Now that we've thoroughly reviewed the first season of the Class of 2007, I thought we'd take a stab at re-ranking the guys according to their performance. Chime in with your opinions below, but here's my take:
|
2008 RTT Ranking
|
Initial profile
|
Review of 2007 season
|
2007 RTT Ranking
|
Difference
|
|
1
|
Eric Berry |
1
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
Dennis Rogan |
25
|
23
|
|
|
3
|
Gerald Jones |
7
|
4
|
|
|
4
|
Lennon Creer |
5
|
1
|
|
|
5
|
Nevin McKenzie |
15
|
10
|
|
|
6
|
Brent Vinson |
3
|
-3
|
|
|
7
|
Denarius Moore |
14
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
DeAngelo Willingham |
20
|
12
|
|
|
9
|
Savion Frazier |
27
|
18
|
|
|
10
|
Ben Martin |
2
|
-8
|
|
|
11
|
Chris Walker |
9
|
-2
|
|
|
12
|
Kevin Cooper |
31
|
19
|
|
|
13
|
Kenny O'Neal |
17
|
4
|
|
|
14
|
Ahmad Paige |
Did not play
|
4
|
-10
|
|
15
|
Chris Donald |
Did not play
|
8
|
-7
|
|
16
|
Darris Sawtelle |
Did not play
|
12
|
-4
|
|
17
|
Todd Campbell |
Did not play
|
13
|
-4
|
|
18
|
William Brimfield |
Did not play
|
16
|
-2
|
|
19
|
Daryl Vereen |
Did not play
|
19
|
0
|
|
20
|
Cody Pope |
Did not play
|
21
|
1
|
|
21
|
Art Evans |
Did not play
|
22
|
1
|
|
22
|
C.J. Fleming |
Did not play
|
23
|
1
|
|
23
|
Donald Langley |
Did not play
|
24
|
1
|
|
24
|
BJ Coleman |
Did not play
|
26
|
2
|
|
25
|
Anthony Anderson |
Did not play
|
28
|
3
|
|
26
|
Tyler Maples |
Did not play
|
29
|
3
|
|
27
|
Josh Hawkins |
Did not play
|
30
|
3
|
|
28
|
Rae Sykes |
Did not make the team
|
6
|
-22
|
|
29
|
Rolando Melancon |
Did not make the team
|
10
|
-19
|
|
30
|
Deshaun Barnes |
Did not make the team
|
11
|
-19
|
|
31
|
Rufus Williams |
Did not make the team
|
18
|
-13
|
|
32
|
Cory Hall |
Did not make the team
|
32
|
0
|
Methodology. The first thing I did was to group the guys who did not make the team together and, within that grouping, rank them according to their initial profiles. That group's on the bottom. I then did the same thing with those that made the team but didn't play. That group's in the middle. For the guys who did play, I basically just winged it, looking at their stats, their recruiting profile, and a general feeling for how I thought they did last season. Kenny O'Neal, oy, I just put him last in the group of guys who played due to his recent dismissal for sprained cerebrum.
And so, based on my rankings, we have the following:
Biggest Baddest Oops. Rae Sykes was ranked 6th but got re-routed to junior college. That's a huge disappointment considering that he was a 10-jar defensive end. Rae was No. 6, but -- Syke! -- he's now No. 22.
Paging Ahmad Paige. A stellarly lame word play on his name, I know, but Paige was ranked 4th in the class and didn't even get on the field. Yeah, the receiver rotation was pretty much locked up by Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers, and Josh Briscoe, but several receivers ranked below Paige, including (ahem) Kenny O'Neal, Denarius Moore, and Gerald Jones, at least played a little. Paige falls from No. 4 to No. 14.
What's love got to do with it? Mr. Ben Martin, The Papa loves you, and we love you, too, but we're moving you from No. 2 to No. 11. Hope to see you back at No. 2 next year.
Biggest Best Oops. I have Dennis Rogan re-ranked all the way up at No. 2 after having him at No. 25 last year. Go back and take a look at Rogan's 2007 review and tell me there's somebody besides Eric Berry who's better. You're wasting your time unless you say Gerald Jones, in which case you will still lose, but at least you'll still have your dignity.
Other big movers. Kevin Cooper was basically last in the class, but he, unlike 14 other recruits, at least got to play. Savion Frazier (up 17 spots to 10 from 27) was also a pleasant surprise. Gerald Jones (up 4), Nevin McKenzie (up 10), Denarius Moore (up 7), and DeAngelo Willingham (up 12) all did quite a bit better than their rankings indicated.
Outlook. Yeehaw. Eric Berry. Gerald Jones. Dennis Rogan. Lennon Creer. Still looking for great things from Ben Martin, Ahmad Paige, and a handful of others. The future of this class is bright indeed.
What do you think? How would you re-rank these guys?