The Sporting News 1998 Top 100...

OSwho? · #1 (**permalink**) 08-01-2007, 03:45 PM

pre-Rivals days...

TSN's 100 Prime prospects

Rk. Player Ht./Wt. Town/High school
(oral commitment)

1. QB Ronald Curry 6-3/195 Hampton, Va./Hampton (Virginia)
2. DE Dennis Johnson 6-7/255 Harrodsburg, Ky./Harrodsburg
3. QB Matt Holiday 6-4/215 Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater (Oklahoma State)
4. LB Robert Thomas 6-3/225 Imperial, calif./Imperial
5. LB Shamar Finney 6-3/240 Shelby, N.C./Crest
6. RB Justin Fargas 6-1/185 Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame (Michigan)
7. DE John Henderson 6-7/265 Nashville/Pearl Cohn (Tennessee)
8. OL Mike Pearson 6-7/270 Seffner, Fla./Armwood
9. WR Marquise Walker 6-3/195 Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger (Michigan)
10. QB Drew Henson 6-5/215 Brighton, Mich./ Brighton (Michigan)
11. WR David Terrell 6-3/205 Richmond, Va./Huguenot (Michigan)
12. WR Montrell Flowers 5-10/175 Dallas/Skyline
13. OL Jon Stinchcomb 6-7/265 Lillburn, Ga./Parkview (Georgia)
14. OL Brett Williams 6-6/315 Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola
15. LB Charles Grant 6-4/240 Colquitt, Ga./Miller Co.
16. RB DeShaun Foster 6-2/200 Tustin, Calif./Tustin
17. TE R.J. Luke 6-2/235 Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley
18. DL Sean Phillips 6-5/255 Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles
19. QB Jason Thomas 6-5/225 Compton, Calif./Dominguez (USC)
20. LB Bernard Jackson 6-4/240 Louisville/Saint Xavier
21. LB William Witherspoon 6-3/215 Springfield, Fla./Rutherford
22. DE Kindal Moorehead 6-4/270 Memphis/Melrose (Alabama)
23. S Chris Hope 6-1/190 Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill
24. DL Kenny Peterson 6-4/250 Canton, Ohio/McKinley (Ohio State)
25. OL Mike Saffer 6-6/293 Tucson, Ariz./Sabino
26. DL Kendrick Allen 6-6/285 Bogaluso, La./ Bogalusa (LSU)
27. S Lovell Houston 6-2/180 Denver/Jefferson
28. RB Sultan McCullough 5-11/185 Pasadena, Calif./John Muir
29. LB Carlos Pierre-Antoine 6-3/225 Seattle/O'Dea
30. RB Eddie Drummond 5-9/175 Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School
31. OL Antwan Kirk-Hughes 6-4/290 Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie
32. WR John Capel 5-10/175 Brooksville, Fla./Hernando Co.
33. DL/OL Rian Cason 6-5/290 College Park, Ga./Woodward Academy
34. WR Javin Hunter 6-0/175 Beverly Hills, Mich./ (Notre Dame)
35. RB Ben Gay 6-1/190 Spring, Texas/Spring
36. DE Julius Peppers 6-6/235 Bailey, N.C./Southern Nash (North Carolina)
37. DT Ryan Pickett 6-2/290 Zephyrhills, Fla./Zephyrhills (Ohio State)
38. RB Jonathan Adams 6-0/195 Osceola, Ark./Osceola
39. OB Arnez Battle 6-2/200 Shreveport, La./Byrd (Notre Dame)
40. RB Arien Harris 5-10/195 Downington, Pa./Downington
41. DL David Armstrong 6-4/250 Doylestown, Pa./Central West (Michigan)
42. QB Tyler Watts 6-4/210 Pelham, Ala./Pelham (Alabama)
43. DL Matt Leonard 6-4/280 Palmdale, Calif./Palmdale
44. DL Craig Albrecht 6-5/265 St. Louis/John Burroughs (Northwestern)
45. QB Jared Jones 6-5/215 Walla Walla, Wash./Walla Walla
46. QB Carson Palmer 6-4/218 Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Rancho Santa
Margarita (USC)
47. FB Mike McNair 6-2/225 Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei (Notre Dame)
48. OL Gus Felder 6-5/295 Berwick, Pa./Berwick (Penn State)
49. LB Josh Thornhill 6-2/240 Lansing, Mich./Eastern (Michigan State)
50. ATH Freddie Milons 5-10/175 Starkville, Miss./Starkville
51. TE Patrick Hughes 6-5/235 Nacogdoches, Texas/Nacogdoches (Florida State)
52. DT Ken Kocher 6-3/285 San Diego/Henry (UCLA)
53. S Cato June 6-0/191 Washington, D.C./Anacosta (Michigan)
54. RB Earnest Graham 5-10/215 Cape coral, Fla./Mariner (Florida)
55. OL Blake Worley 6-7/260 Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley (UCLA)
56. LB/S Terrell Bierria 6-3/190 Slidell, La./Salmen (Georgia)
57. LB Aaron Kampman 6-4/230 Parkersburgh, Iowa/Aplington-Parkersburgh
(Iowa)
58. DE Jermaine Brooks 6-4/255 Rancho Cucamonga,Calif./Rancho Cucamonga
59. ATH David Givens 6-1/220 Humble, Texas/Humble (Notre Dame)
60. LB Rodney Bailey 6-4/218 Folkstone, Ga./Charlton Co. (Georgia)
61. CB Robert Cromartie 5-9/175 Atlanta/Douglass
62. RB Leo Mills 6-0/210 Humble, Texas/ Humble
63. LB Marcus Mosley 6-2/210 Dallas/South Oak Cliff (SMU)
64. CB Clifford Jefferson 5-10/160 Dallas/Carter
65. LB Adam McConathy 6-4/230 West Monroe, La./West Monroe (LSU)
66. DE Anthony Weaver 6-4/240 Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs
(Notre Dame)
67. C Antoine Mirambeau 6-4/260 Miami Beach, Fla./Miami Beach
68. LB Eddie Strong 6-2/225 Batesville, Miss./South Panola (Mississippi)
69. ATH James McGriff 6-2/200 Melbourne, Fla./Palm Bay
70. LB/DE Mike Clay 6-3/255 Aldine, Texas/Nimitz
71. RB Siaka Massaquoi 5-11/185 Evanston, Ill./Evanston (Iowa)
72. OL Ryan Scarola 6-5/310 Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional (Notre Dame)
73. QB/S Steve Bellisari 6-2/210 Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton
74. FB Tom Lopienski 6-2/240 Stow, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit (Notre Dame)
75. OB Luke Huard 6-4/210 Puyallup, Wash./Puyallup (North Carolina)
76. RB Joe Burns 5-10/210 Thomasville, Ga./Thomas Co. Central (Georgia Tech)
77. RB/DB Terrance Howard 6-1/185 Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley
Regional (Notre Dame)
78. LB Victor Hobson 6-2/225 Philadephia/St. Joseph's Prep (Michigan)
79. RB Eric McCoo 5-11/190 Little River, N.J./Red Bank Regional
80. DL Wendell Bryant 6-5/285 St. Louis/ Ritenour
81. DL Robert Malone 6-4/255 Prichard, Ala./Blount
82. RB Jonathan Wells 6-2/223 River Ridge, La./John Curtis (Ohio State)
83. TE Trent Smith 6-6/225 Clinton, Okla./Clinton (Oklahoma)
84. WR A.T. Simpson 6-5/200 Indianapolis/Cathedral (Purdue)
85. WR Talman Gardner 6-2/185 New Orleans/McDonogh
86. CB Willie Miles 6-0/175 Fort Worth, Texas/Dunbar
87. TE Bobby Blizzard 6-6/225 Hamptonm, Va./Hampton (Kentucky)
88. LB Jashon Sykes 6-3/218 Gardena, Calif./Serra
89. RB Walter Cross 6-0/210 Oxon Hill, Md./Oxon Hill (Michigan)
90. DE/TE Terin Smith 6-4/235 Folkston, Ga./Charlton Co.
91. DL Brian Norwood 6-5/275 Rockingham, N.C./Richmond Co.(North Carolina)
92. QB Ryan Van Dyke 6-6/205 Marshall, Mich./Marshall (Michigan State)
93. CB DeJuan Groce 5-11/195 Lakewood, Ohio/Saint Edward (Nebraska)
94. LB Randy Stella 6-1/202 Omaha, Neb./Benson (Nebraska)
95. TE John Day 6-4/237 Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic (Notre Dame)
96. OL Mike Belisle 6-6/305 Marshfield, Ore./Coos Bay
97. OL Brad Smalling 6-8/341 West Monroe, La./West Monroe (LSU)
98. QB Cory Paus 6-2/200 New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way (UCLA)
99. OL Eric Heitmann 6-5/285 Katy, Texas/Katy
100. WR Kerry Watkins 6-0/188 Reserve, La./East St. John

That was a whale of a class for Michigan on paper. Remember, it came off the heels of their MNC and it was an unusually talented year in state. When is the last time the state had a talent like Henson? Probably only twice since Henson, Charles Rogers and Ronald Johnson.

stxbuck · #2 (**permalink**) 08-02-2007, 10:44 PM

Wow-only 3 NFL stars out of that group-Henderson,Palmer,Peppers, and a few more NFL players. Whole lotta "whatever happened to's" in there.

KittnertoLloyd · #3 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 02:38 AM

The number 3 guy became an MLB All-Star.

OSwho? · #4 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stxbuck

Wow-only 3 NFL stars out of that group-Henderson,Palmer,Peppers, and a few more NFL players. Whole lotta "whatever happened to's" in there.

Cato June was All-B10 one season in college, but he's become quite the linebacker in the NFL and has even made a couple Pro Bowls, and he did sign a fat F/A contract with the Bucs. I'd say he's somewhat of an NFL star. Maybe not on the level of those other three, but he's definitely not a "whatever happened to" player.

That said, I do see your point as there are a lot of busts on that list. I think that has to do with the high school football coverage just not being good back in that day.

Nowadays Scout/Rivals have analysts all over the country that go see these high school kids play not only in games, but they measure them and test them in all kinds of agility/athleticism tests at NIKE/Scout camps, they get to see 12 of the top QB's in the nation for an entire weekend at the Elite 11, they have people that scout all of the major spring/summer 7-on-7's, they also have people the cover the summer camps of the major BCS schools like USC/Michigan/OSU/Florida, etc., and they have 2 major All-Star games where they get to watch all of the kids in practice for a week and then the game of course, and the two major All-Star games have massive junior combines where they get a head start on seeing some of the underclassmen who will be seniors in the next recruiting cycle.