Utah's NFL prospects anxiously await the draft

The combine is over. Pro day officially is a thing of the past. And with that, the only thing left to do for prospects around the country is to wait and speculate as to what the April 25th NFL Draft has in store for them.

For local players like Utah's Sean Smith and Paul Kruger, as well as BYU's Austin Collie, that anxiety level gets greater by the day. For each individual team interview, to each visit, to each mock draft that surfaces on the internet, those three see different scenarios on an almost daily basis.

And all three handle it differently. Smith says that the waiting has little to no impact on his thought process and his everyday life. Collie acknowledges that nerves are involved, but is realistic about the fact that, no matter where he's selected, he's still going to have to make a team. Kruger's stock, out of the three, is the one that fluctuates the most, since he's been at his position -- defensive end -- for the least amount of time. But he knows that teams are more than intrigued by his athleticism.

"It's definitely a stressful and kind of exciting time," Kruger said. "Playing in the NFL is something that I've been thinking about since I was a little kid. At the same time, this is a fun time as well. Most of the teams that have interest in me are 3-4 teams that see me as an outside linebacker. It's not a huge transition, I'm basically playing defensive end and standing up. I just know that a lot of crazy things will happen just

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Of course, there are more local prospects than those three. Utah cornerback Brice McCain wowed scouts with a great 40-yard dash time at the combine, the fastest of all cornerback prospects. He figures to be a late-first day to early-second day pick. Utes defensive tackle Greg Newman expects to be drafted, as does BYU fullback Fui Vakapuna. Utah's Freddie Brown and Brian Johnson also hope to be selected.

But the consensus top local prospect this year is Smith. At 6-foot-4 and possessing long arms, Smith has tantalizing talent as a cornerback with the rare blend of size and elite-level speed. As the pre-draft process has played out, scouts have compared Smith to Mel Blount, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Hall of Fame defensive back.

If mock drafts are any kind of gauge, Smith is projected to possibly go late in the first round, where teams like the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are in desperate need of secondary help. It doesn't hurt that Smith performed well at Utah's pro day, running a 4.43 40, which was better than the 4.5 he managed at the combine.

"I firmly believe he's the best cornerback in the draft," said Smith's agent, David Canter. "Sean Smith is a human freak. The NFL has never seen a 6-4, 209-pound cornerback. His measurables and speed have never happened before. The sky is the limit for him."

Smith's stock took a huge leap with the way he defended Alabama's star receiver, Julio Jones, in the Sugar Bowl. And by Smith's account, his pro day performance did much to prove to teams that he has the speed to play corner in the NFL, which will guard against him being moved to safety -- a position he doesn't want to play.

"I do understand that it's rare to have corners my size that can move," Smith said. "I don't think one game really stood out to scouts until I played against Julio. As much talent that he had, this was a big match-up. So to play him as good as I did, that was one game that a lot of teams watched. They wanted to see how I translate."

While Smith is seen as a potential star, Collie is out to prove that he's good enough to be a possession receiver at the next level. Collie, who left school with a year of eligibility left, knows that he's probably not going to be a first-day selection. He also knows that plenty of fourth- and fifth-round picks -- that is the part of the draft where he's expected to be picked -- go on to have productive careers.

"Because of my 40 time, I'd be shocked if I were a first-day pick," Collie said. "I expect to go mid-round, and I'm perfectly fine with that because I just want to make a team and contribute. I'm consistent and I'm a reliable receiver. I'm not going to burn a guy on a route, but I know that I can make big catches. That's what I want to do. I want to prove myself."