Canes Extend 1st Round Streak, Make Barely a Whimper Rest of Draft

The wait was longer than any Hurricane fan wanted, but the relief when Kenny Phillips was named as the 31st overall pick of the Super Bowl champ New York Giants resonated throughout Hurricane nation. That makes it 14 years in a row that the Hurricanes have had a player chosen in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. Many draft analysts saw this pick coming. The Giants needed safety help, and Phillips was at the top of the board for safeties, so it was a no-brainer for the Patriot-slayers. The pick made Giants fans ecstatic - they were chanting Phillips' name moments before the pick, and let out a thunderous roar when he finally was picked. Phillips is a ball hawk, and a punishing hitter, and teams making evaluations this draft season were wowed by Phillips' football acumen. He will be an impact player from the starting line.

Calais Campbell was the 50th selection in the draft, going to the Arizona Cardinals. Campbell dropped to the middle of the second round because his productivity suffered his junior season (after a stellar sophomore season) and because of poor combine numbers. Many say in Campbell's defense that he was getting double-teamed quite a bit during his junior season.

A Hurricane whose numbers did not suffer in 2007 was MLB Tavares Gooden. He was the team's defensive MVP, making a career-high 119 tackles. Gooden was selected No. 71 overall by the Baltimore Ravens, where he joins fellow Cane alumni and current Ravens defensive stalwarts Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Gooden possesses impressive strength, and his 4.5 speed is extraterrestrially fast for a linebacker. He could be looked upon as the steal of the 3rd round, I predict. His career was slowed by injuries, and when he finally started to recover, he showed that he can be a force on the defensive side of the ball.

And that was it as far as Canes being drafted. Rounds 4-7 came and went, and no more Hurricanes' names were called. Some, however, have already signed free agent contracts. WR Darnell Jenkins, nicknamed "nuke" because of his nuclear speed, was signed by the Houston Texans. Cornerback Glenn Sharpe, of phantom 2003 Fiesta Bowl pass interference call fame, was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons. DT Teraz McCray was signed by the Buffalo Bills. And OL Andrew Bain joins teammate Phillips in the Big Apple.

IN baseball news, my thesis last week was correct - the Hurricanes are the best team in the land, and they are their own worst enemy. After falling to lowly FIU last week, the Hurricanes swept 16th-ranked Virginia in ACC play at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes pitching was scintillating - they held the Cavaliers to a .144 average during the series. The Canes are 36-5, and 20-2 in the ACC, with only ten regular season games remaining.

Can Canes Keep First Round Streak Alive?

The Miami Hurricanes have had at least one first round selection in the NFL Draft in the last 13 seasons. This year that streak, a source of uncontained pride for most Canes fans, is in jeopardy. None of their seniors or early-departing juniors (Kenny Phillips and Calais Campbell) stood out last year.

Their best hope at perpetuating the streak lies in the 6-2, 212 lb. free safety Phillips, of Miami Carol City High School. Most draft gurus have him as the best available position at his position, but that position has rarely seen such scant pickings. In other words, he is a light, not necessarily shining, at a notoriously weak (for this year) position. But Canes fans will take it anyway they can get it. Phillips said he had three goals for his Hurricane career - to lead his team in INT's, to be an All-American, and to win a national title. He accomplished the first two, but never came close to achieving the last. Everyone knew that he possessed impressive speed, great coverage skills, and a penchant for hard hitting. But what NFL GM's have been most pleasantly surprised by is his intelligence. Kenny says he studies film for 3-4 hours a day. He is highly coachable and has all the innate ability in the world. He will likely go in the late 1st round.

Calais Campbell is a hulking physical specimen at defensive end. He is 6"8 and 283 lbs, and whichever team lands him will get an A-grade "character guy" who puts his all into each snap. After the 2006 season, most draft experts were projecting him as a top-10 pick. He had 10 1/2 sacks and 20 1/2 tackles that year. His sack total was down to 6 in 2007, and honestly he was a non-factor in most games. Additionally, he has tested poorly in the combines this spring, posting a 5.03 forty yard dash and only completing 16 bench press reps at 225 lbs. Mel Kiper projects Campbell as a late 1st round, early 2nd round pick.

My 2008 draft sleeper is linebacker Tavares Gooden. He will not be picked in the 1st round, but there's a chance he'll slip into the 2nd. He is most likely a 3rd or 4th rounder. Gooden has insane speed (he clocked last year at 4.47 in the 40 yard dash) and improved drastically in 2007, after missing 2006 due to injury. Look for him to start in the NFL one day.

As for the Hurricane Baseball team, they fell (quite embarrassingly) to FIU last night 6-3 at Mark Light Field. Losses happen. But FIU was 13-29 entering the game, and that was against relatively woeful competition. The Canes, who are now 33-5 on the season, have played with fire many a time this season, seeming to take pride in getting down early and needing heroics to eke out victories. They have all of the pieces in place for a national title run, but their worst enemy is themselves, as they exhibited last night. After taking 2 of 3 from FSU in Tallahassee, they had no business losing to the Golden Panthers on their own home field. Miami...you've gotten your wake up call.