Draft chart
Top prospects.
By RICK STROUD
Published April 22, 2007
Wide receivers/tight ends
Top 10 prospects
1 Calvin Johnson
(6-5, 238) WR, Georgia Tech
Most teams think he's the best in the draft.
2 Ted Ginn
(6 foot, 180) WR, Ohio State
Game-changer if he can stay healthy.
3 Greg Olsen
(6-6, 255), TE, Miami
Think Jeremy Shockey without the abrasive attitude.
4 Dwayne Bowe
(6-2, 220) WR, LSU
Looks and plays a lot like Michael Clayton.
5 Robert Meachem
(6-2, 215) WR, Tennessee
Moving up the draft boards.
6 Dwayne Jarrett
(6-4, 217) WR, USC
More Mike Williams than Keyshawn Johnson.
7 Sidney Rice
(6-4, 202), WR, South Carolina
Steve Spurrier receivers are well-prepared.
8 Steve Smith
(6 foot, 200), WR, USC
Would do well to duplicate the Carolina Panthers receiver of the same name.
9 Anthony Gonzalez
(6 foot, 195) WR, Ohio State
Played in the shadow of Ted Ginn.
10 Zach Miller
(6-5, 255), TE, Arizona State
Pounce on him if Olsen is gone.
In focus
Ted Ginn
The last time he touched the football, he demonstrated what the NFL has come to love and hate about the Ohio State receiver.
Ginn returned the opening kickoff against Florida in the national title game 93 yards for a touchdown. But he sprained a foot when teammate Roy Hall pulled him to the ground amid the end-zone melee.
Ginn was lost for the game, and it turned out to be Ohio State's only highlight in a 41-14 loss.
"It's going to take a lot of rehab and a lot of rest to come back right," Ginn said.
In a nutshell, that's what NFL teams fear. While they might get a game-changer who can produce big plays in the return game, such as Bears rookie Devin Hester, Ginn could be subject to injury because of his size.
He didn't miss a game in college and recovered enough to run a 4.4 40 yards last week, so he still is an intriguing prospect for some teams.
"I'm sure game-changers like that, if they have that ability, are going to rise up those charts a little bit more, regardless of how much production he has on offense or defense," said coach Scott Linehan, whose Rams were burned by Hester last season. "We certainly are in the market for that kind of a player if there is such a person. ... I think there's a couple good returners as specialists that we're going to evaluate and hopefully put them in those categories."
The success of Hester, who set an NFL record with six kick returns for touchdowns last season, can only help Ginn. As a receiver, he caught 59 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior last season.
"I'm a fan of Hix," Ginn said of Hester, the former Miami star. "I saw him in college. He helps me out a lot, the things he does as far as punt returns and kickoff returns.
"If he can do it, I believe I can do it. I'm not trying to be cocky, but we do have the same abilities and same type speed."
Thumbs up
Greg Olsen: NFL scouts are salivating, thinking about what kind of impact he could have at the next level after leading the Hurricanes in receiving with 40 catches for 489 yards and a touchdown - no small feat considering their putrid quarterback play last season. He ran a 4.5 40 yards at the combine and could be a receiving force for some team.
Thumbs down
Dwayne Jarrett: He is a big target and exceptional route runner who dominated at USC. Unfortunately, he reminds teams of another USC receiver - Mike Williams - who has been a first-round bust with the Lions. Because of that - and a 4.6 40 time - Jarrett could slip out of the first round.
Under the radar
Robert Meachem: He had 71 catches for a Tennessee-record 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns. At 6-2, 215 and able to run in the 4.4 range, Meachem will be a deep threat in the NFL and a steal for somebody late in the first round.
Extra points
If USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett reminds anyone of the Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald, it's not by accident. "I definitely like Larry Fitzgerald. Just coming out of high school he recruited me coming to Pittsburgh. We had a good relationship," Jarrett said. "I just like his whole style of game, the way he approaches the game, his body control, the way he goes up and gets the ball. I definitely model my approach after him."
Dwayne Bowe is no longer much of a contact player. He dropped the corrective lenses after Lasik surgery in July. "It was a great thing for me. I'm glad I got it done," Bowe said. "I can see the ball clearer. ... I had a problem, I corrected it, and I've been on a roll. Man, I can see the white lines, the grids. I can see the NCAA sign and everything."
It's no accident Zach Miller reminds NFL scouts of another Arizona State tight end - the Ravens' Todd Heap. The two are close, and Heap encouraged him to enter the league after his junior season. "I think it motivates me to be a player like he is," Miller said. "A stand-up guy as well as an excellent player, a great receiver, does a great job for the Ravens. To be compared to someone like that only motivates me and makes me want to achieve that kind of status."
Bucs on the clock
Tampa Bay has made no secret of its willingness to move up for Calvin Johnson. But any deal likely will come with the Lions on the clock if Johnson still is on the board. The Georgia Tech receiver has the body of Terrell Owens, the humility of Marvin Harrison and the speed of Joey Galloway. But the Bucs probably won't want to pay the likely price of three draft picks with all their glaring needs. Still, while receiver isn't nearly the biggest need for Tampa Bay, Galloway is 35, Michael Clayton's production has sagged, and Maurice Stovall is unproven.