Senior breakouts: Ten who will shoot up draft charts

the players that will be the best senior prospects by the end of the 2010 college football season haven't necessarily been identified. many have made a favorable impression on scouts, but history proves that many senior prospects who ultimately become high draft picks enjoy breakout senior campaigns that result in a rise up draft boards compared to preseason slotting.

take defensive tackle Dan Williams, the Arizona Cardinals' first-round pick last April, as an example.

Williams came into 2009 at Tennessee with a free agent grade from NFL scouts, but emerged as a solid run-stuffer in Monte Kiffin's defense and was one of the most coveted interior defenders in the draft.

Williams is far from the only late riser to make a splash in the 2010 draft after a standout senior season. his former teammate, running back Montario Hardesty, had struggled so much with injuries throughout his career with the Volunteers he was also given an extremely low preseason grade.

by April, the Cleveland Browns thought enough of him to trade three picks (Nos. 71, 144, 156) for the right to move into the second round and take him with the 59th pick overall. it isn't difficult to understand why the Cardinals and Browns invested so heavily in these former first-team All-SEC players. the NFL is more about "what have you done for me lately" than it ever has been in the past. and in the case of Williams and Hardesty, they did plenty as seniors to breakout when the stakes were highest. who will be this year's breakout players? Predicting that is about as difficult as picking the winning lottery numbers. Here's an educated hunch on 10 senior "breakout" candidates listed alphabetically:

RB Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech, 6-0, 232, 4.58 Allen has impressed as a powerful, downhill-style back. He originally signed and played very well at Louisville alongside current Oakland Raider Michael Bush, rushing for 1,102 yards and 20 touchdowns in only two seasons. since transferring to Tech, Allen played second fiddle to Jonathan Dwyer as the team's a back. Expected to take over for Dwyer this season as the Yellow-Jackets' primary ballcarrier (B-back) in their triple-option offense, Allen could see his 2009 numbers (616 rushing yards, six touchdowns) doubled.

QB Nathan Enderle, Idaho, 6-4, 234, 4.98 In many ways, Enderle enjoyed his breakout campaign in 2009. He led the Vandals to a victory over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl and threw for 2,906 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. NFLDraftScout.com told you last year at this time that Idaho guard Mike Iupati was a potential top prospect. We're not wrong on Enderle, either. Learn about him now. He'll be among the first five senior quarterbacks selected in 2011.

RB Mario Fannin, Auburn, 5-11, 228, 4.54 despite appearances in 41 games over the past four seasons, Fannin has yet to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for his career. his 971 career rushing yards don't accurately represent the strength and explosiveness with which he plays. Talent isn't the question. Struggles with fumbles early in his career and injuries more recently have derailed his career. already the school's career receptions holder among running backs (80 receptions for 812 yards), Fannin could explode this season in much the same way former teammate Ben Tate did last year.

OLB Mason Foster, Washington, 6-2, 240, 4.73 former Husky Donald Butler received much of the acclaim last season for Washington's improved linebacker play, but the San Diego Chargers' third-round pick didn't do it by himself. Foster finished second to Butler with 85 tackles and showed off his versatility with 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and six passes broken up. More noted have been the strides that Jake Locker made under Steve Sarkisian in 2009; Foster made similar gains in his first season under defensive coordinator Nick Holt.

CB Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson, 5-11, 190, 4.49 Projecting Gilchrist as a breakout candidate is almost cheating. the ultra-athletic Gilchrist has been champing at the bit for playing time with the Tigers and offered to switch last season to free safety to see the field rather than continue to wait behind Clemson's talented duo of Crezdon Butler and Chris Chancellor. Butler and Chancellor started the final 40 games of their careers together -- playing time was tough to come by. Gilchrist impressed last year at safety, finishing second on the team with 107 tackles. his speed, agility and size make him a better fit at cornerback. Expect him to compete for all-conference honors in 2010.

ILB Nate Irving, North Carolina State, 6-1, 235, 4.68 Irving isn't so much a breakout candidate as he is a potential Comeback Player of the Year prospect. Irving earned honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2008 with 84 tackles and four interceptions despite missing nearly a third of the season due to a recurring ankle injury. Irving was lost for the entire 2009 season after an automobile accident left him with a punctured lung, broken rib, compound fracture in his leg and a separated shoulder. If Irving is able to retake his place in the middle of the Wolfpack defense, he'll emerge as one of the nation's top linebackers.

TE Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin, 6-3, 240, 4.69 due to the attention defenses have to pay to the Badgers' strong running game, few teams have enjoyed greater success developing tight ends than the Badgers. Kendricks is built a lot like athletic UW standout Travis Beckum, a 2009 third-round pick by the New York Giants. Kendricks caught 29 passes for 356 yards and three scores in 2009 operating as the primary backup to Garrett Graham, a fourth-round pick to Houston (where he'll back up former UW tight end Owen Daniels) in April. Kendricks has the soft hands and quick feet to enjoy similar success as his former teammates on the field and on draft day.

DE/OLB Dontay Moch, Nevada, 6-1, 236, 4.38 the reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Year is coming off a monstrous season in which he posted 61 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. So what makes him a "breakout" guy? Simply not enough people know about him yet. Moch (pronounced Mock) plays with his hand on the ground at defensive end for the Wolfpack, but projects best as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. If he played in the SEC or big 12, he, not Texas A&M's Von Miller, likely would be universally rated as the top pass rusher in the country. That time in the 40-yard dash above -- 4.38 -- isn't a misprint.

WR Niles Paul, Nebraska, 6-1, 220, 4.50 Cornerback Prince Amukamura, rated the No. 1 overall senior prospect in the country by some NFL teams entering the season, proved what we all knew -- until Ndamukong Suh left Lincoln, no other player was going to get much attention. Paul led the Cornhuskers with 40 catches for 793 yards and four touchdowns last season, but he's capable of much more. If Bo Pelini allows his offense to open up a bit, Paul could emerge as a verifiable All-Big 12 candidate and potential Top 50 prospect.

CB Shareece Wright, Southern California, 5-11, 185, 4.51 Like many of his teammates, Wright signed with USC as a highly touted prospect and flashed his athleticism early when given an opportunity to play. a hairline neck fracture two games into the 2008 season forced him to take a medical redshirt and Wright compounded the problem by being placed on academic suspension for the 2009 regular season. Allowed to rejoin the team for the Emerald Bowl against Boston College after satisfying his academic requirements, Wright flashed playmaking ability, sealing the Trojans' win with a fourth-quarter interception.

<a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/13680167/senior-breakouts-ten-who-will-shoot-up-draft-chartstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/13680167/senior-breakouts-ten-who-will-shoot-up-draft-chartsThu, 29 Jul 2010 15:37:09 GMT 00:00">Senior breakouts: ten who will shoot up draft charts