Top 32 NFL Draft Prospects in 2009
Scout.com released the list of the top 32 pro prospects for the 2009 NFL Draft. Not surprisingly, 5 out of the top 20 belong to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
3. Chris “Beanie” Wells, RB Ohio State (Jr.)
With size, breakaway speed, and toughness between the tackles, Beanie is a do-it-all back who can be a 25-carry NFL franchise builder. With the talent coming back on the Buckeye line, only injuries will keep Wells from being deep in the hunt for the Heisman.
5. James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State
There’s no doubt he would’ve been a top 15, maybe top ten pick had he come out early. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a little bit of a backlash considering how much great press he’s received over the last few years, or if he’ll turn into A.J. Hawk as far as national respect. He can put up big numbers, but he has to be better against the pass and not make so many plays ten yards down the field against the run.
7. Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio State
He likely would’ve been the first corner taken in the 2008 draft with a combination of safety size and blazing speed. Better against big or fast receivers, he has to prove in his senior year that he can lock down against the small, quick types. Tackling isn’t an issue.
19. Marcus Freeman, LB Ohio State
He overcame an knee injury early in his career to be a top tackler next to James Laurinaitis. At 245 pounds, he has the size to play inside, but he’s an outside defender at the next level with the speed and quickness to get into the backfield on a regular basis.
20. Alex Boone, OT Ohio State
Boone could’ve been gone after this year and would’ve been a top 50 pick, and now he’s almost certain to go in the first round. The 6-8, 325-pound star of the line has the feet to stay with the speed defenders and the size to dominate in the ground game.
The men of the scarlet and gray have more prospects in the top 32 than the entire Big 12, Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10. Let me repeat that, the men of the scarlet are gray have more prospects in the top 32 than the entire Big 12, Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10
Here is a breakdown by conference:
ACC: 4
Big East: 2
Big 10: 9
Big 12: 2
Pac 10: 4
SEC: 11
And here is a breakdown by team
Ohio State: 5
Florida: 4
LSU: 4
USC: 3
Oklahoma: 2
Unless the NFL wants athletes who are not athletic and slow, I think the Buckeyes got something going here. Schools like Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, LSU, Texas, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State start it with roughly the same (if not better for SEC schools and USC) talent. Ohio State takes four and five star recruits and turns them into NFL prospects. Do you remember the development that Troy Smith made between his junior and senior year? It is called coaching. Did you see the development that Chad Henne made between his first and last Ohio State game? No? That is why Michigan has lost 6 of 7 to Ohio State. You always hear commentators talk about the Jim Tressel coached prospect. You never hear about the athletes Bob Stoops, Tommy Tuberville Les Miles or Mack Brown have coached up. The answer is quite simple. Great players will fall into their laps (Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell, Adrian Peterson and the like), but they don’t coach players up.
Kudos to Ohio State for the players they have developed (they will be rewarded on draft day)
Well, I hope any starry-eyed recruits out there that read this junk heap of a blog take notice. You play for Coach Tressel and the following things happen: you win Big Ten trophies, you compete for national titles (hopefully win another one before too long), and when you’re ready, you play on Sundays and Tressel is there to help you on each step along the way (including paperwork).
These are very impressive facts that any discerning recruit (Pryor/Jenkins) should make note of. If football is going to be your college major, then you should attend the best football college you possibly can. Somehere, someone should be ranking schools on the personnel/staff they pump into professional sports (including college/high school staffers)
Think about it a minute: Most colleges/universities acknowledge the need to train professionals for all major industries EXCEPT for professional sports. ‘Sup wit dat? Professional/amateur sports: players, coaches, trainers, etc… is a very large industry. Bigger, than say, theoretical physics, astronomy, or even genetic engineering (I’m guessing, of course.)
Why are most other professional careers getting degrees (BS/MS/PhD), while those involved in sports get, at best, “related” degrees (communications, education, business administration, etc…), and “apprenticeship” in their career field. Hell, even horseshoers can get a degree, even a bona fide PhD (see http://www.dougbutler.com/ ), why can’t you do the same for sports? Of course, there are *some* related degrees in sports medicine, and such, but the direct participants (coaches/players) don’t get this courtesy. Probably because a “game” cannot be construed as a serious industry (while at the same time, gambling on it is a very serious industry). Probably, somewhere, someone is actually trying to do just that (but again, I’m guessing).
I’d sure like to see The Ohio State University take the bull by the horns, and bring Coach Tressel’s underground sports college up to see the light of day. Offer directly applicable degrees in related sports fields, and serve the sports industry in a more noble manner. There are 10’s of thousands of jobs, where, a degree in sports/coaching/whatnot would be directly applicable. OSU, show some cojones!
… but I digress….
I do like the list of noteworthy Buckeyes, but have concern over just one of them: Beanie Wells (Forgive me! I have sinned!!!!)
His soundness issues may give some teams pause for thought. Hopefully his junior year can answer those questions.
Beanie Well’s nagging injuries are a major concern for me. He is wait and see for me. If he can repeat his numbers and stay health, he is a top 5 hands down.