Interview with an expert: NFL Draft Countdown’s Scott Wright

This marks part two of The NFL Minute’s preseason draft coverage. The first interview was with NFL Draft Dog’s Robert Bryant. This time around, The NFL Minute chose another gifted writer, known best for his uber-popular site, NFL Draft Countdown: Scott Wright.

Can you tell me a little about how and when you got into the NFL Draft and eventually decided to build a (quite popular) draft site?

I started out as a fan and since I liked to write I started a web site where I could post my mocks drafts and talk about the draft. While in college I kept the site going and it just kept getting bigger and bigger so when I graduated I thought I could maybe put my sports journalism degree to use and make the site my full-time job and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Every year I think it can’t get any bigger but it constantly amazes me and surpasses my expectations. Traffic obviously varies depending on the time of the year but on average I get about 40,000 unique visitors per day and on Draft Day ’07 112,000 different people came to the site. It’s not just a slogan and I’m not exaggerating when I say NFL Draft Countdown is the most popular draft site in the world. I think that’s a testament to my consistency in evaluating talent and putting together mock drafts and as always I have to thank everyone who comes to the site because they’ve allowed me to live out a dream and do what I love for a living.

What are your thoughts on John David Booty; how will he translate to the NFL in comparison with past USC quarterbacks, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart?

Booty definitely isn’t in the same class as either Carson Palmer or Matt Leinart as a pro prospect and he never will be. With that said I do think he has the potential to start at the next level and would be a good pick for someone in the 2^nd or 3^rd round. This is a great crop of senior signal callers and I could see Booty being anywhere from the 5^th to 8^th player chosen at his position.

Name one guy the average fan doesn’t know but will know by the end of the season?

Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter. The Hoosiers haven’t had a lot of success lately, either on the field or on Draft Day, but Porter is going to help change that. Physically he has all the tools you look for (5-11, 185, 4.40) and he’s also a real playmaker and ballhawk in the secondary with 20 career pass breakups and 10 interceptions that he’s returned for 276 yards. People probably don’t know his name now but look for Porter to emerge as one of the top senior corners in the country. Keep an eye on Nevada outside linebacker Ezra Butler as well.

Who tops your “big board” right now?

Right now it’s Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, although at this point I wouldn’t place him in that “elite” prospect category just yet. However I am a little stingier with that label than most and I only give it to 3-5 guys every year. I’m not 100% convinced that Long will be a left tackle in the NFL but right now I’d probably say he’s a better prospect than Levi Brown was and not quite as good as Joe Thomas. I think he’s a lock for the Top 10 overall though.

Who do you think will end up the number one draft pick in 2007?

A number of factors go into that but based on recent history quarterbacks go in that top spot more often than any other position so with that in mind I think you have to look at Brian Brohm of Louisville. From a pure talent standpoint I think most would agree that Arkansas’ Darren McFadden would be the best player available for the 2008 NFL Draft if he comes out early but you have to wonder if teams will be willing to shell out $30+ million in guaranteed money to a running back.

How good do you think this draft class is compared to recent classes?

Just based on the senior class I think it’s a notch below 2007 and at this point I don’t have anyone rated as highly as I did Brady Quinn or Joe Thomas at this time a year ago. The junior class could and probably will change that outlook a lot but even if most of the top underclassmen come out I still think the Class of ’07 will have the overall edge.

Who is the most athletic prospect? Any “freaks” like Calvin Johnson who blend size and speed almost flawlessly?

Calvin Johnson was obviously a rare prospect and guys like him don’t come around every year but one player who I think is going to really stand out come workout time is Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves. He’s a bit of a ‘tweener and might have to move to outside linebacker at the next level but athletically he has few peers in the senior class. If he really does run in the 4.4’s at 6-3 and 250+ pounds he’s going to be a pretty controversial prospect because his production on a play-to-play basis doesn’t always match those impressive triangle numbers.

Who’s your ultimate sleeper; someone I might not know, but his skill-set translates well to the pro game?

People are already getting to know about Kendall Langford of Hampton, Heath Benedict of Newberry and Bobbie Williams of Bethune-Cookman so I’ll go in another direction. I really like Dominique Rodgers of Tennessee St. He’s a cornerback with good size (6-2, 170), speed (4.45) and athleticism and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up being a Day One pick when all is said and done.

What do you think of the preseason Polls or Rankings?

My big issue with the preseason polls is that if a team starts off ranked too low it’s extremely difficult for them to move up because they essentially have to wait for those above them to lose. However, even though I think there are a lot of things wrong with the Division I system the preseason polls are the least of their problems.

Any thoughts on the BCS? Should we have a playoff to determine the
“true” champion?

I don’t like the BCS and I’m absolutely in favor of a playoff. This argument about how it would disrupt the academic schedules of the players too much is a joke and the NCAA is being pretty hypocritical there in my opinion. Ideally I guess I’d like to see an 8 team playoff but at this point I’d settle for the “Plus 1” format.

Who’s your Heisman front-runner right now?

I think John David Booty is my preseason favorite. The Trojans are absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball and as most people know the Heisman Trophy doesn’t really go to the best player in the nation but rather the quarterback on the best team at the time of the voting. Another guy to watch out for is Mike Hart of Michigan because he really drives that team and I think the Wolverines have a good shot at running the table.

Last question, who will win the National Championship?

I think you’d have to be crazy to say anyone other than Southern Cal at this point. They have a tough schedule and it won’t be easy but top to bottom there isn’t a more talented team out there.

Thanks much for your time and I hope we can do this again in the future.

Not a problem, thank you.