When I look at Mike Mayock's top five lists of each position, I notice that there are a lot of defensive players from the University of North Carolina.
Robert Quinn is ranked No.1 among defensive ends. He recently did a broad jump of 9'8", two inches above the average for DEs.
Mayock predicts that he will be the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Inside linebacker Quan Sturdivant was named the No. 3 prospect at his position. Safety Deunta Williams was named No. 5.
Then there's defensive tackle Marvin Austin. He wasn't named as a top-five prospect by Mayock, but his 10-yard split time of 1.63 at the NFL Scouting Combine shows that he has the potential to be a productive player at the next level.
When I look at this list of defensive players the Tar Heels have produced, I can't help but think about the suspension handed down to 13 players in 2010, including Quinn, Austin and Williams.
What if these players didn't mess around with those agents? The Tar Heels could have assembled a football team that leaps out of the basketball one's shadow, maybe even won a national championship.
Who knows? It's definitely a shame.
Not that these players will be dwelling on the past. I'm sure their minds are on what could be very lucrative careers in the NFL.
Texas DE Gets Best 10-Yard Split Time
When defensive linemen run the 40-yard dash, scouts don't pay too much attention to the overall time.
No linemen run 40 yards very often. Instead, they look at the 10-yard split, which is a key measure of their ability to rush the backfield.
If the 10-yard split is the most reliable measure of this ability, then Longhorns defensive end Sam Acho is the best linemen in this draft class. He led all defensive linemen with a 10-yard split time of 1.60.
For the Fighting Illini Fans...
Corey Liuget is the No. 3 defensive tackle prospect in the 2011 draft class, according to Mayock.
He ran a 10-yard split time of 1.75. But his most important quality, as NFL Network annoyingly pointed out, is that he doesn't quit.
Because he's "too Liuget to quit."
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