How futile is projecting next year's draft prospects? Well, D.J. Moore is proof that it's futile to even project April's draft picks in January of the same year.
Moore was a first-rounder in January and a fourth-rounder in April. Now Myron Lewis is a first-rounder in some projections but who knows where he'll be next January — not to mention next April?
So we won't do it. But we will make fun of projections for next season. For example, cbssports.com has rated the top 750 rising seniors and even rising juniors and sophomores. No kidding. Here are Commodores on the list:
• Myron Lewis, CB, No. 43
• Patrick Benoist, LB, 253
• Greg Billinger, DT, 333
• Ryan Hamilton, FS, 354
• Broderick Stewart, DE, 458
• Brett Upson, P, 570
• Mackenzi Adams, QB, 588
• Drew Gardner, OL, 628
• Steven Stone, DE, 720
Drew Gardner over Thomas Welch and Bradley Vierling? Gardner lost his starting position to a redshirt freshman last year, and at the end of the season announced that he wasn't returning for a fifth year. So he's no longer playing football.
Also interesting are the top prospects for 2011, which would be last year's sophomores:
• Joey Bailey, No. 37 center
• John Stokes, No. 41 outside linebacker
• Justin Green, No. 42 tight end
Bailey and Green aren't even starters, and almost certainly won't be this upcoming season. How about Austin Monahan, the tight end who before injury started ahead of both Branden Barden and Green? These guys, even Stokes, are still raw prospects who could boom or bust in the next two years.
Here are the top prospects for 2012:
• Chris Marve, No. 4 linebacker
• Brandon Barden, No. 5 tight end
• T.J. Greenstone, No. 44 defensive tackle
Rising sophomores, these guys will be a big part of our team for the next three seasons. Marve is a star who could make all-conference this season and get thoughts planted in his head about declaring for the draft after his junior year. Let's hope not.
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