Texas, USC boast great first-round prospects

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, January 05, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

While watching the Rose Bowl last night between USC and Texas, it
occurred to me that both teams have some incredible NFL prospects.
Each team brought a great, NFL-ready quarterback to the table. There
were also great players at other positions that seem ready to make the
jump to the NFL. In this article, I'll talk about the best players on
both sides that should make for great first-round draft choices.

-Reggie Bush, junior running back, USC. Bush, this year's Heisman
trophy winner, is a remarkable blend of power and speed. He managed
to rush for an astounding 1,740 yards on 8.7 yards per carry. He also
caught 37 passes for 478 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In total,
Bush had 18 touchdowns. However, he was underutilized by head coach
Pete Carroll in the national title game and that --in my opinion --is
why the Trojans were defeated by the Longhorns. My projection: Bush
will be taken first overall by the Houston Texans.

-Vince Young, junior quarterback, Texas. Young played one of the
greatest single games in college football history Wednesday night as
he tallied 267 passing yards, and an astounding 200 rushing yards to
go with 3 rushing touchdowns. Young demonstrated great leadership in
the Rose Bowl as he took his struggling team on his back and snatched
victory from the jaws of defeat. He came into his own in last year's
Rose Bowl and that carried over into 2005 as he finished second in the
Heisman trophy voting, and won the Davey O'Brien award for the
nation's best quarterback. Young has drawn favorable comparisons to
Steve McNair, Bernie Kosar, and Randall Cunningham. My projection: If
he declares for the draft, Young will be taken second overall by the
New Orleans Saints.

-Matt Leinart, senior quarterback, USC. In three years as the
starting quarterback at USC, Leinart won two national titles, won the
2004 Heisman trophy, lost just two games, and threw 99 touchdown
passes to go along with just 23 interceptions. He threw for 365 yards
in a losing effort on Wednesday night. At 6'5, 225 pounds, Leinart
would be a great fit for any NFL team in need of a quarterback. My
projection: Leinart will go third overall to the Tennessee Titans and
reunite with former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

-Winston Justice, junior OT, USC. At 6'6, 300 pounds, Justice has the
ability to dominate opposing defensive linemen. He did a great job
pass blocking and run blocking at USC and will be a great fit for a
team in need of a bookend tackle for years to come. He's only a
junior but it's more than likely that he'll enter April's draft. My
projection: The Detroit Lions, in need of offensive line help, will
take Justice ninth overall.

-Michael Huff, senior safety, Texas. Huff will graduate from Texas
and declare for the draft. He's one of the best defensive backs in
the nation and performed admirably throughout his college career. I
expect him to fall no lower than the 15th pick. My prediction: The
St. Louis Rams will try to fix their porous pass defense and select
Huff 11th overall. He'll give their defensive backfield instant
credibility.

-LenDale White, junior running back, USC. White led the nation in
2005 with 26 total touchdowns but was still overshadowed by the
dynamic Bush. At 6'2, 235 pounds, White was the "thunder" to
Bush's "lightning." He's a bruising back who possesses good speed and
assuming he declares for the draft, will be a great pick for a team in
need of a running back. At the moment, he's projected as the fourth
back that will be taken in round one. I think his 124 rushing yards
and 3 touchdowns in the national title game will greatly up his
stock. My projection: White will go 13th overall to the Baltimore
Ravens, and replace the disappointing Jamal Lewis.

All six of these players have the potential to have tremendous NFL
careers. With the talent that each possesses, I don't see any of them
fizzling at the pro level. If I had to pick one that could struggle
throughout his career, it would be Winston Justice. Offensive tackles
taken in the first-round in recent memory have struggled. Mike
Williams in Buffalo, Bryant McKinnie in Minnesota, Jordan Gross in
Carolina, and Robert Gallery in Oakland have all endured growing pains
and three of the four were forced to switch to guard after struggling
at the tackle position.

Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Connor Byrne

Sorry, Connor Byrne's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report