Heisman Watch 2011: Projecting the NFL Draft Position for the Top Candidates

This year's Heisman race has been one of the most crowded in recent memory. 

Once Stanford QB Andrew Luck went down against Oregon, that opened the door for a bunch of challengers to throw their name in the ring. 

We've seen guys like Brandon Weeden and LaMichael James come and go throughout the season, but now, as we enter the final week of the year, it looks like there are potentially six candidates fighting for an invitation to New York City for the Heisman ceremony. 

Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson, Robert Griffin III, Matt Barkley, Case Keenum and Montee Ball may have been the top performers of the 2011 season, but how do the six Heisman contenders stack up as NFL prospects?

Here are my draft projections for the top 2011 Heisman favorites. 

QB Andrew Luck, Stanford

Projection: No. 1 Overall Pick

Andrew Luck may not have had the 2011 campaign that he was hoping for, and he won't leave college with a National Championship or a Heisman Trophy on his resume, but he's still got a lot to be proud of, and he's definitely got a lot to look forward to. 

Luck is still the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft if he decides to come out after this season. 

The Stanford signal caller has all the physical tools and intangibles that franchises seek in an NFL quarterback prospect, and he definitely won't have much to worry about on draft night.

QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Projection: Top 3 Pick

Yesterday, I said Robert Griffin III was the best NFL prospect in college football, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I think he’ll overtake Stanford QB Andrew Luck for the top pick.

I’ll admit, I do like Griffin better than Luck, because I think he can make all the throws that Luck can make, and he gives you a little more versatility with his tremendous scrambling ability.

Griffin is just flat-out the most explosive player in the country, and the NFL is shifting towards a league where explosive players win you games, whether they fit a certain prototype or not.

The junior signal-caller may not be your typical drop-back pro-style quarterback, but Griffin has proven that he can be an extremely successful pocket passer, and he’s got all the tools and skills you’re looking for in an NFL franchise quarterback.

RB Trent Richardson, Alabama

Projection: Top 5 Pick

In my opinion, as an NFL prospect, Trent Richardson belongs in the same conversation with the likes of Darren McFadden, Adrian Peterson and Reggie Bush as the type of rare running back prospect who is worthy of a Top 10 pick.

You can call Richardson a lot of things, but there’s really only one word you need to sufficiently describe him—Beast.

Richardson, who looks like he was born in a weight room and never left, is without a doubt the strongest and most powerful back in the country, and he packs quite a punch when he meets contact.

After two consecutive seasons of producing over 700 yards on the ground, the 5’11’’, 220-pound junior has taken the relinquished rushing reins from Mark Ingram and become the main man of the Alabama backfield.

Richardson has had the breakout season that everyone was expecting this year, rushing for 1,583 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns.

To me, he looks like a bigger, stronger version of New York Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw.

Richardson is definitely a special type of running back prospect that only comes along every few years.

QB Matt Barkley, USC

Projection: Top 5 Pick

Matt Barkley has every reason to smile these days, given his current circumstances. 

Barkley's junior year may have been cut short by a silly bowl ban, but the California kid can still celebrate, knowing that he's got the choice of either becoming a Top 5 pick in next year's draft, or returning to USC and enjoying an offseason full of Heisman and National Championship talk in Los Angeles. 

If Barkley leaves, he'll become a franchise quarterback; if he stays, he'll be the Andrew Luck of 2012. 

Yup, it's pretty good to be Matt Barkley right now. 

RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Projection: 2nd Round Pick

Last year, Wisconsin had the deepest and most potent backfield in the country, with Montee Ball, James White and John Clay, but this season, it’s been Ball who has emerged as the true star in Madison.

After coming up four yards short of the 1,000-yard mark last year, Ball has rushed for 1,622 yards and scored a whopping 34 total touchdowns.

The 5’11’’, 210-pound junior is aided by having one of the biggest offensive lines in football to run behind, but you can still tell that he’s the type of physical downhill runner who is fully capable of handling the load at the NFL level and pounding it in between the tackles.

Ball may not have 4.4 speed, but he’s fast enough to make things happen when he’s got the ball in his hands.

The NFL running back who I think he most resembles is Pittsburgh’s Rashard Mendenhall.

Like Mendenhall, Ball has a sturdy, powerful build and he’s got the strength and lateral agility to not only run by would-be tacklers; he can run over them as well.

QB Case Keenum, Houston

Projection: 4th Round Pick

With two games still left to go, up to this point in his career, Houston QB Case Keenum has thrown for exactly 18,312 yards.

That’s about 10-and-a-half miles of passing that Keenum has done in his college career.

That’s pretty impressive stuff; however, when you look at some of the names of college football’s most productive passers of all time, you won’t find many elite NFL quarterbacks.

Timmy Chang, Graham Harrell and Colt Brennan didn’t exactly become bona fide NFL superstars, which is something that may hurt Keenum’s pro stock.

Keenum’s got a decent arm, and he can make most of the throws you need him to make, but he’s going to have a big transition to make in the NFL, and he’s not worth a look until early on Day 3.