TIGERS IN THE 2009 NFL DRAFT

There are several seniors on the Tigers football team who will declare themselves eligible for the 2009 NFL draft. Even though it is a few months away before the actual draft dates in April, I thought it would be interesting to find out where the current "mock drafts" have some of those Tigers projected to be drafted or how they are ranked according to the number of players expected to be in the draft at their playing position. If you are not familiar with how the draft works, each of the 32 NFL teams has a certain number of selections or "picks" of the players in the draft. There are seven total rounds and somewhere between 30 and 45 selections within each round. Last year's draft had 252 total players selected, which means that each team drafts about 8 players.

Typically, the most talented players are taken early in the draft and command bigger dollar value contracts. Earlier round picks are obviously considered more desirable and these are allotted according to a variety of factors such as the team's win-loss record the previous year. However, a top 10 draft pick that seems like a "sure thing" can be a bust for the team if the player doesn't perform up to expections (example: Ryan Leaf). On the flip side, there are also "hidden gems" found in the later rounds (example: Tom Brady). Below is a list of the Tigers (Seniors only) and the round/pick/team projections and/or their ranking within the number of players expected to be in the draft at their playing position, such as RB.

JAMES DAVIS, RB
NFL Draft Source: #2 RB in the draft
Draft Countdown: #1 RB in the draft, 32nd overall pick
Consensus Draft Services: #1 RB in the draft
New Era Scouting: 2nd Round, 63rd overall pick, NY Giants

DORELL SCOTT, DT
Walter Football: 2nd Round, 62nd overall pick, Carolina
New Era Scouting: #8 DT in the draft
Consensus Draft Services: #6 DT in the draft
Draft Countdown: #14 DT in the draft, 98th overall pick

MICHAEL HAMLIN, SS
New Era Scouting: 2nd Round, 51st overall pick, Dallas
Walter Football: 3rd Round, 91st overall pick, Atlanta
Consensus Draft Services: #1 SS in the draft
New Era Scouting: #2 SS in the draft
NFL Draft Source: #6 S in the draft
Draft Countdown: #5 SS in the draft, 53rd overall pick

CULLEN HARPER, QB
NFL Draft Source: #7 QB in the draft
New Era Scouting: #11 QB in the draft
Consensus Draft Services: #4 QB in the draft
Draft Countdown: #2 QB in the draft, 66th overall pick

AARON KELLY, WR
Consensus Draft Services: #2 WR in the draft
NFL Draft Source: #14 WR in the draft
Draft Countdown: #18 WR in the draft
New Era Scouting: #19 WR in the draft

TYLER GRISHAM, WR
NFL Draft Source: #37 WR in the draft
Draft Countdown: #44 WR in the draft

CHRIS CLEMONS, FS
Draft Countdown: #23 S in the draft
NFL Draft Source: #15 S in the draft
New Era Scouting: #9 FS in the draft
Consensus Draft Services: #10 FS in the draft

RASHAAD JACKSON, DT
Consensus Draft Services: #25 DT in the draft
New Era Scouting: #16 DT in the draft
NFL Draft Source: #25 DT in the draft