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An excellent draft to go deep -- chicagotribune.com




www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080307-chicago-bears-receiver-pompei,1,1730718.column
chicagotribune.com
An excellent draft to go deep
Wide receiver talent ranks among best

Dan Pompei

On the NFL

 March 8, 2008



If it's a receiver you need, we have good news and bad news.

 The good news: The receiver crop available for the NFL draft in April
is deep with prospects. As many as 19 could be worthy of being taken
in the top three rounds.

 The bad news: There are not many sure things.

 There are five receivers in play for the first round. The closest to
a sure thing is Oklahoma junior Malcolm Kelly. Scouts rank him a few
notches below Calvin Johnson, the top-rated receiver a year ago.
Assuming Kelly has a good workout Tuesday at Oklahoma after electing
not to work out at the NFL scouting combine, he should be taken within
the top 12 picks.

 Kelly is big, athletic and fast. He has excellent hands and makes
plays downfield. Playing in a run-first offense with an inexperienced
quarterback, Kelly was not as productive as a lot of receivers in
college. That doesn't mean, however, he couldn't have put up better
numbers in the right situation.

 It would be hard to imagine him getting past the Broncos, who pick 12th.

 The best available receiver on the board when the Bears pick at No.
14 probably will be Limas Sweed of Texas. He was the consensus top
receiver prospect in college at the start of the season, but a wrist
injury limited him to six games and 19 catches. That wrist still needs
to check out before teams sign off on him.

 In their 87-year history, the Bears never have had a receiver like
Sweed, who could be even more talented than Kelly. He's almost 6 feet
4 inches, weighs 215 pounds and ran 4.48 seconds for the 40 at the
combine. His combination of size and speed is freakish, and his ball
skills are excellent. It won't take much for teams to forget his
senior season and warm up to Sweed.

 The only other receiver being talked about as a possibility in the
teens is Cal's DeSean Jackson. He probably is the fastest, most
skilled receiver in the draft. But he's 5-9 and 169 pounds. The list
of successful NFL receivers who are Jackson's size is a short one. Ted
Ginn, at 5-11, 178, was chosen ninth overall last year by the
Dolphins, but a lot of teams thought they made a mistake.

 There is a question whether Jackson can take the pounding that an
every down player takes in the NFL. He can, however, contribute as a
punt returner.

 Toward that end, it's possible the Bears could see him as a
replacement of sorts for Devin Hester. If Hester moves into a
full-time role as a receiver, Jackson could be a third receiver/punt
returner. Unlike Hester, however, Jackson has yet to show if he can be
much of a kick returner.

 Jackson also is reputed to be a diva of sorts, and he has been
nicknamed MeSean. He is a wild card who could slide deep into the
first round or be taken surprisingly high.

 Two Big Ten receivers, James Hardy of Indiana and Devin Thomas of
Michigan State, have seen their stock rise of late and could sneak
into the late first round.

 Hardy is a 6-5 former basketball player who ran a 4.45 at the
combine. Some teams might downgrade him because of a domestic battery
incident and a suspension at Indiana. But he has special traits and
the potential to be a fine NFL receiver.

 Thomas also had a nice combine workout following an outstanding
season. But the juco transfer produced for only year before leaving
Michigan State after his junior season.

 He's still developing, so although it could take him a year or two to
figure out the NFL, his upside is considerable. The fact that he also
is a kick returner should enhance his stock.

 The best value in the draft at wide receiver will be in the second
and third rounds, and the Bears might be best served doing their
receiver shopping there.

 Michigan's Mario Manningham is the best of the next tier, and he
probably would have been a first-round consideration if he had worked
out well at the combine. But at 5-11 and 181 pounds, he did not show
elite speed or athleticism. His production, though, cannot be ignored.

 Other solid second-round prospects are Louisiana State's Earl Doucet,
Houston's Donnie Avery, Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal and Kansas State's
Jordy Nelson.

 Durabilty issues will prevent Doucet from being chosen too high, but
he is a polished receiver who plays a complete game.

 Avery, Royal, Nelson and Hawkins have separated themselves from the
pack in the postseason.

 Avery is a speed receiver who ran a 4.43 at the combine and plays
even faster, according to one general manager. His hands, however, are
questionable.

 Royal, who sometimes got lost amid a talented group of receivers at
Virginia Tech, had a solid all-around workout at the combine.

 Nelson and Hawkins made their moves at the Senior Bowl. Both are
solid players who lack a special trait.

 The next group of receivers includes Virginia Tech's Justin Harper,
Missouri's William Franklin, Vanderbilt's Earl Bennett, Florida's
Andre Caldwell, Wisconsin's Paul Hubbard, West Virginia's Darius
Reynaud, Louisville's Harry Douglas and Michigan's Adrian Arrington.

 dpompei at tribune.com

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