Mike Detillier's Top 50 Seniors Available for the 2008 NFL Draft
December 7, 2007
 

Mike Detillier’s Top 60 Players in the 2007 NFL Draft
April 12, 2007
 

Mike D’s Top 58 Prospects for the 2007 NFL Draft
January 25, 2007

Mike D's Early Look at the 62 Seniors Entering the 2006 College Football Season
June 12, 2006

1. Brady Quinn-Quarterback  6-4, 225    Notre Dame
He looks a lot like another Charlie Weis protégé, Tom Brady.

2. Justin Blalock-Offensive Tackle  6-4, 330 Texas
When the Longhorns need a key block they run in Blalock's direction. He is also very good in pass protection.

3. Paul Posluszny-Middle Linebacker 6-2, 235  Penn State
In my opinion he is every bit as good as A.J. Hawk was at Ohio State.

4. Joe Thomas-Offensive Tackle 6-7, 305  Wisconsin
Thomas would have probably come out early if he had not sustained the knee injury at bowl time. Athletically-gifted big man, who has super quick feet.

5. Quentin Moses-Defensive End 6-4, 250   Georgia
Another big-time pass rush specialist to come out of Georgia.

6. Kenny Irons-Halfback   5-11, 212
Auburn Shifty moves, tough inside running skills and breakaway skills make him a very dangerous runner.

7. Drew Stanton-Quarterback 6-3, 230  Michigan State
This MSU standout is smart, elusive and really improving his overall passing skills.

8. Gaines Adams-Defensive End 6-5, 260   Clemson
Gaines was smart to come back for his senior season, but late last season he was as dominating as any DE., other than Mario Williams.

9. Michael Bush-Halfback   6-3, 240 Louisville
King-sized runner, who is a devastating short-yardage and redzone threat.  Bush is also a pretty good receiver coming out of the backfield.

10. Justin Harrell-Defensive Tackle 6-3, 300 Tennessee
Cat-quick inside performer, who is on the verge of being a very special player.

11. Patrick Willis-Middle Linebacker 6-1, 235 Mississippi
Willis is a tackling machine, with great range and openfield hitting prowess.

Saints Draft Analysis:
May 1, 2006

Hey Guys, first of all I would like to thank everyone from the SaintsReport for the support and kind words over the past few months. I have been able to talk and meet with a number of the members and as always it was a real kick.

Again thanks for the support and now I will have some time to answer questions on the "Ask Mike" Segment

I am grading the New Orleans Saints draft a strong B+.

Reggie Bush was the best player in this draft and the player that could have more effect on a team than any other one available. In my 21 years of scouting the only two backs that had this type of impact in college was Bo Jackson at Auburn and Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State.

He is just an electrifying performer who can score from anywhere out on the field. While he is a great runner and return man, he will really make a huge impact as a receiver or potential receiver. Any team that will try and match up with him as a receiver will not be able to do it with a linebacker or safety. He is the best receiver as a back I have ever seen and that includes Marshall Faulk coming out of San Diego State.

You will have to use a third-cornerback to cover him and while you are trying to cover him, it will really open up some huge holes in the running game. Any time you have to take a LB. or safety off the field and use a cornerback in coverage it takes a good tackler off the field and Deuce McAllister will no longer have to see as many 8-man fronts.

With his combination of running skills, pass catching ability and return ability he is the best all-around college back I have ever scouted. Instant impact performer and someone who has the skills to be a truly "great" NFL player.

In the 2nd round the Saints wanted to trade down and acquire OC. Jeff Faine. They had targeted Miami (Fla.) LB. Rocky McIntosh, but the Washington Redskins scooted up ahead of them and selected him. As many in the NFL feel the Saints are putting a premium on the safety position and this is why they selected Alabama's Roman Harper.

There is no doubt that Dwight Smith is on very thin ice and the team will try and trade him away. Last summer Bama defensive coordinator Joe Kines described Harper to me as a " New England Patriot-player, smart, instinctive, tough guy and someone with a great feel for the game."

Harper is very instinctive and he is strong in run support. While he needs to further his overall coverage skills, Roman has good coverage instincts and he plays the ball well in flight.

A few weeks back on one of my Houma Courier columns I mentioned the dinner conversation I had with Saints GM Mickey Loomis about then-Notre Dame center Jeff Faine.

Mickey at that time said that the team had Faine rated higher than they did LeCharles Bentley and he thought he would be a "great" NFL players. Injuries and poor initial coaching have stymied his progress, but if Faine is healthy, he is a very good
center prospect.

In the 4th round I believe the Saints reached a bit for Bloomsburg OT./OG. Jahri Evans. I really would have liked to see the team pick LSU DT. Kyle Williams instead. Evans is a big, strong run blocker, who excels as a drive blocker, but he needs plenty of work on his pass blocking skills and techniques. He will probably see initial work at offensive guard.

The addition of Hollis Thomas from Philly gives the team a big, strong run stuffer who will give them another big body in the middle. The ten-year veteran excels in run support and he knows how to clog up the inside running lanes. He also is known for being a team leader and one that doesn't let younger players
get away with not giving their all. That is something this team needs.

Purdue DE. Rob Ninkovich is undersized, but he is a terrific edge pass rusher and an outstanding team leader. In two seasons at Purdue Rob accounted for 16 QB. sacks and 26 ½ tackles for losses. He just has a knack for slipping blocks and getting to the QB. Very intense player, who gives great effort and he should
help out in pass rush situations and on special teams. Purdue head coach Joe Tiller just raved about him to me and rarely does Tiller go overboard about any player.

Oregon State's Mike Hass is not the biggest, fastest or quickest receiver around, but he is sure-handed, an outstanding route runner and he has such good moves he actually corkscrews cornerbacks into the turf. Hass has excellent hands and he knows how to set up DB's extremely well. While Hass is not super fast, he did average 17.8 yards per catch over the past three
years. Smart, great leader and he just loves to play this game.

Pittsburgh's Josh Lay is a well-coached cornerback, who has good size and he matches up well against the bigger WR's. Very instinctive cover-man, who reacts quickly to what is breaking down in front of him. Lay has good, but not great foot speed and he needs to upgrade his overall tackling skills. He is smart,
instinctive and he has good football genes, his cousin is All-Pro cornerback Ty Law. Very competitive young man, who really has a passion for the game. His lackof great foot speed dropped his draft stock, but he is a good player.

Zach Strief is a big-bodied right tackle prospect who is more agile than his timed speed indicates. He is an experienced pass protector, who knows how to use his great size and mass extremely well. He must watch and control his weight better, but he is a solid right tackle prospect. D-linemen who played against him in the Big-10 really praised his ability to stonewall players at the point of attack. The one thing I really like about Stief is that everytime he played top competition he raised his level of play. NW coaches are concerned about his ability to control his weight,
but they really praised his work ethic, intensity and attention to detail.

Hofstra's Marques Colston played WR. in college, but he projects as an H-back or TE. in the pros. Colston is a very athletic big man, who has sure hands and he has just run over players that get in his way. He does need to come out of his cuts and breaks quicker and upgrade his route running skills. Hofstra coaches raved about his talent, but they felt as though he needed to upgrade his overall work ethic to reach his full potential in the NFL. Colston really had a great week of practice and game at the East-West Shrine classic. Good 7th round pick-up.

This team has the makeup of the 1978 and 1979 clubs. Those teams had explosive qualities on offense, but struggled on defense. This team still has a host of holes to fill, but you can't expect Sean Payton and his staff to fill all those holes in one free agency period or draft. All in all, I really like what I see out of the initial draft and what I really like is a change to smart, very productive players, who have been team leaders in college. You don't see these great work-out guys who look great on the track, but can't play ball on the field. It's a work in progress and it will take some time to fill the many holes on this team , but I certainly like the start and the offense should be exciting to watch.

Mike D.

Mike's Top 40
April 9, 2006

The NFL draft is less than a month away, and here are my top 40 players available for the April 29-30 draft.

1. Reggie Bush, running back, USC
2. Vince Young, quarterback, Texas
3. Matt Leinart, quarterback, USC
4. Mario Williams, defensive end, North Carolina State
5. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, offensive tackle, Virginia
6. A.J. Hawk, outside linebacker, Ohio State
7. Michael Huff, cornerback/safety, Texas
8. Jay Cutler, quarterback, Vanderbilt
9. Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle, Oregon
10. Vernon Davis, tight end, Maryland
11. Brodrick Bunkley, defensive tackle, Florida State
12. Tamba Hali, defensive end, Penn State
13. LenDale White, running back, USC
14. Chad Greenway, outside linebacker, Iowa
15. Winston Justice, offensive tackle, USC
16. DeAngelo Williams, running back, Memphis
17. Ernie Sims, outside linebacker, Florida State
18. Santonio Holmes, wide receiver, Ohio State
19. Kameron Wimbley, defensive end, Florida State
20. Tye Hill, cornerback, Clemson
21. Johnathan Joseph, cornerback, South Carolina
22. Laurence Maroney, running back, Minnesota
23. DeMeco Ryans, outside linebacker, Alabama
24. Chad Jackson, wide receiver, Florida
25. Mathias Kiwanuka, defensive end, Boston College
26. Davin Joseph, offensive guard, Oklahoma
27. Nick Mangold, center, Ohio State
28. Donté Whitner, safety, Ohio State
29. Ashton Youboty, cornerback, Ohio State
30. Marcus McNeil, offensive tackle, Auburn
31. Sinorice Moss, wide receiver, Miami
32. Antonio Cromartie, cornerback, Florida State
33. Gabe Watson, defensive tackle, Michigan
34. Jimmy Williams, cornerback, Virginia Tech
35. Bobby Carpenter, outside linebacker, Ohio State
36. Marcedes Lewis, tight end, UCLA
37. Ko Simpson, safety, South Carolina
38. D’Qwell Jackson, middle linebacker, Maryland
39. Kelly Jennings, cornerback, Miami
40. Darnell Bing, safety, USC
 

If you think that the SEC Championship game was loaded with talent, just consider what you will see on the field when the LSU Tigers play the Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes in the Peach Bowl. Over the course of the past seven drafts, the Hurricanes have produced 22 first round draft choices and an additional five players that went in Rounds #2 and #3. Like Saudi Arabi supplying the United States with oil, the Hurricanes have been the chief supplier of talent to the NFL over the past 20 years. In 2006 the Hurricanes will post a number of very highly rated players for the April draft.

On offense the Hurricanes’ top rated senior player is left offensive tackle Eric Winston. Before his mid-season knee injury in 2004, Winston was regarded in the same athletic and talent category as Iowa’s Robert Gallery, who the Oakland Raiders took with the 2nd overall pick in the 2004 draft and Utah’s Jordan Gross, who the Carolina Panthers took with the 8th overall pick in 2003. But, he struggled to regain his form after reconstructive surgery and now he is projected to go in the middle to latter part of Round 1. The 6-6, 315 pound left tackle still has three to four months to continue to rehab his knee and regain the rare quickness he once had, but he was not nearly the dominant pass protector I had seen in the past. How well he tests out medically will influence just how high he will go in the opening round.

Winston’s tackle teammate, Rashad Butler, is a very good athlete, who has good balance and wall-off skills, but he needs to really upgrade his upper-body strength to maximize his potential. To be honest, he looked just as good as, and at times better than, Winston at times in 2005. He has very good athletic skills and upside as a right tackle. Butler is a 6-5, 295 pound tackle, who has long arms and he does a good job pushing pass rushing defensive ends to the outside. He gets pushed back by much stronger defenders and he does get knocked off balance at times, but if he can get stronger in the weight room and improve his foot work, he has a chance to be a solid starting player in the league. Butler is still in the developmental stages, but don’t be surprised to see him being selected in the #3rd round.

WR. Sinorice Moss has really blossomed into a big-play performer in 2005. Moss, who is the younger brother of former UM star and current Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss have the same type great foot speed. Moss can stretch the field with his foot speed and his make-you-miss type skills in the openfield, and I am telling you this guy is a real “Thriller” player out on the field. While Moss is only 5-8 and 185 pounds, he is extremely well built and he does not go down without a real fight. Very creative runner after the catch and watch for Moss to be selected in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft. His sub (4.40) speed will catch your attention quickly and yes, he can catch the ball very well.

On defense, defensive tackle Orien Harris has emerged as one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the country. The 6-2, 305 pound defensive tackle is right now in a large group of senior defensive tackles with LSU’s Claude Wroten, Tennessee’s Jesse Mahelona, Texas’ Rodrigue Wright and Michigan’s Gabe Watson as possible 1st round draft choices. Orien’s big brother, Kwame, was a 1st round pick offensive tackle by the S.F. 49ers back in 2003 and look for Orien to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Orien is a tough, very stout, inside performer, who has cat-quick moves and excellent up-the-field type instincts. He has been a major force in the middle for the Canes and he has developed into a very vocal and inspirational leader. The Tigers will find it tough running up the middle on Harris and he looks to be a middle, to late.

1st round pick. LB. Roger McIntosh has been a very productive player for the Canes and he has played both middle and strongside linebacker for Miami. This year the 6-2, 233 pound linebacker leads the tackles with 80 and he has also posted 10 tackles for losses. He is a very athletic linebacker who runs the field extremely well from side to side and he is a very instinctive player out on the field. The two things I really like about McIntosh are that he has great closing speed and he is an extremely good openfield tackler. Now, he has been banged up a bit in the past, but he stayed healthy this season and while this is hard to believe he really is a top rated major college sleeper. Look for McIntosh’s name to be called in the latter part of Round 2 or in the early part of Round 3.

2006 Draft Order # Team W L T Pct. SOS 1 Houston 2 14 0 .125 .535