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NFL Combine – Top 6-10 2007 NFL Entry Draft Prospects

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For the Top Five 2007 here.

6. Adrian Peterson (RB) –

Peterson, despite his injury-riddled season, is still the best back in the draft by a long shot. He shows excellent speed, body control and power when running the football. Furthermore, he has shown exceptional catching ability out of the backfield, which has a lot of coaches salivating at the mouth.

But Peterson has been dogged by injuries throughout his collegiate career, which is a reason I drop him so far on the board. Being a productive running-back in the NFL is about durability (read: Priest Holmes) and Peterson has not shown the ability to stay competitive and healthy throughout a full college season.

7. Joe Thomas (OT) –

Ok, so Joe Thomas is supposed to be a top-three pick. I do not care. The last time people raved so highly about an offensive lineman, his name was Robert Gallery. I am simply not sold on ranking Thomas that high.

Regardless of that opinion, Thomas has terrific athletic ability for a man his size and has solid height and size for the position. Even at 310lbs, however, he could add some weight.

This draft is deep in offensive lineman, and Thomas is certainly the best, but I will be damned if I rank him above the rest as far as pure athletic talent. He will be a benefit to any team immediately, but the learning curve for offensive lineman is too steep, and Thomas is still a tad too small.

 

8. Laron Landry (S) –

Another Tiger in the top ten? You bet. Landry is a fantastic all-round safety. He shows excellent speed and makes quick breaks to the football when it is in the air. Simply put – he is a ballhawk.

What is amazing to watch with Landry are his instincts for the football. Good instincts make for good safeties in the NFL, and his leadership abilities are outstanding as well. He will need to add bulk to aid in stuffing the run (he is only 202 lbs), but that can come with training and time.

Landry is a playmaker, and will be an instant boon to any secondary that adds him to their ranks.

9. Gaines Adams (DE) –

Adams loses out to Jamaal Anderson because he is a smaller player, though not by much. His greatest strength is his first-step, which had most offensive lineman sweating buckets across the line of scrimmage. Adams bursts of the line like a two-ton firecracker and causes havoc in the backfield.

The knock on Adams is his size and strength. The linemen in the NFL are much bigger, hellacious and stronger. The Clemson Tiger will need to show he has the brute strength to overpower them, or the lights-out speed to blow past them. For now, he can work on the former, because the latter is already in his grasp.

 

10. Ted Ginn Jr. (WR) –

The only reason Ted Ginn Jr. squeezed his way in to the top ten is because of his kick-return ability. As a receiver, he shows crisp route running, game breaking speed and excellent hands. These are all reasons why he is the number two rated receiver in the league.

But, as Devin Hester proved to all this year, special teams is becoming more and more important in the NFL. Ginn shows great awareness and footwork as a kick-return man, and he is a difference maker when running routes. His natural speed is outstanding, though his height may be an issue at the NFL level.

Remember, if you can bet on football, you can . It's free and you'll know the teams by the time the big tournament's bracket buster rolls around.

Stay tuned to the  room for all your 2007 NFL Entry Draft props and news.