AUBURN HAS FIVE PLAYERS DRAFTED; ALABAMA HAS NONE
BACK-IN-TIME: Carnell Williams Scores in Auburn's 2004 SEC Championship Game Win Over Tennessee.
Auburn had five players taken in the NFL Draft Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile, Alabama joined Mississipppi and Mississippi State as the only three SEC teams to not have a single player taken in the seven-round, two-day draft.
Overall, the SEC had 35 players taken, including six in the first round.
Auburn had the only two players taken in the 2nd round Saturday -- DE Quentin Groves to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and CB Pat Lee in the 3rd round:
DT Pat Sims (6-4, 316), who gave up his senior year at Auburn to enter the draft, was the 14th pick in third 3rd round to Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals lost out on DT Sedrick Ellis in the first round, but grabbed a young, potential standout interior lineman in Sims. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, who had a solid junior campaign, has good quickness. If he can remain hungry, he could be a solid starter in the NFL.
The Yahoo Sports scouting report on Sims said:
"Sims is a powerful, compact early entry who elevated his stock significantly over his junior season. He is a wide-body athlete who flashes an explosive initial charge that allows him to hit the gap quickly and get into the backfield. He uses his fine short-range quickness well within the tackle box to make plays. He also holds the spot very well, allowing linebackers to finish plays."
The negatives are that Sims "is still a relatively raw prospect. Sims gets wired to blockers too often, and further technique development is essential for him to turn his athletic ability and power into big-time production."
Sims ahead of LSU WR Early Doucet; Florida State DT Andre Fluellen (6-4, 280) of Cartersville, Ga., who was recruited heavily out of high school by Auburn; West Virginia RB Steve Slaton; Georgia Tech LB Phillip Wheeler; Michigan WR Mario Manningham; and Florida WR Andre "Bubba" Caldwell. All were taken after Sims in the third round.
SEC picks in the fourth round included S Craig Steltz, who went to the Chicago Bears; TE Jacob Tamme of Kentucky, who was taken by the Indianapolis Colts; WR Keenan Burton of Kentucky, taken by the St. Louis Rams; and Auburn CB Jonathan Wilhite (5-11, 185), who 30th pick by the New England Patriots in the 4th.
The pre-draft Yahoo Sports report on Wilhite said he would probably be a late pick. But Wilhite surprised many by his outstanding showing at the NFL Combine.
Wilhite perked up some interest at the combine when he ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. His time was the seventh-best among all cornerbacks at the combine.
Yahoo's take on Wilhite is that he has the "experience and potential to play the nickel corner role early in his career. He shows the ability to tackle in the open field. He has good speed, which allows him to match up in the deep game and recover if necessary."
"He had opportunities to see extensive playing time in college but was never able to shake the injury bug. He is still a raw athlete in coverage who is slow to read plays. Despite quick footwork, he can be late to react to fakes and double moves. He needs to improve his overall technique and understanding of his defense before he can compete for a playing time at the NFL level."
In the 5th round, Indianapolis took Georgia DE Marcus Howard, while the New York Jets picked Tennessee QB Erik Ainge. And the New York Giant drafted Vanderbilt ILB Jonathan Goff near the end of the 5th.
Atlanta picked up Georgia RB Thomas Brown as the 172nd pick overall early in the 6th round, while Kentucky QB Andre' Woodson was drafted by the Giants midway the 6th round.
In the final round -- the 7th -- LSU QB Matt Flynn was the second pick or the 209th overall pick of the draft by the Green Bay Packers. The Jets picked up Arkansas OT Nate Garner was No. 4; OT Chester Adams of Georgia was No. 15, going to the Bears; WR Steve Johnson of Kentucky was No. 17, drafted by the Buffalo Bills; and Arkansas FB Peyton Hillis went No. 20 to the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, Auburn OT King Dunlap (6-8, 312) of Brentwood, Tenn., was taken as the 23rd pick in the 7th round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Dunlap falls all the way to this point after being one of the top-rated tackles in the preseason," the scouting report said. "Injury, inconsistent play and a question if he has the killer instinct crippled his status. His natural size and athleticism make him worth a shot here."
Dunlap is a huge tackle with the agility and experience to compete for a starting job in time. As a pass blocker, he has all the right tools, quickness off the snap, good balance, long arms that he knows how to use and is a natural knee bender. As a run blocker, he does an effective job positioning and walling off.
He needs to show more aggression and a go-for-the-throat mentality. Also needs to improve pad level to effectively use his size. He plays softer than his size and ability would indicate and needs some strong coaching on basic technique in addition to weight training.
Dunlap was expected to be a star on Auburn's offensive line as a senior, but wound up being beaten out by a freshman.
After Dunlap, the Falcons took LSU TE Keith Zinger and the Seattle Seahawks drafted Georgia PK Brandon Coutu.
Then, the Tampa Bay Bucs drafted South Carolina RB Cory Boyd as the 238th overall pick in the 7th round. Boyd's selection is an obvious insurance policy in case Carnell Williams is unable to return from a serious knee injury he suffered in 2007.
Also in the final round, the Bears took Arkansas WR Marcus Monk as the 248th overall pick.
Alabama fans were confident that CB Simeon Castille, WR DJ Hall and DE Wallace Gilberry, and possibly WR Keith Brown would be drafted. But it wasn't to be.
It may be the first time in Alabama's history that no Crimson Tide player was selected in the NFL Draft.
