NFL Draft 07: Why some positions require more proof than others

That's right people, we are a month out from the nerdfest that is the NFL Draft. Being that the pupose of my draft previews are to tell you what to look for, I'll begin by telling you what to look for. You may be asking yourself, "How does this particular player come out of nowhere, while other players have to compile a large body of work ?" A great question indeed. Some positions (OL ,RB and QB) are looked at by NFL scouts only if the player has a good history (2 years starting, and 3 or 4 playing) because a) they take longer to develop as in QB and OL and b) the scouts want to know the player's injury history (RB), and a longer body of work allows them to be more certain. Now to the players that come out of nowhere, many times JUCOs and often times pass rushers or cover corners. Look at the case of Arkansas DE Jamaal Anderson, (before the season thought of as only the 50th best DE in the nation, now thought to be 2nd only to Clemson's Gaines Adams in this year's class) or Syracuse CB Tanard Jackson (again thought to be maybe the 55th best corner in the nation, and now thought to be a 2nd round pick) as it seems that these guys really only had to have one outstanding season before being so highly thought of. The reasoning is this: Those positions are critical, one on one matchup type of positions where coaches can see how Anderson matches up against a top tier OT like Tennessee's Arron Sears or UGA's Daniel Inman or how Jackson holds up against WVA WR Brandon Myles or Louisville's dynamic playmaker Mario Urritia by simply watching these 50 play matchups. In other words, if you have a devastating first step or blazing speed and leaping ability, it is evident right away. So with the "quick twitch" guys you better pay attention as they can rise quickly, whereas the developmental guys need to play early (at least as a sophomore) and often as NFL scouts love the 4 year starter at o-line.
Coming soon: CM's top 100 players in the 2007 Draft