• A new season of college football is upon us so what better time to name my "Breakout Star of 2008", the guy who I think will emerge as not only a huge name at the amateur level but also surface as a top pro prospect. The previous four winners of this prestigious award were Dwayne Jarrett of USC ('04), Chad Jackson of Florida ('05), Jonathan Stewart of Oregon ('06) and DeMarco Murray of Oklahoma ('07). Not too shabby if I do say so myself. This year, for the first time ever, a defensive player gets the nod.

    The Florida Gators have an impressive track record when it comes to producing NFL defensive ends and their list of recent alumni reads like a who's who of pro sack artists. Kevin Carter. Jevon Kearse. Alex Brown. Bobby McCray. Jarvis Moss. Derrick Harvey. With a tradition like that you have to be awfully special just to get noticed but Carlos Dunlap has the type of extraordinary talent to not only fit in comfortably amongst that group but perhaps eventually be the best of them all.

    Dunlap was the nation's #1 defensive end recruit and 5th best prospect overall coming out of high school according to Rivals.com so it's not like he is a complete unknown, however despite playing in all 13 games he had a rather unassuming freshman season for the Gators, notching 2.0 TFL and 1.0 sack as a backup / pass rushing specialist. Despite that inauspicious start to his college career most felt Dunlap was in line for a breakout sophomore campaign but just in case expectations weren't already high enough Carlos sent them to the stratosphere on April 12, 2008. In the Gators annual Orange and Blue Spring Game, which just happened to be televised nationally by ESPN, Dunlap looked like a man amongst boys. At the end of the day he had 4.0 sacks.

    Physically Dunlap has everything that you look for in a stud defensive end and to call him a freak of nature might actually be selling him short. At 6-6 and 290 lbs. with long arms and reported 4.6 speed Dunlap is simply a rare physical specimen with a set of measurables that is eerily reminiscent of Mario Williams. And just to give you an idea of what kind of athlete Dunlap is, he actually returned kicks in high school. Dunlap is far from a finished product and there are still plenty of areas where he needs to improve but at just 19-years-old the sky is the limit for this young man and his potential is essentially unlimited.

    With Derrick Harvey now playing for pay Dunlap will move into the starting lineup in 2008 and as one of the core pieces of an up-and-coming young Gators defense he will have the opportunity to emerge as an All-American caliber performer as well as a top pro prospect for either the 2010 or 2011 NFL Draft.

    Dunlap is the first defender to take home this honor but ironically the top two runner-ups were defensive linemen as well. Glenn Dorsey got all of the attention but it was actually his teammate Ricky Jean-Francois who took away Most Outstanding Player honors in last year's BCS National Championship Game against Ohio St. Jean-Francois only played in two games as a sophomore in 2007 after serving a suspension for "academic dishonesty" but if the way he ended the year is any indication of things to come his future is bright. L.S.U. cranks out defensive tackles like Florida does ends and Jean-Francois has the talent to pick up right where Dorsey left off in 2008. Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers was rated as the #1 high school recruit in the nation, regardless of position, by ESPN and even though he will begin his college career as a backup there seems to be little doubt that he'll soon become a top-flight performer in the mold of former Tigers such as Trevor Pryce, Gaines Adams and Phillip Merling.

    So there you have it. Be sure to remember the names Carlos Dunlap, Ricky Jean-Francois and Da'Quan Bowers because even though they may not be household names yet they will be very soon and you are in on the ground floor.

• Welcome back!

  Today was the official re-launch of Draft Countdown.com, with the 2008 information coming down and all new content for 2009 going up. You may have noticed we have moved to a new domain / web address. From this point forward the site will be located at www.draftcountdown.com and I need your help getting the word out there. Whether it be adding / updating our link on a website you run, mentioning it in your blog entries or simply telling your friends about it any assistance would be very much appreciated.

  I'd also like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone for your continued support. I started this site as a hobby more than a decade ago and if you had told me then how far it would come and what an important role it would play in my life I would have never believed you. While growing up I always hoped I would be able to write about sports for a living and not only has that dream come true but all of my wildest expectations have been surpassed. It has truly been an amazing ride full of wonderful experiences and opportunities and none of it would be possible without all of you, the loyal readers. Thanks for making it possible for me to live my dream and do what I love.

  Now on to business!

  Once the season starts I will be updating this blog just about every weekday, starting regularly the end of this month when the real games start, but in the meantime here are some of the new features you'll want to be sure to check out:

    * Prospect Rankings
The re-launch featured an initial group of more than 385 top seniors, each with a bio page that contains vital information, key career statistics and, eventually, a scouting report. In addition to the positional rankings you will also find my lists of overrated and underrated prospects, small-school sleepers and a Top 100 overall. Please keep in mind that it is still very early in the scouting process and these preliminary rankings are extremely fluid. In fact I will constantly be adding players and tweaking the rankings as I watch tape throughout the rest of the summer and right up until Draft Day next April.

    * Initial '09 Mock Draft
More than anything else this site is known for my mock drafts, which have historically been some of the most accurate out there. There will undoubtedly be many, many changes between now and April 25, 2009 but this is my first effort of the year and it includes almost 7,000 words of in-depth analysis so you see not only who I feel each team might pick but why. This is a must-read!

    * Michael Oher Interview
        - Q&A with one of the top senior prospects in the nation.

    * Heisman Watch
        - Handicapping the race for college football's top individual honor.

    * NFL Player Rankings
        - This is the list that all college prospects hope to be on one day.

    * 2008 Dream Draft
        - A new feature where I select prospects for my own hypothetical team.

    * Ask Scott
        - This is where I answer questions submitted by you, the readers!

    * "DC" Message Boards
        - Join the discussion with thousands of other die-hard draftniks!

    As always everything on this site is offered 100% FREE and there are absolutely no subscription fees or "premium" content that you have to pay for. That is made possible by our advertisers so if you like this site and want to support it please check out what the sponsors have to offer from time to time and simply click on their ad units if something interests you.

    I hope you are just as excited about the start of a brand new year of coverage as I am and will make Draft Countdown your go-to source for the NFL Draft.

    So with that let's kick this thing off!!!