With their victory Sunday, the Giants proved that rookies can play an invaluable and immediate role for a championship caliber team.
Now that the season is over, every team is peeking ahead to next year and the crop of rookies who could instantly contribute. As we close in on the Combine, scouts are reviewing their notes on the 2007 season, the senior all-star games, and any off-field news regarding next April's prospects. Two notable performers from the Big Ten, for example, are falling due to injuries.
We are, as well, highlighting each week's Risers and Fallers:
1. Jack Ikegwuonu, CB, Wisconsin - Stock Current Rating: 2008 Draft Scout #20 CB, Overall #167, Compiled Projected Round(s): 5
Wisconsin cornerback Jack Ikeguonu went from a potential first round pick to a likely undrafted free agent when he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee during workouts in late January. Ikeguonu, a First Team Big-Ten selection after each of the past two seasons, had been a standout for the Badgers since his freshman season and elected to declare early for the draft. The injuries will force Ikeguonu to miss the entire 2008 season.
2. Jeremy Leman, ILB, Illinois - Stock Current Rating: 2008 Draft Scout #18 ILB, Overall #366, Compiled Projected Round(s):
Illinois inside linebacker J Leman was the defensive catalyst behind the team's rise into national prominence. Leman led the Illini with 132 tackles and 71 solos, and he had 10 1/2 tackles for losses, including 2 1/2 sacks. Leman, already battling questions about his speed, may now be forced to wait until after the draft to run for scouts after undergoing surgery last week to repair ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury, sustained during the Rose Bowl, has a recovery time of at least three months.
After dominating the Mountain West Conference, UNLV inside linebacker Beau Bell was characterized as a potential first round pick by some scouts. Before succumbing to a knee sprain at the Senior Bowl, however, Bell's stock had already been injured. Though he's explosive in a straight line, Bell struggled changing directions, meaning he is strictly a two down run defender at the next level, and thus, likely a middle round selection.
Michigan outside linebacker Shawn Crable suffered a similar fate at the Senior Bowl as Bell. Crable, who finished second in the nation and set the school record with 28.5 tackles for loss as a senior, was exposed in Mobile as a one-dimensional pass rush threat. Crable can rush the passer, but struggles changing direction in coverage and has a weak lower body that allows blockers to move him easily. Crable, who suffered a back strain during the week of practice, was unable to play in the game.
5. Roy Schuening, OG, Oregon State - Stock Current Rating: 2008 Draft Scout #2 OG, Overall #66, Compiled Projected Round(s): 2-3
Oregon State offensive guard Roy Schuening didn't suffer an injury in Mobile, but his stock took a hit after a mediocre week of practice. A Pac-10 honoree after each of his four starting seasons, Schuening is smart and tough, but a lack of lateral quickness and explosive pop was exposed throughout the week by defensive linemen. Schuening still ranks as one of the better prospects in a very weak guard class, but he might have been better served in staying home and letting scouts go off the film of his fifty career starts for the Beavers.
02/07/08 - Rob Rang, Senior Analyst, NFLDraftScout.com
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