Nugent Article
the fourth paragraph down
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/transendence.htm
Transcendence
1/28/05
<TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" width="99%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" vAlign=top><TABLE style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" width="100%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> Every draft has a certain number of guys who are so talented, or are so unique that they transcend that draft. These are players that teams will simply not see available every year, so it’s pretty much a necessity that they grab them that year or risk not seeing another guy like him for ten years. Last year the NFL teams were spoiled, they had five players go in the top 12 picks that I saw as transcendent talents, Raiders OL Robert Gallery, Browns TE Kellen Winslow, Washington FS Sean Taylor, Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, and Jets LB and Defensive Rookie of the Year Jonathan Vilma; along with a couple of borderline guys like Lions WR Roy Williams and Broncos LB D.J. Williams. Those guys all had something that made them a step above in terms of being an NFL prospect; and that tradition is shared by a trio of guys that make the cut this year.
The first is an example of just being just more talented than everyone else, and that player is Texas Longhorn linebacker Derrick Johnson. DJ is so clearly the best overall player available in the draft that it almost makes the act of arguing for it pointless, but its still fun to do anyway. He won’t go first overall, unless the 49ers really just get desperate for him and can’t find a way to trade down; but that’s not so much a knock on him as it is the unwillingness of an NFL team to take a Linebacker that high. Derrick has everything an NFL team could want; speed, strength, leadership, the knack for making the big play, intelligence, maturity; I could go on for a whole page. The only weakness that he had hanging over him was his inability to shed blockers when close to the line of scrimmage, but even that criticism has tapered off this season despite being under the eyes of pretty much every draft analyst there is. Even if that is his only problem, when he goes on to play weakside linebacker in the NFL he won’t have to deal with as many straight up blockers, giving him the opportunity to use his better qualities to make plays. Speaking very early, it will take a hell of an effort by the rest of the Defensive class to keep DJ from winning Defensive Rookie of the Year a year from now.
The next is a player who’s physical talents and on the field skills have amazed scouts since his Freshman year, that is until he ran into some problems about this time last year. Everyone knows how Mike Williams was held out of the draft last year then subsequently kept from playing his junior year at USC; so there’s no reason to dwell on it. Rather, everyone can focus on the 2500 yards and 30 TDs he put up his first two years at Southern Cal, along with the fact that he’s a very solid 6-5, 230. People are going to keep bringing up the fact that the year off should hurt him because he needs to get used to the speed of the real game, but that shouldn’t be as much of a problem as everyone makes it seem. Just look at how quickly he adjusted from High School ball to college; most would say he actually improved significantly when he got to USC. Had he played this year he might have made himself one of, if not the best college WR of all time, but really what would he have proven in terms of on the field skills?. The year off may actually benefit him, because if the reports of him slipping last year due to his 4.6 average 40 yard dash time were true, he needed some time for training. Now with him reportedly in the best shape of his life, and with a trimmed down 4.5 40, Mike has reestablished himself as not only the top WR in the draft, despite a dominating year from Braylon Edwards, but also a smart top three pick. You can always find WRs in the top ten or so of a draft, but none are going to be quite like this kid.
The last of the transcendent trio is definitely the most confusing of the choices, but he may be the most deserving. There is simply no better kicker in the nation than Mike Nugent. None. Arguing that point is ridiculous, embarrassing, and a little ignorant. In the past three years he hit 65 of his 74 field goal attempts, missing only three each of his sophomore, junior, and senior years. This past year he was flawless from 39 and below, showing his consistency on the kicks there should be no doubt about, and also five of 6 from 50+, showing the power that NFL teams need (2 of his three misses were 53 and 49). It’s hard to really compare him to other college kickers coming out, because he’s very simply better. Nate Kaeding, who was taken in the beginning of the third round last year by San Diego, played well this past year, and even he isn’t seen as a kicking prospect at Mike Nugent’s level. It’s not as easy to compare college kickers to NFLers or really gauge their potential, because maintaining the right mental state is just as important as having a good leg, but this guy just exudes Adam Viniateri. Take into consideration the three field goals he made in a game against Purdue last year, including a 36 yard game winner in OT that was tipped at the line but still made it through, or his game-winning 55 yard field goal against Marshall that set a personal record; he’s just a machine. While it may be unheard of to some, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a late second or very, very early third round pick.
Beyond those three there’s no one that really stands out. Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith both have their share of questions, as do the top running backs. Braylon Edwards and Heath Miller both have talent, but similar skills can be found every year; and there’s just no real top knockout talent anywhere on the O-line. On D besides DJ, the closest were Antrel Rolle and Thomas Davis, but they didn’t quite hit that top tier. Punter Dustin Colquitt had a shot, but the fact that USC junior Tom Malone would have probably overtaken him as the top punter killed that idea. So, while not as numerous as last year, the three mentioned are all deserving, and worth the world to any team lucky enough to pick one.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
. corso made a comment about how most schools leading scorers were in the 250's, not 350's. 
