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Draft watch

Sporting News, The, Feb 24, 2003 by Dan Pompei

The top 10--for now

Although the projected draft order for some players will shuffle after the NFL Scouting Combine and individual workouts, the top 10 is becoming somewhat defined.

1. QB Carson Palmer, 6-4, 220, USC. A big, sturdy player with classic passing skills. Has succeeded against top competition. Is not a big scrambling threat but has decent mobility. Might take him a while to succeed in the pros,

2. WR Charles Rogers *, 6-3, 203, Michigan State. Is big and fast--a cross between Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss. There isn't a catch he can't make or a route he can't run. Is not as aggressive over the middle of the field as he is on the perimeter.

3. DT Jimmy Kennedy, 6-5, 330, Penn State. A rare player who can rush the passer as well as disrupt the run. A mountain of a man. Unusually powerful. Weight control could be a problem. Intensity ebbs and flows. Extremely quick and athletic for his size.

4. DE Terrell Suggs *, 6-2, 248, Arizona State. A special pass rusher in the Derrick Thomas mold. Has great pass-rush moves and instincts, is very strong for being undersized and can play the run.

5. WR Andre Johnson *, 6-3, 220, Miami (Fla.). Has size, speed and strength. An aggressive receiver who runs good routes. Can extend the field and catch the deep hall. Even though he is coming out as a junior, Johnson should contribute quickly.

6. DT Dewayne Robertson *, 6-3, 308, Kentucky. A big inside player with explosive quickness and power. Is similar to Warren Sapp. Disrupts the inside run. Can defeat one-on-one blocks.

7. CB Terence Newman, 5-10, 181, Kansas State, A speedy cover man who can shut down a receiver. Shows very good ball skills and plays aggressively. Provides solid run support.

8. OT Jordan Gross, 6-4, 305, Utah. An athletic left tackle who is technically sound. Comes off the snap hard. Has the hips and feet to handle speed rushers. Is strong, smart, tough and intense.

9. DT Johnathan Sullivan *, 6-3, 305, Georgia. A powerful, disruptive player with size. Can get to the quarterback with brute strength or quickness. Is stout against the run. Has stretches where he disappears.

10. QB Byron Leftwich, 6-5, 252, Marshall. A big, productive pocket passer with an accurate, strong arm. Is not rattled by adversity and has excellent intangibles. Is not mobile, and does not improvise well. Leg injury suffered last season is a concern.

* Underclassman

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By THE WAR ROOM

This is the time of year when teams start to put together their draft "wish lists." From what we're hearing, the Vikings hope that Washington State DT Rien Long is available to them at the seventh overall spot in the first round; the Ravens want Stanford OT Kwame Harris at the 10th or 11th overall spot, and the Jets hope Georgia OLB Boss Bailey falls to them at No. 22.... We're hearing that Miami RB Willis McGahee is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from the severe knee injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl.... Every player invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, which started Wednesday and runs through Saturday in Indianapolis, has a chance to increase or decrease his draft value, but the following five players truly are on the spot:

Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech. Suggs answered questions about his durability by rushing for 1,325 yards and 22 TDs as a senior after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2001, but questions about his explosiveness and speed remain. If Suggs chooses to run on the notoriously slow track of the RCA Dome and can break into the 4.4's in the 40, he could move into the first round.

Jon Stinchcomb, 0T, Georgia. Stinchcomb is one of the better athletes and pass blockers in this year's tackle class, but he needed to arrive at the Combine weighing more than 300 pounds and be able to bench-press 225 pounds at least 25 times.

E.J. Henderson, ILB, Maryland. Regardless of what he does in Indianapolis, Henderson should be the top inside linebacker selected in April. However, he has the opportunity to move into the top 15 picks if he passes his physical--specifically, if his back injury checks out and can improve on his 4.8 40 time.

Kelley Washington, WR, Tennessee. Everyone has heard the rumors that he is healthy and running in the 4.4's, but now he has to prove it. It's not clear whether Washington will run the 40 at the Combine, but he will have to take an extensive physical, which will reveal the status of the head and neck injuries that kept him out of nine games last season.

LaMarcus McDonald, OLD, TCU, McDonald needed to show up at the Combine weighing at least 10 pounds more than the 209 he recorded at the Senior Bowl in January. The danger for McDonald is that added weight could damage his 40 times--which, at 4.82, already is marginal for an outside linebacker.