Position Evaluations
By Jerry DiPaola

Quarterback
There is no denying the star quality among quarterbacks at the top of the draft, with USC's Matt Leinart, national champion Texas' Vince Young and former sleeper Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt. Leinart is the prize, with leadership qualities and a college resume as a winner. Young might be slightly overrated because his running ability will be muffled by NFL linebackers who are faster than anyone he encountered in college. Cutler has a bright future, but scouts are nit-picking his arm strength, which is good enough. Meanwhile, the talent level falls off a cliff after those three. The best of the rest is Bowling Green's underclassman Omar Jacobs, who will get drafted on the first day, but might have needed another year of seasoning.

Running back
Need a running back? You've come to the right place. As many as five may be ticketed for the first round, including USC's Reggie Bush and LenDale White, Memphis' DeAngelo Williams and Big Ten standouts Laurence Maroney of Minnesota and Brian Calhoun of Wisconsin. Six more could be gone after Day 1, including the slippery Maurice Drew of UCLA. There is quality late, too, but Virginia Tech's Cedric Humes won't make it out of the fourth round. You may need patience for Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson (fifth round?) and California (Pa.)'s talented Antoine Bagwell (seventh round or free agent).

Wide receiver
Those hoping the Steelers will find a quality replacement for Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle El might have to wait until 2007. It's a bad draft, overall, for wide receivers. So bad, in fact, that Pitt's Greg Lee, who should have stayed in school, may be one of the first seven picked. Ohio State's Santonio Holmes, Florida's Chad Jackson and Miami (Fla.)'s Sinorice Moss are the best, and all three may be first-rounders. After that, you're rolling dice.

Tight end
If the Steelers had missed Heath Miller last year, they could have plucked a promising tight end from one of the first three rounds of this draft. There is a bonanza of talent (and we're talking playmakers, not just blockers), including Maryland's Vernon Davis, Georgia's Leonard Pope, USC's Dominique Byrd, UCLA's Marcedes Lewis, Notre Dame's Anthony Fasano and Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein.

Offensive tackle
Don't go looking for a tackle after Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson because you may get burnt. USC's Winston Justice may be a first-rounder and the draft's best pass-blocker, but he will downgraded due to a criminal past.

Guard
There are plenty of good guards who could turn into second- or third-round bargains. Georgia's Max Jean-Gilles is massive at 6-3, 358, and at the head of the class. USC's Taitusi Lutui, Oklahoma's Davin Joseph and Pitt's Charles Spencer aren't far behind and will be gone on the first day.

Center
The best prospect is Ohio State's Nick Mangold, but he has a lot of room to grow. Few schools were interested in Minnesota's Greg Eslinger when he came out of a Bismarck, N.D., high school, but here he is an Outland Trophy winner. Nasty Louisville guard Jason Spitz projects as a center.

Defensive tackle
There are no superstars, but lots of good prospects available throughout the draft. Oregon's Haloti Ngata, 6-4, 339, is a beast, with the size and brute strength to be a top nose tackle someday. The knock on him: He tires easily and may be a two-down player (like many NFL nose tackles). Michigan's Gabe Watson, 6-3, 341, has similar conditioning issues, but the power to be dominant. LSU's Claude Wroten is a little more relentless than the other two, but-like them-he could slip into the first round.

Defensive end
Don't make the mistake of overrating Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka and Penn State's Tamba Hali. Kiwanuka is only 262 pounds and Hali stands just 6-2. Still, both play with great heart. The best is clearly North Carolina State's Mario Williams, a possible top-five choice. Williams had four sacks against Maryland, and NFL teams will sell their souls for that kind of disruption.

Linebacker
The Steelers never have enough outside linebackers, and maybe one of a deep crop will be available at No. 32. Ohio State's A.J. Hawk was the best player on the field in the Texas game last season, with two sacks and an interception. He has a teammate, Bobby Carpenter, who could fall into the late first round (wink, wink). Carpenter is fast (4.61 40) and has good size - just under 6-3 at 254 pounds. Iowa's Chad Greenway, Alabama's DeMeco Ryans and Florida State's Ernie Sims are mid-first round types, but there would be nothing wrong with waiting until the second round for Roger McIntosh of Miami (Fla.). The best inside linebackers are Maryland's D'Qwell Jackson and Iowa's Abdul Hodge, but they may not be first-rounders.

Cornerback
It's a weak year for cornerbacks, but teams place great value on them, vaulting Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams, Ohio State's Ashton Youboty and Clemson's Tye Hill into the first round. Scouts still like Florida State's Antonio Cromartie, even though he missed last season with a left ACL tear.

Safety
Unless you are Troy Polamalu, safeties tend to get underrated, which could shove some good ones into the second round. Only Texas' Michael Huff and USC's Darnell Bing are first-round projections, but South Carolina's Ko Simpson, Ohio State's Donte Whitner and Purdue's Bernard Pollard (he blocked five kicks in college) fit the NFL mold.

Jerry DiPaola is an assistant editor at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, and the NFL Editor for PSR.