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As seen on Fantasy Daddy

FS Chad Jones- LSU

He’s got the size of a linebacker and he’s not too shabby in coverage either, in fact he started at corner as a mere freshman for the 2007 National Championship LSU team before kicking over to free safety. He’s best suited to be a strong safety in the NFL because of his size, but he may be the best pure strong safety in this draft class ahead of heavily hyped Taylor Mays of USC. LSU takes on Darryl Clark and Penn State on New Years’ day in the Capital One Bowl.

SS TJ Ward- Oregon

Another talented, but underrated strong safety that isn’t getting a lot of attention, Ward grades out as a 4th round prospect. He doesn’t have the size of Jones or Mays, but he’s a hard hitter and has 6 forced fumbles in the last 2 years. His takes excellent routes to the ball and is good for 6-8 tackles almost every game. Watch him patrol the backfield as Oregon takes on Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on New Years’ day.

DE/DT Cameron Heyward- Ohio State

Heyward may end up being to this draft class what Tyson Jackson was to last years, a strong versatile defensive lineman that shoots up into the top ten, but at the moment he is relatively unknown. He’s a big 285 pound defensive lineman who could run a mid 4.8 40 and he has the versatility to play 3-4 defensive end, 4-3 left end, and cover 2 defensive tackle in the NFL. He lines up both inside and out on Ohio State’s defensive line and has 5 sacks on the season. Watch him closely as he takes on the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl New Years’ day.

QB Ryan Mallett- Arkansas

With all of the big name quarterbacks in college this year, Tebow, McCoy, Bradford, Locker, Clausen, Mallett might end up being the best pro, though he is still extremely raw. He has a huge arm, but only threw 7 picks this season as a red shirt sophomore, as opposed to 29 touchdowns, and had a YPA of 9.3 in a pro style offense at Arkansas. By comparison, Matt Stafford had a YPA of 9.0 in a pro style offense in Georgia last year and threw more picks. Watch him burn up the East Carolina secondary on January 2^nd in the Liberty Bowl.

DE Jermaine Cunningham- Florida

Florida has a big athletic defensive end in Carlos Dunlap, but he doesn’t have much of a motor and he won’t be playing in Florida’s bowl game because he got a DUI and is suspended indefinitely. Cunningham has an amazing motor and has put in 3 good seasons for Florida. His skills translate well to the NFL and he should be a fine cover 2 defensive end or rush linebacker at the next level. He and the Gators take on Cincinnati on New Years’ against in the Sugar Bowl.

DE Jason Pierre Paul- South Florida

JPP, as he’s been coined by ESPN, is a former standout Junior College player with great athleticism. However, in his first season in Division 1, he only has 5 sacks and I have yet to see him dominate Division 1 opponents. He has the athleticism to be a strong rush linebacker in the NFL, but I don’t see how he can play well in the pros if he can’t play well in Division 1. Still, he’s an interesting prospect to watch and most places actually have him rated as a 2^nd round prospect or higher if he comes out this year, so he’s an interesting watch against the West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

OLB/MLB Roddrick Muckelroy- Texas

While Colt McCoy gets all the attention for the Longhorns on the offensive end, Muckelroy is a versatile tackling machine of a linebacker who often lines up at all 3 linebacker slots. His has 74 tackles this season, a pick, and 2 sacks and has great fundamentals and should translate into a fine starting linebacker in the NFL. He’s projected in the 2^nd or 3^rd round. He and the rest of the Longhorns take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship game on January 7^th.

NT Dan Williams- Tennessee

Size and agility are a nice combination, but rare. Williams is a big NFL caliber nose tackle and moves nicely too. He gets an amazing explosion against the offensive line and is part of a great run stopping Tennessee defense. He takes on Virginia Tech’s offensive line on New Years’ eve in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

OLB Sean Weatherspoon- Missouri

He’s one of my favorite linebacker prospects because he’s a three year starter for Missouri in the Big 12 and because he can start in all 3 spots at linebacker in a 4-3 and at both middle linebacker spots in a 3-4 defense. He has three straight years of 100+ tackles and has 12 career sacks 4 career interceptions and his consistency and maturity could get him drafted in the 1^st round. He and the Missouri Tigers take on Navy on New Years’ eve in the Texas Bowl.

QB Zac Robinson- Oklahoma State

It’s unknown whether or not this mobile quarterback is a quarterback, a wildcat, a wide receiver, like Josh Cribbs, or nothing at the next level, but for now he’s the quarterback of an Oklahoma State Cowboys team that is taking on Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl on January 2^nd. A strong bowl game and strong workouts could shoot him into the 2^nd round.

-12/30/09