NFL Syracuse Football

To go along with Louisville's 2006 Big East Football Championship, and a nifty pair of Big East Golf Championships, Louisville is also this years winner in the 2007 NLF Draft among Big East teams. The Cardinals were able to land four players on NFL teams in this years draft. They were followed by Pittsburgh and Rutgers with three each, Syracuse and Cincinnati with two each, South Florida and Connecticut each had one player drafted, and dammit I'm missing someone here. Let's see....oh yeah, West Virginia with zero players drafted. Ugh!

Another sign that the Big East is crawling out of obscurity, this was the first year since 2004 that the Big East had two players drafted in the first round. The 16 players drafted this year also compares favorably to 11 Big East players being drafted in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Next years draft should consume more high profile players from the Big East with the likes of Brian Brohm, Steve Slaton, Mario Urrutia, and Pat White all eligible.

Previously at the Fanhouse:

West Virginia Shut Out in the 2007 Draft
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Dan Mozes
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Brandon Myles
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Brian Leonard
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Tanard Jackson
College Eye for the NFL Guy: Darrelle Revis

NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong . . . .

Can a cornerback with five career interceptions and 10 passes defended actually become a legitimate first-round selection? Or will playing for the 81st-rated pass efficiency defense doom him to NFL obscurity and/or Canadian Football League mediocrity?

Tanard Jackson: Senior cornerback, Syracuse

What the Scouts are Saying

From NFL.com

Positives: Long armed, with a smooth total body musculature ... Rare size and size potential at the position at 6-foot, 195 pounds ... Very good body control and overall quickness ... Can mirror the receiver at the line of scrimmage and has a smooth swivel to turn and run ... At his best in zone coverage ... Good diagnostic skills ... Reads the quarterback's eyes well and can break on the ball ... Reads the action, but remains disciplined and is rarely out of position ... Good overall tackler, though he can get in some trouble when he tries to lay the boom ... Physical tackler and likes to intimidate his opponent with his striking ability ... Rare toughness in run support.

Negatives: Lacks timed speed ... Might be best suited to zone-coverage scheme as he loses ground as the route lengthens ... Has improved his hands, but isn't a natural receiver ... Seems much more interested in tackling the receiver than going for the ball ... Has only five career interceptions and finished with only six total pass breakups this season (including two interceptions).

Probably Getting Drafted . . . .

Somewhere in the latter half of the first round or early in the second stanza. This, of course, depends on whether an anticipated run on secondary prospects occurs. As a result, Jackson's value is inflated because of the positional market rather than his actual productive worth.

Guy Who Watched Him for Four Years is Saying

Freshman wide receiver Mike Williams provided neophyte Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson with the Orange's first scholarship commitment for the 2005 recruiting season.

In the 14 months since his decision to join the Syracuse program, Williams has seen his stock rise and fall relative to other freshman performing at his position. Then in August, the NCAA prevented Williams from enrolling with his fellow Orange freshman in Syracuse's second semester summer session due to an unfounded Clearinghouse issue.

Now, Williams has established himself not only as a reliable target in the Syracuse receiving corps, but also as one of the more productive and intriguing freshman in the nation. As ESPN draft expert and resident hair care aficionado Mel Kiper describes in his latest contribution to the World Wide Leader in Sports, Williams may just be the most important player on Syracuse's maturing sideline:

I don't usually like to talk about true freshmen, but Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams (6-2, 205) has been one of the team's few bright spots on offense. In the last three weeks, the Orange have scored only 41 points against Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Louisville. In those three games, Williams caught 11 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Williams is a player I expect to hear a lot more about in the coming years.

Granted, Kiper's assessment may be a little premature. Syracuse's opponents continually press the defensive box, putting pressure on Syracuse's woeful offensive line and daring Orange quarterback Perry Patterson to succeed through the air. This has allowed Williams to roam free at times, either using his strength and athleticism to simply run past press coverage or to sit underneath or behind wide gaps in three and four-man defensive zones.

Williams' offensive production and effect, however, are still notable. When fellow receiver Taj Smith broke his collarbone against Miami (OH), much was made in the media that Syracuse -- then devoid of a sure-handed deep threat -- would suffer mightily due to both an inconsistent and youthful receiving corps. Williams, to the surprise of many, has ably assumed Smith's role, giving the Orange offense a different look and feel that has, at times, positively impacted the offensive philosophy of new Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White.

That, in and of itself, merits medals and many laudatory fruit baskets.

In the end, Delone Carter may become the most highly touted member of the 2005 recruiting class. Williams' presence and skill, though, should not go unappreciated.