2010 Mastermind's Madness: Special Sneak Peek
by Draft Specialist Perry Burr
1 /19/2010

With the debut of Fantasy Football Mastermind's 2010 NFL Draft Central, we are providing our annual sneak peek at some of the prospects for this year’s NFL draft.  This sneak peek contains only a brief bullet for each of the top five prospects at the positions that receive the most fantasy football interest. For premium Madness subscribers, we will be releasing an expanded set of rookie rankings in the near future. Of course, the Mastermind Madness Draft Reference Guide, which will be released in April 2010, will provide more in-depth coverage. This year’s Guide will contain analysis of the top 200+ offensive skill prospects in comprehensive detail, including rankings, hot/cold lists, and post draft analysis to help prepare you for your rookie draft. And, as we have for the last eight years, we will again provide profiles for offensive linemen, defensive prospects, kickers, and punters. Before the 2009 NFL Draft, we profiled over 600 draft prospects. Whether you are in an advanced or basic league, this is something you won’t want to miss.

For more details concerning 2010 Mastermind's Madness, click HERE. Of course, you can Order Now for only $14.95. Enjoy.

QUARTERBACKS: The 2010 rookie quarterback class has plenty of questions at the top. Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen and Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford are not expected to participate in NFL Combine workouts due to injuries and subsequent surgeries. Texas QB Colt McCoy also enters the 2010 draft season with an injury, but his injury is not expected to sideline him for the Combine.

1. JIMMY CLAUSEN: QB (6-2¼, 222, 4.74) | Notre Dame. Jimmy Clausen has good arm strength and athleticism. Makes good pre-snap reads. Demonstrates fundamentally sound mechanics. Looks comfortable going through his progressions. However, Clausen floats deep passes at times. Still forces balls into coverage at times. Needs to add bulk and muscle. Durability is an issue. Underwent surgery in the first week of January (2010) to repair torn ligaments in his right big toe.

2. SAM BRADFORD: QB (6-3¾, 222, 4.72) | Oklahoma. Sam Bradford has great vision and superb accuracy, even downfield. Stands tall in the pocket and sees the field well. Displays a quick release. Shows great anticipation and fits the ball into tight windows. But, Bradford looks like he pushes the ball when he throws and has a three-quarters delivery. Lacks arm strength to overcome poor footwork. Durability is a big concern. Sustained two right [throwing] shoulder injuries during the 2009 season, the second of which ended his season.

3. COLT MCCOY: QB (6-2¼, 212, 4.68) | Texas. Colt McCoy has excellent mobility and good accuracy on short and intermediate throws. Buys time in the pocket and can throw on the run. Demonstrates a quick, compact release. But, McCoy lacks bulk and strength. Durability could be an issue. Knocked out of the BCS Championship Game with a shoulder injury. Is expected to be 100% for the NFL Combine.

4. TIM TEBOW: QB (6-2¾, 245, 4.68) | Florida. Tim Tebow has excellent arm strength and good size. Sets up quickly and displays over-the-top release. Excels as a runner. Tough and competitive. However, Tebow lacks consistent accuracy. Forces receivers to alter their routes to make the catch. Was not asked to make many reads in HC Urban Meyer’s system.

5. DAN LEFEVOUR: QB (6-2 7/8, 238, 4.84) | Central Michigan. Dan LeFevour has good size and is accurate most of the time. Makes good reads and shows a quick release. However, LeFevour has only average arm strength. While accurate on most throws, he’s inconsistent leading receivers on crossing routes. Also lacks consistent accuracy when flushed from the pocket.

RUNNING BACKS: Three running backs could be selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer, Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, and California RB Jahvid Best could all hear their names called on Day 1. Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews and Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon have much better size than Spiller and Best and could be selected in the second round.

1. JONATHAN DWYER: RB (5-11¼, 235, 4.48) | Georgia Tech. Jonathan Dwyer has an excellent blend of size, power, and speed. Sees the hole well and shows good burst into the second level of the defense. However, Dwyer lacks ideal experience as a receiver and blocker. His numbers may have been inflated by HC Paul Johnson's triple-option attack.

2. C.J. SPILLER: RB/KR/PR (5-11¼, 195, 4.38) | Clemson. C.J. Spiller has adequate size, excellent speed, fantastic quickness, and tremendous athleticism. Runs with vision and bursts through the hole. Is extremely elusive. However, Spiller lacks the ideal strength and bulk to break the grasp of defensive linemen or sustain blocks against blitzing linebackers. Loses concentration at times, resulting in ball security issues.

3. JAHVID BEST: RB/KR (5-9 7/8, 193, 4.40) | California. Jahvid Best has superb combination of quickness, speed, and elusiveness. Runs with excellent vision, burst, and toughness. However, Best lacks size and struggles in pass protection. Not adept at picking up blitzers and can be overwhelmed by larger defenders. Has a history of concussions.

4. RYAN MATHEWS: RB (5-10¾, 220, 4.49) | Fresno State. Ryan Mathews has a good combination of size, power, and speed. Runs hard inside. Bursts through the hole and shows some elusiveness. However, Mathews doesn’t run with good vision. Shows inconsistent receiving skills. Durability is a concern.

5. ANTHONY DIXON: RB/FB (6-0½, 234, 4.55) | Mississippi State. Anthony Dixon has good size. Hits the hole hard, exhibiting good vision to pick and slide through traffic. Breaks arm tackles and is tough to bring down once up to speed. However, Dixon lacks speed and elusiveness. Lacks the quickness and athleticism to bounce runs to the outside.

WIDE RECEIVERS: The 2010 wide receiver draft class is dominated by underclassmen. Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant has many qualities similar to those of San Francisco 49ers rookie WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech). Notre Dame WR Golden Tate, a converted running back, has excellent upside given his relative experience at the wideout position. LSU WR Brandon LaFell, Illinois WR Arrelious Benn, and USC WR Damian Williams have potential to develop into No. 2 wide receivers in the NFL.

1. DEZ BRYANT: WR (6-1½, 218, 4.55) | Oklahoma State. Dez Bryant has a great combination of size, strength, and athleticism. Exhibits good burst and body control. Demonstrates excellent playmaking skills and makes unbelievable catches. However, Bryant lacks ideal speed. Was suspended by the NCAA for the majority of the 2009 season.

2. GOLDEN TATE: WR (5-11, 195, 4.45) | Notre Dame. Golden Tate has good speed, quickness, and elusiveness. Quickly finds the soft spots in the defense. Has strong hands. Catches the ball away from his body. Runs well after the catch. However, Tate doesn’t run crisp routes. Struggles to defeat jams and press coverage.

3. BRANDON LAFELL: WR (6-2¾, 207, 4.54) | LSU. Brandon LaFell has good athleticism and height. Is quick off the snap and defeats jams. Runs good routes, getting in and out of his breaks quickly. Fights for balls in traffic. However, LaFell lacks ideal speed and consistent hands. Lacks focus at times. Shows questionable work ethic at times.

4. ARRELIOUS BENN: WR (6-2, 220, 4.50) | Illinois. Arrelious Benn has good size and strength. Beats jams at the line of scrimmage and is extremely difficult to re-route. Adjusts to poorly thrown passes and fights for balls in traffic. However, Benn lacks consistent pass-catching technique. Body catches at times. Slowed by an ankle injury during the 2009 season.

5. DAMIAN WILLIAMS: WR (6-1, 195, 4.50) | USC. Damian Williams has a good combination of athleticism, hands, and route running skills. Defeats jams at the line of scrimmage, but struggles to separate at times. Fails to play with a sense of urgency at times. Lacks ideal burst and speed. Slowed by an ankle injury during the 2009 season.

TIGHT ENDS: The 2010 tight end draft class comes with a lot of questions. Florida TE Aaron Hernandez may not have the height and in-line blocking ability to fit into a traditional NFL tight end role. Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham and Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski enter the draft with significant durability concerns. Regardless of these concerns, they possess the best pass-catching tools of this year’s class.

1. AARON HERNANDEZ: TE/HB (6-2¾, 250, 4.62) | Florida. Aaron Hernandez has superb speed, hands, and receiving skills. Shows excellent balance and quickness. Makes sharp cuts and is sudden coming out of his breaks. But, Hernandez lacks ideal height and in-line blocking ability for a traditional tight end. Did not run a wide array of routes at Florida.

2. JERMAINE GRESHAM: TE (6-5¼, 258, 4.78) | Oklahoma. Jermaine Gresham has great combination of size and athleticism. Releases from the line of scrimmage quickly. Runs good routes and shows the body control to get in and out of his breaks quickly. Is physical after the catch. But, Gresham lacks concentration at times, resulting in dropped passes. Missed entire 2009 season after suffering cartilage damage in his right knee.

3. ROB GRONKOWSKI: TE (6-5¾, 265, 4.76) | Arizona. Rob Gronkowski has great size, good strength, soft hands, and surprising athleticism. Runs good routes. Separates from coverage and shows good field awareness to find holes in the defense. Works hard as an in-line blocker, but struggles in this area. Durability is a major concern. Underwent a microdiscectomy (back surgery) on 9/24/09 and missed the entire 2009 season.

4. ANTHONY MCCOY: TE (6-4 5/8, 252, 4.78) | USC. Anthony McCoy has good size, strength, athleticism, and hands. Uses hands well to gain a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Adjusts extremely well to off-target passes. Extends soft hands to catch the ball away from his body. However, McCoy lacks ideal explosiveness, quickness, and speed. Had academic issues at USC.

5. ED DICKSON: TE/HB (6-3¾, 243, 4.73) | Oregon. Ed Dickson has good athleticism and quickness. Is quick off the snap. Gets into his routes quickly, showing balance and burst. However, Dickson struggles to sustain blocks. Did not run many NFL-type routes at Oregon.

I hope you have enjoyed this special FREE Sneak Peek into Mastermind's Madness for 2010.  The long road to the NFL Draft in April in just underway, and I hope many of you will be joining me as we delve into the fantasy potential for the incoming Rookie Class of 2010!