Bradford still leads, Locker Clausen gain

Campbell stays I think and fulfills the role of teacher the next two seasons possibly ala Brunell. Bradfor should fall to the lower rounds if the draft guys are smart. That kid is done after one massive hit. IF we go defenseive line we should look at those DEs from Ohio State. THose guys are monsters. Not sure if they are both seniors though so maybe we can hold off a year. We really do need to draft just about all O linemen this year.

I agree with Pike being a great 2nd or 3rd round pick, but if we do get a QB we need to give them time to learn the system and not just throw him in there. The reason i like Pike is that he is playing great with team that is not a power house. teams like Texas, USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Ohio st. always have the a hell of a lot of talent, so its hard to tell if its the QB or just the talent around him. not to say Gillard and Wood are not great recievers for Pike, but QB's at non-cream-of-the-crop schools have to do better with a little less supporting cast in there college years. All this said we still need Campbell back next tio have some sort of consistancy in the broken system we have now.

and Charles Brown should be our first pick.


Overhyped college QBs rarely liveup to the hype in the NFL after Peyton came into the league. Rodgers really wasn't overhyped, Rivers wasn't either. Eli was indeed overhyped and is living up to the set trend thus far. I know he got a ring already, but he isn't going to get another one anytime soon. JC is a decent QB, just doesn't have what it takes to take control of the team or situation to pull out a close game.

You are absolutely correct that busts can come from any scheme. I was hardly arguing that Clausen was a lock.

But, since he has been practicing pro style techniques for 4 years, it stands to reason in that he might fit in more quickly with the pros.Notre Dame did a lot of west coast stuff when Clausen first got there, but he played this season nearly exclusively in the shotgun, with three or four wide receivers on the field and no fullback.

I think Stoops and Weis both play that "adjusted" pro-style offense. The fundamentals of what they both preach are rooted in the professional style of football, with five and seven step drops and such, but when you're trying to win college football games, I think what they believe in takes a back seat to what wins college football games, which is a lot of spread concepts and shotgun work.

Of course, with the NFL trending in this direction naturally, I think it's going to open a lot of opportunities for the players who play primarily out of the shotgun. At least, I can only hope.

I think scouts would rather avoid the spread because their evaluations are made a whole lot more difficult by it, but if more than half the draft-eligible quarterbacks play in that system, someone will eventually man up and develop a translation system.

kiper has clausen #1 on his big board now according to espn.

I look at Clausen and I see a very good pro prospect. Still, there is one thing about him that I can't get out of my mind: he didn't win enough games at ND. To me, a franchise QB needs to win games for his team. Sometimes he even needs to drive his team to implausible wins. Clausen is a great passer but I question his ability to lead an NFL team.

Admittedly, I'm on the fence about Clausen. Am I wrong to discount his obvious skills because his team hasn't won more games with him at QB?

Hard to fault Clausen for the performance of the D at Notre Dame, which ultimately has been their Achilles' heel.

Hard to fault Clausen for the performance of the D at Notre Dame, which ultimately has been their Achilles' heel.

I've seen their offense fail to mount late drives to win, as well.

I look at Clausen and I see a very good pro prospect. Still, there is one thing about him that I can't get out of my mind: he didn't win enough games at ND. To me, a franchise QB needs to win games for his team. Sometimes he even needs to drive his team to implausible wins. Clausen is a great passer but I question his ability to lead an NFL team.

Admittedly, I'm on the fence about Clausen. Am I wrong to discount his obvious skills because his team hasn't won more games with him at QB?

campbell went undefeated in 04 with auburn

campbell went undefeated in 04 with auburn

Good point!

Okung in the 1st Round
McCoy in the 2nd Round

I'm reall bullish on Colt McCoy! (I was real bullish on Rey Maualuga last year...he dropped to the 2nd round...analysts credit his play/demeanor for leading the Bengals defensive success). McCoy is a leader, hard worker, accurate passer, and can get on his wheels when in trouble. Just what we need.