The Reality of the NFL Draft: Greene Running On Crowded Field

The National Football Post, fast becoming a Hlog favorite, ranks the order in which it thinks the 48 underclassmen who have declared for April's NFL draft will fall.

Iowa running back Shonn Greene, the All-America and Doak Walker Award winner? He's 19th of the 48. The Post projects him as a late first-round or early second-round draftee. Which would be fine, salary-wise.

But what kind of a different animal is pro football and evaulating talent when Greene is suddenly a face in a crowd, and that's just among underclassmen?

Greene, according to the Post's rankings, is only the No. 6 underclassmen running back entering the draft, and No. 2 among Big Ten underclassmen RBs behind Ohio State's Beanie Wells (fourth overall).

No. 1 is Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, who could easily be the next Larry Fitzgerald.

Know that all such draft rankings will change and change and change in the next three months, know that a lot of teams will draft for need instead of the best player left on the board, and know that Greene has been told by NFL people that he will be a first-rounder.

Then wait and see what happens.

The link:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/01/nfl-draft-ranking-the-underclassmen/