I am proud to present a first look at the blossoming talent in the college football landscape. Listed below are five players from the Big Ten Conference who I am especially interested in watching progress this year. Happy reading!

Mike Martin DT, Michigan (Jr): [6'2" /299 lbs]

Hulk-like strength (505 lb. bench press/ 700 lb. squat), top notch quickness ( 4.9  40-yard dash), combined with unparalleled conditioning  make this nose tackle a disruptive force.  Previously overshadowed by standout DE Brandon Graham, 2010 could be  Martin’s year to shine.

Cameron Heyward DT, Ohio State (Sr): [6'5"/ 288 lbs]

Powerful bull rusher with prototypical size and length for NFL 3-4 defensive end. Good production (6.5 sacks/10 TFL) and a high motor last season. Lacks bulk to play interior d- line at the next level. Needs to learn more pass rush moves.

Adrian Clayborn DE, Iowa (Sr): [6'4"/ 285 lbs]

An especially productive ’09 campaign (11.5 sacks/20 TFL) placed this Iowa DE on every scouting watch list.  Clayborn’s great size and power make him a punishing tackler and smothering run defender. Yet, he has proven to be an equally adept pass rusher and can really push the pocket and get after the quarterback. Most definitely, Clayborn will draw keen interest as a 5-technique DE.

Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State (Sr): [6'1"/240 lbs]

Whenever a linebacker tallies 154 tackles in a season, he must be doing something right. Greg Jones is a diminutive linebacker but has very good instincts and field sense. His ability to be in the right place at the right time makes him stand out from the pack.  If he aspires to having a career in the NFL, it will be important for him to become more aggressive in taking on blockers in run defense.

Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin (Sr): [6'7"/327 lbs]

This Wisconsin native has 36 career starts, including 13 as a red-shirt freshman. In that time, this big red giant has shown flashes of dominance, but this season he needs to show better consistency, as well as an ability to handle speed on the edge.

Last time, I chronicled my initial thoughts on Pete Carroll and his pre-draft strategy.  I posed some possible reasons why he might have opted to build his team around former players, and gave examples in the modern NFL.  Today, I will answer the question I left you with:

Why did Pete Carroll overlook his USC boys during the draft, in favor of  talented, yet unfamiliar athletes?

My initial reaction to Carroll overlooking his guys was that “he must not think that highly of his players.” We have heard Carroll sing the praises of players like Taylor Mays for several years, but when Carroll had to put his money where his mouth was, his actions spoke louder than his words ( please excuse my  excessive use of cliche’ phrases in that sentence).

Although I think there may be a grain of truth in there somewhere, there is a more savvy interpretation of Pete’s actions.    As a business with large monetary consequences for selecting certain players, the NFL is different than the NCAA. As an NFL coach, Pete Carroll can only afford to  select players with the best chance of helping his team.  The draft only grants a team approximately 7 picks, whereas the NCAA allows a school to recruit around 25 players per season. Missing on a prospect in college costs the school much less than a missed draft choice in the NFL.

I wholeheartedly believe that Pete Carroll likes his USC players, but many of his USC boys weren’t good values from a need and fit perspective.

Taylor Mays

The Seahawks were desperate for a safety, and they made it a priority to come away with one before the draft was over. USC safety Taylor Mays’ connection to Pete Carroll made a reunion in Seattle a likely possibility. However, Mays’ strong safety style of play, plus his general lack of ball skills would not fill the Seahawks dire need for a playmaking, ball hawking safety like the one they got in Earl Thomas.

Charles Brown

The left tackle prospect had loads of upside, but his ability to step into an NFL starting lineup was questionable at best.  Brown weighs in or around 290 pounds, and would have to get significantly stronger before his body would be ready to handle the stronger and bigger defensive ends in the league.

The Seahawks offensive line has been a sore spot for a sputtering offense. And the ‘Hawks needed to come away with an immediate starter.  From a value standpoint, the team picked an excellent prospect in Russell Okung- a player who should be able to contribute much more quickly than Charles Brown. Both the Earl Thomas pick and the Russell Okung selection were outstanding values. Pete Carroll swept up two of the highest rated players in the draft because they somehow managed to slip a few picks.  Okung was regarded by some as the top tackle prospect of the year, and they go him at #6 overall. Earl Thomas was rumored to go as early as #7 overall, and was arguably the best safety in this draft class.

Everson Griffen

Letting Griffen go to the 4th round was a real head scratcher.  The ‘Hawks could have packaged some trivial draft picks to move up 10 spots in the 4th round to get Everson Griffen. Defensive end is a big need, and Griffen would have brought considerably more athleticism to that front.   The lack of action on Carroll’s part does lead me to believe that he wasn’t too keen on bringing him to Seattle.  The guy has big-time potential. Perhaps Carroll knew him well enough to steer clear of Griffen and his emotional baggage?

A major storyline during this 2010 NFL Draft, for me, was seeing how Pete Carroll would value his former USC players. Would he build his

Pete Carroll (NFL.com)

Seahawks with a foundation of USC products?

Based on the near-daily reports regarding the Seahawks trade talks for former USC players during free agency (Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart), plus the signings of Lendale White and Mike Williams, I thought it was a slam dunk that Carroll would be eyeing the opportunity to build his program with familiar names.

Every indication led me to believe that Carroll placed added value to players he recruited and coached for years- players he had known intimately.

To some degree that has been the case, but certainly not to the extent that I anticipated.

Often, coaches will recruit players they have priors with because it removes the risk factor that uncertainty brings, especially in the draft process. You see examples of this all the time in the NFL.

In Detroit, new coach Jim Schwartz went after former Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, OL Daniel Loper, and CB Eric King, while OC Scott Linehan insisted on bringing in Nate Burleson from Seattle.

In Denver, HC Josh McDaniels immediately tried to trade for his pupil from New England Matt Cassel. However, former co-worker  Scott Pioli jumped in front and picked up Patriots Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassel.

In the draft process, coaches and front offices will show a similar regard for players coming from coaches with whom they have a connection.

Bill Belichick has a strong bond with Florida head coach Urban Meyer, and this relationship of trust was evident in New England’s draft picks.   Second round picks Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes, as well as fourth rounder Aaron Hernandez all hail from the Sunshine State.

In essence, coaches and front office personnel place notable value on players with whom they have prior connections.  So why did Pete Carroll overlook his USC boys during the draft, in favor of  unfamiliar athletes?

Check on Monday or Tuesday to hear the answer!

The first round (and now the 2nd and 3rd, too) of the 2010 NFL Draft is in the books, it seems appropriate to compare the mock draft results of some of the internet’s most well-known figures. In other words, which mock drafts were most accurate as reliable sources of information.

Excluded from this list is the mock of Mike Mayock because I couldn’t find his final predictions (if anyone has that info, I would love to add it in).

For simplicity, the results are based on number of selections which correctly predicted the player, team, and position.

Also, thanks to GhostWriter for sending me the results for Kiper and McShay.

Congratulations to all the mock drafters here. But especially Mr. Nawrocki, who produced the most accurate mock draft I could find. Every year, his predictions are very well-documented, and are an outstanding read for any draft fan.

I am also very pleased with how my mock fared as well. This year’s product appears to be among the most accurate of any mock draft found on the internet. I am just super excited that all my hard work paid off