Steve Slaton, 2008 NFL Draft Prospect

Running Back 5' 10" 198 lbs. Speed: 4.42 (est) Junior West Virginia

This guy is just amazing, as a freshman he was named Big East Rookie of the year, playing in 10 games he rushed for 1,128 and recorded 17 TDs. I watched him play quite a bit this year (2006) as a sophomore, and it could be argued that he was the most dangerous player in the country.

He was the work horse in a run-first West Virginia team, opposing teams new the Mountaineers were going to run on almost every play but they still couldn't stop Slaton. He will face more eight man fronts this year, but he has an excellent full back in front of him, Owen Schmidt, who himself should hear his name called in the 2008 NFL Draft.

He finished 2006 (rushing) with 245 carries for 1,733 yards and 16 TDs. Look at his yards per carry average of 7.1! But what really amazed me was his ability as a receiver, against Pitt alone he caught 6 passes for 130 yards and 2 TD.

He will be a prototype player in the NFL similar to how the Saints are using Reggie Bush. He has blazing speed and can cut on a dime, not real big at 5' 10" 198 pounds and his legs look a little thin, but remember he is only a junior and he should get bigger and stronger by the time he reaches the NFL. I would not be surprised if he declared early and he is definitely someone to watch for the 2008 NFL Draft.

"I want to be a better blocker," Slaton said in a recent interview. "That's the number one thing I want to work on, being a better blocker. I just feel being undersized, naturally, there are going to be bigger linebackers coming and bigger D ends coming, and I feel that I can be a little better at holding my own and giving Pat a little more time to make plays."

"When I watched Steve Slaton [at Conwell-Egan High School] on a highlight film, it was one of those 45-second to a minute things, `Who is this guy?'" Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez said. "I can remember him wearing No.22 running down the sideline, looked like everybody had an angle on him and all of a sudden nobody had an angle on him."

Slaton will be in the running for the Heisman Trophy in 2007, he finished fourth in the Heisman voting last year (2006) behind Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith,  Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn.