Pacman Fever
April 19, 2005 11:21 AM | General
April 19, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There is no questioning the fact that former West Virginia University cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones is going to be a very rich man by the end of this weekend when the two-day NFL draft concludes Sunday.
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| West Virginia's Pacman Jones is expected to be a top 10-round pick in Saturday's NFL draft. If that happens, he will be just the eighth Mountaineer player taken in the first round.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
The only question is exactly where the 5-foot-10-inch, 187-pound speedster will wind up. Jones is a consensus top 10 player and several mock drafts have him pegged at the number nine overall spot to the Washington Redskins, a team in need of a talented cover corner.
However, the Arizona Cardinals at No. 8 may also have interest in Jones as may the Tennessee Titans at No. 6. Tennessee is looking at running backs but may swing over to the other side of the ball and draft a defensive player – a strong possibility for defensive minded Titans coach Jeff Fischer.
Jones and Miami corner Antrel Rolle are considered the top two cornerbacks in the draft with contrasting skills. Rolle is the taller of the two but Jones is faster (4.38 forty) and is considered a more explosive playmaker. Jones says his size won’t inhibit him in the pros.
“I prefer going against big receivers,” Jones recently told Boston Globe’s Jerome Solomon. “I can get my hands on them a little bit more. The short receivers are a little quicker and you can’t get your hands on them. But big, tall receivers, you can pretty much touch them any time and I feel that I have the speed to run with any of them.”
Jones is appealing to teams because of the NFL’s rules favoring the passing game. Quality corners are in high demand.
“If you think about it, anyone can be a receiver,” Jones said. “It’s hard to be out there by yourself and you get beat on one play and (you have to) get your mind back together and go back and compete the next play.”
Another bonus for Pacman is his ability to return punts and kicks.
That may prove enticing for a team like Cleveland all the way up at the No. 3 spot. According to Tuesday’s Cleveland Plain-Dealer the Browns have their sights set on Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards, as does Minnesota with the seventh pick. However, the Vikings have discussed the possibility of trading up to Miami’s spot at No. 2 to assure getting Edwards.
The Dolphins, Bears (No. 4) and Tampa Bay (No. 5) have all expressed an interest in drafting running backs. The top spot in the draft belongs to San Francisco and the 49ers are expected to take either Utah quarterback Alex Smith or Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
If the draft unfolds that way, that leaves Jones most likely going to either Arizona at No. 8 or Washington at No. 9. According to the Boston Globe, 19 cornerbacks have been taken in the first round in the last five drafts.
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All-Time 1st Round Picks |
| 1936, Joe Stydahar,
Chicago 1956, Joe Marconi, LA Rams 1958, Chuck Howley, Chicago 1966, Dick Leftridge, Pittsburgh 1986, Brian Jozwiak, Kansas City 1990, Renaldo Turnbull, New Orleans 2000, Anthony Becht, NY Jets |
If Jones is picked at either eight or nine he will become just the sixth top-10 pick in West Virginia University history and the eighth first-round selection. The last top-10 pick was offensive tackle Brian Jozwiak drafted seventh by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1986.
The highest West Virginia player ever taken was running back Dick Leftridge as the third overall pick in the 1966 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jones capped off a terrific three-year career at WVU by earning Big East special teams player of the year and earning Collegefootballnews.com first-team All-America honors. Jones led the WVU defense with 76 total tackles and also added three interceptions, two sacks, three tackles for losses and seven passes defensed.
As a specialist he returned 59 career kicks for 1,475 yards and a touchdown and also brought back 37 punts for 404 yards and one score. Jones averaged 14.6 yards per return in 2004. Scouts Inc. has Jones rated the No. 5 overall player available.
The College Park, Ga., resident left school a year early to enter the draft. Jones is being represented by agent Gary Wichard.
Another early entrant, wide receiver Chris Henry, has his sights set on being taken in the first day. The 6-foot-4-inch, 197-pound Belle Chasse, La., native was rated the 53rd-best player in the draft by Scouts Inc. and was a projected third-round pick in a mock draft conducted by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. The Tennessean has Henry the 62nd-rated player in the draft.
Henry caught 52 passes for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns last year as a junior and finished his two-year career at WVU with 93 catches for 1,878 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Kay-Jay Harris was invited to the Senior Bowl and has received positive feedback from several teams because of his size (6-feet-1 and 245 pounds) and his speed (4.65 forty). Harris is rated a “Fence Player” by CNNSI.com, meaning he has “skills and abilities to succeed but needs time and patience to develop those skills to the fullest.”
Harris, 26, was a former professional baseball player in the Texas Rangers organization before enrolling at WVU two years ago. The Tampa native spent time as a junior backing up Quincy Wilson before assuming the starting tailback job as a senior in 2004. In his ’04 debut Harris ran for a school-record 337 yards and scored four touchdowns against East Carolina. That was the 24th-best single-game rushing performance in NCAA history. Harris had 134 yards against Florida State in the Gator Bowl to finish the year with 825 yards and nine touchdowns on just 140 carries.
CNNSI.com predicts Harris to be a mid-third-round pick and Scouts Inc. has Harris rated 85th among NFL prospects.
Senior offensive tackle Mike Watson was also invited to play in the Senior Bowl and is on some team’s radar screens. The second team all-Big East performer was taught well at WVU under veteran offensive line coach Rick Trickett and can use that schooling to overcome his lack of size for an NFL offensive tackle, weighing just 316 pounds. Scouts Inc. has Watson ranked No. 342 among NFL draft prospects.
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 Henry |
 Lehnortt |
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 Marshall |
 Watson |
Quarterback Rasheed Marshall is an intriguing prospect and has been evaluated primarily as a wide receiver. Marshall was the Big East offensive player of the year at quarterback after passing for 1,886 yards and running for 861 more. Marshall showed his true grit in the Gator Bowl playing through a painful rib injury, accounting for more than 200 yards of total offense against Florida State’s nationally ranked defense.
Marshall ran a 4.53 forty time and is projected as a late-round pick by CNNSI.com. Scouts Inc. has Marshall rated the 233rd-best pro prospect. Some have compared Marshall to another Antwaan Randle-El.
Other Mountaineer players on the draft board include 6-foot-4-inch, 318-pound center Tim Brown, 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound inside linebacker Adam Lehnortt, 6-foot-3-inch, 275-pound defensive tackle Ben Lynch. All three are projected as un-drafted free agents by CNNSI.com.
Six-four, 220-pound receiver Eddie Jackson, and 6-foot-4-inch, 288-pound offensive tackle Jeff Berk are also listed by ESPN.com.
Also, three-time West Virginia University national champion wrestler Greg Jones has caught the eye of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the organization has scheduled a workout with Jones in Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon. Jones played high school football in Slickville, Pa., before enrolling at WVU.
The NFL draft will begin on Saturday, April 23, and conclude on Sunday, April 24. ESPN and ESPN2 will have live coverage.
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WVU Draft Picks Since 2000 |
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| 2000 | Anthony Becht, 1st | NY Jets |
| Jerry Porter, 2nd | Oakland | |
| Barrett Green, 2nd | Detroit | |
| Marc Bulger, 6th | New Orleans | |
| 2003 | Lance Nimmo, 4th | Tampa Bay |
| James Davis, 5th | Detroit | |
| 2004 | Quincy Wilson, 7th | Atlanta |
