UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Fridav. April 19. 1996
3B
Five Kansas seniors await telephone calls on draft day
Experts predict all five will be selected
By Evan Blackwell and Adam Herschman
Kansan sportswriters
Tomorrow cannot come soon enough for Kansas senior offensive tackle Rod Jones.
Jones left this morning to return home to Detroit to watch the 1996 NFL draft with his family.
Jones is one of five Jayhawks projected as possible picks in the draft that will take place this weekend in New York.
"This is a point I've been waiting. 'For all my life,' he said. "The dream, all little boys have to is play pro ball. Hopefully, it will finally come true."
Along with Jones, seniors defensive back Dorian Brew, offensive lineman Chris Banks, running back L.T. Levine and quarterback Mark Williams are all potential selections.
Some draft publications have predicted that Jones, 6-foot-4-12 inches tall and weighing 313 pounds, will be the first Kansas player picked. He could go anywhere from the late second round to the fourth round.
In Mel Kiper Jr.'s 1996 Draft Update, NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projected Jones to go to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round. Kiper, who annually appears on ESPN's draft-day coverage, ranked Jones as the 17th best offensive tackle.
Terry Bradway, the Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting, said Jones has shown strong runblocking ability, but that his weakness might be on passings.
"Rod has the potential to be a good pass blocker, but he needs to become more consistent," Bradway said.
Thomas Hepler, president and general manager of OURLAD's Scouting Services, agreed that Jones has the potential to be a strong pass blocker. Hepler said Jones should go in the second round, and ranks
L. T. Levine
him as the seventh best offensive lineman.
"I think he's going to be a pro guard." Hepler said. "He accelerates pretty good."
Along with Cincinnati and Philadelphia, Jones said one
"It would be interesting to go home and play," Jones said. "There would be a lot of pressures."
of the teams that has shown a special interest in him was his hometown team, Detroit.
Brew can relate to the pressure. The days leading up to the draft can be anxious for any projected draft pick.
"I'm sitting here waiting," Brew said. "I guess I'm getting a little nervous."
Brew also was projected by Hepler in the second round.
"He's a big play guy, he's got good movement." Hepler said.
Brew had four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown against Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. He was an All-Big Eight Conference selection at cornerback this past season.
Draft analyst Jerry Jones, a former practicing pharmacist who now publishes the draft publication The Drugstore List, said Brew is a player on the rise. Jones said he predicted Brew to be drafted somewhere in the third round.
"I think what they like about Dorian Brew is that he is fairly well sized," Jones said. "He's got the sneed."
Brew, 5-foot-10-inches tall and weighing 183 pounds, is listed in Mel Kiper's draft report as running the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.
Brew said his best time during individual workouts in the 40-yard dash was a 4.37.
Bradway said that Brew has shown the quickness and speed to be an
NFL corner, but the downside to Brew is his size.
"He's maybe not as big as you like, but he's sturdy," Bradway said.
Bradway said another player who was always sturdy for the Jawhacks was
Rod Jones
Levine. The 5-1/2, 221-pound back ran for 841 yards in his senior season, and finished with 22 career touchdowns.
"He had a hell of a year," Bradway said. "He had the chance to play running back and fullback, so he brings a lot of versatility."
With this year's deep pool of running backs, Levine is projected as a late-rate pick who may have to sign as a free agent.
"No speedster, but a very nice all-purpose back." Jones said.
Most projections also have Banks going in the late rounds. Pro Football Weekly ranked the 6-1, 292-pound Banks as the 13th best guard prospect.
Kiper predicted that Banks would be picked by San Francisco in the seventh round, and Hepler predicted that Banks would go to the New York Jets in the sixth round.
Hepler said Banks was an energetic competitor and a good pulling guard.
he has some skills, but he needs coaching and an opportunity," Hepler said.
Williams, the Jayhawks MVP last season who threw for 14 touchdowns and almost 2,000 yards, has been ranked all across the board. At 6-0, 181 pounds, Williams was ranked as the 19th best quarterback by Pro Football Weekly, and the 59th best quarterback by Kiper.
Jones said Williams will likely end up invited to a team's training camp as a free agent.
"It really depends what different teams see in him," Jones said.
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While at KU, Cunningham won countless league and college titles. He raced in the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles. And despite fallen arches and a frame that was less than ideal, held world records for both the indoor (4.08.4) and outdoor mile (4.06.7) in 1934. Two years later, he joined the U.S. Olympic Team in Berlin.
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Members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon are concerned about a very special alumnus that has been missing for the last few weeks. This fall Kansas Alpha was on the upswing in every facet of campus life. Athletics, Scholastics, and Community relations, but socially they needed extra guidance. So, with concern, SAE nationals sent Paddy Murphy an expert in party, vulgarity, pointless destruction, and mayhem, to help the chapter improve their social skills. Mr. Murphy had been instructing them quite successfully until he turned up missing. He was last seen on a BMX bike in the Burrito King drive through waving a bottle in attempt to barter for a breakfast burrito at 9:00pm last night. A bartender at Louise's West was quoted in saying, "After he played Bubble Hockey, by himself for an hour he shouted, 'I want my Zombie!!!' and crawled out the bathroom window." Paddy Murphy is approximately 6'6", and weighs about 200 pounds. He is pictured above. If you see him please hose him off and return him to: 1301 West Campus Rd.
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