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2009 NFL DRAFT: Prospects Have DFW Ties

I think stating that Texas is proud of their football might be an understatement. Many people think of the high school ranks when talking about Texas football, but let’s not forget about strong representation the Lone Star State has each year on the last weekend in April: the NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft has always included an impressive number of Texans, whether homegrown or prospects who attended a Texas college, school, or university. The 2009 NFL Draft is no different with close to 40 players who have ties to the state of Texas and a legitimate chance to be playing professionally next season as rookies in the National Football League.

While the Cowboys might not have a first round pick, Dallas will still be well-represented in the early first round as three of my top four prospects in this draft come from the DFW area (QB Matthew Stafford, WR Michael Crabtree, OT Jason Smith). Below I list the top 20 prospects from the state of Texas for the 2009 NFL Draft and give my prediction to where they might land come draft day. Note the players hometown is in parenthesis.

1.       Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia (DALLAS, TX) – No surprise here as he is the main candidate to be the top overall choice in the draft to the Detroit Lions. Stafford graduated from Highland Park High School in 2006 and chose Georgia because his father attended graduate school in Athens. Stafford has a lot of doubters, but I rank him as my top prospect available in the draft because he has the biggest upside of any player, in my opinion. Is he polished? No, but Matt Ryan’s don’t grow on trees and Stafford has a better arm, shows the willingness to learn, and the intelligence to win in the NFL. I will be shocked if the Lions don’t select Stafford first overall. Top 5 Overall

2.       Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech (DALLAS, TX) – Crabtree played QB at David W. Carter High School, but was recruited as an athlete without a position with the Longhorns actually wanting him to play defense. Ultimately Crabtree chose Texas Tech and Mike Leach because he wanted to score touchdowns and score he did. Crabtree has his doubters as well because he wasn’t able to run his 40-yard dash, but his college game tape is good enough for me. Drawing comparisons to Larry Fitzgerald, the only question with this receiver is should he be above Stafford? Look for Crabtree to go #5 to the Browns or #7 to the Raiders.  Top 7 Overall

3.       Jason Smith, OT, Baylor (DALLAS, TX) – Smith was one of the most underrated players in this draft until a few months ago, but everyone knows about the athletic tackle now. He played mostly tight end at W.T. White High School and was recruited by Baylor to play tight end as well. He moved to offensive tackle his sophomore season and never looked back, gaining almost 100 pounds over two seasons. Smith won’t fall out of the top four picks and is expected to be the Rams choice at the #2 slot. Top 5 Overall

4.       Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas (HOUSTON, TX) – Orakpo was awarded with the Nagurksi Trophy this past year as the Nation’s top defensive player, recording 11.5 sacks last season – good for sixth in the nation. Orakpo, who is being scouted as both a 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB, will be a candidate for the Browns at #5 and isn’t expected to fall past San Francisco at #10. Top 10 Overall

5.       Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State (TYLER, TX) – The most complete tight end in this draft, Pettigrew is the only first round-calibur TE available in this class. He didn’t record a touchdown as a senior at Oklahoma State, despite their pass-happy offense. Pettigrew is as talented a blocker, as he is a receiver and shouldn’t fall past the Falcons, picking 24^th overall. 1^st Round

6.       Evander Hood, DT, Missouri (AMARILLO, TX) – Evander “Ziggy” Hood is flying under the radar, but is finally beginning to receive some first round buzz. The 6’4″, 300 lbs behemoth is surprisingly nimble and does an excellent job collapsing the pocket. 1^st-2^nd Round

7.       Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma (KILLEEN, TX) – Sam Bradford’s favorite target in Norman should be the top senior wideout off the board on draft day. Iglesias is an ideal possession guy who has average size and speed, but finds soft spots in coverage and has excellent hands. 2^nd-3^rd Round

8.       James Casey, TE, Rice (AZLE, TX) - Casey is one of the most athletic pass catchers in this draft after spending a few years in the Chicago White Sox farm system. He played just two years at Rice, but had a phenomenal 2008 season, catching 111 passes, racking up 1329 yards receiving, and scored 21 total touchdowns. 2^nd-3^rd Round

9. Darcel McBath, S, Texas Tech (GAINESVILLE, TX) – This safety not only led the Red Raiders in interceptions last season, but also ranked first in the Big 12, picking off seven passes – which also tied for third in the NCAA. A three-year starter, McBath has flown under the radar over his career, but should be one of the first safeties off the board on the second day. 3^rd-4^th Round

10.       Mike Thomas, WR, Arizona (DESOTO, TX) - The only Pac-10 player on this list, Thomas lacks NFL size at just 5’8″, but it’s his quickness and agility that will get him drafted. He does carry a few character concerns, including shoving Head Coach Mike Stoops during an Arizona game as a senior. 3^rd-4^th Round

11.   Rhett Bomar, QB, Sam Houston State (GRAND PRAIRIE, TX) - The once former top recruit at Oklahoma has a big arm and tons of potential, but isn’t quite NFL-ready. He played against sub-par competition at Sam Houston State the past few years so would be best suited to sit for a year or two, maybe behind Tony Romo. 3^rd-4^th Round

12.   Brandon Williams, DE, Texas Tech (FORT WORTH, TX) – This speed rusher entered the draft early after a breakout season as a junior when he collected 13 sacks to lead the Big 12 – more than Orakpo. Williams is being looked at as a possible linebacker in the 3-4 defense as well. 3^rd-4^th Round

13. Roy Miller, DT, Texas (KILLEEN, TX) – Miller has the size that simply can’t be taught at 6-1, 310 lbs. Although he didn’t put up spectacular stats in college, NFL teams love Miller’s combination of size and quickness. 3^rd-4^th Round

14.   Herman Johnson, OL, LSU (DENTON, TX) – A mammoth human being, Johnson is almost too big for his own good, but you can’t coach god-given size. While he played mostly all of his college career at guard, Johnson did work out some at tackle, but has sloppy footwork and is far from polished. 3^rd-4^th Round

15. Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M (KLEIN, TX) – A once highly recruited blue-chipper, Goodson had a productive freshman season (Big 12 freshman of the year), but didn’t show much progression as a sophomore and junior. The Sherman hiring last season didn’t help much either, which seems to be the biggest reason for Goodson leaving early for the pros. 4^th-5^th Round

16.   Jason Phillips, LB, TCU (WALLER, TX) - Phillips doesn’t have elite athleticism and isn’t flashy, but gets his hands dirty and simply makes plays. He is a former QB and coach’s son with a motor that doesn’t stop. 4^th-5^th Round

17.   Quan Cosby, WR, Texas (MART, TX) - Cosby might fall a tad because of his age (26), but his productive senior season has assured him a spot somewhere in the draft. Cosby is the type of prospect who does nothing great, but everything pretty good and went from a late rounder to a middle rounder with an impressive 2008, collecting 92 catches and 10 TD grabs. 4^th-5^th Round

18. Jarett Dillard, WR, Rice (SAN ANTONIO, TX) – Dillard was a four year starter at Rice and set just about every receiving record possible for the Owls. He also set the NCAA-record for career touchdown catches with 59. Dillard might slip on draft day because he doesn’t have ideal measureables, but his production in college speaks for itself. 4^th-5^th Round

19.   Domonique Johnson, CB, Jackson State (LA MARQUE, TX) - A small-school player, Johnson looks the part and has the athleticism, but is raw and needs to develop. 5^th-6^th Round

20. Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M (ROUND ROCK, TX) – McGee went to Texas A&M as a highly regarded high school prospect, but struggled much of his college career in an option-style offense. He has good size and a good arm, but there are questions about his health, especially with his shoulder, and leadership qualities. 5^th-6^th Round

Players just missing the cut: Chase Daniel (QB, Missouri), Graham Harrell (QB, Texas Tech), Mark Hafner (FB, Houston), Sebastian Vollmer (OT, Houston), Cedric Dockery (G, Texas), Louis Vasquez (G, Texas Tech), Michael Bennett (DE, Texas A&M), Phillip Hunt (DE, Houston), Pannel Egboh (DE, Stanford), Stryker Sulak (DE, Missouri), Mike Tauiliili (LB, Duke), Ryan Palmer (CB, Texas), Ryan Mouton (CB, Hawaii), Thomas Morstead (P, SMU), Justin Brantly (P, Texas A&M).

The most interesting part of this list? The top three prospects are all Dallas natives (and potential top 7 picks) and none of them attended one of the Big 12 traditional powerhouses. Matthew Stafford had  his heart set on Georgia out of Highland Park, Michael Crabtree played quarterback in high school and wasn’t considered a top wide receiver prospect (Texas wanted him to play defense), and Jason Smith was recruited as a tight end before moving to offensive tackle as a sophomore at Baylor.

Draft week is about to begin so stay tuned this week for my top prospects at each position and my seven round mock draft on Friday.