Name .. .. .. .. School .. .. .. Ht .. .. Wt.
QUARTERBACKS
Heath Shuler .. .. .. Tennessee .. ... 6-2 .. .. 218
Trent Dilfer .. .. .. Fresno State ... 6-3 .. .. 230
Analysis: Although neither one is rated as highly as Drew Bledsoe was a year ago, both are expected to be quality quarterbacks. There's a big drop-off after the first two, though, .. because the next rated quarterback, Glenn Foley, isn't expected to go in the first two rounds. Charlie Ward, the Heisman Trophy winner, is a wild card because he's toying with the idea of playing basketball, and that could hurt his draft stock.
RUNNING BACKS
Marshall Faulk .. ... San Diego St. ... 5-10 ... 205
LeShon Johnson .. ... N. Illinois .. .. 5-11 ... 199
Mario Bates .. .. ... Arizona State ... 6-0 .... 212
Errict Rhett .. .. .. Florida .. .. ... 5-11 ... 212
Greg Hill .. .. .. .. Texas A&M; ... ... 5-11 ... 202
Charlie Garner .. ... Tennessee ... ... 5-9 .... 184
William Floyd ... ... Florida State ... 6-1 .... 238
Calvin Jones .. .. .. Nebraska .. .. .. 5-11 ... 209
Byron Morris .. .. .. Texas Tech .. ... 6-0 .... 241
Chuck Levy .. ... ... Arizona .. .. ... 5-11 ... 199
Analysis: Faulk is the one can't-miss prospect in this group. He was probably ready a year ago, but saved the NFL a major headache by not challenging their rule that a player can't leave college until he has been in school three years. There's a drop-off after Faulk, but four or five running backs still could go in the first round.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Charles Johnson .. .. Colorado .. .. .. .. 6-0 ... 189
Johnnie Morton ... .. USC .. .. .. ... ... 5-11 .. 190
Darnay Scott .. .. .. San Diego St. .. ... 6-1 ... 185
David Palmer .. .. .. Alabama .. .. .. ... 5-8 ... 186
Derrick Alexander ... Michigan .. .. .. .. 6-1 ... 196
Kevin Lee .. .. .. .. Alabama .. .. .. ... 6-0 ... 189
Analysis: The interesting thing about this position is that one school not noted for its passing game -- Alabama -- has produced two of the top prospects, although Lee was overshadowed by Palmer. But it's not one of the strongest positions in the draft and probably won't produce a player in the top 10. The top-rated player, Johnson, is the best human interest story in the draft. His mother was a drug addict and he got so depressed as a teen-ager that he tried suicide before putting his life together.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Aaron Taylor .. .. .. Notre Dame .. .. ... 6-3 ... 302
Wayne Gandy .. .. ... Auburn .. .. ... ... 6-4 ... 287
Isaac Davis .. .. ... Arkansas .. .. .. .. 6-2 ... 325
Tre Johnson .. .. ... Temple .. .. ... ... 6-3 ... 312
Todd Steussie ... ... California .. .. ... 6-5 ... 305
Bernard Williams ... Georgia .. .. ... ... 6-8 ... 315
Vaughn Parker ... ... UCLA .. .. .. .. ... 6-3 ... 298
Larry Allen .. .. ... Sonoma State ... ... 6-3 ... 315
Eric Mahlum .. .. ... California .. .. ... 6-4 ... 286
Kevin Mawae .. .. ... LSU ... .. .. .. ... 6-4 ... 277
Analysis: This is not a good year for a team that's desperate for an offensive lineman. Taylor is the best of the group, but he's a guard and the scouts are always looking for tackles. These players will take time to develop.
TIGHT ENDS
It's not a vintage year for tight ends. Roderick Lewis of Arizona and Lonnie Johnson of Florida State appear to be the best prospects, but neither may crack the top two rounds.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Dan Wilkinson ... ... Ohio State ... ... 6-4 ... 305
Willie McGinest .. .. USC .. .. .. .. .. 6-5 ... 255
Bryant Young .. .. .. Notre Dame ... ... 6-2 ... 275
Sam Adams .. .. .. .. Texas A&M; .. .. .. 6-4 ... 295
Joe Johnson .. .. ... Louisville ... ... 6-3 ... 279
Henry Ford .. ... ... Arkansas .. .. ... 6-2 ... 283
Shante Carver ... ... Arizona State .. . 6-5 .. .241
William Gaines .. ... Florida .. ... ... 6-4 ... 239
Romeo Bandison .. ... Oregon .. .. .. .. 6-3 ... 286
Analysis: Dan Wilkinson is the consensus best player in the draft, though he played only two years in college and hasn't always performed up to his potential. He's being called the next Reggie White or Cortez Kennedy. Overall, this is a solid position with possibly six linemen going in the first round, mainly because
teams are so desperate for linemen.
LINEBACKERS
John Thierry .. .. .. Alcorn State ... ... 6-4 ... 224
Trev Alberts .. .. .. Nebraska .. .. .. .. 6-4 ... 239
Jamir Miller .. .. .. UCLA .. .. .. .. ... 6-4 ... 235
Aubrey Beavers .. ... Oklahoma .. .. .. .. 6-2 ... 233
Rob Frederickson ... Michigan State .. ... 6-3 ... 238
Ronnie Woolfolk .. .. Colorado .. .. .. .. 6-2 ... 256
Winifred Tubbs .. ... Texas .. .. .. .. .. 6-4 ... 249
Analysis: Thierry is one of the most interesting players in the draft. He was outstanding after becoming a starter in 1992, but probably won't go in the top five picks because of the level of competition he faced at Alcorn State. He now gets his chance to prove he can do it on every level. Alberts also figures to go high, but overall, it's not a sensational group.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Aaron Glenn .. .. ... Texas A&M; .. .. ... 5-9 ... 181
Antonio Langham .. .. Alabama ... ... ... 6-0 ... 177
DeWayne Washington .. N.C. State .. .. .. 5-11 .. 190
Corey Sawyer .. .. .. Florida State .. .. 5-10 .. 173
Thomas Randolph .. .. Kansas State ... .. 5-9 ... 175
Jeff Burris .. .. ... Notre Dame .. .. .. 5-11 .. 194
Analysis: This position should produce three first-rounders, but the scouts aren't raving about any of them and Langham's stock dropped late with a poor timing in a workout.
KICKERS/PUNTERS
Kickers and punters rarely are ranked among the top 50 players, and this year is no exception. The best of the group are kickers Dan Eichloff of Kansas and Pat O'Neill of Syracuse.