Local Players In The Draft

Jimmy Kennedy  -  DT  -  Penn State

Here's the kind of impact the name Jimmy Kennedy is making among those teams picking at the top of the draft—The Chicago Bears, drafting fourth, may ignore potential franchise quarterback Bryon Leftwich and choose the 6-4, 322-pound Kennedy. Pick a moment with Kennedy. One of the best was his four-sack effort against Wisconsin.

Michael Haynes  -  DE  -  Penn State

Teams seeking that big, physical pass rusher who also can stand up to the run may take a hard look at Haynes. The Steelers certainly need that type of player, but he may not slip all the way to the 27th spot in the first round. Haynes, 6-3 5/8, 281, was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with 15 sacks and 23 tackles for a loss.

Larry Johnson  -  RB  -  Penn State

There may be three Penn State players taken in the first round, but Johnson is a longshot. Can you see him sitting there at No. 27 and the Steelers on the clock? Thanks to Willis McGahee's knee injury and Onterrio Smith's marijuana possession, Johnson may be the first running back selected. There are 2,087 reasons for that—the number of yards he gained last season.

Gerald Hayes  -  ILB  -  Pitt

Hayes, 6-0 7/8, 228, was a 2nd team All-American and 1st team All-Big East selection, the first 3 time, all-conference linebacker in Pitt history. Scouts like his run stopping ability but question his pass coverage skills. Also, at the scouting combine, Hayes measured about 2 inches shorter and 17 pounds lighter than Pitt advertised. May be a bargain in round 3, but a reach in round 2.

Bryant Johnson  -  WR  -  Penn State

Johnson has the necessary size (6-2 3/8, 214 pounds) that most NFL teams now seek in their wide receivers, but he is a step behind the best pass catchers in this year's lottery. Reliable? Yes. An immediate game-breaker? Probably not. But, coming from a football factory such as Penn State, he is a polished route runner and may be a contributor early in his career.

Avon Cobourne  -  RB  -  W Virginia

A 4 year starter and 2 time team MVP, Cobourne isn't among the marquee running backs available. But he probably won't disappoint the team selecting him, especially if the coaches are patient. He rushed for a school record 5,164 yards, adding 59 career catches to the mix. The knock on him—at 5-7 1/2, 205, teams may wonder if he can take the pounding.

Anthony Adams  -  DT  -  Penn State

Adams, 5-11 5/8, 299, is built like a nose tackle and may eventually find himself in that role. His speed is good for a big man (5.09 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine) and he possesses good athleticism with a 30 1/2-inch vertical jump. He's not Kennedy or Haynes, but there's NFL money with Adams' name on it.

Torrie Cox  -  CB  -  Pitt

The NFL likes its cornerbacks big and physical and Cox, 5-9 1/4, 181, might be few pounds and inches short of big. But he's tough and a sure tackler with 77 during the regular season for Pitt. Cox was a first-team, All-Big East cornerback, who only had two interceptions last season, but led the Panthers with 13 pass breakups.

Reggie Wells  -  OL  -  Clarion

NFL teams will initially shy away from Wells because he played Division II football, but the ex-South Park Eagle has all of the physical tools they are seeking. He is big enough (6-3 1/4, 300) and quick enough (5.1) and he has caught the attention of several NFL teams, which isn't an easy thing to do when you're tucked away in Clarion County.

Bryan Scott  -  SS  -  Penn State

Scott was invited to the scouting combine, but why did he go? He didn't do any running, jumping or agility drills, only interviewing with some teams and doing the 225-pound bench press. His total of 13 reps was just average. Teams are attracted by his size (6-1, 219), but the team that picks him won't know if he can really play until they get him in training camp.

Sean Berton  -  TE  -  NC State

Berton, 6-4 3/8, 279 pounds, weighed in as the heaviest tight end at the combine, but he also was one of slowest, running a 5.01. The former Hempfield Spartan transferred from West Virginia to North Carolina State after starting every game for the Mountaineers in 2000. He sat out 2001, but finished last season with 25 receptions for 215 yards and a touchdown.

Lance Nimmo  -  OT  -  W Virginia

Nimmo, 6-5 1/4, 303 pounds, is built like a tackle, but he wasn't the strongest at the combine, with only 20 reps of 225 pounds. He can play the left tackle position, however, and that shouldn't hurt his draft status. Nimmo, who grew up near New Castle and played at Laurel High School, was an All-Big East selection.

Steve Sciullo  -  OT  -  Marshall

Sciullo is best known as one of the offensive linemen who carried Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich down the field so Leftwich could stay in the game with a badly injured leg. Sciullo, 6-5 1/8, 330, ran a sub-par 5.5 time at the combine, but his size surely will earn the ex-Shaler Titan a job in someone's NFL camp this year.

Gus Felder  -  OL  -  Penn State

Call him a guard or a tackle, but his lack of superior height might eventually place him at guard in the NFL. At 6-2 7/8, 324 pounds, Felder ran exceptionally slow at the combine (5.88), and his vertical was only 23 1/2 inches. His Penn State pedigree will prevent him from falling through the cracks, but he looks like a late-round selection.