Clarett remains on the sideline

Originally Published: February 7, 2005

RB Maurice Clarett continues to mystify NFL teams with his decision to not participate in postseason all-star games.

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By Todd McShay
Scouts, Inc.
Archive

It seems that former Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett is incapable of making a mature, responsible decision. After being ruled eligible for the 2005 NFL draft, one would think that Clarett would get himself into exceptional shape and participate in a postseason all-star game.

There were early rumors that Clarett would play in the East-West Shrine game, but he evidently turned down the offer. Most recently, Clarett had been scheduled to participate in a college football all-star challenge, but newly hired agent Steve Feldman told organizers just a few days prior to the event that Clarett would not take part. Clarett continues to make decisions that reflect poorly on his character and maturity level. Failing to capitalize on these opportunities will only contribute to his draft-day freefall.

News and Notes

The offensive line class in this year's draft is weak. There is a decent crop of second- and third-round talent, including OTs Adam Terry (Syracuse) and Marcus Johnson (Ole Miss), OGs Elton Brown (Virginia), David Baas (Michigan) and Logan Mankins (Fresno State) and OCs Chris Spencer (Ole Miss), Ben Wilkerson (LSU) and Jamaal Brown (North Carolina). However, there isn't great depth that will trickle down into the second day, and the absence of a blue-chip prospect is even more glaring.

Dan Anderson/ESPN.comThis draft simply lacks elite offensive line prospects.

For the first time since 1999, there will not be an offensive lineman taken in the first 10 selections. There is no Robert Gallery (2004), Jordan Gross (2003), Mike Williams/Bryant McKinnie/Levi Jones (2002), Leonard Davis (2001) or Chris Samuels (2000) in the group. In our most recent Top 32 Draft Projection, there are only two linemen -- OTs Alex Barron (Florida State) and Jammal Brown (Oklahoma) -- and neither ranks among the top 15.

Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson's decision to return to Charlottesville for his senior season came as a surprise, especially to the Cleveland Browns, who likely would have selected him with the third overall pick. Furthermore, had Miami OT Eric Winston stayed healthy and elected to leave school early, he would have peaked Cleveland's interest.

Teams picking in the first half of the first round, who are looking to upgrade their offensive line -- such as the Browns, Titans, Redskins, Chargers, Texans and Panthers -- will likely attempt to move down to get a better value on Barron or Brown, or go in a different direction with their top pick.

Virginia DE Chris Canty didn't help his draft stock last weekend when he was reportedly sent to the hospital with an eye injury suffered during a bar brawl in Scottsdale, AZ. Injuries really limited Canty's potential as a collegiate player. He missed time early in his career because of shoulder problems and also blew out his knee four games into his senior season.

When Canty was healthy in 2003, and the first four games of the 2004 season, he was one of the most impressive end prospects in this class. Canty finished his junior season with 104 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. He was also leading his team with 30 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and one sack through four games in 2004.

Canty, who underwent successful surgery, has rehabilitated the knee and was training for the NFL Scouting Combine. The most recent eye injury is not supposed to have any long-term effects and should not prohibit Canty from participating in the combine. However, with durability questions already hovering over him, the last thing Canty needed was to give NFL personnel officials a reason to question his character.

Scouts Inc.'s Top 32
RANK	NAME	POS	CLASS	SCHOOL	PREV
1.	Aaron Rodgers	QB	JR	Cal-Berkeley	1
2.	Braylon Edwards	WR	SR	Michigan	3
3.	Adam Jones	DC	JR	West Virginia	5
4.	Alex Smith	QB	JR	Utah	2
5.	Ronnie Brown	RB	SR	Auburn	4
6.	Cedric Benson	RB	SR	Texas	6
7.	Carnell Williams	RB	SR	Auburn	7
8.	Antrell Rolle	DC	SR	Miami-FL	9
9.	Derrick Johnson	OLB	SR	Texas	8
10.	Troy Williamson	WR	JR	South Carolina	12
11.	Shawne Merriman	DE	JR	Maryland	11
12.	Mike Williams	WR	JR	USC	10
13.	Travis Johnson	DT	SR	Florida State	13
14.	Erasmus James	DE	SR	Wisconsin	15
15.	Heath Miller	TE	JR	Virginia	16
16.	Dan Cody	DE	SR	Oklahoma	14
17.	Alex Barron	OT	SR	Florida State	17
18.	Thomas Davis	DS	JR	Georgia	18
19.	David Pollack	DE	SR	Georgia	19
20.	Carlos Rogers	DC	SR	Auburn	21
21.	Matt Roth	DE	SR	Iowa	22
22.	Marcus Spears	DE	SR	LSU	26
23.	Brandon Browner	DC	SR	Oregon State	19
24.	Mark Clayton	WR	SR	Oklahoma	24
25.	Shaun Cody	DT	SR	USC	25
26.	Jammal Brown	OT	SR	Oklahoma	23
27.	Roddy White	WR	SR	UAB	27
28.	Justin Miller	DC	JR	Clemson	28
29.	Channing Crowder	LB	SO	Florida	29
30.	Antaaj Hawthorne	DT	SR	Wisconsin	30
31.	Bryant McFadden	DC	SR	Florida State	31
32.	Brodney Pool	DS	JR	Oklahoma	NR