Auburn scouting reports begin

Hey everyone. Not much going on in the Auburn world these days, so I think it's time we start discussing the 07 football team. It's never too early.

One item of note before I get into that:
*WR Rod Smith, one of the coolest guys on the team, has earned a scholarship for the 2007 season. This was a no-brainer, of course, because Smith is the team's only proven wideout returning this year. Some might argue that Prechae Rodriguez or Montez Billings fit the bill. I'm staying with my initial assessment.


On with the scouting report:
Last season, I did scouting reports on individual players. Since that's an old trick now, I'll go by positions. I'll give my overview of the position. I'll tell you who I think the best players are, who the next good player will be and, if applicable, who will lose their job first. Some positions are more flexible than others. Offensive linemen bump in and out of the lineup for peripheral reasons at times, while quarterbacks and tailbacks generally stay in the lineup.

Here's how I want to grade these kids. Three stars is SEC average. One star is a should-be-at-NAIA player. Five stars is a will-be-a-millionaire player.

First number is that player's current grade. Second number is his 2007 peak.

Let's start with the offensive line.

OFFENSIVE LINE
2006 overview: Had a good year while anchored by first-round draft pick Ben Grubbs and senior Timmy Duckworth at guard. Other starters included King Dunlap (Jr.) at left tackle, Jonathan Palmer (Sr.) at right tackle and Joe Cope (Sr.) at center when he was healthy. Run blocking wasn't an overall strength. Pass blocking was. Palmer was a liability early in the season. He learned from his mistakes, though, and became league average by season's end. Bosley is a typical Auburn center -- meaning his intellectual gifts are most important. Quarterback Brandon Cox took some hits, particularly against LSU, but I didn't think he was exposed much more than average. His lack of elusiveness caused some of those 35 sacks.

2006 depth chart:
LT -- King Dunlap
LG -- Ben Grubbs
C -- Joe Cope/Jason Bosley
RG -- Tim Duckworth
RT -- Jonathan Palmer

2007 depth chart
LT -- King Dunlap 3.5 (4.0)
LG -- Tyronne Green 3.5 (4.5)
C -- Jason Bosley 3.0 (3.0)
RG -- Leon Hart 2.5 (3.0)
RT -- Andrew McCain 2.5 (4.0)

The franchise player: The obvious choice is Dunlap, though I consider him more of a steady player than anything else. I'm going with Tyronne Green. He reminds me of Grubbs. Stout kid with good leverage. Not necessarily the quickest feet, but his ability to maintain leverage makes him valuable. Green missed some time early last season with an unusual viral infection. It took him a month to get back. I think he's ready to play immediately. With 10 games under his belt, Green has a chance to be an anchor.

The next generation: Bart Eddins. He'll probably spend this season working behind fifth-year Leon Hart. That's not a bad thing. Eddins was a defensive player in high school, a very good defensive player, and just now is learning how to approach the offensive game. I figured Eddins would play center and another up-and-comer, Mike Berry, would play guard. Not so. Berry is being groomed to take over at center. Both players have a chance to be excellent. Eddins' personality -- he's friendly but takes football seriously -- fits nicely with assistant coach Hugh Nall.