NFL Draft Recap: Players Who Will Outperform Players Drafted Ahead of Them

LeBron's out of the playoffs, the MLB season is in its early pages, and , so I decided to make the unlikely decision to post on the NFL Draft, about a month after it took place. I'd prefer to talk about my Hornets landing an elite player at the top of the NBA Draft, but apparently basketball in New Orleans has received another body blow.

Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers

"The Mile-High Messiah"? Try "Tebench." I've seen Tebow in about twenty games, from his first college touchdown pass against the LSU Tigers to his last, against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Forget his drunken footwork or his mediocre foot speed. When he threw the ball, it was rarely a spiral. Not only will the throwing window in the NFL become narrower, but Tebow is going to have to throw a "catchable" pass. The NFL is about precision and fundamentals, and Tebow has neither.

Clausen, on the other hand, was seen as the anti-Tebow. He was an arrogant kid, who arrived in South Bend in a stretch Hummer and announced his ambition to win four Heismans and four national championships. His personality is a big turnoff, and conjures up memories of Ryan Leaf.

But Clausen also has what it takes to win close games, which is all I ask for from a starting NFL quarterback. See 2009 Purdue, see 2009 Michigan State, see a handful of other games in which Charlie Weis's clock management doomed the Fighting Irish. When/if John Fox is fired and Bill Cowher is brought in, Clausen's potential will be a major draw.

Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

This UF player was dominant last season, the only player that I really feared after Dan Mullins left Gainesville. He was healthier throughout his career than Rob Gronkowski (2nd round, Patriots) or Jermaine Gresham (1st round, Bengals). But after watching Tom Brady eviscerate Benjamin Watson, a former first-round pick at the position, for poor route-running, you wonder how Hernandez, who has a similar problem and ran a lot of screens and short outlet routes during his career, will mesh with Brady.

Charles Brown, New Orleans Saints

Left tackle Charles Brown was another Trojan who came into college football with so much hype that any career short of all-time greatness would be disappointing. Like Joe McKnight and Everson Griffen, Brown became a serviceable, occasionally great, college player who could become a better professional player. Brown blocked for John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, and a freshman, Matt Barkley, during his career, so I'm still not convinced that he was held back by the players around him.

Brown was drafted behind Trent Williams (1st round, Washington Redskins), who has the dubious virtue of being able to play right or left tackle, and Bryan Bulaga (1st round, Green Bay Packers), who is this year's Mystery Meat. Re: Williams, why is being able to play two positions valuable, when one position has so much more value than the other. If Williams is not playing left tackle for the Redskins in five years, he's a bust at number four overall. And, is Bulaga the next Robert Gallery?