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College '06 Award Finalists
Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award.

Three finalists selected for 2006 Outland Trophy
61st Outland Trophy is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football.

Texas - OT - Justin Blalock
West Virginia - OC - Dan Mozes
Wisconsin - OT - Joe Thomas

Five finalists selected for 2006 Bronko Nagurski Trophy

College best Defensive Player
Clemson - DE - Gaines Adams
Michigan - CB - Leon Hall,
Ohio State - LB - James Laurinaitis
Florida - Safety - Reggie Nelson
Mississippi LB - Patrick Willis

Maxwell Award

Fast Rising Pro Prospects for the NFL Draft '07
Midseason Report – Free & Exclusive for Full subscribers
The Top 25 Rising Prospects from the '06 College Season

Frank Coyle and Don Hope
www.draftinsiders.com

QB Tyler Palko - Sr. - 6'2" 220 lbs. - Pittsburgh
Tough senior leader has rebounded from a subpar ’05 performance with a strong final performance that has elevated the Pitt club this season. He attempted to do too much in the struggling Panther offense last season, but has been the catalyst for the Pitt success in the Big East. He has made few mistakes this fall after forcing things as a junior that caused many mistakes. The lack of a ground game forced him to carry the offense and he was not capable of doing that and as a result he forced too many passes. He is a fine athlete who excelled early in his first career and was able to regroup this fall to establish himself as a prime pro prospect once again. He has been an accurate thrower in the short game and makes sound decisions when he gets ample time to read a defense and setup. He has also made the key play this season using his mobility in short yardage and goal line situations. He is the type of player who has gained valuable experience at the position and is ready to take a critical step up in the rankings. He has the athletic package to be a highly regarded prospect with further development.

2006 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Weekly Winners -

2006 Weekly Winners - Nov. 7,2006

11/7 - Quinton Culberson - LB - Mississippi St.
11/1 - Damon Nickson - FS - Middle Tennessee
10/24 - Ameer Ismail - LB - Western Michigan
10/17 - Quentin Groves - DE - Auburn
10/10 - Aaron Ross - CB - Texas
10/3 - Philip Wheeler - LB - Georgia Tech
9/25 - Terrail Lambert - CB - Notre Dame
9/18 - Prescott Burgess - LB - Michigan
9/9 - James Laurinatis - LB - Ohio St.
9/2 - Buster Davis - LB - Florida St.

The Football Writers Association of America announced the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List for the 2006 season. Fifty-five standout players from around the country have been nominated for consideration in the preseason.The Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the best defensive player in college football, has been a staple of the FWAA's awards since 1993. It is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, which has held the annual awards banquet since 1995.

’07 College Preseason Polls

Frank Coyle - Draft Insiders.com
www.draftinsiders.com

1.: Notre Dame
2.: Texas
3.: Ohio St.
4.: Southern Cal
5.: Oklahoma
6.: Auburn
7.: West Virginia
8.: Florida
9.: LSU
10.: California
11.: Michigan
12.: Louisville
13.: Miami
14.: Florida St
15.: Iowa
16.: Virginia Tech

Notre Dame is loaded especially on offense. They grew tremendously last season and if they can survive a tough early schedule could make a strong run at the national title behind talented QB Brady Quinn. Texas hopes to retain their national title behind a new starting QB and strong ground game. They will face a key early season showdown with Ohio St. in Texas that should propel the winner to the top of the polls. Ohio St. The Buckeyes finished strong last season and hope to ride hot QB Troy Smith to the national title. Southern Cal turns the page with a completely new backfield on offense and the best pair of receivers in college football. Oklahoma looks to healthy RB Adrian Peterson to return to the title chase. Auburn is talented and balanced and the favorite in a deep SEC division. West Virginia looks like the class of Big East behind a veteran backfield. Florida could surprise in the SEC with Urban Meyer established in the conference and relying on a group strong of seniors for leadership. Cal hopes that runner Marshawn Lynch carries them to a Pac 10 title with USC building with young players. Michigan needs a healthy runner Mike Hart to ignite an offense that wants to run first. Louisville will rely on a potent offense behind QB Brian Brohm and runner Michael Bush to challenge for the Big East title. Miami needs a big performance from QB Kyle Wright and runner Tyrone Moss to compete for ACC title. Florida St. must reload after many key losses and also survive a few key early games. Iowa faces a major test at midseason that will determine their Big Ten fate. Virginia Tech is always an aggressive balanced club that relies on a strong ground game and a fast defense.

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists the first Monday in November and then to three finalists the Monday before Thanksgiving. The winner will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show, telecast from Disney World on December 7. The official presentation of the award will be in Oklahoma City on February 7.

2006 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

Player, University Class Position
Fred Bennett, S. Carolina Sr CB
Joe Burnett, UCF So CB
Bobby Blackshire, Tulsa Sr FS
Antoine Cason, Arizona Jr CB
Zach Cantanese, Arizona State Sr S
Marquice Cole, Northwestern Sr CB

Brooks was the only prospect chosen on July 13th

Ahmad Brooks - 6’ 3� 260 lbs. - LB - Sp. 4.65 - Virginia
A former national defensive player of the year coming out of high school, Brooks was dismissed from the club by HC Al Groh for violations of team rules. He had an outstanding start of his career for the Cavaliers over his first two seasons in ’03 and ’04. He totaled 12 sacks and 20 TFL as a true freshman and sophomore. He was hurt last fall and missed six games with a right knee injury. He visited Dr. James Andrews on early June for the knee to be examined and that report was made available to all NFL teams. He lost over 30 pounds this spring and came in at 6’3� and 260 lbs. He passed five drug tests in the last 10 weeks. On June 22 at University of Virginia on a 96 degree day, he worked out for 31 NFL clubs with only the Vikings (that figures) absent. He ran three times and timed at 4.68, 4.75 and 4.74 in the 40, with 10-yard splits of 1.53, 1.58 and 1.58 and 20-yard splits of 2.73, 2.75 and 2.75. His arm span measured 33½ inches and his hands measured 9½. He had a 32� VJ, a 9’8� BJ, 4.43 short shuttle, an 11.84 long shuttle, a 7.43 three-cone drill and 19 reps in the lifting.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills - Grade C+
The Bills selected twice in the 1st round after trading up into the round with their #2 picks. With the 8th overall pick, they surprisingly chose safety Donte Whitner of Ohio State. Whitner was a fast rising defender but did not warrant a top ten selection. He is a fast tough defender with strong tackling and good coverage skills to press for a starting job early in his career. They added DT John McCargo of N.C. State in the late first round. He is an explosive interior defender who addresses a need area. He is a playmaker and should earn time on the inside and is an improving defender with interesting upside but a reach this early. On the 3rd round they chose corner Ashton Youboty of Ohio State, a big athletic junior with the AA package to develop into a fine starter. He was a total steal here and has intriguing upside with development. On the 4th round, they chose safety Ko Simpson of South Carolina. He is similar to Youboty – athletic junior who was projected earlier and has an NFL starting grade with refinement of his fine AA. With two 5th round picks, they added DT Kyle Williams of LSU and OT Brad Butler of Virginia. Williams has the experience and talent to win a backup role. Butler addresses a major problem area and will probably get a long look and most likely wins a roster spot. On the 6th round, they chose LB Keith Ellison of Oregon State. He is a good athlete who fell in this deep linebacker class and fine value here. He should contribute immediately on special teams. With two 7th round picks, they addressed the offensive line again in OT Terrance Pennington of New Mexico and guard Aaron Merz of California. Both figure to get a long look in camp with some upside especially Pennington on the outside.