Mag talk: MVP

Marvin McNutt was the first MVP that popped in my head and so I listed him in the Lindy's "Best & Brightest."

You know what he can do. He's a slant machine with his 6-foot-4 (really about 6-3), 215-pound body fending off smaller defensive backs. Chris L. Rucker can testify. McNutt can go get the jump ball, too. I almost ran the picture of Ohio State '09 with Chimdi Chekwa dwarfed in the frame. A 42-inch vertical will do that for a guy.

"He has quick feet and is big enough to beat you on a slant pass," Iowa QB James Vandenberg said after OSU '09. "He can jump and he has big hands, so he can also beat you all day on the fade."

It would take an all-time season,  in capital letters, for McNutt to catch Derrell Johnson-Koulianos' records of 173 receptions and 2,616 yards, but the TD receptions record of 21 -- held by Tim Dwight (1994-97) and Danan Hughes (1989-92) -- is probably happening. McNutt needs just five. He's caught eight in each of the last two seasons.

“As receivers, we're always competing,” said McNutt, who has 88 receptions for 1,546 yards. “We're all competitive and we all like having fun. That's what it's all about when you're playing college football.”

A wide receiver as an MVP? Sure, that's out there. Not a lot of that noise except maybe outside of Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon. McNutt's been a steady character from day 1. He let go of the QB dream (not sure how much convincing went into that one) and made a switch that's helped the team and himself. He's universally loved by teammates and coaches. That counts, too.

McNutt is as close as Iowa has to automatic going into '11.

*Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 173

*Kevin Kasper 157

*Kahlil Hill 152

Danan Hughes and Ronnie Harmon 146

Tim Dwight 139

* -- Ferentz-era receivers (Surprised there are this many at the top)

McNutt has 88 career receptions going into his senior season

* Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 2,616

Tim Dwight 2,271

Danan Hughes 2,216

Ronnie Harmon 2,045

* Kevin Kasper 1,974

McNutt has 1,546 yards going into '11

Tim Dwight and Danan Hughes 21

*Derrell Johnson-Koulianos 17

Robert Smith and *Marvin McNutt 16

*Ed Hinkel and *Mo Brown 15

*Clinton Solomon 14

Scott Helverson, Mike Flagg (TE) and Quinn Early 13

* -- Ferentz-era receiver (I included Ferentz era asterisk to show that balance really is the first thought with Iowa's O under Ferentz/Ken O'Keefe. A healthy number of Ferentz-era receivers on these lists.)

OT Riley Reiff -- Sets a physical tone. There's a spring video where he finishes DE Lebron Daniel with a shove at the whistle. Says it all. Can an OL be MVP? Robert Gallery might've been the MVP of the '03 Hawkeyes. (Check about :40 to :55 seconds into the second video.)

QB James Vandenberg -- Everything is there except for the snaps in 2010. Let's put Vandenberg in the "can be the team MVP but only after the season" category. Seriously, the potential is there. I looked for a little more resume.

RB Marcus Coker -- You can't be both "emerging star" and MVP. It's in the rules. Mr. Lindy's said so. But again, ask after the season and the answer might be different. Coker certainly was the MVP of Iowa's last game.

CB Shaun Prater -- If a CB is your MVP, he probably returned a couple punts, made a few key picks or your team is in trouble.

DT Mike Daniels -- The 6-1, 280-pounder had four sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season. He has uncommon strength and is very quick. He'll draw more of a crowd this season, but should still thrive. He gives the Iowa D-line something to build on, especially on the inside, where experience drops off rather quickly.

2010 -- 1. DT Karl Klug 5, 2. DT Mike Daniels 5, 3. DE Adrian Clayborn 3.5. Total sacks -- 21.0

2009 -- 1. DE Adrian Clayborn 11.5, 2. DT Christian Ballard and DE Broderick Binns 5.5, 3. Karl Klug 4.0. Total sacks -- 30.0

2008 -- 1. DT Mitch King 4.0, 2. DE Adrian Clayborn, DE Broderick Binns, LB A.J. Edds, DT Karl Klug 2.0, 3. DE Christian Ballard 1.0. Total sacks -- 17.0

2007 --  1. DE Bryan Mattison 9.0, 2. DT Mitch King 4.5, 3. DE Kenny Iwebema 3.5. Total sacks -- 27.0

2006 -- 1. DE Bryan Mattison 6.5, 2. DT Mitch King 5.5, 3. DE Kenny Iwebema 3.0. Total sacks -- 21.0

Iowa has averaged 23.2 sacks a season the last five years, with a high of 30 (2009) and a low of 17 (2008).