"Rookie Super Bowl Starters"

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"Rookie Super Bowl Starters" - Scouting Reports from Draft Insiders' Yearbook -March '06
 
    The Bears selected Devin Hester in the 2nd round and he set new NFL records with 6 returns for TDs. He was rated the top return specialist by Draft Insiders' and the #4 wide receiver while every other publication ranked him as a cornerback and beyond the top 25 prospects at that position. The Bears selected DE Mark Anderson in the 5th round and he was a force as a pass rusher. He was ranked in the top 50 prospects in Draft Insiders Yearbook and not selected until the 5th round in the draft process.

The Colts selected Joseph Addai on the first round and he has been a key performer replacing Edgerrin James. Safety Antoine Bethea was an early starter for the Colts secondary and has been a steady performer after being selected in the 6th round

Joseph Addai  #10 - 5â€™11â€? 210 lbs. - LSU - Sp. 4.45   Rating 84                
  Hindu Theory - Willie Parker
Lanky athletic tailback responded with an excellent final season for the Tigersâ€™ talented offense after sharing the starting role over his earlier seasons. Joseph was part of the deep Tiger backfield that has helped them to the top of the SEC over recent seasons. He claimed the starting job early this season and never relinquished the role. He is a smooth shifty runner who combines quickness, power and good speed to get outside and break a big play. He has struggled through injuries over his career, but answered the injury concerns as a senior. He is a slashing runner with the overall development to challenge for a starting job in the NFL fairly early in his career. SSHe was one of the nationâ€™s best runners during the '05 college season and gave the Tigersâ€™ offense a tough inside and outside runner who balanced their attack well. As a receiver, he developed quickly as a route runner and picked up assignments fast, enabling him to be a big play performer in that role and a game breaker in his short career. He has fine speed with the ability to hit the hole quickly and accelerate to the 2nd level easily where his speed and natural running skills allow him to pressure a defense. He is an aggressive runner who is tough on the inside where he displays the short burst of speed to take advantage of openings and the quick lateral movement to get to the outside. He is a well-built athlete with a strong frame and the body type to be a pro feature back. He runs in a somewhat straight up style that is a concern, but he has shown to be difficult to tackle when he squares his shoulders and hits the hole with quickness and power. He has the quickness of a smaller back and is capable of making the corner consistently with the speed to break the play. He shows the ability to change directions and bounce outside with an assortment of moves in the hole. He finishes his runs well with both power and body lean, getting the most of each rushing attempt. He has the burst of speed that allows him to get to the second level consistently and break the big play. As a receiver, he has natural talent and made nice progress in that area, but struggled at the Senior Bowl in that role. He can be dangerous after the catch and shows good pass catching ability with a fine sense for coverage and route running. As a blocker, he was rarely asked to perform that duty and how fast he picks up those assignments will dictate his early playing time as a pro.
The Numbers:  During the '05 season, he rushed for 911 yards on 187 carries for a 4.9 yard per carry and 9 TDs. He added 20 receptions for 180 yards and an additional 1 TD. As a junior, he ran for 680 yards on 101 carries and 3 TDs with 26 receptions for 294 yards and another 4 TDs. Over his career, he totaled 18 rushing TDs and 6 receiving TDs on 46 receptions. He averaged over 5 yards a carry over his career. At the combine, he ran a fine 4.41 time with 18 reps in the lifting, a 38.5â€? VL and 10â€™5â€? BJ.  
The Skinny:   Quick senior tailback is a fast rising prospect off his best season as a collegian. He has the overall talent to be a good NFL feature back, but must address his injury history and surprising receiving problems at the Senior Bowl. He is a quick runner that uses his fine size very effectively as an inside runner. His well-developed receiving skills should warrant early playing time and possibly win the 3rd down role as a rookie. He may be a rookie starter if he shows the ability to pick up the blitz as a blocker. He is a combination of size, speed and quickness that is most similar to the Steelersâ€™ Willie Parker. As a senior, this big play tailback showed the toughness and durability that was missing as an underclassman. One of the most well developed complete runners in this class who continues to improve.
                                                                                        Draft Projection: 1st Round

* Devin Hester  #4 - 5â€™10â€? 190 lbs. - Miami - Sp. 4.45                     Rating 80                  
  Hindu Theory - R.W. McQuarters 
Fast big play junior declared for the NFL Draft â€™06 after a career on both sides of the ball for Miami. Devin was a surprise addition to this draft class after limited playing time on either side of the ball over his final season. He is one of the premier all-purpose players in the nation with the ability to fill a few key roles on a club. He is a fast smallish athlete with explosiveness once he gets his hands on the ball to break any play whether as a runner, receiver or return specialist. He has the speed and the suddenness to become a fine pro game breaker with further development. His athleticism has allowed him to play a few roles, but also hindered his development in any one particular position. His best pro positions will be punt returner, 3rd down back and slot receiver, which will take advantage of his fine running and big play skills. As a collegian, he did not produce the numbers expected, mainly due to an inconsistent young passer and several positional changes. He is an athlete and fine playmaker who lacks imposing size to be considered a #1 receiver, but he has the playmaking ability to be an impact performer in a few roles. He is a fast receiver who uses his speed well and is capable of filling the slot receiver role early in his pro career if he shows fast development as a route runner. He has fine openfield running skills that will allow him to pressure a defense on the shorter routes. He also needs further development in his strength and defense recognition to be ready for extended playing time. In â€™05 he played in 10 games with 15 carries for 94 yards for a fine 6.3 yard average with 0 TDs and a long run of 36 yards. He caught 5 passes for 55 yards and 0 TDs with a long of 24 yards. As a punt returner, he had 22 returns for 312 yards for a fine 14.2 yard average with 1 TD and a long of 48 yards. As a kickoff returner, he had 7 returns for 113 yards and a weak 16.1 yard average with 0 TDs and a long of 33 yards. He also added 1 interception with limited time on defense. Over his career, he had 6 TDs as a return specialist with four coming as a punt returner. As a sophomore in â€™04, he had 3 punt returns and 1 kickoff for scores with an outstanding 17.2 yard average as a punt returner. Teams kicked away from him regularly, which gave Miami tremendous field position throughout the season. As a junior, he started 1 game at tailback, 1 game at fullback, 2 games at nickel corner and 1 game at cornerback. As a receiver, he made 1 catch for 25 yards with 0 TDs while as a runner he had 5 carries for 40 yards and 1 TD. On the corner, he made 17 tackles with 2 PBU and 4 interceptions in 3 starts. He a smallish versatile athlete who combines speed and quickness to fill a number of roles for a pro club, but best suited to the receiver role and return duties. He could fill in on the corner with nice experience there. As a receiver, he is very quick off the line and is able to retain his speed well in his cuts that allows him to create nice separation in his patterns. He will have to show the ability to fight through the bump and run that will be critical if he expects to play at the NFL level. His smallish size is a concern and he will be fully tested by that technique as a pro. He needs definite strength work to get off the line and stay on his routes. His good speed allows him to be dangerous after the catch and he is especially dangerous as a slot receiver matched up vs. nickel cornerbacks. Athletically, he is similar to R.W. McQuarters who played both corner and receiver. As a receiver, he is similar to players like Az Hakim and Terrence Wilkins in size, athleticism and speed.  He is a playmaker who did not realize his potential without his position defined and the lack of a top pro style passer directing the offense. Whether he will compete for the ball and make the tough catch over the middle is suspect at this point. He has good open field running skills after the catch, relying on his quickness to separate and the elusiveness to be dangerous in the open field. He lacks good functional strength that probably limits his role in the NFL and if he wins the slot receiver role, he needs to show the ability to get off the jam consistently. His athleticism should allow him to compete for a No.3 wideout slot or 3rd down roles early in his pro career. Top punt returner with impact ability. At the combine, he ran a 4.43 time and had a 38â€? VJ and a 10â€™4" BJ. Speedy playmaker with experience to contribute immediately in different roles. Marginal top 60 prospect and fine mid 1st day pick with the ability to start in time. He may never be more than a deluxe role player, though a highly productive performer in those roles.                                                                                                        
                            Draft Projection: 2nd Round

Mark Anderson  #47- 6â€™4" 255 lbs. - Alabama - Sp. 4.6                   Rating 88                             
   Hindu Theory - Derrick Burgess
Quick athletic defender has become a key part of the tough Alabama defense that ranks nationally. Mark is a relentless pass rusher who attacks the line of scrimmage and makes plays in the backfield. He has ranked with the top speed rushers in the SEC the past two seasons. He has very good functional strength and performs well vs. the run both at the point of attack and in pursuit. Though he received little national attention with star linebackers on his unit, he was one of the key performers on their ranked defense. He is a solid productive unspectacular defender who is well developed in most areas. As a senior, he started 12 games and had 40 tackles with 14 TFL of 62 yards, 7.5 sacks with 42 yards lost, 7 QB hurries, 1 blocked kick and 1 FF. As a junior, he had 41 tackles with 11 TFL of 40 yards, 2 sacks with 8 QB hurries, 2 PBU, 2 FR and 2 FF. He has played both sides of the line and provided both speed and power to grade out high at each spot. He may be the nationâ€™s most underrated performer at the position. As a senior, he had a big Florida game when he registered 2 sacks and 1 FF that were instrumental in there big 31-3 victory. He is a muscular athlete who plays bigger than the usual 255 lb. defender. He is a high motor, edge rusher who has long arms and strong hands that allows him to separate quickly from blockers. He is very quick off the ball and getting upfield. This allows him to shoot the gaps and gain nice penetration. He reads plays quickly and has the athletic ability to flatten out when coming down the line from the backside in pursuit. He can change directions and redirect fairly well and has made plays late on the down on effort and instincts. He can be late at times to read and react to a play and needs to be consistent using leverage and use of hands to shed blockers. He is a strong competitor that will close decisively when he wins the edge and has improved the ability to hip flip to counter well back to the inside. He has added some pass rush moves and needs to continue to develop moves and technique to turn the corner more consistently. He displays fine strength to hold the point vs. the run and has improved to stack vs. a double-team. He has the strength to compete for a starting job as a left defensive end. He is similar to 4-3 ends like Derrick Burgess, Chike Okeafor and Leonard Little who have played well on the strongside despite some size concerns. He has good toughness and can be a physical player despite marginal size and he has been very productive in some big games. At the combine, he ran 4.61 time, had a 42â€? VJ, a 10â€™7â€? BJ and did 24 reps in the lifting in one of the best overall workouts at the event. He could help immediately as a pass rusher, and become a fulltime starter after some technique development. He has the talent to become a fine every down defender over his career. Probable 1st day pick and possibly as early as a 2nd round selection. Top 50 prospect with nice potential to become an NFL starter with further refinement. Tough underrated defender with the ability to become a reliable starter on a front four.
                             Draft Projection: 2nd-3rd Round

Antoine Bethea  #2 - 5â€™11â€? 200 lbs. - Howard - Sp. 4.51           Rating 65
Tough athletic small college safety completed a fine career in the MEAC, earning 1st team honors over past three seasons. Antoine is a top athlete who performed brilliantly at the NFL Combine, improving his draft status significantly. He is an aggressive defender who will come up and fill the hole and deliver strong hits. He has more than adequate size with excellent speed and agility that was validated at the combine. He moves well and uses his very good speed to easily match up with backs and receivers. He shows good ball instincts with the ability to stay on his feet and get through traffic to make the big stop. He is an athletic and aggressive safety that has good ball instincts and reactions and shows the range to go sideline to sideline. He is a productive big playmaker that dominated at a lower level of competition and registered over 300 career tackles. He played much bigger than his actual size and was a big hitter that totaled 12 career forced fumbles. He tackles with power and aggression and has developed a strip move that will help him make a team this summer. Over his career, he has played through pain and shown game-to-game consistency. He has been a difference maker in many games and at times he will overreact and attempt to do too much and overrun plays. In pass coverage, he has been more comfortable in zones where he can rotate to his side and perform his responsibilities. He has the athleticism to match up better in man situations, but needs reps and play and recognition skills to improve in that role. He has the athletic makeup to also project to cornerback with fine triangle numbers, but virtually no experience there and a long learning curve. At the combine, he ran 4.42 and 4.45 times with 19 reps in the lifting. He did a 36.5â€? VJ and a 10â€™7â€? BJ with fine agility drills. He ranked with the top defensive backs in all categories and probably earned a draft grade on that effort after an impressive career at the Division I-AA level. He made all the secondary coverage calls in college and displayed fine intangibles over his career. His top speed, fine tackling and tough demeanor should get him a job on special teams coverage units early in the career and earn him time to settle into a base defense, most likely at strong safety. Probable starter in time with fine upside. Very good late pick.

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