At this time last year, the online draft community was agog over Carlos Dunlap. The Florida defensive end appeared to possess the ultimate combination of size, speed, and strength. Todd McShay had Dunlap going 6th overall in his initial 2010 mock draft, and Dunlap debuted at #3 overall on Kiper’s Big Board.

However, the ‘09 season exposed some of Dunlap’s limitations. He failed to get through the season without raising beet red character flags, displaying inconsistent effort and getting charged with a DUI. In addition, he played with too high a pad level, didn’t improve his technique, and failed to prove he could threaten the edge against good offensive tackles. As a result, his draft stock plummeted; the once highly-touted prospect slipped to the 2nd round.

This year, another freakish defensive lineman from the state of Florida is the subject of pre-season hype. But instead of being a Gator DL, Allen Bailey is a versatile Hurricane who once killed a gator with a shovel. There are many differences between the two defensive linemen, but it’s possible that Bailey could be plagued by some of the same on-field issues that dropped Dunlap’s draft stock.

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On a defense filled with playmakers, Mark Barron managed to make a tremendous impact last fall. The first year starting sophomore notched 75 tackles (42 solo) and hauled in an uber-impressive seven interceptions. As a result, it's no surprise that Barron has the potential to become a very good draft prospect. The Bama safety debuted at #26 overall on MockingTheDraft's initial 2011 Top 75.

However, it's yet to be seen whether Barron will rise into the "elite" category or simply remain an above average prospect.

At 6'2", 210 lbs., Barron possesses great size and above average upper body strength. If he can get his mitts on the ball-carrier, Barron most likely will come up with the tackle. For the most part, Barron is a reliable open-field tackler, but his slightly stiff hips can lead to him getting juked in the open field. And though he hustles, the leggy safety doesn't always look fluid change directions. Nevertheless, he uses his good (but not great) speed to chase down plays and is willing to pursue sideline to sideline.

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After a very productive redshirt sophomore season, Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones briefly flirted with going pro. Instead, Jones opted to return to East Lansing, where he managed to post some amazing defensive numbers.

Last fall, Jones notched 154 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks. Those numbers reflect how tremendous Jones has been for the Spartans. It was no surprise when the Michigan State middle linebacker earned consensus first-team All-American honors.

However, there’s good reason to question whether Jones will make it into the first round of next year’s draft.

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Early last fall, Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower appear to be slobbernocking his way into national prominence. According to scout-turned twitter god-turned scout Daniel Jeremiah, people around the NFL were buzzing more about the true sophomore than the guy playing next to him, 2010 top ten pick Rolando McClain.

It’s easy to see why: when the two linebackers played side by side, Hightower clearly was the more aggressive LB. Whether it was going in for the tackle after losing his helmet in the Virginia Tech game or using his nice closing burst to deliver some semi-late wallops to FIU’s QB, Hightower looked like the kind of linebacker who could intimidate opponents and take over games.

And because Hightower had success both as a run stuffer and a pass rusher, he appeared to be one of the rare linebackers who could excel both inside and outside in a 3-4 defense.

Unfortunately, a leg injury suffered in late September prematurely ended Hightower’s season. But when he appeared to show no ill-effects in Alabama’s spring game, the excitement surrounding Hightower resurfaced, with many draft analysts predicting that the Bama backer would build upon his early ‘09 success and become a 2011 1st round pick.

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Dontay Moch first caught the attention of the online draft community when reports emerged of his blazing 4.25 40. However, the Nevada DE's long been a known entity to fans of the WAC, as well as opposing teams’ offensive coordinators.

Over the last two years, Moch has notched 18 sacks and an eye-popping 37 tackles for loss. His sack numbers dropped in ‘09, but that was in part due to Dontay frequently facing double teams. And when I watched him against some of the better competition he faced last year - Notre Dame, Missouri, Boise State, and SMU - he was relentlessly disruptive.

Moch’s 4.25 40 almost seems too amazing to be accurate, and to a certain extent that's true.

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As of late, many of the USC Trojans’ big name defenders have suffered major draft slides. Once touted as a future top ten pick, Rey Maualuga ended up dropping to the 2nd round. The hard-hitting, arthritic-hipped Taylor Mays suffered a similar fate, and freakish defensive end Everson Griffen slid all the way to the 4th frame.

For that reason, it’ll be particularly interesting to see where the now highly-touted Jurrell Casey's stock ends up settling. The junior defensive tackle debuted at #34 overall on MockingTheDraft’s 2011 NFL Draft top 75, but based on what’s happened to recent USC prospects, he’ll either eclipse that ranking or freefall way below it.

And after watching tape of Casey against Stanford, Arizona, and Boston College, I can spot reasons why the USC defensive tackle could be a bigtime riser or an unfortunate draft day slider.

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Recently, I took some time out of my not too busy schedule to re-watch the Emerald Bowl, which pitted Boston College against the program formerly known as Pete Carroll’s USC

Almost immediately, my attention was drawn to the trenches. And after hitting the zoom button on my remote a couple times, I was able to get a good look at one of the top 2011 draft prospects, BC left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

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