FanHouse Victor Harris

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Earlier this offseason Donovan McNabb said he wanted to see how the Eagles upgraded the roster before he would talk about a contract extension. After last fall, when things got so bad that Andy Reid benched McNabb for Kevin Kolb, it looked as if neither head coach nor starting quarterback would be in Philly another year, much less long term.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

I'm not a fan of sugar-coating terminology or fluff. Let's face the truth and deal with it. No one has better defined "unmitigated disaster" like the 2008 Detroit Lions. Nothing went right. The team was putrid to begin with, but they suffered through injuries and ineffectiveness all over the field, and not one position on the team was an area of strength and/or depth. The slate is clean for Detroit, with every position being a position of need.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Last week I noted that Virginia Tech cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris had decided to declare for the NFL draft, and I said I thought it was a mistake.

It turns out that Harris gave it some thought and decided he agrees with me. He told his position coach, Torrian Gray, that he changed his mind.

"I called him and was like, 'Really? Seriously?' " Gray said. Harris told him he had changed his mind, had spoken with head coach Frank Beamer and would enroll in this semester's classes, which began Monday. "He just felt like that, instead of trying to squeeze into whatever round it may be, it was in his best interest to come back. And I think he's right in that assessment."

I think he's right in that assessment, too. This year Harris would be a mid-round pick, and he'd struggle as a rookie in 2008. But if he has a good senior year, he could be one of the top cornerback prospects in 2009.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Virginia Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray said today that he'll be losing both of his starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft. One of the junior starters from 2007, Brandon Flowers, had already announced he's turning pro, and now the other, Victor Harris, says he will as well.

I think it was the right move for Flowers but the wrong move for Harris, who will be, I believe, a lower pick than Flowers. (Harris may be a third or fourth-round selection; Flowers looks more like a second-round pick.) Harris had an opportunity to return for a senior season in which he would be the guy drawing the opposing team's top receiver in coverage every week, and that would be his opportunity to show he can be a shutdown cornerback.

Instead, he's heading for the NFL. He'll be a solid rookie on special teams, but he's not quite ready to cover NFL receivers. He could've used another year of college.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.