Draft Crop One of School's Best?
Wednesday, January 21, 3:00 p.m. PT

A little over three months from now, the Oregon Ducks will be in Autzen Stadium or on one of the practice fields immersed in spring drills. Most faces will be familiar, but there will undoubtedly be a few new ones in the mix thanks to the addition of the team's latest signing class in early February.

But what may stand out most to regular observers is the absence of others. Those players, many of whom were a common sight around the Casanova Center over the past five years, have moved on to the post-college real world and will have just learned their fates with regard to a significant job application.

The 2009 NFL Draft takes place April 25-26, and Oregon could potentially have a record crop of departing student-athletes hired for Sunday duty in the pro ranks. Scanning a list of the departed, it's hard not to find at least five legitimate draft picks, including three first-day selections.

If the draft were to take place today (before the Senior Bowl, NFL combine, team pro days, etc.), Max Unger, Patrick Chung and Jairus Byrd would almost surely go in the first three rounds. By the sixth and final round, it's hard to imagine the names Jeremiah Johnson, Fenuki Tupou and Jaison Williams not called at some point. And then there is dark horse Nick Reed, a player who has won over doubters his entire football career. Maybe a team takes a flyer on him.

That's seven players, one more than the UO record of six (for a seven-round draft) set in 2002. The Ducks also had six players taken in 1943, 1950 and 1972, but in those days there were at least 17 rounds and as many as 32.

Unger may not have won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top collegiate center in his senior year, but as far as most pro scouts are concerned, he's the top player available at the position and likely to be the first Duck taken. ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr. rated Unger No.16 on his big board (seniors only) and that was before the big Hawaiian captained Oregon's 307-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance in the Holiday Bowl.

The total package: Unger and Williams both have degrees in hand as they prepare for potential NFL careers.

Unger is one of only 35 five-star prospects as rated by Scout.com and ranks 32nd overall according to Scouts Inc.

Less than one week after declaring for the draft as an underclassman, Byrd is considered by Scout.com to be the 44th best player available. Byrd was given four stars and currently ranks No. 8 at his position in a draft year rich with cornerbacks.

Chung's decision to come back for his senior season in 2008 appears to have paid dividends as he is ranked as the second-best safety available by Scout.com. The recruiting service gave Chung four stars and ranks him No. 58 overall.

It's not that big of a stretch to think that Tupou could be a first-day pick as well, since he's a four-star player at offensive tackle, typically a premium position on draft day. Tupou is ranked No. 11 among tackles by Scout.com.

Johnson's stock certainly rose over his final two games in an Oregon uniform, but over the past two weeks the running back pool has swelled with the entries of several well-known underclassmen. I expect him to climb above his No. 11 Scout.com ranking at that position before draft day. If heart was something that could be tangibly measured, J.J. would be at the top of most team's charts.

Jeremiah Johnson didn't let injuries keep him from putting the Ducks on his back down the stretch this past season.

Williams is another player that should continue to climb in the pre-draft rankings in the coming months. He's had an NFL body since arriving in Eugene and it wasn't that long ago that he was considered one of top receivers in the college game by Sports Illustrated. And let's not forget, when the lights were the brightest, it was J-Will who reeled in the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Holiday Bowl.

You would think the Morris Trophy winner (Pac-10's top defensive lineman as voted on by conference players) would garner a little interest from pro scouts.

As for Reed, getting drafted figures to be more difficult due to his size and the feeling by pro scouts that his skills won't necessarily translate to the NFL. Scout.com pegs him at two stars and ranks him 23rd out of 23 defensive end prospects. However, if a career on the gridiron doesn't pan out, the academic All-American is in better shape than most to find success off the field.

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