Hey Northwestern people! Next Thursday's the NFL Draft! Well, I mean, next Thursday is the first round of the NFL Draft. You're probably thinking since Northwestern just got rid of a pretty talented senior class - Dan Persa, Jeremy Ebert, Al Netter, and Vince Browne come to mind - that the draft board will be littered with Northwestern players, right?

Sadly, that's not really the case. Persa doesn't have the skillset for the NFL, apparently - Todd McShay spoke of him getting a training camp invite and potentially even being a special teamer - but he doesn't appear to be an NFL QB. Ebert showed blazing speed on his pro day, but is small for an NFL wideout and needs to be really, really fast to make it in the league, although he could hear his name get called. (If I had to pick a second player likely to get picked, it would be Ebert.) Netter is another borderline prospect who would possibly get moved inside at the NFL level, but isn't a sure thing for draft day. And Browne completely fell off the map his senior year and won't be selected.

Drake Dunsmore isn't in surer water than his peers - NFL Draft Scout has him getting picked in the seventh round - but he seems to be the likeliest player to get selected. The superback was the only NU player invited to the NFL Draft Combine, where he showed he has the size, strength, and speed for the NFL. He played split out wide at Northwestern, but teams see him as an H-Back on the pro level. The draft this year is weak at the tight end spot,which obviously plays in Dunsmore's favor. As such, he's earned attention from teams - the Chiefs brought him in for a workout last week.