Buster Sports

This post is part of the series The Pac-10's NFL Draft Of The Decade

Note: With the NFL draft approaching later in April, we thought it would fun to look back at the Pac-10’s top draft picks of the past decade (2000-09) and see where we would pick them. Continuing today and ending sometime close to the draft on April 25, we’ll count down a first round worth of Pac-10 draft picks, from 32 to 1. The list includes five quarterbacks, five running backs, five defensive linemen, six linebackers, three defensive backs, three wide receivers, three offensive linemen and two tight ends.

Why didn’t the parents just name the kid Mercedes, anyway? Because like the car, Lewis turned out to be one fine tight end. Playing at UCLA – a school Buster Sports recently named as the Pac-10’s Tight End U – Lewis probably is the school’s best ever at the position. Honored as the nation’s top tight end as the Mackey Award winner in 2005, Lewis caught 58 passes for 741 yards during his senior season. The 6-foot-6 Lewis is UCLA’s career leader in receptions, yardage and touchdowns.

The only factor that kept Lewis, the 28^th pick in the 2006 draft, from going higher? A slow 40 clocking, which his eventual NFL employer Jacksonville dismissed. Jags personnel director James Harris pointed out that Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates somehow overcame sluggish workout clockings and became all-Pro tight ends.

Lewis could absolutely take over games as a receiver. He once blitzed Arizona with 11 catches for 131 yards. And Lewis was money where it counted most, catching 21 touchdown passes as a Bruin. Very little separates Lewis from Arizona State’s Todd Heap, the other tight end to land on our Pac-10 draft list. If there is a difference, Lewis won a Mackey Award and Heap didn’t.

No. 32

No. 31

No. 30

Nick Daschel covers the Pacific-10 Conference for Buster Sports, and can be reached at ndaschel@bustersports.com

Football, Pac-10