How Huskies will fare

As NFL teams continue to evaluate their draft boards and slide prospects up and down based upon game film and workouts, they are beginning to identify which players they covet and where they think these future pros will be selected.

With Pro Days wrapping up, the workout portion of all the evaluations are nearly complete. As we take a look on campus, four UConn prospects are making a lot of noise leading up to the draft and all could hear their names called within the first two rounds. Previously, the highest UConn husky ever selected was linebacker Alfred Fincher in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Running back Donald Brown, cornerback Darius Butler, offensive tackle Will Beatty and defensive end/outside linebacker Cody Brown all showed off their fantastic athletic ability in their postseason workouts they have positioned themselves to be high draft picks and be looked upon to contribute early in their pro careers.

Donald Brown has had a tremendous postseason starting with his dominant performance in the International Bowl and has only built on that momentum since. With his elite performance at the combine amongst the running backs - he was at the top in most drills - Brown had guaranteed that he will be gone within the first 40 picks. Many experts have him as the No. 2 running back behind Ohio State's Chris Wells, with the possibility of Brown pushing himself to the top when all is said and done.

One of the biggest reasons for his rise up the draft boards is his tremendous character, work ethic and team-first attitude. This mentality allows front office people to trust he will represent a franchise well and can be relied upon to do what he needs to to succeed. Brown has an excellent shot and at this point is expected to come off the board at some point in the latter third of Round One. The Eagles are a possible destination with one of their two first round picks as well as the Arizona Cardinals at No. 31.

Another fast-riser in the draft process has been Butler. Known for his athleticism and speed, Butler had a disappointing combine, running his 40-yard dash in the 4.5 range. However, at UConn's Pro Day, Butler was clocked at 4.38 seconds by many scouts and is seen as being potentially the best man-to-man cover corner in the draft because of his recovery speed. Like Brown, Butler has secured a spot amongst the top 40 picks and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at the bottom of the first round to teams looking for a solid corner like the champion Steelers.

Beatty is another player who scouts love because of his athleticism for such a big man at 6-foot-6 and about 310 pounds. Scouts feel he can be a dominant pass-blocker because of his quick feet and agility, but several concerns with Beatty are his perceived lack of strength, efficiency in the run game and lack of tenacity. However, Beatty did run-block for the nation's leading rusher and pass-blocking is more important for a left tackle to protect the blindside of the quarterback so Beatty will be greatly valued by many teams. He has an outside shots of landing in the last few picks of round one, maybe to Pittsburgh, but a more likely scenario is the top half of the second round.

The last UConn player who will probably get drafted is Cody Brown, but he won't have to wait very long after Beatty to find out his team. Brown, who played defensive end for UConn, is the perfect fit for outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense because of his athleticism, speed and ability to get to the quarterback while holding stout against the run isn't his strength. Brown is a bit undersized to play end in the pros but should thrive in a 3-4 defense. With so many teams employing a 3-4 these days and pass-rushers so hard to find, Brown will most likely be taken in the bottom half of the second round, at worst at the start of the third.

UConn will easily have its greatest draft in its history. The increased exposure and success of the program will only continue to grow with the new success of Huskies in the NFL.