We are continuing on in Collegiate Scouting 101, your survey class introducing you to the intricacies of analyzing player talent. This class will be taught by Professor Bent, and will culminate with the 2006 NFL Draft. Performance in the draft will constitute 100% of your final grade…

Whilst the Jets major headache at the moment is probably the quarterback position, they will certainly be looking at how best to “protect their investment” – whoever that may be. Widely considered to be a talented crop, this year's Offensive Tackle pool has several prime candidates for the task.

There are several names here that would represent an immediate upgrade over last year's opening day starter, Jason “I’m old” Fabini. That's why I like the idea of selecting a tackle in the first round. The team will immediately be improved at that position, something that would be less certain if the Jets were to select a quarterback or a running back, because while that would probably be an upgrade over Bollinger and Houston, it would not necessarily be an upgrade over a healthy Pennington and a healthy Martin. Not to mention the fact that the probability of those two being kept healthy will be much greater with an improved line.

Terry Bradway attracted a lot of criticism for neglecting to address this position during last year's draft. It's unfathomable that the Jets will make the same mistake again. Look for the Jets to pick up a tackle in the first or second round. With Fabini looking certain to be released, the Jets will have to decide whether Adrian Jones will be the left tackle, the right tackle or neither (they may even consider moving him to guard).

The Ten Biggest Names (Day One Picks?)

For most of the year, it was considered that there were four tackles worthy of a first round draft selection. Dubbed “the big four” by certain sections of the media, you had D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Marcus McNeil, Eric Winston and Jonathan Scott. The early entry of Winston Justice has added to this group. There are then a group of players who were widely considered to be a notch below this top group but still good value as day one picks, namely Andrew Whitworth, Jeremy Trueblood, Darren Colledge and Ryan O'Callahan. Finally, you have Joe Toledo who some sites have predicted will go higher than expected.

Barring a pre-draft day trade (which I am not ruling out, by the way), the media in New York will be asking “Is D'Brick the pick?” in the run-up to the draft. Ferguson has been touted as the top tackle in the draft all year long (as well as, by some, the best player overall) and his performance at the Senior Bowl only served to consolidate his position. Ferguson possesses tremendous mobility but his main strength is pass protection, where his footwork and technique is considered flawless.

There are some concerns: Can he add weight to his 295lb frame? (Probably). Can he improve his run blocking? (I believe he already has and he is powerful enough to continue to develop in this area). There was also concern that he was beaten on an inside move by Darryl Tapp against Virginia and then by the same move by Mark Anderson with “the world” watching at the Senior Bowl, but these were errors that a player with the technical ability of Ferguson should be able to eliminate in future with a bit of work. I was also impressed by his interview, he has a laid-back, but focused demeanour, somewhat reminiscent of Jonathan Vilma.

Will D'Brickashaw be available at number four anyway, and if he is, do the Jets select him, or trade down to select one of the other top tackle prospects? I felt Ferguson was indeed the most impressive lineman I saw this year, but there are plenty of other options that would be an upgrade over Fabini.

McNeil’s stock seems to have slipped since last year, when he toyed with the idea of coming out early. At 6’9″ and 340 lbs, he has ideal size, but is considered somewhat raw. He has good mobility for his size (which he best displayed with a pass reception on a tipped ball at the senior bowl) and decent footwork. Auburn employs a zonal blocking system, similar to the one the Jets tried to implement last year, and it produced good numbers for Cadillac Williams and Kenny Irons over the last few years. Concerns over the state of his back may be responsible for his apparent slide into the latter part of the first round. McNeil has good character though, which may pique the interest of the new regime.

Winston is a pass blocking specialist, who came off a serious knee injury in 2004. Miami’s offense struggled in the early part of the season, giving up a lot of sacks (although few came from Winston’s side). The former TE opens holes and lanes in the running game, but it is in pass protection where he is most comfortable. One of his best performances of the year came against one of the country’s best pass rushers in Darryl Tapp, although Tapp still had some success when he was not directly matched up with Winston.

Jonathan Scott also impressed me with his pass protection. He seemed to be virtually immovable. Texas had Justin Blalock at the other tackle who excels in the running game (and will move to guard in 2006), so Scott’s main job was to give Vince Young time to work. His Father used to play for the Jets and he doubles as a long snapper (although the Jets already have two of those in Dearth and Dreessen).

Winston Justice sounds like the sort of name they should have given to Robocop (much better than “Murphy”). With Matt Leinart being a southpaw, he played RT last year to protect Leinart’s blind side. Will he immediately be as comfortable on the left (as he will more than likely play for a team that has a “northpaw” at QB), or should he stick to the right side? He’s a mobile 300 lber and excels in pass protection. He even scored a TD (on a fumble recovery) against Washington State. Here is another test for the USC-Indy theory though…did Justice look better than he actually was due to all the weapons on the field?

Colledge is the first of the guys from the second tier. He was the most impressive of the linemen from the high powered offense that played on the “Smurf Turf” at Boise State. However, his stock may be falling after an uninspiring week at the Senior Bowl. He did not give up a sack from his sophomore season onwards, but he was beaten by Elvis Dumervil in the Senior Bowl and struggled with Mathius Kiwanuka at the MPC Computers Bowl. He seems to get overpowered by elite linemen.

O’Callahan is absolutely huge (6’7″, 363 lbs) and also sound in pass protection. He sometimes mowed people over at the NCAA level. There is some talk about him maybe switching to guard at the next level, but he is currently projected as a tackle. He played RT last season and currently looks like could sneak into the second round.

Andrew Whitworth has been described as “king-sized”. I hope that doesn’t mean he is seven inches tall! He displays solid footwork to stay in front of pass rushers and gets downfield in the running game. He should easily be off the board by the end of the first day.

Trueblood is an interesting case. He also stands at 6’9″, but is just 320 lbs. He looks extremely impressive when pulling to make a block and battles hard. At first look, I was wowed by this guy. On closer inspection, there are apparent weaknesses. This was best illustrated in his match up with Tapp earlier on in the season. Tapp often blows by people with speed, but Trueblood was able to stay in front of him in the first half with good footwork, effort and technique. Towards the end of the game, Tapp stepped up the pressure in the second half, eventually using a bull-rush to overpower Trueblood, leading to a key defensive score. From this, we can summarise that while Trueblood is mobile, he maybe lacks strength – at 6’9″ it is difficult to get leverage against smaller, more powerful guys like Tapp – and stamina could be an issue too. He has potential though, if he can overcome these issues.

Toledo slid under the radar for much of the year because he has only recently converted to tackle from the tight end position. He struggled with a few ankle problems last year. From having seen him at the East West Shrine Game, I can report that he is extremely adept at “holding his f**king water”.

The New Guard

There are a few top quality prospects that are projected to be guards in the NFL, but also played tackle in college. I will discuss these in more detail when I look at interior linemen, but they all represent sensible picks for a team looking to improve their depth on the offensive line, due to their versatility.

These guys are as follows (in no particular order):

· Charles Spencer
· Troy Reddick
· Max Jean-Gilles
· Robbie Sims
· Davin Joseph
· Albert Toeaina

Of course, there’s every chance that some of the other guys on this list will eventually move to guard, but for the time being, they are all mainly projected as tackles.

Best of the Rest

• Rashad Butler – Miami’s line got better over the course of the season, but Butler had his struggles earlier in the year. Not to be confused with Rasual Butler who played basketball in Miami until this season.
• Na’shan Goddard – Especially good in the running game. Pulls a lot, with impressive mobility. OK in pass protection.
• Willie Hall – Early entry candidate from Middle Tennessee. 6’6″ and 305 lbs. May go undrafted.
• Jami Hightower – With a name like Hightower, he has to be an imposing figure. Unfortunately, he was hurt and missed the only Texas A&M game broadcast in the UK this year. However, I can report that the rest of the A&M line was made up of a guy who makes sound effects, a timid woman with a squeaky voice, a gun obsessed weirdo and Steve Guttenburg.
• Travis Leffew – Destined to be nicknamed “Pepe” – if he is not already. I’d love to be able to tell you that (a) he stinks and (b) he “whiffed” on a few blocks when I saw him play, but sadly, he did OK. Plays both tackle postions and is solid in both the running and passing game.
• Jabari Levey – “The Hutt” – as he should be called (if he is not already), is not as mobile as his teammate Goddard, but has good footwork, battles well and protects soundly. With Goddard banged up at the end of the season, he was equally impressive at both tackle positions.

• Jimmy Martin – A durable guy, who made over 40 straight starts for Virginia Tech despite not being a big name recruit out of high school. He is OK, but is occasionally beaten for speed by fast DEs. Hoping to be a late round selection.
• Derek Morris – Highly rated junior entering the draft early. Mammoth 330-pounder, not to be confused with Derek Morris, the 200 lb Phoenix Coyotes defenseman.
• Terrence Pennington – Crafty marketing ploy by the Jets to pick this guy in the seventh round and stick him on the active roster. Then everyone with a Pennington replica jersey will have to get another that says “C. Pennington” on the back. Or perhaps not.
• Tre Stallings – Played right tackle for Ole Miss and they ran behind him a lot. Does a decent job of protecting the QB. Good size and strength.
• Adam Stenavich – Saw his stock slide a bit this year after a difficult 2005 campaign that saw him banged up for much of the season. No longer considered a likely first day pick, he is strong in the running game and picks up blitzers well.

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