Offense

QB Colt McCoy, UT - I’ll give him the nod over Bradford because I think McCoy will be in a little better shape on the OL and at WR.

RB Kendall Hunter, OSU - Losing TE Pettigrew and C Washington will hurt as they were both outstanding players.  He’ll still be alright with tackles Okung and Bond returning along with underrated G Andrew Lewis.

WR Dez Bryant, OSU - Calling him a skilled player is a disservice.  That sentence sounds like it was stolen straight out of Old Skool Dave Campbell’s.  Which maybe it was.

WR Jordan Shipley, UT - He’s like 37 years old now, but a feel good story. 

WR Dezmon Briscoe, KU - Good snag by Mangino.  Briscoe was considered about the 5th best player on his high school team.

TE Jermain Gresham, OU - About the only known commodity left.  He’s good, though.

LT Russell Okung, OSU - This was an easy pick for me, but there’s a chance Okung may not look as good working combo blocks without Pettigrew.

LG Keith Williams, NU - The Husker OL had a lot more talent in 2008 than what was perceived. 

C J.D. Walton, BU – I guess he wins out by default.  He’s started a lot more games than the others.

RG Brandon Carter, TT - I’m torn here between Andrew Lewis of OSU and the homer pick, so I’ll just go with the homer pick.  Carter will get chunked around again by McCoy and Suh, but so does everyone else.  He’ll smother most others and moves around fairly well for his size making him a valuable cog in the Tech quasi-trap game.

RT Marlon Winn, TT – This one I feel much better about.  Nasty player with good feet.

Defense

LDE Sergio Kindle, UT - He’s going to put up some big numbers this season, and he’ll have an opportunity to earn his money against Okung this year.

DT Gerald McCoy, OU - Draft stock will shoot up as the NFL starts to value him as a 3-4 end.  Great athlete.

NG Ndamukong Suh, NU - McCoy and this guy might be the best 2 players in this league.  He’ll be a top 15 pick next year.

RDE Jeremy Beal, OU - Great motor with decent edge speed.   Makes a lot of effort plays.

SLB Travis Lewis, OU - The best LB in this conference.  He’ll be the Aaron Curry of the NFL draft some day.

MLB Brian Duncan, TT - Solid run stuffer and underrated against the pass.  Most consistent at the position.

WLB Roddrick Muckelroy, UT - Muckelroy plays fast and finishes tackles well.  I feel the same way about this unit as I did when the season ended.  These 3 guys can play.

LCB Dominique Franks, OU - Best cover corner in 2008.  Not sure why that would change this year.

LS Darrell Stuckey, KU - He’ll be the most experienced incumbent.  

RS Earl Thomas, UT - A young guy that’s growing up fast.  He shows up everywhere.

RCB Jamar Wall, TT - He’s seen everything in this conference at this point in his career.  A slow starter, but the average is good over the season.  Chykie Brown of UT could command this spot, if he stays healthy.

Overall, there are possibly 7 or 8 first round picks in next year’s NFL draft.  The DT combo could be better than any player at the position in this year’s draft.  The 3 LBs would stack up with any other all conference unit across the country, and Lewis could achieve AA honors, if he makes the RS Fr to Soph leap.