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Carlos Rogers
CB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=92) | (6'0http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/nfl/trans/3_8.gif", 196, 4.48) | AUBURN (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2070)
Strengths: Has adequate-to-good size. Is well-built, strong and powerful for a DC. Is physical and tough. Confidence has improved immensely. Is at his best when challenging WR's at the LOS. Has a solid press-technique. Shows good hand placement and footwork. Is fluid and has excellent body control. Shows the COD skills to mirror quicker WR's on double-move. Is very good in man-to-man coverage. Better than average ball skills. Is physical in coverage and in run support. Wasn't used much as a return man in college but he has very good potential in that role if given an opportunity in the NFL.
Weaknesses: Focus and recognition skills are inconsistent. Play was up-and-down throughout collegiate career. Has adequate-to-good speed but not elite speed. May struggle to recover if he makes mistakes against upper-echelon speed receivers in the NFL. Is much improved as a tackler but still needs to be more consistent. Thumb injuries cost him several games throughout his collegiate career.
Overall: Rogers attended Hargrave Military Academy in 2000. He was named All-SEC Freshman team in 2001 after starting 10-of-12 games. He missed time in 2002 (four games) and 2003 (one game) because of thumb injuries but was a four-year starter at Auburn. His production dipped during his sophomore and junior seasons (2002-'03) but he made huge strides as a senior in 2004, when he started all 13 games and finished with 47 total tackles, two interceptions and eight passes broken up. The biggest difference between Rogers from 2004 compared to 2003 was his improved confidence. He was asked to hold up in mostly man-to-man coverage and did a better job than ever anticipated. Rogers was giving a lot of cushion and playing "soft" as a junior because he feared giving up the big play. Now that he believes in his ability he challenges receivers a lot more aggressively and physically, which allows him to maximize his good combination of size and speed. Rogers still has room to improve and he lacks elite physical tools, but we still think he has the potential to develop into a solid starting cornerback in the NFL. As a result, Rogers is a late-first round draft prospect.
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Jason Campbell
QB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=84) | (6'4http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/nfl/trans/3_4.gif", 230, 4.69) | AUBURN (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2070)
Strengths: Has good overall size and the frame to get even bigger. Is a smooth athlete with above average foot quickness. Show good quickness in his drops. Long legs and gets a deep drop because of stride. He does not have elite arm strength but he is strong enough to make all the NFL throws. Better zip when throwing right. At his best working short-to-intermediate zones. Shows good touch and timing. His delivery is one of the areas he's most improved. Much more compact and has a high release point. He did not make a lot of big plays on his own at the collegiate level but he really developed into a caretaker. A quiet leader but came into his own as a senior. Extremely hard working and coaches have nothing but good things to say regarding his intangibles. Is a mild-mannered QB that doesn't seem to get over-excited. Also has become much less volatile in face of pass rush.
Weaknesses: Long accuracy continues to stand out as a problem. The deeper the throw the less consistent he is. Field vision is improved but still not good. Doesn't see entire field, misses too many open WR's. Is a better than average athlete and good scrambler but not a big threat to run. Lacks explosive top-end speed and elusiveness.
Overall: Campbell is a coaches son who also stared in basketball in high school. He became the first freshman to start the season opener at quarterback for Auburn since Stan White in 1990. Campbell started eight games in 2001, six games in 2002 and all 13 games in 2003. He had by far his best season as a senior in 2004 when he completed 69.6-percent of his passes for 2,700 yards and threw 19 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while leading the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 record. Campbell has always had excellent size, good athletic ability and above average arm strength, but his poor decision making skills, lack of poise in the pocket, indecisiveness and erratic arm haunted him early in his collegiate career. Throughout his first three seasons as a starter, Campbell consistently held onto the ball too long, threw too many passes up for grabs when he ran out of time, missed open receivers downfield and overthrew too many of the receivers that he did find open. However, No player improved his draft value more in 2004 than Campbell. After struggling through three extremely inconsistent and unfulfilling seasons, Campbell thrived as a senior in what was his fourth offensive scheme in four years. New offensive coordinator Al Borges found the right fit for Campbell, as his West Coast scheme simplified things and gave Campbell a lot more definitive reads to make. As his confidence improved, so too did his production. Most impressive was Campbell's improvement in regards to his decision-making skills, as he threw 13 more touchdowns (19) than interceptions (6) in 2004. Campbell has the physical tools of a first round pick but there are still questions about his downfield accuracy and ability to see the entire field. That's why we grade Campbell out as a solid second round prospect.
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Manuel White Jr
FB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=10) | (6'2http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/nfl/trans/1_4.gif", 244, 4.65) | UCLA (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2449)
Strengths: Is an intriguing developmental FB prospect because of his unique blend of size, athleticism and speed. Has great experience as a ball carrier and receiver. Shows excellent initial burst and good speed for his size. Has some lateral movement quickness and does a decent job of planting and driving without losing much in transition. He has good vision and patience as a runner. Is a powerful runner with good body lean and lower body strength. Has soft hands for a bigger back out of the backfield and shows a good feel as a route runner in the short area. Has good size as a blocker. Is raw as a blocker but has some upside if he can improve his technique while getting bigger and tougher.
Weaknesses: Durability is a concern after missing four games with a leg injury in 2003 and suffering a knee injury during the 2005 Senior Bowl. He's a bit of a 'tweener who lacks the top-end speed and explosiveness of a fulltime NFL running back, but also lacks experience and strength as a blocker. His awareness and angles must improve as a blocker. He needs to also do a better job of sustaining and playing with leverage. Is big but must improve his lower body strength and overall power as a blocker. Also needs to become more physical and aggressive in that facet.
Overall: In 2003, White started the first eight games (five at RB and three at FB) before being sidelined by a fractured right scapula in the Arizona State game. At the time of his injury, he was the team's leading rusher. He finished with 379 net rushing yards and three touchdowns, while also averaging 10.1 yards on 10 receptions. White returned healthy as a senior in 2004, where he continued to play a 'tweener RB/FB role and split carries with RB Maurice Drew. White finished with 164 carries for 764 yards and eight touchdowns. He also chipped in with 20 receptions for 115 yards. White is a versatile fullback in the mold of Packers' FB Najeh Davenport just not nearly as athletic. White lacks ideal experience as a blocker but he has excellent size and some upside in that area if he can improve his technique and get much stronger. He also has good speed for his size and excellent experience carrying and catching the football. Essentially, White is a running back stuck in a fullback's body. Because White is such a unique athlete with the versatility to provide production as a runner, blocker, receiver and on special teams, he is worth taking a late chance on by a team that uses its fullback in a versatile role. However, he looked to be woefully week as a blocker at the Senior Bowl and he lacks the explosiveness as an athlete to bother wasting a pick on him any earlier. Furthermore, his knee injury in the Senior Bowl provides even more reason for concern.
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Robert McCune
ILB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=90) | (6'0", 245, 4.5) | LOUISVILLE (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2249)
Strengths: Has an exceptional combination of size, strength and straight-line speed. Is powerful at the POA and shows the ability to take on blocks in the phone booth if he plays with better technique. Has great range and closing burst versus the run. Is an explosive tackler that closes quickly and shows very good short area power. Fills hard versus the run. Has great speed when he gets a clear lane to the quarterback as a blitzer. Also has adequate range in zone coverage and the speed to run with most backs downfield.
Weaknesses: Is still not as fundamentally sound as he needs to be. He plays too high at times and needs to show better leverage and consistency when it comes to taking on blocks in the phone booth. He must also learn to use his hands better to shed. At times he will take too long to diagnose a play. He gets away with it at the C-USA level because of his speed but he needs to make quicker reads and react faster. Too many arm tackles. Needs to do a better job of breaking down and wrapping up. He has elite speed but his hips are a little bit stiff and he doesn't have great man-to-man cover skills. He has potential in zone coverage but he needs to take fewer false steps versus play-action. He does a good job of knocking passes down in his zone, but his ball skills are below average.
Overall: McCune redshirted in 2000 and saw action only as a backup from 2001-'02 before taking over as Louisville's fulltime starting middle linebacker as a junior in 2003, when he finished with 143 total tackles, five TFL and four sacks. He started all 12 games (ILB and OLB) as a senior in 2004 and led the team with 115 total tackles, including four for loss, two sacks and one interception. A member of the National Guard; spent six months in Kuwait and a full year in Korea. He will be a 26-year old rookie in the NFL. McCune was much improved as a senior and his upside is extremely intriguing because of his rare combination of size (6-0, 245), strength (33 reps of 225-pound bench press) and speed (4.50). However, McCune is a much more attractive prospect when watching him work out in shorts than he is when studying him in pads on film. He has great top-end speed for his size but he plays stiff and he has lots of limitations in terms of his range versus the run and in coverage, as a result. Furthermore, he still lacks ideal technique and recognition skills, which leads to inconsistent play. In our opinion, McCune is worth the gamble in the fourth-to-fifth round range of the upcoming draft but anywhere earlier than that would be a classic case of getting caught up in McCune as a "workout warrior", not a football player.
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Jared Newberry
OLB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=89) | (6'1http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/nfl/trans/1_8.gif", 232, 4.7) | STANFORD (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2416)
Strengths: Is a quick and active player. Is extremely tough and aggressive. Plays with excellent technique. Shows good leverage at the POA and will do a good job of using his hands to get through traffic. He has quick feet and takes good angles in pursuit. He is quick and instinctive in coverage. Shows adequate range in zone coverage. He also is a solid tackler with good upper body power. Is a versatile player. Is intelligent and picks things up quickly. Is a proven commodity on special teams.
Weaknesses: Lacks ideal NFL measurables. Is undersized. Has good power, but lacks bulk and lower body strength. Gets pushed around too much when reached. Does not show the ability to consistently take on and shed blockers. Is quick and instinctive, but lacks ideal top end speed and great athleticism. He's a bit stiff in the hips. Will not have great range in zone coverage in the NFL and also will have limitations in terms of man-to-man matchups in coverage.
Overall: Newberry redshirted in 2000 and moved to fullback in 2001 before moving back to outside linebacker as a redshirt sophomore in 2002. His first season as a fulltime starter was in 2003 as a junior, when he started all 11 games and finished with 67 total tackles, including 10 TFL, three sacks and one interception. He started all 11 games as a senior in 2004 and finished with 54 total tackles, including nine TFL. Newberry was a late-developer as an athlete and it took the former walk-on several positions and a few years to find his home at WLB. He made huge strides the past two seasons and he should only continue to improve with more experience at the position. Newberry has just decent speed and athleticism, and he has below average size. However, he is strong for his size and he rarely makes a mistake from a technique standpoint. He has a great motor, is a very good leader, and has proven to be an excellent special teams player. Newberry's upside is obviously limited but he has enough versatility, toughness and intangibles to take a chance on late in the upcoming draft.
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Nehemiah Broughton
FB (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/position?id=10) | (5'11http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/nfl/trans/1_2.gif", 250, 4.61) | THE CITADEL (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/tracker/school?id=2130)
Strengths: Has an intriguing combination of size, strength and top-end speed. Is a workhorse-type RB. Shows adequate-to-good initial burst to the hole. Has good speed for his size. Is a powerful runner with excellent upper and lower body strength. Runs with good pad level, keeps his legs driving and falls forward. He has the size and strength to develop into a very good blocker in the NFL -- benched 225 pounds for 24 reps. Shows good initial pop at the POA. Has good awareness as a pass blocker and was very efficient in that area at the collegiate level. He shows soft hands and has some decent experience as a receiver out of the backfield. Can be a load to bring down in space after the catch.
Weaknesses: Is a 'tweener RB/FB. Has good speed for his size but below average speed for a fulltime RB. Lacks elusiveness and COD skills as a runner. Won't make many defenders miss in space. Lacks the speed to turn the corner consistently in the NFL and doesn't show breakaway speed in daylight. Has stiff hips and is not very flexible. Lacks experience as a blocker. Needs to improve his leverage as a blocker and also has a lot of work to do in terms of learning angles and hand-placement. Has soft hands but upper body is stiff, so he struggles to adjust to poorly thrown ball. Is not a threat as a route runner and doesn't have great elusiveness or explosiveness after the catch. Will look to run over defenders not around them. Durability was a problem throughout the first three seasons in college.
Overall: Broughton suffered a partial tear in his left ACL in high school and re-injured it at The Citadel in 2001. He played in just eight games that season. In 2002, Broughton started seven of the 12 games he played in. As a junior in 2003, he started all eight games he played in but missed the final two because of injury. As a senior in 2004, he finished with 788 yards and five touchdowns on 179 carries and did not miss any time because of injury. Broughton was a load-carrying running back in college who may need to make the transition to fullback in the NFL. He worked out as a running back at the combine but as a fullback at the Senior Bowl, where he showed good athletic ability for his size and above average power but was understandably unpolished as a blocker. In our opinion, Broughton has a good enough combination of size, strength, speed and athletic ability to take a chance on somewhere in the middle of Day 2. In our opinion, he has the most upside of any prospect in the 2005 fullback class. He is a hard worker with upside on special teams, the size to develop into an adequate lead blocker and the physical tools to contribute as a situational short-yardage runner and receiver.
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