(3) Early Doucet (wr) Arizona, 31 rec. 304 yards & 1 TD
2009 - (1) Tyson Jackson (de) 3rd overall pick 38 tackles & zero sacks
Tennessee
2006 - (1) Jason Allen (s) Miami, 123 tackles & 5 interceptions
2007 - (1) Justin Harrell (dt) Green Bay, 3 major injuries in 3 years, might be released
(1) Robert Meachem (wr) New Orleans, 55 catches for 999 yards & 12 TD's
(2) Aaron Sears (g) Tampa Bay, started 31 straight but head injury may end his career
(2) Turk McBride (de) K.C./Detroit, 54 tackles & 1 sack in his career
(3) Jonathan Wade (cb) St. Louis/Detroit, 67 tackles & 2 interceptions
2008 - (2) Jerod Mayo (lb) New England, 231 tackles & Defensive Rookie of the Year
(3) Brad Cottam (te) Kansas City, 9 rec. & 120 yards in 2 seasons
2009 - (1) Robert Ayers (de) Denver, 11 tackles & zero sacks
What do we have to look forward to in next month's draft from the SEC? More of the same I'm afraid, some career underachievers like Florida's Carlos Dunlap & 'Bama's Terrence Cody, still, the SEC could have as many as 6 first round picks. But hold onto your hats, the Big-12 could have 11, one third of the first round from one conference. They could even have the top four picks with Ndamakong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford & Russell Okung. OSU wide receiver Dez Bryant, Texas OT Brent Williams & fellow Longhorn safety Earl Thomas won't be far behind, probably in the top-20 picks. Okie State CB Perish Cox, Mizzou LB Sean Weatherspoon, OU TE Jermaine Gresham & Texas LB Sergio Kindle makes eleven.
The Big-10's top-5 teams(Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa & Michigan) had one more premium pick but two fewer first round selections. Those 16 first-round picks were more productive tho, with many more Pro Bowl trips. All in all, the Big-10 fared much better overall. Names like Jake Long, Joe Thomas & Levi Brown, all outstanding offensive tackles. David Harris, Lamarr Woodley, Chad Greenway, Tamba Hali, A.J. Hawk & James Laurinaitis at linebacker. Beanie Wells & Shonn Greene at running back, Santonio Holmes & Anthony Gonzalez at wideout & 3-time pro bowl center, Nick Mangold. This from a conference that hasn't done well in bowl games during this period & is considered slow & old fashioned. I too think of them in this way, but I can't argue with the NFL quality talent they produce.
The PAC-10 wasn't even close despite the good runs USC & Oregon had. I didn't figure the Big-12 because without even looking I can remember quite a few dud draft picks from OU & Texas in the first three rounds. The top-5 winning programs(Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri & Texas Tech) just didn't provide enough NFL caliber prospects. Limiting it to just the top-5 winning programs from every conference, no one can compete with the Big-10 over this period of time. That impressive run ends next month, the Big-10 might only have 10 total players taken with premium picks, probably just 3 in the first round.
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