Round 1: #7 Overall - Sedrick Ellis, DT, Southern California Overview The Trojans' three-year starter at nose guard, Ellis was regarded as one of the top interior linemen in the country entering his senior season, and only continued to build his reputation in 2007. The winner of the Pat Tillman Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award, Ellis was also the recipient of the Morris Trophy, given to the league's premier lineman. Many had expected Ellis to be playing in the National Football League rather than for the Trojans in 2007. He seriously contemplated applying after his junior season, but because he missed a portion of 2006 while recovering from early season arthroscopic knee surgery, he decided to return for his final campaign. "I think I can mature more as a football player and a person," Ellis said last summer. "It's only one more year. How bad can one more year be?" Compares To LA'ROI GLOVER-St. Louis...Ellis is a little bit bigger and heavier than Glover, but not by much. Ellis probably could not carry the bulk to play a classic two-gap, but as an under-tackle he could be a clone of what Glover has done. Both rely on their quickness and ability to neutralize double teams. Both take good angles in pursuit and are move oriented types who get better penetration on the slant rather than with a blocker right over their heads. Ellis is quick to locate the ball in a crowd and uses his hands and quickness to leverage and redirect. Shooting the gaps is a specialty for him, but he is also equally effective as a wrap-up tackler. With his lateral agility and quickness, he will make a nice living creating a new line of scrimmage vs. the running game at the next level. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT SEDRICK ELLIS http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/sedrick-ellis?id=228 Round 2: #40 Overall - Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana Overview One of the nation's top playmaking defensive backs, Tracy Porter became the first player in school history to return a punt, interception and fumble for touchdowns in his career. The team captain has always been known for his ball-hawking skills, but after years of reluctance to perform vs. the run, Porter showed good determination in stopping the run his final season. As a senior, Porter became the first Hoosier since Mark Sutor in 1982 to record six or more interceptions in a season. He would close out his career with 16 interceptions, three short of the school record of 19 by Tim Wilbur (1978-82). Ever the opportunist, he amassed 413 yards on those interception returns, breaking the previous Indiana record of 360 yards by Wilbur. He also became just the third player in Big Ten Conference history to gain over 400 yards on interception returns, joining Jamar Fletcher of Wisconsin (459, 1998-2000) and Tom Curtis of Michigan (431, 1967-69). Compares To RICARDO COLCLOUGH-Cleveland...Like Colclough, Porter's timed speed and natural hands are his best assets. Both have been productive returners and Porter shows good ability as a gunner on special teams. Neither is known for tackling ability, or a desire to make plays vs. the run. Porter is rail-thin, but additional weight would take away his best quality -- speed. He lacks consistency recognizing the play as it develops and will never be more than marginal in run support. Yes, he has great hands and a good eye to make the big play, but he's more of a sub package type of defensive back than one who can play all four downs. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT TRACY PORTER http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/tracy-porter?id=1300 Round 5: #144 Overall - DeMario Pressley, DT, North Carolina State Overview Pressley hoped the 2007 season would be a banner final campaign, but it turned into a weekly visit to the team's training room. Ever since dislocating his left wrist late in the 2006 season, Pressley has been a regular under the doctor's care, as he suffered a left big toe fracture in spring camp and had a gruesome left elbow injury that resulted in three ligament tears in August camp. He played with his elbow heavily taped in the 2007 season opener, but then tore cartilage in his knee in an early September non-contact drill, undergoing arthroscopic surgery that sidelined him for several games. Upon his return, he ending up twisting his ankle in the Louisville clash, as his litany of injuries was uncommon for a player that was never hurt throughout his entire football career until his recent misfortunes. Compares To DARNELL DOCKETT-Arizona...Like Dockett, Pressley looks like an undersized 4-3 defensive tackle who might be a better fit as an end in a 3-4 alignment. He is slow to make his reads and lacks the lower body strength to stack and control at the line of scrimmage. When he gets too tall in his stance, he struggles vs. double teams. He is best when playing inside the box and letting the action come to him. His senior year was a forgettable one, wrought with a highly unusual rash of injuries and this will see his stock drop. He did not redeem himself in postseason all-star games or at the Combine, further pushing down his stock, but while inconsistent, there are flashes that could see him develop into a second-day find. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT DEMARIO PRESSLEY http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/demario-pressley?id=1988 Round 5: #164 Overall - Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska Overview Simply put, there isn't an offensive lineman in the country whose stock flourished over the 2007 college football season more than Nicks'. Nicks signed with New Mexico State out of high school, but transferred to Hartnell Junior College due to academic struggles. At Hartnell, Nicks emerged as one of the elite JUCO prospects in the country and signed with Nebraska over the likes of Louisville, California, Wisconsin and Washington. Upon signing with Nebraska, Nicks became a regular contributor immediately, serving as the primary backup at right tackle most of the 2006 season and filling in as the starter against Colorado and Oklahoma when starter Matt Slauson went down with an injury. Nicks made the move to left tackle as a senior and started 11 of 12 games there in 2007, earning Second Team Big 12 honors in his first starting season. Of course, there is a gamble when basing a draft selection on one year's work, but Nicks' play in 2007 was impressive. Blessed with surprising quickness off the snap for such a large man, Nicks was effective as both a pass and run blocker for the Huskers. Rather than rely on his size and strength, Nicks' balance and overall athleticism were key in his ability to protect the quarterback's blindside in this offense. He may lack the elite footwork to remain on the left side at the NFL, but his girth and strength make him a natural candidate for the right side. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT CARL NICKS http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/carl-nicks?id=1264 Round 6: #178 Overall - Taylor Mehlhaff, K, Wisconsin Overview Taylor Mehlhaff teamed with punter Ken DeBauche to form what many experts felt was the best kicking tandem in college football in recent years. DeBauche left the school ranked second in punting average and total punting yards. Mehlhaff finished his career as Wisconsin's second-leading scorer in school history (295 points) and tied for second all-time in field goals (50). He also holds the Badgers' all-time record by making 145-of-148 extra point attempts. The 2007 Lou Groza Award semifinalist, given to the nation's premier place-kicker, Mehlhaff also garnered All-American first-team honors as a senior. A three-year starter who handled all field goals and extra-point attempts, Mehlhaff was a major reason the opposition consistently had poor field position. In handling kickoff chores, 123 of his attempts were touchbacks and 160 of those kicks were returned for a 19.75-yard average, none for touchdowns. Compares To JOHN KASAY-Carolina Panthers...Both left-footed kickers are an automatic three-points inside the 40-yard line. Mehlhaff will need to quicken his approach a bit at the next level, but with the height and trajectory he is able to generate, the opposition will have a hard time trying to block his kicks. He greatly improved his kickoff mechanics as a senior and could make a very nice living just handling those duties. But, he's an outstanding poor-weather kicker in the Ryan Longwell mold. There are few left-footed kickers in the league, making getting into camp early to work with the holder and snapper necessary to establish chemistry. His leg strength makes Mehlhaff worth strong consideration on draft day. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT TAYLOR MEHLHAFF http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/taylor-mehlhaff?id=1373 Round 7: #237 Overall - Adrian Arrington, WR, Michigan Overview The arrival of new head coach Rich Rodriguez and the spread offense prompted Adrian Arrington to enter the NFL draft after just one season as a starter. Arrington has had several roadblocks during his Michigan career. He missed almost all of the 2005 campaign after he suffered a broken right ankle in the season opener vs. Northern Illinois. He underwent surgery during which he had seven screws and a metal plate placed in his leg and it took him well over a year to recover from the injury. Arrington was the recipient of the Desmond Howard Award in 2007, given to the team's top receiver. He started all 13 games at flanker, finishing second on the team with 67 catches for 882 yards (13.2-yard average) and eight touchdowns. He also had a solo tackle vs. Florida and completed an 11-yard scoring pass on a reverse to Mario Manningham in the Notre Dame clash. In 35 games at Michigan, Arrington started 18 contests. He collected 1,438 yards with 16 touchdowns on 109 receptions (13.2-yard average), as he scored 96 points. He recorded two solo tackles, returned a kickoff 15 yards and completed 1-of-2 passes for an 11-yard score. Compares To ASHLEY LELIE-San Francisco...Arrington is the type of receiver that can run one route well and shows anxiety running another. He seems to be more suited for the slot. He takes a rolling start off the snap rather than exploding off the line. However, he does shy away from contact at times, losing focus when he hears the defender closing on him. He shows good arm length to extend and pluck the ball outside his frame, but when he reverts to using his body to catch, he drops too many. He could have used another year of college football development. While he presents a nice target underneath for a quarterback, he must learn how to run crisp routes and improve his overall timing. READ MUCH MORE ABOUT ADRIAN ARRINGTON http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/adrian-arrington?id=1058
might as well factor Vilma into the final draft....we gave up our 4th round pick for him.....between Vilma and Ellis we got 2 potential studs out of our first 4 picks
Yeah, Ellis, Vilma and Morgan are going to be great on your defense. This is going to be one hell of a division race this season...
ya vilma and morgan gonna be a hellva upgrade at lb. i just dont understand drafting DeMario Pressley. we could have gone in another direction
I really like what the Saints did in the draft. Vilma, Ellis and I really like Porter. I think he could be a slight sleeper. Pressley was a nice pick and I love that they came back into the draft after "elimination" to stir things up with a huge value pick in Arrington! Hopefully he can be what Ashley Lelie is not!
