Draft expert breaks down prospects by position on NFL Total Access this week
Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall No. 1 RB; USC's Sedrick Ellis tops among DTs
The “Path to the Draft” continues on NFL Network this week as draft expert Mike Mayock releases his top five prospects by position and his overall top 20 draft prospects heading into next week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
NFL Network's exclusive coverage of the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine presented by Reebok begins Thursday, Feb. 21.
In all, NFL Network will televise 26 hours of live, high-definition combine coverage. NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" kicked off in January with 19 hours of original programming over six days at the Under Armour Senior Bowl.
This week on NFL Total Access, Mayock will preview his top draft prospects by position:
With Xs and Os breakdowns from this past season, Mayock explains why Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall beats out Arkansas' Darren McFadden as his top running back and why USC's Sedrick Ellis gets the edge over LSU's Glenn Dorsey at defensive tackle.
Mayock's pre-combine thoughts and player rankings are as follows:
Mayock on Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall vs. Arkansas' Darren McFadden: "Mendenhall translates better to the NFL game. He's 225 pounds and has great feet and tremendous burst and acceleration for a player of his size. My biggest concern with McFadden is that although he also has great burst and acceleration, I don't think he has the lower body strength that you're looking for in a first-round NFL back."
Mayock on USC's Sedrick Ellis vs. LSU's Glenn Dorsey: "They are both great football players and it's a very difficult evaluation between the two as to who is better because they are both top-10 picks. What I like about Ellis is that he played nose tackle in a 3-4 defense at USC and that will appeal to 3-4 NFL teams. In addition, he will also appeal to the 4-3 teams because he has the quickness to play the "three technique." Dorsey is a great football player and I give him credit for playing through injuries the past few years. However his durability is a concern."
Mike Mayock's top 20 (as of Feb. 12, 2008)**
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Mayock's top 20
- Matt Ryan - QB, Boston College
- Sedrick Ellis – DT, USC
- Chris Long - DE, Virginia
- Glenn Dorsey – DT, LSU
- Vernon Gholston – DE, Ohio State
- Jake Long – OL, Michigan
- Ryan Clady – OL, Boise State
- Keith Rivers – LB, USC
- Phillip Merling – DE, Clemson
- Leodis McKelvin – CB, Troy
- Brandon Flowers – CB, Virginia Tech
- Rashard Mendenhall – RB, Illinois
- Jeff Otah – OL, Pittsburgh
- Derrick Harvey – DE, Florida
- Kentwan Balmer – DT, North Carolina
- Aqib Talib – CB, Kansas
- Chris Williams – OL, Vanderbilt
- Mario Manningham – WR, Michigan
- Limas Sweed – WR, Texas
- Branden Albert – OL, Virginia
** Rankings subject to change
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