ESPN College Football

The NFL draft is almost here. With the first round set to begin Thursday night on ESPN, I now present to you the final big board and mock drafts for ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones continues to shoot up the rankings. In his final mock draft , Kiper has Jones going No. 12 overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Kiper says:

The Seahawks need a pass-rusher, and I really like the fit. Pete Carroll can use a player with Jones' length and athleticism in a "Leo" role, and create an added dimension to the rush. The Seahawks will have built a pretty formidable defense if they can add a final piece or two up front. Jones makes sense here.

Jones ends up at No. 20 on Kiper's Big Board , a ranking of the top 25 prospects in the draft.

Meanwhile, McShay has Jones listed as No. 11 on his ranking of the top 32 players , moving up five spots. McShay says, "Jones' versatility and long frame make him an attractive prospect. He's risen steadily in recent weeks, from underrated prospect to the top half of the first round."

McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl did a complete mock draft, rounds one through seven. Here is where they have the Big East prospects:

• Jones, No. 12 overall, Seattle
• UConn DT Kendall Reyes, second round, New England
• Cincinnati DT, Derek Wolfe, second round, Atlanta
• Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead, third round, Pittsburgh
• Temple RB Bernard Pierce, fourth round, Denver
• Syracuse S Phillip Thomas, fourth round, Green Bay
• Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu, fourth round, Minnesota
• Syracuse OG Andrew Tiller, fifth round, Cincinnati
• Cincinnati TE Adrien Robinson, sixth round, Arizona
• Pitt OG Lucas Nix, sixth round, Oakland
• Temple TE Evan Rodriguez, sixth round, Indianapolis
• Rutgers OG Desmond Wynn, seventh round, Buffalo
• Pitt LB Brandon Lindsey, seventh round, Green Bay

Can't wait to see where everybody ends up!

All eight Big East teams have completed their pro day workouts for NFL scouts.

Keep in mind that only a few Big East teams made times and performances available. Here are a few of the highlights:

Cincinnati: Running back Isaiah Pead clocked a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash. But it was probably tight end Adrien Robinson who turned the most heads, as he ran a 4.51 and 4.58 in the 40. Scouts Inc. analyst Kevin Weidl had praise for Robinson, whose only opportunity to impress scouts in person was at the school's pro day.

UConn: Kendall Reyes and Kashif Moore skipped doing the 40-yard dash and instead focused on position work. It's a smart move because both did outstanding at the NFL combine. More than 20 NFL teams were represented.

Louisville: The Cardinals did not have anybody invited to the NFL combine, so senior players had to rely on their pro day. It was receiver Josh Bellamy who stood out, after he ran a 4.42 in the 40. Bellamy also worked out at cornerback.

Pitt: Unheralded cornerback Buddy Jackson had a good showing, running somewhere in the 4.3 range, while defensive tackle Chas Alecxih improved on his performance at the combine. Alecxih apparently caught the stomach virus in Indianapolis, which affected his performance. Brandon Lindsey improved some of his numbers, too. Lucas Nix also showed well.

Rutgers: Receiver Mohamed Sanu helped himself, improving on his 40 time, with a 4.41. Sanu ran a 4.67 at the combine, and told local reporters after pro day last week he was drained in Indianapolis. Fullback Joe Martinek ran a 4.4 in the 40.

USF: New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in attendance for the Bulls' pro day. Running back Darrell Scott, who decided to leave school early, was the only USF player invited to the combine, so it was an opportunity for his teammates to try to make an impression.

Syracuse: Defensive end Chandler Jones brought many more scouts to Syracuse pro day -- 37 in all. According to the Post-Standard, that was the biggest pro day turnout since 2002.

Temple: Running back Bernard Pierce was one of 17 Owls who worked out for 32 NFL scouts. Pierce reportedly improved on his already-terrific 40 time from the combine, with some clocking a time of 4.34. Evan Rodriguez did not run the 40.

Now that you have the quick recaps, here is an updated look at where Todd McShay and Mel Kiper have some of the Big East players.

McShay has his NFL mock draft 4.0 up, with Syracuse's Jones going at No. 27 overall to the New England Patriots. McShay says Jones is one of the most underrated prospects in the entire draft. UConn defensive tackle Reyes is in the first round, too, at No. 31, also to the Patriots. Future teammates, perhaps? McShay does not have anybody from the Big East in the second round.

Jones is the only player listed on McShay's top 32 . Kiper has no Big East players on his Big Board , which only ranks the top 25. Not much change in Kiper's top 5 players by position . It still features Reyes, Syracuse safety Phillip Thomas and Temple fullback Rodriguez.

So where do Big East players project in the draft?

Scouts Inc. expert Todd McShay has put together his own draft board , similar to what NFL teams use when they determine when to draft specific players. The chart lists players by position, and assigned to the round that corresponds to his draft grade. Here are where the Big East players stand on offense:

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse: first round

Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn: second round

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati: third round

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple: third round

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers: third round

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse: third round

Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati: fourth round

Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati: fourth round

Brandon Lindsey, LB, Pitt: fifth round

Lucas Nix, OG, Pitt: fifth round

Chas Alecxih, DT, Pitt: sixth round

Justin Francis, DL, Rutgers: sixth round

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse: sixth round

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers: sixth round

Darrell Scott, RB, USF: seventh round

Evan Rodriguez, RB, Temple: seventh round

Mike Ryan, OT, UConn: seventh round

Alex Hoffman, OT, Cincinnati: seventh round

Antwuan Reed, DB, Pitt: seventh round

Tahir Whitehead, LB, Temple: seventh round

There are always tough decisions to be made when compiling a Top 25 list. I went around and around before settling on my final rankings, which wrapped up today.

So who just missed the cut? These are the five players I would have spotlighted from 25-30.

Brandon Lindsey, DL/LB, Pitt: As I said in an earlier entry, Lindsey did have a good season. I just did not think it was memorable enough to make the Top 25, in part because it seemed as if the defensive coaches for the Panthers did not know how to best utilize him. I thought Aaron Donald and Chas Alecxih were much more consistent. Donald made the Top 25 list; Alecxih is spotlighted here.

Chas Alecxih, DT, Pitt: Alecxih ranked No. 5 in the league in tackles for loss with 15.5, and had 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. He was a big force in the middle of the Panthers' defense.

Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville: Adding Bushell to the mix really helped a group that lacked in experience. The Cardinals were expected to have problems at cornerback, but Bushell held down the position well, and won first-team conference honors.

Sio Moore, LB, UConn: Moore had 86 tackles and 6.5 sacks on a defense that was strong against the run, but weak against the pass. Getting adjusted to a new coordinator led to some inconsistency.

DeDe Lattimore, LB, USF: Lattimore really put together a strong second half to the season, and finished with 94 tackles -- 13 for a loss and seven sacks. It was tough choosing between him and Ryne Giddins, who did make the Top 25.

And a few others I also considered:

Justin Francis, DT, Rutgers

Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse

John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse

Max Gruder, LB, Pitt

The final ranking of the Big East Top 25 players for 2011 is complete. So it's time for a little breakdown.

By school

West Virginia: 7

Cincinnati: 4

Rutgers: 4

UConn: 3

Syracuse: 2

Louisville: 2

Pitt: 2

USF: 1

By unit

Offense: 9

Defense: 16

By position

Defensive line: 8

Running back: 4

Linebacker: 4

Defensive back: 4

Wide receiver: 3

Quarterback: 2

Now for what many of you have asked to see -- the players ranked in my preseason list who went unranked on the final list.

No. 2 Brandon Lindsey, DL/LB, Pitt. There are many Panthers fans who are upset that Lindsey did not make the final Top 25 list. Lindsey had 8.5 sacks, down from the 10 he had a year ago, while he transitioned to a new hybrid defensive end/linebacker position. I think being caught in no-man's land at times this season really took a toll. Pitt never really decided how they wanted to use him, and while he had the stats, overall I didn't think he was as effective as he was a year ago. In fact, I think he was probably misused in the new 3-4 scheme.

No. 10 Sio Moore, LB, UConn. Moore did have a good season for the Huskies, but I thought he was inconsistent on the whole at a position that had some pretty strong players. Moore did not make either Big East conference team, an award voted on by the coaches, but I do expect him to have a much better season in 2012.

No. 12 Moe Petrus, C, UConn. Offensive line was an area of weakness across the Big East, and UConn was no exception. Petrus was the first-team Big East center, but the Huskies had big problems on the line this past season, and I didn't think any lineman was worthy of recognition.

No. 13 Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers. Totally misjudged the receiver position at Rutgers, where Mohamed Sanu dominated. Still, I wasn't the only one who had high expectations for Harrison in 2011, so I think it is safe to say he disappointed.

No. 15 Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, UConn. Wreh-Wilson hurt his knee and missed a good chunk of the season, leaving the Huskies' secondary to fend without him. The result was a mess.

No. 16 D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati. Woods never really became the go-to receiver for the Bearcats, finishing with just 444 yards and two touchdowns. His production was down by more than half compared to the 2010 season, when he had 898 yards and eight touchdown receptions.

No. 19 Jarred Holley, S, Pitt. Holley did make the Big East first-team, but he didn't make as many big plays this season as he did during the 2010 season at a position that was relatively week across the league.

No. 22 Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville. Anderson got his chance as a starter, and never really made a big impact. He struggled to play through a sprained ankle, and ended up splitting reps with Jeremy Wright and Dominique Brown, finishing with 539 yards and three touchdown runs.

No. 23 Tino Sunseri, QB, Pitt. Do I need to go into how I badly miscalculated here?

No. 24 B.J. Daniels, QB, USF. Daniels had more yards passing, more touchdown passes and cut down on the interceptions from the 2010 season. But he wasn't an elite quarterback in the league, and ended up making critical mistakes in several key games this past season.

No. 25 Dave Teggart, PK, UConn. Teggart's field goal percentage was down from the 2010 season, and he also missed the first extra point attempt of his career. Nobody in the kicking/punting game really merited a mention in the Top 25.

It appears that Big East players had mixed performances at the NFL combine, which just wrapped up in Indianapolis.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead, UConn receiver Kashif Moore, Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones and UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes had solid performances, and likely helped themselves.

Of the 18 Big East players there, those four probably had the most notable performances. And it is still unclear if players like Jones, Reyes and Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu will be drafted in the first round.

To find out how your favorite player did in all the measurable categories, just click on his name:

Chas Alecxih, DT, Pitt

Justin Francis, DE, Rutgers

John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

Brandon Lindsey, DE, Pitt

Kashif Moore, WR, UConn

Lucas Nix, OG, Pitt

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse

Antwuan Reed, CB, Pitt

Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

Darrell Scott, RB, USF

Dave Teggart, K, UConn

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse

Andrew Tiller, OG, Syracuse

Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers

Former Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones and UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes put together impressive showings at the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Monday.

Jones in particular stood out to Steve Muench of Scouts Inc. This is what Muench said about him:

Chandler Jones showed above-average balance and flashed a strong punch during bag work. Jones also got adequate depth and did a decent job of coming up with the ball when asked to drop, but he didn't appear comfortable or look fluid in space. He is high-cut, and he had a tough time changing directions quickly.

Jones ranked in the Top 10 among defensive linemen in the vertical jump (35 inches) and broad jump (10 feet). Reyes also was in the Top 10 in the vertical jump (34.5), and tied for second in the bench press (36 reps). Brandon Lindsey of Pitt was in the Top 10 in the broad jump (9-9). Justin Francis of Rutgers made the Top 5 in the three-cone drill.

In the 40, Jones ran a 4.87; Lindsey ran a 4.93; and Reyes ran a 4.95. They were the only three linemen from the Big East to run a sub-5-second 40 time. One player who spent his entire career in the Big East -- Bruce Irvin of West Virginia -- was the story of the day after he ran a blazing 4.5 in the 40 and put up some of the top performances in the three-cone drill, short shuttle and broad jump.

And by the way, today also happens to be Jones' 22nd birthday.

With the NFL combine underway, our friends over at Scouts Inc. have done quite an impressive job putting together a list of grades for the top prospects leading into the draft.

Today, we spotlight the defense:

• Defensive linemen
• Linebackers
• Defensive backs

Here is a quick overview on Big East players:

• In the pass-rush skills category for end, Chandler Jones ranks No. 5; for tackles, Derek Wolfe ranks No. 4. In the quickness category, Kendall Reyes ranks No. 5. In the toughness/motor category, Chas Alecxih of Pitt ranks No. 2. Jones is rated as the top draftable defensive linemen among all Big East players, and No. 8 overall. Reyes, Wolfe, Alecxih and Justin Francis of Rutgers were all given draftable grades.
• Brandon Lindsey of Pitt is the only Big East linebacker given a draftable grade.
• Phillip Thomas of Syracuse is rated the No. 3 safety in the instincts/recognition category; No. 2 in cover skills; No. 3 in ball skills. Thomas, Antwuan Reed of Pitt and Jerrell Young of USF were all given draftable grades.

We continue with our final 2011 position rankings by moving to linebacker. There were plenty of exemplary individual performances in this group, as six teams were represented on the Big East first and second teams. But this evaluation is of the unit as a whole, so I am factoring in the performance of every starter, along with depth and stats.

1. Rutgers. Khaseem Greene's move to linebacker was the smartest position change of the year, pushing the Scarlet Knights into the top spot in this category. Greene led the league with 140 tackles en route to Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was essentially all over the field. Greene and Steve Beauharnais were the only linebacker tandem to finish in the top 10 in the Big East in tackles for loss. Add in the much-improved Jamal Merrell and it's easy to see why this group is No. 1. Preseason ranking: No. 4.

2. Cincinnati. J.K. Schaffer had yet another outstanding season for the Bearcats, racking up 100 tackles once again. But quietly, Maalik Bomar put together a nice year as well, and that helped make up for some serious question marks that surrounded this unit going into the season. True freshmen Dwight Jackson and Nick Temple made contributions, but on the whole it was the Schaffer show again and that was enough to boost this group. Preseason ranking: 8.

3. Louisville. Dexter Heyman and Preston Brown had career seasons for the Cardinals, elevating the position and helping Louisville post another outstanding season on defense. Heyman and Brown finished in the top 15 in the Big East in tackles, and Heyman ranked fourth in the league with 16 tackles for loss. His play earned him second-team honors, and he leaves a big hole to fill for 2012. Preseason ranking: 3.

4. UConn. The Huskies were one of two teams without a linebacker on the Big East first or second team. But I thought this position group was vastly underrated for most of the year. Sio Moore came up with some big plays, and Yawin Smallwood and Jory Johnson developed nicely throughout the season. To illustrate how active Moore was, he was the top linebacker in tackles for loss with 16. This unit should be even better in 2012. Preseason ranking: 2.

5. USF. The Bulls were the other team without a linebacker named to the Big East first or second team but that shouldn't diminish the season DeDe Lattimore had. He had seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss and led the team in tackles. In fact, all three linebackers led the team, in Mike Lanaris and Sam Barrington. But the group as a whole underachieved, as the Bulls struggled to get teams off the field and were often times out of position to make a play. Preseason ranking: 1.

6. West Virginia. Middle linebacker Najee Goode had a terrific season, earning first team Big East honors. But beyond him, there were few significant contributions. Injuries hurt and so did inexperience. Plus, the expected emergence of junior college transfer Josh Francis never materialized. Between Jared Barber, Jewone Snow and Doug Rigg, there was not much doing in this group. Preseason ranking: 5.

7. Pitt. The problem in evaluating Pitt is this -- Brandon Lindsey played both end and linebacker in the hybrid Panther role. Does he get evaluated with the line group or the linebacker group? He started eight games on the line, so I gave more weight to his contributions at end. However, I did take him into account for this unit, though it was not enough to life this group up much as a whole. Max Gruder was solid, but otherwise this was a lackluster bunch. Todd Thomas showed some spark but injuries slowed him down. Between Shane Gordon, Greg Williams and Tristan Roberts, there were problems all year. Preseason ranking: 6.

8. Syracuse. It was a struggle for the Orange on defense this season, and linebacker was no exception. Marquis Spruill had to make the transition to middle linebacker and struggled at times. Dyshawn Davis showed glimpses as a true freshman. Dan Vaughan actually was the leading linebacker in tackles. You generally want your linebackers to lead the team in that category, and that was not the case this season. But there is talent here. Another year of development for Spruill and Davis could yield big things in 2012. Preseason ranking: 7.

As we move along in our final position rankings for the 2011 season, we come to the defense. First up: defensive line. To me, this was the strongest, deepest position in the Big East; thus the toughest to rank. Trust me when I say I would not call any of these defensive fronts bad, although they each had their moments to forget. Six of the eight teams in the league in 2011 gave up more than 200 yards rushing at least once. Read on to find out the two that did not.

For these rankings, I am taking into account both rush defense, sacks, tackles for loss, personnel and my own impressions from what I saw this season.

1. Cincinnati. Not only were the Bearcats the most improved group this season, they were the best up front -- No. 2 in the Big East in rush defense; No. 2 in the nation in sacks; No. 1 in the nation tackles for loss. Tackle Derek Wolfe won Co-Big East Defensive Player of the year. Twice, opponents were held to negative yards rushing. Yes, there was one bad game late in the season against Rutgers. But otherwise, this unit was aggressive and tenacious and the best of the bunch. Preseason rank: 7 (Yikes!)

2. Pitt. This is a group that got better as the season went on, and collectively had some pretty solid performances. Among the top eight players in sacks in the Big East -- three belong to the Panthers (Aaron Donald, Chas Alecxih and Brandon Lindsey). Their ability to get after the quarterback is a big reason why I have them here. They might have ranked No. 5 in the league in rushing defense, but they were No. 21 in the nation. Donald and Alecxih also earned spots on the Big East second team. Preseason rank: 2.

3. USF. The Bulls were vastly better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning, yet I still can't get that performance against Pitt out of my head (gave up more than 300 yards on the ground), probably because I was in the stadium and have not seen a worse display of run defense in a long time. Still, I give these guys credit for bouncing back. After that game, the highest run total USF yielded was 132 to Louisville. The Bulls ranked No. 2 in the nation in tackles for loss, No. 3 in the Big East for sacks and were able to develop some solid players up front. Preseason rank: 4.

4. UConn. The difficulty in ranking the Huskies is the fact that most teams just decided to throw on them, which probably skews the No. 1 run defense ranking a little. There were only 385 rushing attempts against them this past season -- the only Big East school with fewer than 400. Still, UConn did not allow 200 yards on the ground this season, a rare feat in the league. Trevardo Williams led the league in sacks with 12.5, and Kendall Reyes contributed 13.5 tackles for loss and has the potential to be a first-round NFL pick. Reyes was a first-team Big East selection; Williams made the second team. Preseason rank: 1.

5. Rutgers. Yes, the run defense was tough to watch at times (three straight games allowing more than 200 yards rushing), but the Scarlet Knights were able to get back to what they do best -- pressuring the quarterback and taking players down in the backfield. Last season, Rutgers had 17 total sacks. This past season, the Scarlet Knights ranked No. 4 in the league with 36. Justin Francis led the way with 6.5, and Scott Vallone made improvements as well. Preseason rank: 8.

6. Louisville. Injuries on the front really hurt the Cardinals this past season. They did rank No. 3 in the league in rushing defense, but there was never a real sense that they could produce a consistent pass rush from their linemen. Louisville ranked No. 6 in tackles for loss and No. 6 in sacks. The team leader in sacks, Marcus Smith, had 5.5. Only Syracuse ranks lower in that category. There is great potential here as the young players who got experience showed definite flashes. Preseason rank: 5.

7. West Virginia. As much as I think Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller are terrific players, this group as a whole I thought was disappointing in 2011. There were definite strides at the end of the season, but for most of the season we all wondered what was wrong with the potent pass rush? Through nine weeks, West Virginia had 10 sacks. That improved in a big way once Irvin was used in more situational downs, but the Mountaineers ranked No. 7 in the Big East in sacks (31) and No. 8 in tackles for loss, along with No. 8 in run defense. Though they never gave up 200 yards on the ground, they did give up more than 180 four times. Preseason rank: 3.

8. Syracuse. The Orange never really got much going along the front, and a big reason why is because they missed Chandler Jones so much while he was gone. The fact that he made the Big East first team in only seven games should prove how badly he was needed. Syracuse ranked No. 7 in the league in tackles for loss; No. 8 in sacks (28), and No. 6 in rushing defense. Those TFL and sack stats are pretty good nationally, but these guys are being judged against the rest of the Big East, and most games, they just fell short. Preseason rank: 6.

We are counting down the top 25 players in the Big East, one player at a time.

Up today: Aaron Donald, DE, Pitt

Making the case: This begins a run on defensive linemen here on the Big East postseason rankings list. I am going to give a little bit away, too, and say Donald is the only Pitt lineman ranked on this list. I believe defensive line was the best and deepest position in the entire league, so arriving at this list was not easy. Pitt had a strong lineup of players with Donald, Chas Alecxih and Brandon Lindsey at the hybrid spot. But it is hard to overlook Donald's productivity and emergence at the position this season. He finished second in the league with 11 sacks and second in tackles for loss with 16. I thought he was consistently disruptive, and that is why he has earned this spot.

Preseason ranking: NR.

The countdown:

No. 25 Ryne Giddins, DE, USF

No. 24 Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia

No. 23 Duron Harmon, S, Rutgers

No. 22 Antwon Bailey, RB, Syracuse

No. 21 Lyle McCombs, RB, UConn

No. 20 Dexter Heyman, LB, Louisville

No. 19 Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville

No. 18 Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers

The NFL officially released its list of players heading to the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and 20 Big East players made the cut. More than 300 prospects are set to gather beginning Feb. 22, to be tested, interviewed, evaluated and graded in the lead up to the NFL draft in April.

Here are the Big East representatives:

Chas Alecxih, DE, Pitt

Justin Francis, DE, Rutgers

Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia

John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati

Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

Brandon Lindsey, DE, Pitt

Kashif Moore, WR, UConn

Lucas Nix, OG, Pitt

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse

Antwuan Reed, CB, Pitt

Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

Darrell Scott, RB, USF

Dave Teggart, K, UConn

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse

Andrew Tiller, OG, Syracuse

Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers

Breakdown by school:

Pitt: 4

Syracuse: 4

Cincinnati: 3

UConn: 3

Rutgers: 3

West Virginia: 2

USF: 1

It is time to take a last look back at how each Big East team fared in 2011 with season-ending report cards.

Up today: Pitt.

Offense: Anybody who watched Pitt play on offense this season knew it was a struggle. That is probably putting it nicely, too. This team never bought into the spread style former coach Todd Graham wanted to run, and once running back Ray Graham went down with a torn ACL against UConn, it was a massive ordeal to generate anything on offense. Quarterback Tino Sunseri ended up with more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10). The offensive line was the worst in the Big East, wracked with injuries and lacking in depth. Rather than point the blame at himself, Graham blamed his players for not adjusting well enough to his hurry-up offense. But you could argue that Graham did not put his players in the best position to succeed, and that is a big reason why Sunseri took a step back in 2011.

Grade: D.

Defense: As usual, this was the strength of the team -- particularly late in the season. In the early going, there were major problems in the secondary and with the linebackers, but players adjusted nicely to the new defensive scheme and the push up front grew stronger. Aaron Donald ended up finishing the season 11 sacks to rank second in the Big East. Brandon Lindsey tied for fourth with 8.5. In fact, Pitt had one of the stronger defensive lines in the Big East and ranked No. 3 in the nation in sacks (43). Pitt was not as good as a season ago in terms of total defense, but this group kept the Panthers alive, which helped them make a bowl game despite some dreadful performances on offense.

Grade: B-minus.

Overall: This was not the season anybody expected out of Pitt. The preseason No. 2 choice in the league sputtered all year long, then had the coach who reconfigured both offensive and defensive schemes bolt without so much as a goodbye. Pitt did make it to a fourth straight bowl game, but the Panthers finished with their first losing record since 2007. There really is no way to classify this as a winning season, or even an average season. There was too much talent on this team for it to finish 6-7. The blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Graham, who stubbornly set his players up to fail.

Grade: D.

Previously featured:

• Cincinnati
• UConn
• Louisville

Slim pickings today ...

• USF offered to play UCF in the Citrus Bowl, but the Knights wanted a home game instead. Skip Holtz talks about his early enrollees.
• West Virginia has reportedly added New York Jets linebackers coach Mike Smith. Two-star receiver Trevor Williams decommitted from the Mountaineers.
• Big 12 scheduling is in limbo while waiting on West Virginia.
• No matter what the courts rule, don't expect to see Pitt and Syracuse in the ACC in 2012.
• How is former Pitt defensive end Brandon Lindsey faring in East-West Shrine Game practices?

Several Big East players have been invited to participate in postseason all-star games. Here are the players who have agreed to participate in the Casino Del Sol All-Star Game and The East-West Shrine Game, the two contests that have released their full rosters.

The Senior Bowl is releasing its player roster daily, and there is no official word yet about players from Big East schools.

Casino Del Sol All-Star Game, Monday

Don Barclay, OT, West Virginia

Evan Davis, OG, Cincinnati

Dexter Heyman, LB, Louisville

Antwuan Reed, CB, Pitt

Manny Abreu, LB, Rutgers

Antwon Bailey, RB, Syracuse

Andrew Tiller, OL, Syracuse

East-West Shrine Game, Jan. 21

Moe Petrus, C, UConn

Max Gruder, LB, Pitt

Brandon Lindsey, LB, Pitt

Justin Francis, DL, Rutgers

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers

Jeremiah Warren, OG, USF

Jerrell Young, S, USF

Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia

Julian Miller, DL, West Virginia

Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia