NFL DRAFT 2007

PLAYERS TO WATCH 2007 DRAFT


LBs Jeremy Jones and Troy Collavo, UTEP

They still aren’t quite the LB-U of the southwest, however, Texas-El Paso continues to turn out some very good players at the position. This past April, for example, former Miner OLB Thomas Howard, was a second round pick by Oakland. And UTEP will have a couple more promising LBs this year in OLB Jeremy Jones and MLB Troy Collavo, both of whom were actually more productive than Howard last season, although neither possesses Howard’s pure athleticism. Jones, who had been a special teams’ star prior to last season, emerged as one of the more productive outside backers in the country posting 130 tackles, including 14.5 for loss and 3 sacks. Jones played at just 220 pounds last fall, but has bulked up to 235 for the upcoming season, although that’s still not all that big. What Jones has, though, is good speed and better quickness coming off the edge; plus he’s also got good range and instincts in coverage. Meanwhile, the 6-0, 235-pound Collavo seamlessly filled the huge hole in middle of Miners’ defense created last fall when Robert Rodriquez moved on to the NFL posting 112 tackles of his own; including another 14.5 for loss and 3 sacks. Like Jones, Collavo isn’t overly big, but he is very instinctive with good speed and quickness, although he is not that effective in coverage.