Two SU Players Have Chance at Pros

By Darius Joshua

Draft weekend is officially over and still no decision expected to come on the Lockout until July. As of now, all NFL business deals must stop. Players won’t be able to work out any contracts until the lockout is lifted. But at least players know which teams they have a chance to play for.

Only two of the four former Syracuse football hopefuls got drafted; Delone Carter and Doug Hogue. The other two Orange players, Ryan Bartholomew and Derrell Smith, will have to wait for the lockout to be lifted and try to test the waters of free agency or find a new career. 

Delone Carter was drafted in the fourth round as the 22nd pick to the Indianapolis Colts. This is a great result for Carter because he gets to join a team that usually goes to the playoffs and are always championship contenders. Led by Peyton Manning, the Colts are more of a passing team. Their running game is in need of improvement and if Carter becomes a workhorse he can give the running game, ranked 29th in the league last season, a much needed boost. 

The Colts main running backs are Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. Addai has been known to be injury prone and Brown has only been in the league for two years. Combined they both had just under 1,000 yards last season.

Doug Hogue was drafted in the fifth round by the Detroit Lions. 

Hogue joins a relatively young linebacker core. The oldest player is Landon Johnson who has been in the league for eight years. He joins a defense that was 19th in the league in points allowed, 21st in total yards allowed and 24th in rushing yards allowed. The young Detroit team was 6-10 last year and is still trying to rebuild. Event though the Lions aren’t very good, Hogue will still have work to get a position on the team. 

Carter and Hogue were able to feel the joy of being drafted, but they may still have to wait a while to experience the joy of playing in their first NFL game.

Former SU Stars Have Big Weekend Ahead

By Darius Joshua 

Syracuse football greats such as Art Monk, Donovan McNabb, Jim Brown and Jim Ringo successfully transitioned from University Hill to NFL gridirons. Now, it's time for other Orange greats to make their mark in the NFL. Four former Orange football players could be selected this weekend at the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall - Delone Carter, Ryan Bartholomew, Doug Hogue, and Derrell Smith. 

The four players were invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana to display their talents in front of many scouts. It was their chance to prove that they belong in the NFL. Here is a look at how they faired and where they stand on draft boards today.

Running back Delone Carter is favored to be drafted first among the SU players. Carter rushed for 1233 yards and scored 9 touchdowns in his last season in Syracuse and was named Pinstripe Bowl MVP after his 198 yard, 2 TD performance. He performed well at the combine and his draft stock reflects that. Most scouts have him being selected in the third or fourth round.

Center Ryan Bartholomew also had a very good combine. He benched more than any offensive lineman at the event, as he put up 34 reps. Bartholomew showed serious speed, running the 40 yard dash in only 4.97 seconds, second among all offensive linemen. With his performance at the combine, it appears that Bartholomew will be selected late on the second day of the draft. 

Linebackers Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith led the Orange defense in their senior seasons. Hogue finished the season with 60 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions while Smith tallied 72 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception.  However, they struggled to impress scouts during their combine workouts. Hogue has a better chance than Smith to make it in the league due to his elite athleticism. It is also possible that Hogue is converted to a different position, if an NFL team sees that potential in him. It appears that both of these former SU linebackers will be chosen on the third day, if it all drafted.