penn state's 2005 nfl draft class.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Once again, an athlete's NFL worth has nothing to do with his college career. Go back to those years, know it alls. Tell me those guys weren't DOMINANT in the NCAA. It doesn't change the fact that they were great college players. Brown is banged up, so was Carter. What do you want from these people? If you get hurt, what are you supposed to do? Carter lasted way longer in the NFL than most PSU fans even imagined. I LOVE how you people act like PSU players do nothing in the NFL. Go do the research: Penn State guys playing professional football dominates Pitt and WVU players playing professional football. The numbers do not lie. There are way more PSU guys in the NFL than either one of those other schools. Every college has great players every year. Not every one of those guys can make it into the NFL hall of fame. It's real easy to look at those guys and call them busts, but you know it alls should be smart enough to know that professional sports are all about placement and systems. Ryan Leaf doesn't work in San Diego, what if he got drafted by a better coaching staff that worked with him, or just had a better way to teach him? Wake up.

[WPIAL~Titan]

2005 NFL Players Drafted:

IUP--1
PSU--ZERO

PSU: Home of the Blue Chipper!!!

WT

[The Ancient Enemy]

Hey, you tied IUP, and a tie is like a loss as far as rankings go.

I feel the ankle-lock calling Titan's name in the distance.

[Former Wildcat]

TAE, I agree with you that Penn State is better than Pitt and WVU. All three of those programs are second rate. Compare how many PSU players are in the NFL with Michigan or Ohio State. Or better - compare how PSU has done in the Big 10 with Michigan or Ohio State.

I also agree about Carter and Brown, but what is the excuse for Enis, and Thomas. They were just busts - as have been all the players from the 2003 draft class. Have any of those players been injured?

[The Ancient Enemy]

Let's put it like this: there are what, 32 teams in the NFL?

That means 32 starting RB's. Out of those 32, how many positions are actually availible? 5? MAYBE 8-10?

You gotta understand here that just because a guy is great in college doesn't mean he fits in the NFL. Besides, who's to say that Carter doesn't get drafted by some other team, and go on to be the best RB they ever had? I hate the "bust" tag that all players get. Then they get laughed at. I don't recall too many coaching staffs in the NCAA laughing at Ken Dorsey when he won 30 some games and was the vocal leader of the best team in the country. Who's to say that Curtis Martin doesn't get drafted by Tampa Bay and then blows his knee out? Bust! The NFL is all about placement.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Pitt and West Virginia have some pretty good players in the league both past and present if I am not mistaken!! Penn St. players are a lot of busts you are talking about. Look at all their running backs of recent. The numbers are going to change just like the programs, West Virginia and Pittsburgh on the rise and Penn St. on the decline!

[ham55]

Yea, Larry Johnson ever stood a change getting drafted by the Cheifs behind the most prolific touchdown scoring running back in NFL present. But you know what, you guys are right, PSU never will amount to anything. I'll use your logic here Hollywood, everybody has something to say about them no matter when they pop up or weather it's good or bad to say. They must be just toooooooooooooooooo sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!

[AUSTIN_22:22]

larry johnson: he's the back up for preist holmes for the first 24 games of his career. he was put under the microscope by dick vermiel who called him a baby who needs to take off his diapers. in the last 6 games of last season when he saw the field, he had 11 total td’s and avg’d about 100 total yds a game.

Bryant Johnson: he is the #3 wr w/ the cardinals behind boldin and Fitzgerald. He has about 1000 total yds receiving and a few td’s. did I mention he plays for the cardinals? He is probably the most disappointing player in the class.

Jimmy kennedy: st. louis decided to let him learn from the sidelines in his first season. He played sparingly as a rookie. He was all geared up to have a solid year in 2004 when he broke his foot in training camp. He came back half way through the year and played at about 80% the rest of the way out. the jury is still out w/ him and the other 5 as well.

Michael Haynes- he has played pretty well w/ the bears from what I know. he is not the monster at the end which he was at penn state in his final year, but he has had a solid first 2 years and has potential to do even more.

Bryan scott- he has outperformed my expectations. He was a good corner in college and is now a pretty good safety for the Atlanta falcons. He had about 80 tackles and made some big plays in the passing game as well.

These are the guys who were drafted in the first round from penn state in 2003. I really wouldn’t call any of these guys a flop or bust. They all get significant minutes w/ the exception of LJ. There is probably not a pro bowler in the group unless preist holmes retires sometime soon or one of the 2 d-lineman have like 12 sacks in a season.

As for the stigma that penn state players bust in the nfl, I would have to say that how a player does in the nfl depends on a whole heckuva lot more than where he went to college. psu put guys in the nfl who have done quite well and guys who have not. what is most important, as far as psu should be concerned, is the # of guys they have put in the nfl and where they were drafted out of college.

As for the argument that penn state has struggled b/c they joined the big ten, I think this could be argued legitimately either way. I feel that penn state’s record in the big ten has more do to w/ the overall change in the college football landscape than anything else. Teams like northwestern, iowa, Minnesota, illinois, and Wisconsin have all won the big ten title since psu joined. The 2 best big ten teams historically, Ohio st. and Michigan, are not dominating the big ten they way they did pre-penn state either. its a really good football conference.

[HOLLYWOOD]

hey I have a copyright on that saying for bleachercoaches!!