• In the NFL Draft world scouts and draftniks often refer to certain players as “Boom or Bust” prospects. These are guys who are just as likely to bomb and be out of the league in three years as they are to blossom and become stars. Perhaps no player exemplifies this term better than Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy.

    An outstanding athlete with a freakish blend of size (6-5, 275) and speed (4.5), Hardy is an outstanding pass rusher who can both bend off the edge and play with power against the run. In addition to lining up at defensive end in a traditional 4-3 scheme Hardy is also capable of standing up at outside linebacker in a “30” front and that versatility will be a nice feather in his cap on Draft Day. On talent alone you can make a legitimate case for Hardy being a Top 10 overall pick. Unfortunately there are other factors at play that will likely push Hardy down draft boards considerably in the coming months. The biggest concern is durability as he has just never been able to stay healthy, even dating back to his high school days. A recurring foot injury that has been an issue for years is particularly problematic and after struggling with an ankle injury earlier this season Hardy recently saw his senior campaign come to an abrupt end courtesy of a broken wrist. To call Hardy injury-prone would be an understatement and he will face heavy scrutiny from team doctors during the medical checks at the Scouting Combine. On one hand you have to give Hardy a lot of credit because for the most part he has played through the majority of his ailments and still managed to produce at a high level. On the other hand it’s hard to justify investing millions of dollars on a player who never seems to be 100% healthy. The other thing that will be working against Hardy are some perceived off-the-field issues. It’s important to note that Hardy isn’t a bad kid and hasn’t run afoul of the law. However, even though they won't admit it many coaches would actually prefer a player with bad “social character” to one with poor “football character”. Word from the scouting trail is that Hardy doesn’t always practice hard, isn’t very tough and may not have the overall intangibles needed to reach his full potential. In short, the consensus seems to be that he is the type of guy who will always have to be pushed and scouts wonder how important the game really is to him. To put it bluntly, Hardy may be an early first round talent with late round intangibles and that is a scary proposition. On a more personal note, I interviewed Hardy last month and he wasn’t anything like I expected. Granted it was only a short telephone conversation but Hardy struck me as a mature, well-spoken kid with a good head on his shoulders. If he can duplicate that performance in interviews with NFL decision-makers it could go a long way towards alleviating some of the concerns that they may have.

    It appears as though this latest setback, along with those other lingering questions marks, will drop Hardy out of the first round all together next April. In fact, unless he has a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, gets a ringing endorsement from the Rebel coaching staff and interviews well he could slip dramatically. With that said, I don’t know if I’ve ever watched Hardy and not come away impressed. The guy is just a good football player and when you combine that with his extraordinary physical gifts and the premium that is placed on stud pass rushers it adds up to quite a tantalizing package. For that reason I can’t envision a scenario in which Hardy isn't rated as a first round pick in my final rankings. Then again, it won’t be my money or job on the line.

• It’s hard to believe but Rutgers had never produced a first round pick in the NFL Draft until Kenny Britt finally broke through this past April. It may have taken the Scarlet Knights 73 years to get on the board but it looks as though they already have another top prospect on their hands in left tackle Anthony Davis.

    For a long time the Rutgers football program was considered to be a laughing stock, but in recent years they have turned things around and emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Big East. Anthony Davis is a byproduct of that resurgence. One of the top recruits in the entire nation coming out of high school, Davis chose Rutgers over Miami (FL), Notre Dame, Ohio State and Southern Cal. Even though Davis was a local New Jersey product it’s unlikely he would have seriously considered the Scarlet Knights ten years ago. However, with the program clearly on the upswing Davis felt comfortable staying close to home and he became arguably the most significant recruit in school history. Davis wasted little time making his presence felt, playing in 13 games with 8 starts in 2007 and garnering Freshman All-American honors. In 2008 Davis took over at left tackle and emerged as one of college football’s premier blockers, earning All-Big East notice from both the media and coaches. As a junior Davis has had some ups and downs and after reporting to camp overweight he was also suspended early in the year for a violation of team rules. Despite those hiccups Davis has done a nice job against some elite pass rushers (Greg Romeus, Jason Pierre-Paul and George Selvie) and there is just no denying that he is one of the country’s most talented offensive tackles.

    As a pro prospect there is a lot to like about Anthony Davis but for one reason or another he hasn’t received the type of attention that he deserves, even within the draftnik community. A gifted athlete who checks in at 6-6 and 325 pounds, Davis is light on his feet, can protect the edge against speed and hold his own in space. When it comes to pass protection Davis has few peers but he isn’t overly physical or nasty and still needs to work on doing a better job as a run blocker. In some ways Davis reminds me of Eugene Monroe, who was a Top 10 overall pick. There has already been talk that Davis is leaning towards entering the 2010 NFL Draft and if he does opt to come out early he would most likely be in the first round mix. In fact, there is even a chance that Davis could compete with Trent Williams of Oklahoma and fellow junior Bryan Bulaga of Iowa to be the second offensive tackle chosen after Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung.

    Anthony Davis might not be a household name just yet but he is a legitimate left tackle with a rare blend of size and athleticism, which will make him an extremely valuable commodity on Draft Day. It's time for everyone to start familiarizing themselves with Davis because regardless of whether it's in 2010 or 2011 he will probably go down as the best NFL prospect in Rutgers history.

• If a prospect has talent the NFL will eventually find them, regardless of where they play. This axiom is especially true when it comes to the secondary. In the last ten years alone there have been 18 defensive backs from non-Division I programs selected in the top three rounds of the NFL Draft. That’s an average of almost two per year, including first round picks like Rashard Anderson (Jackson St., 2000) and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee St., 2008) and a couple of Pro Bowlers out of Bethune-Cookman (Rashean Mathis and Nick Collins). In fact, there has been a small school cornerback or safety selected on what we used to call “Day One” in 9 of the past 10 years. If it happens again in 2010 don’t be surprised if Akwasi Owusu-Ansah from Indiana (PA) is the prospect who helps extends the impressive streak.

    A gifted athlete with prototypical size (6-1, 205), a sturdy build and good speed (4.50), Owusu-Ansah could project to either cornerback or free safety at the next level and is widely regarded to be one of the best small-school prospects in this class. A late bloomer who didn’t even begin playing the game seriously until he was in the 8th grade, Owusu-Ansah did not receive any DI scholarship offers out of high school and wound up working in a backup capacity early in his college career. Owusu-Ansah finally earned a starting job as a junior and he hasn’t looked back since. A classic ballhawk with excellent range, Owusu-Ansah has defended 28 passes the last two years and come away with an incredible 14 interceptions. In addition to his defensive exploits Owusu-Ansah has also been an impact player on special teams for the Crimson Hawks, scoring five touchdowns as a return man as a senior and seven overall. Owusu-Ansah will obviously be facing a major jump in competition and will require some development, especially when it comes to his technique and tackling. With that said Owusu-Ansah has been dominant at the Division II level and appears to have the sheer talent and physical tools that you look for.

    How early Owusu-Ansah is ultimately chosen in the 2010 NFL Draft may hinge on how well he performs in all-star games and at the Scouting Combine. Strong showings against top competition at those venues would help alleviate concerns about him merely being a big fish in a small pond at I.U.P. and make it much more palatable for some decision maker to invest a premium pick on the sleeper with a goofy name. Whether or not Owusu-Ansah will emerge as a legitimate second or third round value in the coming months remains to be seen. However, recent history has shown that the NFL holds a special place in their hearts for small-school defensive backs on Draft Day and at this point Akwasi Owusu-Ansah is clearly the best bet to carry on that proud tradition.

• Everyone is expecting a record number of underclassmen to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. If that happens there will likely be quite a few surprises and one to watch out for is Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett.

    Coming out of high school Rivals.com had Mallett rated as the #4 recruit in the entire country, regardless of position, and awarded him their coveted five-star grade. Mallett began his college career at Michigan and actually played extensively as a true freshman in 2007, despite the presence of Chad Henne. Mallett wound up seeing action in eleven games that season, including three starts, and on the year he threw for 892 yards with 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. It appeared as though Mallett had a bright future in Ann Arbor. However, head coach Lloyd Carr retired after the season and Michigan chose to replace him with Rich Rodriquez. Mallett, a prototypical pocket passer, was obviously a terrible fit for Rodriguez’s signature spread offense so he chose to transfer. After evaluating all of his options Mallett decided to join Bobby Petrino at Arkansas and was forced to sit out the 2008 season per NCAA rules. Mallett took over the Razorbacks starting job in 2009 and expectations were running high but so far he has not only lived up to all the hype but in many ways he has surpassed it. Through 8 contests Mallett has completed 54.4% of his passes for 2,148 yards with 18 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. Mallett has had a number of impressive performances at the helm of Petrino’s high-flying offense this year but he enjoyed his coming out party in mid-September against Georgia, when he lit up the Bulldogs for 408 yards and 5 touchdowns. Arkansas lost the 52-41 shootout but that game served as notice that Ryan Mallett was a star in the making.

    An imposing physical specimen, Mallett checks in at 6-7 and 238 pounds and possesses arguably the strongest arm in all of college football. As a young player Mallett still struggles with his accuracy at times and he needs to continue to improve his footwork. With that said he has a quick release, can make all of the throws, appears to be very tough and is a load to bring down. While not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination Mallett is already one of the best quarterbacks in the country and his potential is virtually unlimited.

    Mallett is only a redshirt sophomore but since it’s been three years since his high school class graduated he could technically enter the 2010 NFL Draft. As a general rule scouts, coaches and general managers prefer for quarterback prospects to use up their eligibility and get as much experience as possible but there are always exceptions. Mallett is already the early front-runner to be the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft but with a potential rookie wage scale on the horizon perhaps he will opt to strike while the iron is hot. If he were to enter this upcoming draft Mallett wouldn’t be the first signal caller selected and probably not even the second or the third. However, when you consider Mallett’s rare physical tools and tantalizing upside it would not be a total shock if some team decided to pull the trigger on him in the latter part of round one.

    Although rare it’s certainly not unheard of for prospects to go pro after their redshirt sophomore seasons, with Michael Crabtree and Knowshon Moreno being two recent examples. It’s much more uncommon for a quarterback to enter the draft that early, especially if they’ve only been a full-time starter for one season, but there is a precedent with guys like Tommy Maddox and Michael Vick. For all intents and purposes Alex Smith, the #1 overall pick in 2005, was a redshirt sophomore when he came out as well because he only played in two games and attempted four passes his first year with the Utes. So far there has been absolutely no indication that Mallett is considering leaving for the pros after this season but it is definitely something to keep an eye on. One thing is certain: If Mallett does opt to play for pay next year it will add yet another layer of intrigue to what should already be a very exciting and talent-laden draft.