The NFL draft is a crapshoot. That’s common knowledge. But lately for Syracuse football players, this statement might as well become their mantra.

Last year, many SU football players were expecting to make the jump to the next level via the NFL draft. Scouting reports often indicated several of them would be draft-day selections. Offensive lineman Adam Terry was snagged with the last pick of the second round. In the end, the Orange ended up on the wrong side when dealing with the unpredictability of the NFL draft. No other SU player would be selected in the 2005 draft.

This year SU players again appear to be in an even more unsure position of when, and more importantly, if they will be selected in this year’s draft. The NFL draft will begin on Saturday at noon and run until Sunday evening.

Free safety Anthony Smith appears to be SU’s highest potential pick. Of course, potential is no guarantee. The 2005 All-Big East selection often shows as a day one or early day two pick on most analysts’ draft boards. However, the duo of defensive ends, James Wyche and Ryan LaCasse, is occasionally forecasted as third-round draftees.

It is just the two powerful pass-rushers also are occasionally discovered near the bottom rungs of expert draft boards. With analysts roaming Web sites ranging from ESPN to amateur Web pages, it seems Smith is the only play to show any consistency on when he is expected to be selected.

The potential draftees are feeling the pressure of constantly having to impress scouts and draft ‘experts.’

‘(The last few weeks) have been pretty strict and hectic between trying to get everything together and put yourself in the best position to get drafted.’ LaCasse said.

SU head coach Greg Robinson maintains a strong belief that a handful of his seniors will be selected this weekend. When questioned on who he thought would be selected, Robinson discussed a long list of players that scouts had contacted him about drafting. The names ranged from Smith, Wyche and LaCasse to underappreciated players like Kader Drame and Steve Franklin.

Still, Robinson had from his NFL days his own example of the randomness found in the draft process.

‘I always remember we drafted a guy by the name of Trevor Pryce with the 27th pick of the first round, and he was in the Pro Bowl his second year,’ Robinson said. ‘I thought from the 10th pick on, he was gonna get picked. We saw something that some others didn’t see … so all it takes is one team to like you.’

A handful of reasons can be attributed to the expected eccentrics for Syracuse players in this year’s draft.

An obstacle for all of them has been adjusting to a coaching change in their senior season. Additionally, LaCasse did not come into a starting role until this year. Wyche had trouble fulfilling his potential throughout his career. Smith is Syracuse’s all-time leader in blocked kicks, and last year he tied for second in the nation with six interceptions. Yet some poor performances have led to his consistency being called into question.

SU running back Damien Rhodes seems to be the most interesting of the Orange’s draft candidates. Rhodes, for most of his time at SU, was an outstanding running back. But injuries and a disappointing senior season might have damaged Rhodes’s draft stock.

Rhodes’s agent Ken Sarnoff, who also represents Smith, does not believe Rhodes’s draft status will be negatively affected by his senior season shortcomings. Nor does he deem the team’s 1-10 record will hurt Smith’s ranking. Sarnoff emphasizes once the player’s college career is over, NFL scouts focus on the individual and the potential they bring to a pro team.

‘(When talking to scouts) I give a framework of what they are about,’ said Sarnoff. ‘(Smith and Rhodes) are great, great guys. Both are graduating. Both are team guys. They’ve never been in trouble … they are a solid group of guys.’

Wyche’s agent, Alan Herman, agrees the draft is all about potential. But he is disappointed when a team’s poor performance prevents an individual from fully showcasing his talents. Herman said when a team is 1-10, it is usually playing from behind, and this limits players like Wyche from demonstrating their pass-rushing abilities.

At this point, the agents and former coaches have done basically all they can for their clients. On Saturday, all the analyzing and waiting will finally come to an end. And as the crapshoot begins, the Syracuse seniors hope to have displayed enough skills to perhaps get a little lucky.

‘I’m just really excited to find the city I’ll be living in in the next few years,’ LaCasse said. ‘I loved my time at Syracuse, but I’m definitely ready to move on.’

Design editor Timothy Gorman contributed to this story.

Published on April 27, 2006 at 12:00 pm