While most Hokie football fans are focused on spring practice right now, before you know it, draft day will be here for Virginia Tech�s seniors. The 2003 NFL draft is scheduled for April 26^th and 27^th, and, with apologies to Dr. Seuss, the places VT�s seniors go can have a significant impact upon their short term (signing bonus) and long term (playing opportunities) professional football prospects. While I am not Mel Kiper, Jr., draft expert, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I still will endeavor to provide some opinions on where the draft eligible Hokies stack up three weeks before their big day.

Before I begin, I should provide a little bit of background about the scouting process that the traditional fan shouldn�t forget. First, it is better to have one team love you than have all thirty-two like you because coaches, general managers, scouts and owners don�t draft guys they like. If you are a draft eligible player, you have to hope they love you at hello in order for them to spend a draft pick on you.

Second, much ado has been made about the debate between on the field performance and looking good in your underwear (i.e., the combine) and for good reason. Every year a few players have their fortunes rise and fall based on workout numbers rather than production between the hash marks. I am a strong production advocate, especially at certain positions like running back and linebacker. Other positions, admittedly, have shown that "upside," and combine performance can sometimes translate into production down the line � witness the number of starting NFL quarterbacks that were drafted in the later rounds or sometimes not at all. Also, there are a litany of broken hearts (and salary caps) because of quarterbacks drafted in the top five that did not become legitimate NFL players.

Third, team and coaching philosophies do matter in the draft process. As one simple example, certain teams really focus on the top plays, or highlight reel stuff, for draft eligible prospects. A coach like Jimmy Johnson sees a player make 10 great plays a game and 30 average to poor plays, and he believes he can get the player to produce those 10 great plays all game long once the player reaches the NFL. A supremely confident coach like Johnson thinks his coaching will lead to a more appropriate level of production.

Conversely, some teams don�t care what a player is like on his best plays. They eschew evaluating kids based on highlight tapes, and instead focus on what the player does during a full game tape. They want to see what he does on his worst play, so they know if he has the internal drive to be great. The Giants have traditionally been a team that takes that approach to the draft process. So, the philosophical "best versus worst" method of scouting impacts the draft boards of some teams.

Finally, there is the debate between the best available athlete and the biggest need. Most NFL types will give lip service to the best available athlete method of drafting; I personally don�t believe it. In the salary cap era, most draft picks have to make a roster. What that means from a personnel perspective is that you have to draft players at positions where there is a vacancy, a need, or you run the risk of wasting the opportunity to acquire a potential long term contributor at an inexpensive salary cap price (at least for second day selections).

Here is one man�s opinion on the current status of the Hokies receiving the most attention from NFL scouts (disclaimer: I do not necessarily endorse any of the negatives I state about VT�s players, I am just relaying what "gurus" are saying):

Lee Suggs: Scouts have seen what Hokie fans have known since his sophomore year; Lee is a tough inside runner with great instincts and body lean in short yardage situations. Lee also receives high marks for his speed and hands (Lee reportedly did well catching during VT�s pro day). Scouts express some concern over his knee injury, and, more recently, a shoulder injury. There are also some questions about whether his 204 lb. frame can be effective inside.

My take is that Suggs will be selected in the middle to the end of the second round. I think it is safe to say that after an impressive 4.45 and 41" vertical workout, PSU�s Larry Johnson is at the top of the NFL's running back list. USC�s Justin Fargas turned a lot of heads at the combine (I would note in his five year career he barely topped 1,000 yards TOTAL), Musa Smith of Georgia is an impressive size-speed combination with some health issues too, and yes, Miami�s Willis McGahee is coming back incredibly well. McGahee has a limited workout scheduled right before the draft, and if he shows well, he might even be a late first rounder by someone like Oakland who has multiple picks and a decision maker (Al Davis) with decent job security.

There simply aren�t that many teams looking for backs in the first two rounds, so Lee might even slip to the third round. However, I think with Oakland, Houston, New England, Dallas, Tampa Bay and perhaps a surprise team like the Redskins or Jaguars in the mix, Lee will go in the first two rounds.

One dynamic to watch: Dallas sent their offensive coordinator, former Giant RB Maurice Carthon, to watch Suggs at the VT pro day. Dallas is known to be interested in trading down, particularly if blue chip defenders like Kansas State CB Terrence Newman and Arizona State DE Terrell Suggs are gone. Parcells will probably try to get an extra second round pick, and it wouldn�t surprise me if he targeted Lee with it.

I think if Lee Suggs does last until the middle of the second round/early third round, someone is going to get a steal. For scouts to question Suggs� ability to run inside at his size is ridiculous. Much like Marcus Allen in terms of results (although admittedly not style), Lee just has the innate ability to convert in short yardage, despite the fact he doesn�t have prototypical short-yardage size. Also, almost every running back takes one full year to recover from an ACL injury. Lee should be even better next year than he was this year. I think Lee is going to have a very long and successful career if he gets the right opportunity.

The other VT prospects do not appear likely to be first day picks, the top three rounds, at this point.

Willie Pile: Pile heads the list as he projects as a fourth or fifth round pick by a lot of gurus. As VT fans know, Willie is a great leader and a very intelligent player. He made a lot of plays for the Hokies during his career. Willie also showed good athleticism at the NFL combine, and scouts took notice. The knocks on Willie are that he is perhaps not fluid enough to play man-to-man on pro slot receivers, and that he is inconsistent in his tackling.

Some scouts suggest he would be a great fit in a zone scheme, like Tampa Bay, where he can survey the field and make plays. Much like Lee Suggs, Willie�s character and leadership will really impress NFL people. Another underrated benefit of going to Virginia Tech is that NFL people know Willie understands the importance of special teams, and being able to contribute in that area is imperative for second day "athlete" selections. It can mean up to a round difference, and that is significant. Virginia Tech�s history of putting free safeties and rovers in the NFL should also help.

Anthony Davis: Big Nasty is a prospect that seems to have some widely divergent opinions. On the plus side, he has very impressive footwork for a man that large. He has a solid wingspan, and good natural explosion off the ball. An enormous plus for Anthony is the fact that most NFL scouts project him as a guard, yet he played left tackle at a major division I school. That demonstrates footwork superior to most draft eligible guards, while also showing he can play right tackle in a pinch (doubtful that Anthony can project as a blind side tackle at this point because he did have some struggles with speed rushers). That versatility makes him a much more attractive prospect than a "pure" guard who can never swing, even in an emergency, to tackle.

Some scouts question whether Anthony has the consistency and focus necessary to be an NFL starter. Anthony is a youngster that could thrive if he went to the right team and received the right coaching, and I think a team might be inclined to draft him higher than the "experts" think. I see him as a probable fifth rounder at this point, but he is an intriguing prospect to a team that drafts using the Jimmy Johnson formula of drafting off a player�s best plays rather than his worst plays.

Ronyell Whitaker: The Deuce is the final player that has received significant NFL attention. Ronyell has absolutely fantastic footwork, a fact that some fans overlook. He is well built and not afraid to tackle, although his technique isn�t always solid. The downside for Whitaker is that he is shorter than the scouts would like and gets beaten deep because of a lack of concentration and average catch-up speed. Ronyell also lets his emotions impact his play negatively at times.

Although many VT fans won�t believe it, Ronyell�s footwork is good enough that he will get a serious NFL look. Every team has to be prepared to play with a dime package, so there are a lot of corner jobs available. He also has significant special teams experience, and that will help him. My guess right now is that Ronyell will not get drafted, but that he will receive a number of post draft inquiries and get a free agent deal with a modest signing bonus.

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