He's not No. 1, but he may be best

The Ohio State linebacker could be the most complete player in this year's draft.
By RICK GOSSELIN
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS -- A.J. Hawk knows how to play football. He also knows how the game is played in the NFL.
Which is why the Ohio State All-American, maybe the most complete player on the 2006 NFL draft board, knows he won't be the first overall selection. Or the second. Or even the third.
There are six cornerstone positions in the salary cap world -- quarterback, running back, wide receiver, left offensive tackle, pass rusher and cover corner -- and Hawk doesn't play any of them. He plays linebacker.
"It's a position where they say you don't want to draft a guy too high, because how much of an impact can a linebacker have?" Hawk said. "We're not a defensive end who's going to come in and get 15, 18 sacks a year, and we're not a running back who's going to come in and rush for 1,500 yards.
"There are three or four of us on the field, so I guess you can justify not taking one too high. All I want is a chance regardless of where I'm taken. I'll gladly go to any team that wants me."
There will be plenty of teams that want Hawk. In this draft, there may not be a more dominant player at his position in his college career than Hawk.
Strong career
Hawk was a three-year starter at Ohio State, a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a two-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year and the 2005 Lombardi Award winner as the best lineman in college football.
Hawk may be an even better athlete than he is a football player. His performance at the NFL scouting combine in March rivaled any of his performances on the field last fall.
NFL talent evaluators run players through a battery of drills at the combine to test athleticism. The 40-yard dash measures the speed of a player, and the vertical jump indicates the explosion in his legs. The short shuttle (stops and starts) is a barometer of agility and the ability to change direction, and the three-cone drill (sharp turns) indicates short-area quickness.
Hawk checked in at 6-foot-1, 248 pounds and ran a 4.59 40-yard dash. Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun, who led the Big Ten in scoring and finished second in rushing with 1,636 yards, ran 4.60 on the same track. Calhoun, who projects as a first-day draft pick, is 4 inches shorter than Hawk and carries 47 fewer pounds.
Hawk's vertical jump was 40 inches. Ohio State teammate Santonio Holmes, who is considered by many NFL teams as the top wide receiver in this draft, had a vertical jump of 38 inches. Holmes is 3 inches shorter than Hawk and carries 69 fewer pounds.
Hawk finished the short shuttle in 3.96 seconds. A 4.0 is considered superb for any player at any position. Holmes ran his short shuttle in 4.26. Hawk finished the three-cone drill in 6.82 seconds. Again, that put him in a range with elite offensive skill players. Holmes ran his in 6.83 seconds.
Hawk is every talent evaluator's dream -- he plays like a big man yet moves like a small man. His measurable skills translate onto the football field.
The explosion in his legs allows him to strike a blow when tackling. He posted 100 tackles in each of his three seasons as a starter and finished fifth on Ohio State's all-time list with 382.
Speed and change of direction allow Hawk to cover running backs on passing downs. He intercepted seven passes in his college career and broke up 13 others. Short-area quickness allows him to shoot gaps on blitzes and harass quarterbacks. He managed 91/2 sacks in 2005 and 15 in his career.