2010 NFL Draft Preview

Thursday night marks the first time in NFL draft history that the event will be held in primetime. Most recently, the NFL split the draft over a Saturday and Sunday, with most of the first day taken up by the first two rounds. However, the new layout of the draft highlights the first round exclusively on Thursday night, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday night, and concludes with rounds four through seven all-day Saturday. The move will likely draw more attention to the top of the draft, as viewers can sit down and enjoy a few hours of coverage at a time, rather than the painful marathon of years past.

In the months leading up to the NFL draft, the hot topic among draft analysts and fans revolves around the quarterbacks. The consensus appears that Sam Bradford of Oklahoma will be the first player taken on Thursday night, but whether that is by the Rams or another team remains to be seen. The Rams are entertaining trade offers from other teams, most notably the Cleveland Browns. Perhaps one reason for a trade is that the Rams think another quarterback, Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, might still be available at the Browns' current slot of seventh overall. If the Rams don't see much of a difference between Bradford and Clausen, they could trade down, pick up an additional pick or two from the Browns, and still nab Clausen with the seventh pick. Meanwhile, Mike Holmgren and the Browns must clearly feel that Bradford is the best quarterback to move into the top spot, or perhaps the city of Cleveland is gun-shy over selecting another "Golden Domer" in the recent wake of Brady Quinn.

The other two quarterbacks of interest include Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy. Both Tebow and McCoy had fantastic college careers, but neither possesses the typical NFL quarterback profile. Specifically, questions surround Tebow's throwing abilities, which is never a good concern for a quarterback. Although Tebow remains adamant about his desire to play quarterback, many wonder if he's just an H-back or fullback that happens to throw the ball well, or if he really can excel at quarterback in the NFL. With so many question marks surrounding Tebow, his draft projections have been all over the board, with some predicting a late-first round selection, while others feel he'll drop into the middle rounds of the draft. For McCoy, the primary concerns relate to his durability and size in the NFL. You may remember that McCoy took a shot to the shoulder, knocking him out of the BCS national championship game. Couple that injury with his 6'2" 210 frame, and many NFL teams may wonder if he can survive in the NFL.

Outside of quarterback discussion, the two primary prospects receiving only mild attention considering their likely draft selections, are Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma. The defensive tackles are expected to go second and third overall in the draft respectively. Suh represents a man-child on the interior defensive line. He somewhat flew under the radar at Nebraska until late in his senior year, but NFL teams have taken notice. At 6'4" 307 pounds, Suh will bring size, strength and athleticism to the team that drafts him. His athleticism allows Suh to fit into either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, meaning he'll be valuable to a team even if the coaching staff or defensive personnel changes. Likewise, McCoy offers the same value, but likely better suits a 4-3 team. At 6'4" 295 pounds, McCoy's greatest asset is his first step off the line. As a defensive tackle, he has offensive lineman on their heels from the snap, creating havoc for both quarterbacks and running backs.

Sources:

ESPN 2010 NFL Draft,NFL Draft Schedule

NBC Sports Kiper Denies Favoritism for Clausen,NFL Draft Preview

NFL.com Gerald McCoy,NFL Combine Profiles

NFL.com Ndamukong Suh,NFL Scouting Profiles