Interview with an expert: NFL Draft Dog’s Robert Bryant

The NFL Minute is beginning a series of group-type projects, such as the following, to provide insight from others and draw publicity to their respective blogs. The following is an interview with Robert Bryant, founder and owner of NFL Draft Dog and The NFL Draft Site-Blog.

Q: Tell me a little bit about NFL Draft Dog.
A: I have been following the NFL Draft for about 20 years, but about four years ago I started getting serious. I started out writing/scouting for Consensus Draft Services, then for NFL Draft Blitz and then for a short time Draft.com. I wanted to go on my own, so I started out with a simple NFL Blog (The NFL Draft Site.) I was amazed at how fast it became popular, in March and April I had close to 5000 hits a day on some days. I then wanted to expand even farther; you can only do so much with a blog, so I purchased a domain and started NFL Draft Dog.com. I have five or six talented writers that assist me and now after about six months of hard work we have one of the most popular NFL Draft web sites on the internet. We have listings in the Open Directory Project, Yahoo and Google Directories, Wikipedia, Best of the Web Directory and others. We offer a lot and it’s all free with no premium membership fee. One of our strong points is our NFL columns and scouting reports, we plan on having very detailed scouting reports on the top 100 players for the draft every year and a draft value board rating each player by round.

Q: Who do you expect to go number one in the draft?
A: Quarterback Brian Brohm looks like the early front runner for a team that needs a franchise quarterback. The Falcons need a quarterback and the current Falcon coach (Bobby Petrino) recruited Brohm out of high school. If the Browns have a horrible year and the Cowboys end up with the number one pick, running back Darren McFadden could be a possible target.

Q: Who do you expect to win the Heisman?
A: At the top of my Heisman Trophy Candidate list is USC Quarterback John David Booty. The Trojans should win the national championship and could go undefeated along the way. The USC defense is scary good and they will keep the ball in Booty’s hands. The Heisman Trophy is a popularity contest, not a talent contest, if it was based on talent Arkansas Running back Darren McFadden would win.

Q: Who’s the most undervalued quarterback — in the eyes of fans — right now?
A: I think it is Boston College Quarterback Matt Ryan, playing on an injured ankle he threw for 4800 yards and 25 touchdowns and led Boston College to a 10 win season. He stands tall in the pocket, is smart, sees the field well, is mobile and has a strong arm. He possesses everything you want in an NFL quarterback.

Q: Give me a name I should know that I probably don’t? (Your ultimate sleeper, in other words.)
A: This is a tough one, for seniors I would have to go with Ohio State QB Todd Boeckman, he is 6′ 4″ 235 pounds and has a strong, accurate arm. He will finally get his chance to start and will be playing with talented people around him. A junior would be LSU offense guard Herman Johnson, he is a 6’ 7” 350 pound monster that has quick, nimble feet. LSU is going to try him at right tackle this season I believe. His best position is guard and at guard he has NFL star written all over him.

Q: How elite do you see Darren McFadden, should he leave after his junior year?
A: Him leaving early is pretty much a given, he would have no incentive to stay in college unless he sustains an early season ending injury, and even then I doubt he would return to Arkansas for his senior year. His draft stock is already as high as it’s going to get. He is elite, no doubt. McFadden is kind of a cross between the Chiefs Larry Johnson and the Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson.

Q: Who will be picked higher: Chad Henne or Mike Hart?
A: Another tough question, it’s hard to predict entering the season. Henne is a player that with a strong season could end up as a first rounder or if he struggles he could really slip. Hart is talented, but he might have a ton of competition this year if some key juniors enter like Darren McFadden, Ray Rice, Steve Slaton, Jonathan Stewart, and Ian Johnson. If most of these talented juniors enter the draft early like I think they will, the 2008 NFL Draft could go down in history as the best running back draft class of all time.

Q: What do you think of West Virginia’s Pat White?
A: Very fast and athletic football player, he reminds me of former Missouri QB Brad Smith who is now with the New York Jets. Brad Smith was drafted with the thought of converting him to wide receiver, and he looked good at receiver, but they also tried him at QB and he looked good there also, so now Smith will be competing for the backup QB slot with the Jets. But back to White, I think he is faster that Smith, but doesn’t have quite as good of an arm. So it looks to me like receiver will be his eventual position in the NFL.

Q: Last question; you said you expect USC to win the National Championship. Can you talk a little more about that?
A: Yeah, not because they are ranked number one, but because of that defense. Just look at the talent on the defensive side of the ball. Five of their front seven players could be first round draft picks either this year or next, all three linebackers plus Sedrick Ellis (DT) and Lawrence Jackson (DE). Also two of their four in the secondary could be first rounders in the next couple years CB Terrell Thomas and sophomore safety Taylor Mays. Plus junior defensive lineman Fili Moala (6’ 3” 294 lbs) and junior defensive back Kevin Ellison should be early day one NFL Draft picks when they declare for the draft. That’s 9 out of the 11 starters on defense should be playing in the NFL within two years.

Q: I appreciate your time and I hope we can do this sort of thing throughout the season.
A: No problem, it was fun.