Propicks Magazine
STAFF
June 2007

With the start of college football weeks away, college football fans have begun biting their nails in anticipation of the 2007 season to see which teams hacks their ways to the national championship.

It won’t be long before you start hearing about which college phenoms is the reincarnation of Bruce Smith or who will land a place next to Heisman history.

Here is our 2007 pre-season defensive All-American team. There of course are a bunch of names you’ve seen before but also a few you will want to know. Each player here shows an early indication of first round potential come April 2008.


DE - Bruce Davis, 6-3, 237, UCLA
He’s coming off a superb year where he blew by Pac-10 offensive tackles literately left and right. With 12.5 sacks last season and 17.5 tackles for loses, his stats are only go to increase. Don’t be surprised if he flirts with 15 sacks.

DE – Quentin Groves, 6-3, 254, Auburn
Groves will be the best end in the SEC next year hands down. He’s a speed rusher with a lot of bang and a lot of athleticism. He should easily haul in 12 sacks next season and an interception or two. He’s that good.

DT — Glenn Dorsey, 6-2, 299, LSU
Offensive linemen wake up with headaches just thinking about lining up against him. If it weren’t for Dorsey last year, Brady Quinn might have went ahead of DeMarcus Russell. He should wreak havoc again in the SEC nearly doubling the 8.5 tackles for losses he had last year.

DT — Vernon Gholston, 6-4, 260, Ohio State
In a freakish sophomore year, Gholston owned the line of scrimmage. He put together several games where he was next to unstoppable, plus he could play any position on the line. He had 15 tackles for loses and 7.5 sack in 2006.

LB — Marvin Hicks, 6-4, 245, Grand Valley State
Hicks punished junior college running back the last two years while playing for Joliet Community College, Recruited by several Pac-10 teams last year, Hicks will undoubtedly be a defensive terrorist in 2007. He had 128 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 2 blocked punts his last year. Look for more of the same at GVS.

LB — Phillip Wheeler, 6-2, 230, Georgia Tech,
With the absence of Calvin Johnson, Wheeler will be the most exciting thing to watch at GT and maybe the entire ACC. He’s got a linebacker’s power with cornerback’s speed. He had 74 tackles in 2006, but he should boost his tackling numbers, as the defense will revolve around him.

LB — James Laurinaitis, 6-3, 244, Ohio State
Laurinaits will be the frontrunner for the Butkus Award after being named a finalist in 2006, but expect heavy competition from Wheeler and Hicks. He’s a seek-and-destroy-type linebacker with amazing instincts. He should be able to easily duplicate the 100-tackle season of last year.

CB — Antoine Cason, 6-0, 185, Arizona
It’s the return of the shutdown corner. Cason is Dre Bly in college with raw talent, awareness and gambling habit. He will be one of the best corners coming out of college next year with at least six interceptions and a busload of pass deflections.

CB — Brandon Flowers, 5-10, 190, Virginia Tech
If Cason is Bly, Flowers is Charles Woodson. Like, Woodson, Flowers has killer instincts and seems to be a step ahead of receivers. He had 20 pass deflects last season, look for his confidence to explode as he takes more chances and hauls in a number or interceptions.

S — Kenny Phillips, 6-2, 202, Miami
The safety position was chalked full of talent in the April draft, and looks to be the same in 2008. Leading the way is Phillips, a superb athlete with extraordinary play making ability. He had

S — Jonathan Hefney, 5-9, 185, Tennessee
Hefney will probably the best pound-for-pound safety in the NCAA this fall. There might be those who might knock his height at 5-9, but his awareness and football knowledge makes him as good as any 6-2 safety. Look for this ball hound to lead the SEC in interceptions.

I am not surprise to read about some of the players that you wrote about. What need to be noted regarding Marvin Hicks is that he played the entire season at Joliet with two busted shoulders and a broken wrist, with a full case covering his hand. Talk about throw back football players, Butkus would be proud