
The 2003 draft was supposed to be a big one for defensive tackles, and five were eventually taken in the first round. But they've largely flopped. The highest picked,
Dewayne Robertson, has had a good career that falls short of expectations. Two have been disappointments (
Jimmy Kennedy and
William Joseph), and one a complete failure (
Johnathan Sullivan).
Kevin Williams is the only one holding it down.
That has been one reason defensive tackles have since been devalued in April. Some have also been known for not having (warning: scout speak) "a motor." Last year,
Alan Branch had to deal with all of that and concern over stress fractures in both legs that didn't cause him to miss time. Branch was a top-5 selection in January, by April the Cardinals took him 33rd.
But the same couldn't happen to
Glenn Dorsey and his strained knee,
could it?
Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys executive and an analyst for nfl.com, said he expected Dorsey's knee to be heavily scrutinized by N.F.L. team doctors at the N.F.L. combine in February.
...
"I would imagine that there's some concern with his knee," Brandt said of Dorsey in a telephone interview. "The teams' doctors, 25 of them might say, 'There's nothing wrong with this guy. He's in great shape.' Seven might say, 'Well, I think he's a risk.'"
Dorsey is as of now a sure top-5 pick, maybe first. If he
were to fall, it won't be out of the top 10. Still, I think that's highly unlikely. Teams begin to grossly overanalyze now, but this guy is for reals, and they'll all come to their senses.