CPD
Sunday's spotlight beckons to OSU's stars
Friday, November 10, 2006Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- One NFL scout who has watched Ohio State's Troy Smith and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn finds one main difference in his evaluation of the two senior quarterbacks.
"You can find film on Quinn where you go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, I don't know,' whether it be the first half of Michigan State, the whole Michigan game," said the scout. "You can't find that with Smith. This guy has quality film the entire time he's been the starting quarterback."
But the scout, who works for an AFC team, admits not every NFL team will be as high on Smith as he is come draft time. Though he likes Smith as a late first-round pick, he could see Smith falling to the second round. But his final evaluation on the Buckeyes senior will read like this:
"Regardless of where this guy is selected, this is going to be a quality NFL starter, period. There's no evidence for me to think otherwise."
The analysis of several NFL draft experts finds Smith with a lot of positives but one nagging question - his height. Despite that, he's one of three Buckeyes who sound like possible first-round picks in April. Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has been called a possible top-10 pick by one NFL general manager if he leaves Ohio State after his junior year, which most analysts think he'll do. Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock is considered the top senior tackle prospect by some observers, while others rate him much lower as a hard-working player without big-time NFL size or skill.
Other
OSU prospects include senior Doug Datish, rated by some as the No. 1 center prospect; junior receiver Anthony Gonzalez and junior running back Antonio Pittman, who could go no later than the third round if they come out early; defensive tackle David Patterson for the fourth round or later; and two surprise players of interest, receiver Roy Hall and cornerback Antonio Smith.
The breakdowns:
Troy Smith: "If he was a little taller, he'd be a lock for the first round," said Scott Wright, founder of NFLdraftcountdown.com. "But there's nothing he can really do about that."
Smith is listed as 6-1 in the Ohio State media guide, but one scout has him as an unconfirmed 6-0 on his evaluation, and some won't be surprised if he officially measures out a bit shorter.
"If he's measured under 6 foot, that could be a problem," one scout said.
"I think he'll be a mid-second-rounder because NFL teams have a real bias against short quarterbacks," said Russ Lande, a former Browns scout who's now an NFL draft analyst for The Sporting News. "But people agree this guy is a legit quarterback, and he's a take-charge guy with a great arm who can make all the throws."
Others don't care about the height.
Rob Rang, a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, likes Smith, though he rates him behind Quinn, Michigan State's Drew Stanton and Louisville junior Brian Brohm.
"There have been enough players in the league that have gotten past the height issue," Rang said. "You see his game and think he can be a first-round pick because he's just a natural leader with that combination of passing ability and running ability that every team is looking for right now. I think that some teams in the first round will consider him if he continues to show he's matured."
Ted Ginn: Ginn chose not to run at Ohio State's pro day last year, so scouts are drooling, waiting for their first chance to time him officially in the 40.
"If I look down at my watch and it reads sub 4.2, I wouldn't be shocked," said the AFC scout, talking about rare air for NFL players. "I'd expect at least 4.25. Last year, Santonio Holmes ran a 4.34 on my watch, and on film, Ginn made Holmes' speed look average."
Analysts see Ginn as unpolished, but Lande called him the fastest player he's ever seen. That will make Ginn some money. He'd probably be the second receiver picked, behind Georgia Tech junior Calvin Johnson.
"I'd say he'll go top five to top 15 just because of that one thing he's got," Rang said. "His ability to make big plays has been there his entire career. I absolutely see him as a Joey Galloway clone. He didn't have great route-running or hands, but he was a playmaker."
Galloway was taken by Seattle with the eighth pick of the 1995 draft.
Quinn Pitcock: He's rated seventh on the senior draft board of ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and has more than a few fans.
"There's always going to be five, six, seven guys on the defensive line in the first round," Wright said, "and Pitcock is far and away the number one senior tackle."
But the AFC scout believes Pitcock is overrated as a prospect, and Lande agrees.
"I've heard people talk about him as a first-round pick, but I wouldn't draft him," Lande said. "I'm not the only voice on this. Some people view him as a third- or fourth-rounder, but I can't warm up to the kid."
Gonzalez and Pittman: Pittman said recently he wants to come back to school and win the Heisman, "but if he considers going out, I see him as a second- or third-round pick," Rang said. "I like him. He reminds me of Curtis Martin when Curtis Martin came out."
Martin was a third-round pick out of Pitt in 1995 and went on to become the NFL's fourth all-time leading rusher.
Gonzalez said this week he plans to return as well, "and he's so good now, he could leave early, but I think he'd be better off staying in school," Rang said.
"The NFL isn't going away," Gonzalez said. "At the end of the year, I can't see myself deciding to leave, I really can't. There's so much about being a senior I want to experience. Giving a senior speech at camp, giving a rose to someone at the senior banquet, the potential to be a captain. My mom will kill me if I don't give her a rose. Those things to me seem more valuable than leaving early. It's something I'll think about at the end of the season.' "
