ESPN College Football

Anybody who has watched the Big East in recent years realizes this a much more defensive league, than offensive league.

Last season, seven of the eight teams ranked in the top half of the nation in total defense. The "worst" defense, Syracuse, ranked No. 64 -- just outside the top half. In 2010, six of eight teams ranked in the top half of the nation in the same category. The "worst" two defenses -- Cincinnati and Rutgers -- were ranked No. 61 and 63, respectively. In 2009, the worst defense, Cincinnati, ranked No. 67 in the nation.

I went back and looked at recent draft history to see how this translated to the next level.

Sure enough, defensive players were selected more than offensive players, and in higher rounds to boot.

In the past two drafts, 21 of the 34 players selected came from the defense. In the recently concluded NFL draft, eight of the 12 Big East players came from the defense. More pronounced, five of the seven players drafted in the first three rounds were defensive, and all played defensive line (Bruce Irvin, Chandler Jones, Derek Wolfe, Kendall Reyes and John Hughes).

Going back to the 2010 draft, 12 of the 16 players taken in the first three rounds were on defense.

We can continue looking a bit deeper to see defensive line has been an incredible strength, not just in the draft this year. In the past four drafts, the Big East has had at least one defensive lineman drafted in the first three rounds. Last year, two of the first four Big East picks were linemen. In 2010, Jason Pierre-Paul of USF went in the first round.

Coaches like Charlie Strong, Greg Schiano, Randy Edsall, Dave Wannstedt, Paul Pasqualoni and Jim Leavitt all have had a hand in the transformation, given their defensive backgrounds.

So will the trend hold for the 2013 draft?

In the super early mock drafts for next season, there are no Big East players listed in the first round. But CBS Sports already has a listing of the top draft prospects, by position. Eleven defensive players are listed among the Top 25 players at their respective positions, compared to five on offense.

However, there are more offensive players ranked among the Top 5 at their positions. Justin Pugh of Syracuse is listed as the No. 4 offensive tackle; Ray Graham of Pitt is listed as the No. 5 running back; and Ryan Griffin of UConn is listed as the No. 5 tight end.

The top-ranked defensive player is Khaseem Greene, at No. 6 among outside linebackers. Sio Moore of UConn also makes that list, at No. 9.

There is obviously an entire season of football to be played, and all these projections will change. But the way the Big East's defensive players have emerged is a trend worth noting.

The NFL draft has come and gone. So how did the Big East fare?

Not great.

The Big East only had 12 players drafted -- the lowest total since 11 were selected in 2006. USF and Pitt did not have a player selected, breaking some pretty long streaks. At least one Pitt player had been selected in each of the last 12 NFL drafts headed into this year; USF had at least one player taken in five straight drafts.

In compiling the numbers, I did count West Virginia because the three players drafted -- Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode and Keith Tandy -- spent their entire careers playing in the Big East. Since Temple now lives in this blog, many of you will probably be happy to hear that the Owls also had three players drafted -- Bernard Pierce, Evan Rodriguez and Tahir Whitehead -- tying a school record.

For those interested in the new members entering the league in 2013 and how they stacked up against those leaving -- Boise State had a school-record six players drafted. SMU (four) and San Diego State (four) ended up with the same number of picks as Cincinnati, which led the Big East.

Here is the breakdown of players selected by school:

• Cincinnati (4)
• West Virginia (3)
• Syracuse (2)
• UConn (1)
• Louisville (1)
• Rutgers (1)

Here are the players that were selected:

Round 1

West Virginia DE/LB Bruce Irvin, Seattle

Syracuse DE/LB Chandler Jones, New England

Round 2

Cincinnati DT Derek Wolfe, Denver

UConn DT Kendall Reyes, San Diego

Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead, St. Louis

Round 3

Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu, Cincinnati

Cincinnati DT John Hughes, Cleveland

Round 4

Cincinnati TE Adrien Robinson, New York Giants

Round 5

West Virginia LB Najee Goode, Tampa Bay

Round 6

West Virginia CB Keith Tandy, Tampa Bay

Syracuse OG Andrew Tiller, New Orleans

Round 7

Louisville DE Greg Scruggs, Seattle

Here are a few of my thoughts:

• Eleven Big East players invited to the NFL combine went undrafted, which seems like a pretty large number to me. Generally, those invited to the combine have a decent shot of being drafted. Keep in mind only 20 total Big East players snagged invites to the combine. So the percentage of players drafted who attended the combine in February was less than 50 percent.
• USF running back Darrell Scott decided to leave school early to enter the draft. But he never got picked. Scott ended up signing as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. He was one of 18 underclassmen who entered the draft but was not selected. Syracuse safety Phillip Thomas and receiver Dorian Graham also are underclassmen.
• Speaking of Thomas, I was surprised he went undrafted. I thought he was one of the most valuable players on the Syracuse defense last season before he ended up getting suspended for the final few games of the season for a violation of team rules. He obviously had some baggage because of that, but not any more than other players who have gotten into trouble. At one point, Mel Kiper had him listed as one of the top five safeties available in the draft.
• Other surprise undrafted players? I thought for sure Pitt offensive lineman Lucas Nix would get picked. NFL teams are always in the market for stocking up on quality offensive linemen, particularly ones listed as 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds. I would say he and Thomas were two players that went undrafted that I had penciled in as getting drafted. Nobody expected a Louisville player to go, so it was a pleasant surprise to see Scruggs come off the board.
• I watched the third round Friday night waiting and waiting for Sanu to come off the board. You guys know I guaranteed he would be picked in the first three rounds. What surprised me, though, were some of the receivers who were drafted ahead of him. I thought Houston might take him as a complementary receiver to Andre Johnson with the fifth pick in the round. But instead the Texans went with DeVier Posey of Ohio State, who was suspended for accepting cash and tattoos from a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. Posey played in three games all of last season. NC State receiver T.J. Graham was next to come off the board to the Bills. Sanu had a higher draft grade than those two players.

NFL draft begins tonight. If only the Dolphins could get RG3.

• Cincinnati coach Butch Jones is in favor of keeping the bowl system. Derek Wolfe is set to become the first player ever drafted from his high school.
• For UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes, getting to the next level is all that matters.
• Former Louisville receiver Deion Branch is running to raise money for his foundation, which helps children with special needs like his son.
• Paul Zeise gives you an update on Pitt recruiting.
• Experts weigh in on whether Rutgers is a title contender with Greg Schiano gone.
• Will USF have a player picked in the draft?
• The draft will be a family affair for Chandler Jones. Marcus Sales leads the Syracuse receivers.
• Temple running back Bernard Pierce awaits his fate. The game between Temple and Army will kick off at noon.

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!

Fill in the blank: ___ will be the first Big East player taken in the NFL draft.

• Mel Kiper talks about why he likes Cincinnati defensive tackle Derek Wolfe.
• Michigan has every intention of playing UConn at the Rent in 2013, unless the Huskies decide to move the game to a bigger venue. Excellent profile on former UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes and his roots in New Hampshire.
• Former Louisville coach John L. Smith is headed to Arkansas.
• Pitt has picked up a commitment on defense.
• Rutgers receiver Miles Shuler tries to find his role.
• There are options for Syracuse at running back.
• USF coach Skip Holtz is over the moon with the signing of Aaron Lynch. Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times has a great breakdown of where you can spot USF players during Jon Gruden's QB Camp Show, airing on ESPN.
• NFL Draft Bible gives you its list of the Top 850 players available for the draft.

We are now just days away from the NFL draft, so the guessing games and mock picks are multiplying at quite a rapid rate.

Based on what has been written in the last month, it seems pretty certain the Big East will have at least one player taken in the first round Thursday. But who will it be?

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes and Cincinnati defensive tackle Derek Wolfe have all been mentioned as first-round candidates in several mock drafts. But the opinions on the three vary wildly.

Take a look at the most recent information from ESPN NFL draft experts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper. McShay has Jones listed at No. 16 in his latest list of the Top 32 prospects in the draft. That is six spots higher than the last time McShay did his rankings. The analysis:

Jones' versatility and long frame make him an attractive prospect. He's risen steadily in recent weeks, shedding the "underrated" label and making a case to be picked as high as No. 16 overall by the New York Jets.

Kiper also has Jones listed as the only Big East player on his Big Board , at No. 19.

In addition, Kiper did a mock draft of the first three rounds for every AFC and NFC team , based on a combination of where players are valued and a team's top needs, among other criteria. Here is where he had Big East players going:

Jones, first round (No. 18), San Diego

Wolfe, first round (No. 25), Denver

Reyes, second round: St. Louis

Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead, third round, San Diego

Once again, Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu is nowhere to be found. I will have my own take on Sanu this week, along with some other draft coverage leading up to Thursday, so stay tuned to the blog.

You can bank on plenty of content from our NFL draft experts now that the big three-day extravaganza is two weeks away.

So what is the latest?

Mel Kiper has updated his Big Board , Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones is the only Big East player represented. Jones has seen his stock soar in the last two months, as teams began to see his true potential. When Jones made the decision to enter the draft, he was initially projected as a second- or third-round pick.

Now he seems destined to go on Day 1. Kiper has Jones listed as the No. 24 overall prospect, writing, "He's gotten bigger, but my guess is teams will still see him first as a 3-4 OLB. Jones has long arms and moves well, and the tape shows offensive linemen struggling to keep him engaged.

Kiper also has his underrated and overrated prospects . I am sure Cincinnati fans will like to know he has defensive tackle Derek Wolfe in the "underrated category." Kiper writes:

I love the versatility he can bring. I projected Wolfe as a surprise first-round pick by the Patriots because a scheme-versatile team can use a guy like him, who can be a one-gap guy in a 3-4 or easily flip to a 4-3 DT, up front. I've seen him on some boards as low as the third round. He should go higher.

Meanwhile, Todd McShay has a new mock draft , complete with different scenarios for each team in Round 1. McShay has Jones going to the Jets at No. 16 -- his highest spot to date. McShay envisions a scenario in which several of the players the Jets covet would be off the board, leaving them to pick Jones because he is versatile and one of the most underrated players in the class.

UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes goes at No. 30 to San Francisco.

ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay has broken down the top 100 prospects for the NFL draft into tiers , based on grades. Breakdowns like these are helpful for teams when they try to figure out when and how to draft a player and when trades come under consideration.

They also show depth at certain positions. Offensive tackle is lean this year; defensive tackle has plenty of depth.

Where do Big East players stack up?

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones is listed in Tier 4. McShay describes players in this group as having the tools to be good value picks in the late first round. Jones has steadily moved up the mock drafts of both Mel Kiper and McShay. In the latest version , Kiper has Jones going at No. 18 to San Diego, while McShay has Jones listed at No. 22 on his overall list of the top 32 prospects heading into the draft.

UConn defensive tackle Kendall Reyes is listed in Tier 5 as a player with a good value should he drop out of Round 1. Kiper has Reyes out of the first round in his latest mock draft, going to Indianapolis with the second pick in the second round. Rather than having Reyes in his first round, Kiper now has Cincinnati defensive tackle Derek Wolfe going to New England at No. 31. Kiper and McShay differ wildly on their opinion of Wolfe.

McShay has Wolfe listed in Tier 6, as a player worthy of mid-to-late second-round consideration. Wolfe is listed as his No. 69 overall prospect.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead is listed in Tier 7 as a solid third-round prospect.

The biggest snub is that of Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu, not listed among McShay's top 100 players. Kiper also does not have Sanu going in the first two rounds.

Look, we all know Sanu is not the fastest guy in the world. But I really hope the 40 time he ran at the combine is not sinking his stock. Sanu has plenty of size and is incredibly reliable. He will go across the middle and make tough catches. He can make acrobatic catches. He will work hard and do whatever is asked. He has no character issues at all. Any team that discounts him because he doesn't run a 4.3 40-yard dash is just plain missing out on what Sanu can add to any team.

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

Leap Day William is lurking ...

• Cincinnati spring preview from Athlon Sports. Who's filling those big Derek Wolfe shoes?
• UConn players did well at the NFL combine.
• Utah State has hired former Louisville offensive coordinator Mike Sanford.
• Rutgers is bringing in a preferred walk-on at quarterback.
• A documentary is out chronicling former Syracuse punter Rob Long's battle against cancer.
• Temple's Board of Trustees is meeting via conference call today to discuss possible Big East membership.

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

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.

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.

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

With one day to go before signing day, it is worth taking a look back at how the players on the Big East first-team fared when they were coming out of high school.

You will see, once again, that recruiting rankings generally have nothing to do with the way a player will do in college. So anybody freaking out about what your school does or does not have in the way of commitments for 2012, just take a deep breath. And look at how some of the most unheralded players out of high school become some of the best in the Big East.

I used ESPN recruiting rankings. Note only one player honored on the first team was ranked as an ESPNU150 player. Many on defense came in as either athletes, receivers or quarterbacks.

Offense

WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers. Sanu was ranked the No. 18 safety in the nation coming out of high school in 2009, with a scout grade of 80.

WR/RS Tavon Austin, West Virginia. Austin was rated the No. 41 running back in the nation coming out of high school in 2009 -- three spots behind De'Antwan Williams (Rutgers) and one spot behind Jason Douglas (Pitt). Know who else was ranked ahead -- Victor Marc and Bradley Battles of USF.

OT Justin Pugh, Syracuse. Unranked at his position for the class of 2009, Pugh got a scout grade of 40. Talk about making the most of somebody who was "undervalued."

OT Don Barclay, West Virginia. Ranked No. 65 at his position in the class of 2007. One other West Virginia player was ranked athead of him, at No. 55 -- Gino Gradkowski, who transferred to Delaware.

OG Randy Martinez, Cincinnati. Rated the No. 161 defensive end in the class of 2007.

OG Art Forst, Rutgers. Forst was ranked the No. 25 offensive tackle in the class of 2008 -- the second-highest Big East player on the list behind Lucas Nix of Pitt.

OG Andrew Tiller, Syracuse. Tiller was unranked and did not even get a scouts grade when he was being evaluated in 2009 out of Nassau Community College.

C Moe Petrus, Connecticut. The best center in the Big East was unranked and had no scouts grade when he signed with UConn in 2007.

TE Nick Provo, Syracuse. Provo was ranked No. 86 at his position in the class of 2007

QB Geno Smith, West Virginia. Smith has lived up to his billing -- ranking No. 97 on the ESPNU150 in the class of 2009. He was the No. 8 player at his position and No. 15 in the state of Florida.

RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati. The No. 152 ranked running back in the class of 2008, Pead got a scout grade of 71. He just won MVP Honors on the Senior Bowl.

RB Ray Graham, Pittsburgh. Rated the No. 66 running back in the class of 2009, Graham was rated behind West Virginia's Daquan Hargrett (left program) and USF's Adaris Bellamy (academics).

RB Antwon Bailey, Syracuse. Ranked the No. 128 running back in the class of 2008 -- well behind fellow signee Averin Collier (No. 42). Collier was considered the gem of the class, but academics derailed his career.

K Dave Teggart, Connecticut. Teggart was ranked the No. 25 kicker in the class of 2007.

Defense

DL Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati. Wolfe was unranked at his position in the class of 2008 and got a scout grade of 40. Four years later, he was the co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

DL Kendall Reyes, Connecticut. Reyes also was unranked in his position in the class of 2007 with a scout grade of 40. Believe it or not, he came into UConn at 220 pounds (he's now around 300) and now has a shot to be a mid-round draft pick.

DL Chandler Jones, Syracuse. Jones came to Syracuse as a 230-pound tight end, unranked and giving a scout grade of 40. Now he is headed to the NFL draft as a projected second-to-third round pick.

DL Bruce Irvin, West Virginia. Irvin took an incredible journey to West Virginia through Mt. SAC junior college after dropping out of high school.

LB JK Schaffer, Cincinnati. Schaffer was ranked the No. 93 outside linebacker in the class of 2008, behind such players as Tyler Urban, Marvin Booker (Rutgers), Quavon Taylor (USF) and Marcus Witherspoon (Rutgers).

LB Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. No ranking or scout grade for Greene, who went to prep school before arriving at Rutgers.

LB Najee Goode, West Virginia. Goode was a quarterback and linebacker in high school who was not ranked.

CB Adrian Bushell, Louisville. Bushell was ranked the No. 21 cornerback in the class of 2008 and originally signed with Florida. After playing at junior college, he made an immediate impact with the Cardinals.

CB Keith Tandy, West Virginia. Tandy was ranked the No. 207 quarterback in the nation in the class of 2007. The same group that featured Jimmy Clausen and Ryan Mallett.

S Drew Frey, Cincinnati. Frey was a receiver coming out of high school and unranked, with a scout grade of 40.

S Hakeem Smith, Louisville. Smith was ranked the No. 93 receiver in the class of 2009, but his athleticism allowed him to switch to defense and emerge as one of the best safeties in the league.

S Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh. Also a receiver in the class of 2008, Holley was ranked No. 230 at that position with a scout grade of 65.

S Duron Harmon, Rutgers. The No. 49 athlete in the class of 2009, he was ranked below teammate Jamal Merrell, Todd Thomas of Pitt and Kayvon Webster of USF.

P Pat O'Donnell, Cincinnati. O'Donnell was unranked with a scout grade of 40, but he has emerged as one of the most impressive iron men in the league.