Read opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan about who they believe is the best underclassman coming out of college in the NFL draft.
These days it seems like most all of the quality juniors in college football bypass their senior season and head for the NFL. Obviously, this is not true, with Cameron Heyward and Ryan Mallet, among others, returning. But when folks like Jevan Snead announce their intention to declare for the draft, it is easy to see why I have the opinion I do. However, only 53 young men declared for the draft early, and here is the final list. Give it a look because there are plenty of recognizable names. Two of those guys, Golden Tate and Eric Berry, are being spotlighted by Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan. However, after looking over the list, I believe that former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is the best of the group.
Now, I am sure by now every reader knows what happened to Bryant this season. He was declared ineligible after three games for lying to an NCAA investigator about his offseason “meeting” with former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders. But that certainly does not diminish what he accomplished on the field.
In his three games this season for the Cowboys, the junior totaled 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns. In 2008, his sophomore year, Bryant had 87 catches for 1,480 yards and an astonishing 19 touchdowns. It was his production that helped Oklahoma State, long an overlooked fixture in the state of Oklahoma due to their Bedlam rivals, become preseason top ten this past season.
Obviously, Tate is more known by the casual fan because he played a lot of his games on national TV. In fact, the casual fans only know about Bryant because of the ineligible situation. But I had the chance to watch Bryant a fair amount over the past couple of years and I think he will be not only the best wide receiver in this group but one of the best players. He has the size (6-2 and 210 pounds) to succeed, something Tate does not necessarily have (5-11, 195 pounds). Bryant has a tremendous punt return capability, and you can bet that he will see some action returning punts at the next level. He also has great hands. Chad Ochocinco is an NFL player that comes to mind immediately when thinking of Bryant, minus the gimmicks. For Bryant’s sake, I hope he ends up mirroring Ochocinco’s career versus a guy like former Southern Cal wide receiver and NFL draft bust Mike Williams, who also had to sit out some time due to eligibility issues.
It appears to be a thin crop at wide receiver in this draft, with Bryant slightly ahead of guys like Tate and Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas. But Bryant has a chance to really do something at the next level. After all the drama the guy has been through in the past several months, it will be interesting to see if he is able to take advantage of the opportunity.
