The War Room | HoustonProFootball.com 
January 23, 2004
Rise of the Underclass
by Warren DeLuca
HoustonProFootball.com
Every year since 1990, a group of underclassmen elects to enter the NFL draft early and has a major impact on both the draft class that they join and the one that they leave behind. Juniors and even redshirt sophomores routinely dominate the top of the draft.
What if there were some bizarre world where all underclassmen actually played out their college eligibility before jumping to the NFL. I realize that believing this scenario requires a greater degree of suspension of disbelief than is needed to buy the premise for The Planet of the Apes. If that were the case, though, would this year’s draft be stronger or weaker?
Quarterbacks
Add: Rex Grossman (Florida), Bret Engemann (Brigham Young)
Subtract: Ben Roethlisberger (Miami (Ohio)), Matt Mauck (LSU)
Grossman could have upped his stock somewhat with another year of college experience, but he lacks the natural attributes of an elite prospect. Roethlisberger has those attributes.
The Verdict: Weaker
Running Backs
Add: Musa Smith (Georgia), Chris Brown (Colorado), Onterrio Smith (Oregon), LaBrandon Toefield (LSU), Santonio Beard (Alabama), FB J.P. Comella (Boston College), Reggie Duncan (Kansas), ReShard Lee (Middle Tennessee State)
Subtract: Steven Jackson (Oregon State), Kevin Jones (Virginia Tech), FB Mark Pierce (Arkansas)
Losing Jackson and Jones would hurt the class much more than any of last year’s juniors would help. Note that Willis McGahee would have only been a junior at Miami this year. The Verdict: Weaker
Wide Receivers
Add: Charles Rogers (Michigan State), Andre Johnson (Miami), Jabar Gaffney (Florida), Anquan Boldin (Florida State), Kelley Washington (Tennessee), Shaun McDonald (Arizona State), Brandon Lloyd (Illinois)
Subtract: Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh), Reggie Williams (Washington), Michael Clayton (LSU), Devard Darling (Washington State), Derrick Hamilton (Clemson), P.K. Sam (Florida State), Chris Wright (Oklahoma State), Tyrone Jordan (Valdosta State)
Gaffney, who left Florida after his sophomore season, would be in this year’s draft had he used all of his college eligibility. Fitzgerald is the best overall receiver of the several studs listed, but neither Rogers nor Johnson is far behind and the two of them outweigh the sophomore star.
The Verdict: A close call. Stronger
Tight Ends
Add: Dallas Clark (Iowa), Jason Witten (Tennessee), Robert Johnson (Auburn), George Wrightster (Oregon)
Subtract: Kellen Winslow (Miami), Jason Peters (Arkansas)
Clark and Witten are quality prospects, but neither is in Winslow’s class. 2003 Raider draftee Teyo Johnson would have only been a junior at Stanford this year.
The Verdict: Weaker
Offensive Linemen
Add: C Jeff Faine (Notre Dame), T Kwame Harris (Stanford), T Wayne Hunter (Hawaii), C George Brandon (Temple), T Brennan Curtin (Notre Dame), T Dante Ellington (Alabama)
Subtract: T Shawn Andrews (Arkansas), T Nat Dorsey (Georgia Tech), T Kelly Butler (Purdue), G Chris Snee (Boston College), G Justin Smiley (Alabama)
Faine and Harris would definitely help the class, especially after another year in the weight room, but Andrews and perhaps Dorsey should both go higher.
The Verdict: Weaker
Defensive Linemen
Add: Dewayne Robertson (Kentucky), Jonathan Sullivan (Georgia), DeWayne White (Louisville), Ian Scott (Florida), Rien Long (Washington State), Jimmy Wilkerson (Oklahoma), Clint Mitchell (Florida)
Subtract: Tommie Harris (Oklahoma), Kenechi Udeze (Southern California), Vince Wilfork (Miami), Randy Starks (Maryland), Antwan Odom (Alabama), Donnell Washington (Clemson), Igor Olshansky (Oregon), Matthias Askew (Michigan State), Tony Hargrove (Georgia Tech), Ahmad Childress (Alabama), Amon Gordon (Stanford), Robert Geathers (Georgia)
Although two top-10 picks would be added, at least four of this year’s juniors should be first-rounders. Another narrow decision.
The Verdict: Weaker
Linebackers
Add: OLB Terrell Suggs (Arizona State), ILB Terry Pierce (Kansas State), OLB Shurron Pierson (South Florida), OLB Chris Clemons (Georgia), OLB Shantee Orr (Michigan)
Subtract: OLB Brooks Daniels (Alabama)
The linebackers who came out last year would clearly give the group a big boost.
The Verdict: Stronger
Defensive Backs
Add: S Ken Hamlin (Arkansas), S Antwoine Sanders (Utah), CB Lynaris Elpheage (Tulane)
Subtract: S Sean Taylor (Miami), CB Chris Gamble (Ohio State), CB DeAngelo Hall (Virginia Tech), CB/S Matt Ware (UCLA), CB Ahmad Carroll (Arkansas), CB Lawrence Richardson (Arkansas), S Jason Shivers (Arizona State), CB Greg Golden (North Carolina State), CB Omar Laurence (Central Florida)
Taylor and Gamble headline a group that adds quality and quantity; losing them would rob the class of some of its prime players.
The Verdict: Weaker
All else being equal, a draft of all seniors should be better than one that includes underclassmen. The players who would have left school early would be more experienced and mature, both physically and mentally. At this point, however, it appears that the 2004 draft would be stronger at only two positions and weaker at the other six if the underclassmen were removed and the previous years’ early entrants added in. That bodes well for the strength of this year’s prospects when compared to last year’s group. 
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