The 2007 college football season was disappointing. A school with two losses, both in-conference, took home the BCS Championship. Other than the FedEx Orange and the Tostitos Fiesta, few bowl games were worth watching if your team wasn't playing. Notre Dame didn't even make the postseason after going 3-9.


The NFL was paying attention. Scouts monitor player situations all year, but the true shot callers don't have time to watch college football during the NFL season. The scouts will be in coaches and GMs' ears, but first impressions mean plenty. Witness last year's No. 1 overall pick and who fell all the way to 22.

So let's take a look at who helped themselves and who didn't during the college football postseason. Since this is a fantasy site, we'll focus on skill players before moving into the heart of the pre-draft process.

Stock Rising

Rutgers RB Ray Rice
35-280-8.0-4 TDs, 2-15-7.5-0 TDs
International Bowl: Scarlet Knights 52, Ball State 30

Rice certainly had huge holes to run through against Ball State's 99th ranked rush defense. But the junior early entrant showed breakaway speed, executed in short yardage, and finished his runs. Rice eclipsed 2,000 yards for the season and posted the third highest rushing total for a bowl game ever. It may have locked up Rice's spot in the top two rounds. Despite his less than ideal size (5'9/205), zone-blocking teams will have interest.

Purdue TE Dustin Keller
7-150-21.4-1 TD
Motor City Bowl: Boilermakers 51, Central Michigan 48

Keller, who posted fantastic numbers in his last two seasons at Purdue, capped his career with a sterling effort. The highly athletic senior displayed his downfield abilities by racing for a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter and showing off his sure hands with several catches underneath. At 6'3/240, Keller is undersized by every-down NFL standards and needs to polish his blocking, but at worst projects to be a zone-busting slot tight end at the next level.

Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart
23-253-11.0-1 TD, 2-29-14.5-1 TD
Sun Bowl: Ducks 56, South Florida 21

Oregon had dropped all its games after losing QB Dennis Dixon to a torn ACL in November, and Stewart took it upon himself to make redshirt freshman replacement Justin Roper's job easy against a supremely talented USF defense. Stewart shook off concerns about a lingering turf toe injury with his 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and another 41-yard burst in the third. The ideally built junior (5'11/234) announced his intentions to enter the draft last week and should be the No. 2 running back taken in April.

Michigan WR Adrian Arrington
9-153-17.0-2 TDs
Capitol One Bowl: Wolverines 41, Florida 35

Arrington, another junior-eligible who will forgo his final season, couldn't have saved his best collegiate performance for a better time. The 6'3/195-pound wideout had his way with 5'9 sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson as the Wolves made sure retiring coach Lloyd Carr went out a winner. Arrington is raw and will be asked to add to his frame, but could sneak into the first day of the draft after his impressive last game.

East Carolina RB Chris Johnson
28-223-8.0-1 TD, 3-32-1 TD
Hawaii Bowl: Pirates 41, Boise State 38

Johnson likely earned himself a spot on an NFL roster in 2008 by pouring 408 all-purpose yards on the Boise Broncos. In addition to his rushing and receiving totals, the do-it-all senior brought back six kickoffs for 153 yards. Johnson is undersized at 5'10/195 and has struggled in short-yardage situations, but could have a future in the league as a No. 3 back and special teamer. He will be in attendance for the Senior Bowl, which invitees begin practicing for in less than two weeks.

Stock Falling

Hawaii QB Colt Brennan
22-38-169-0 TDs-3 INTs
Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41, Rainbow Warriors 10

If Georgia was the best team in the nation in 2007, Brennan wouldn't disagree. The ferocious Bulldogs' pass rush got to Brennan for eight sacks and forced him to fumble twice, one recovered for a Georgia touchdown, in addition to his trio of picks. Hawaii came into the game as the nation's No. 1 offense, and left to chants of "overrated." Any chance of Brennan being a first-round pick in April is likely gone now.

Purdue WR Dorien Bryant
5-65-13.0-0 TDs

His final numbers aren't anything to be ashamed of, but both of Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter's interceptions came on balls that bounced off Bryant's hands. The 5'10/170-pound senior projects as an NFL slot receiver, a position from which pro teams expect efficiency. While Bryant was a reliable pass catcher for most of his Purdue career, this performance will only hurt his stock on draft day. He'll try to make up for it during Senior Bowl week.

West Virginia RB Steve Slaton
1 rush, -2 yards, 1-2-2.0-0 TDs
Fiesta Bowl: Mountaineers 48, Oklahoma 28

Slaton, a junior, was originally expected to declare for the draft if coach Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan. Rodriguez departed, but Slaton won't pull the trigger. The scatback whose college career began so promising reached a low at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Slaton, who was outplayed by freshman Noel Devine for most of the 2007 season, was knocked out of the game with a leg injury and West Virginia still rolled without him. He would've been lucky to be taken on the first day, although Slaton could find himself backing up Devine under new coach Bill Stewart, so it's debatable whether returning to school was a smart choice.
 

Update: In a surprise move, Slaton declared for the draft on Sunday night.

Virginia Tech WR Josh Morgan
3-30-10.0-0 TDs
Orange Bowl: Kansas 24, Hokies 21

The senior wideout got open for a deep ball from quarterback Sean Glennon that surely would've went for a score and ultimately won the game for Va Tech, but outright dropped it. The play may have summed up Morgan's career. At 6'1/220 with low-4.4 speed and crazy athleticism, Morgan always had the tools, but never became a good route runner or a reliable target in his four years. He's a late-round prospect at this stage.

Boise State RB Ian Johnson
4-11-2.8-0 TDs, 0 catches

Johnson finished his junior season nursing an ankle injury on the bench, as freshman Jeremy Avery carried most of the load against ECU. If Johnson comes out early, he'll have major durability concerns because of his size (5'11/194) and inability to stay on the field. Johnson missed two games earlier in the year due to a bruised kidney and saw his overall numbers nearly cut in half after a monster sophomore campaign. It's safe to say he shouldn't entertain the idea of going pro.
 

During this most political of weeks, I just want to say that Rotoworld is the fantasy sports website for change. If you support us, we are going to find new ways of doing things. Clean up the internets and change all the old ways of covering fantasy sports.

Let's start with our season-in-review. Before moving on from the 2007 campaign, let's take one broad look back, and find out what this wacky season meant for fantasy options large and small. We're going to review every halfway decent offensive player in one sentence, all ranked by fantasy points scored. Hopefully this can be a reference people go back to during the offseason. I'll write a column on each skill position, plus look at some broader fantasy trends.

(And yes, the format inspiration came from FreeDarko, who is funnier and more original than we'll ever be. Let's see … appropriating someone else's message and calling it your own; we're getting the hang of this politics thing.)

Quarterback Season in Review

The Players are listed in total fantasy points scored

This list is unusually long because of all the quarterback injuries. A non-strike year record of 65 quarterbacks started a game this season, more than two per team! The Panthers and 49ers were the first two teams in NFL history to start four quarterbacks in the same season. For point of reference, there were only 50 starters all of last season.

1. Tom Brady, Patriots – Greatest quarterback season ever, all for a fourth-round pick.

2. Tony Romo, Cowboys - The Jasons (Garrett and Wittens) help Romo go from probably good to the fantasy elite.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers – Big plays and Willie's shortcomings lead to red zone fun; What motorcycle accident?

4. Peyton Manning, Colts – Considering all he lost (Harrison, Glenn, Ugoh), 2007 was the ultimate sign he's bulletproof.

5. Derek Anderson, Browns – Biggest surprise in the league started the season behind Charlie Frye, finished it ahead of Drew Brees.

6. Drew Brees, Saints – After four-game meltdown to open the year, Brees was back to his pass-happy ways.

7. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks – Huge increase in attempts leads to quiet career season.

8. Brett Favre, Packers – Wideouts go from weakness to strength as Favre completes the season no one thought he had left.

9. Carson Palmer, Bengals – Confounding, but 4,131 yards and 26 scores is quite a down year.

Tier Two

10. Kurt Warner, Cardinals – The Ken Whisenhunt Cardinals looked just the Dennis Green Cardinals, with better protection.

11. Eli Manning, Giants – More of the same, but he's durable.

12. Jay Cutler, Broncos – Best quarterback of the last three draft classes makes it work without much help from teammates.

13. Donovan McNabb, Eagles – Strong finish provides hope that the old McNabb is buried beneath the headlines.

14. Philip Rivers, Chargers – The only quarterback more inconsistent than Eli.

15. David Garrard, Jaguars – A quarterback you can win with, in real life and fantasy.

16. Jon Kitna, Lions – The most unimpressive 4,000 passing yards since he did it last season.

Tier Three

17. Jeff Garcia, Bucs – Maxed out his potential, which isn't a good sign for next year.

18. Vince Young, Titans – With his running numbers down and passing numbers embarrassing, Young's second season was a career clouding worst-case scenario.

19. Jason Campbell, Redskins – Flashed progress before season-ending knee injury; a keeper.

Tier Four

20. Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings – Vince Young with less durability, which may or may not be a compliment.

21. Sage Rosenfels, Texans - The best Jewish quarterback since Jay Fiedler.

22. Marc Bulger, Rams – Biggest position bust wasn't in the top-30 per-game when healthy.

23. Damon Huard, Chiefs – Market correction before giving way to Brodie Croyle, who was worse.

24. Matt Schaub, Texans – Couldn't stay healthy, but 7.8 YPA is a sign of better things to come.

25. Chad Pennington, Jets – Poorly timed picks, but the numbers before benched were nearly identical to the year before.

26. Cleo Lemon, Dolphins – Probably won't start seven games again, but proved he belongs.

27. Joey Harrington, Falcons – Tastes like a starter, but breaks like a little girl.

Tier Five

28. Brian Griese, Bears – Four week run as a fantasy savior is a distant memory after four-pick game and knee injury.

29. Kyle Boller, Ravens – Improved, but not enough to escape a career backup role.

30. Chris Redman, Falcons – Bobby Petrino's lasting legacy in the NFL.

31. Quinn Gray, Jaguars – After miserable start, did a fair David Garrard imitation.

32. Trent Edwards, Bills – Put up the most yards ever for a third-round rookie quarterback with no receiver help, which counts for something.

33. Josh McCown, Raiders – Predictably sub-mediocre on his final chance as a starter.

34. Daunte Culpepper, Raiders – Solid final two starts before moronic practice injury should keep him in the league.

35. Kellen Clemens, Jets – Quarterback of the future tag in question now.

36. Todd Collins, Redskins – The Damon Huard of 2007, with top-15 per-game numbers.

37. Jake Delhomme, Panthers – Tommy John surgery puts future in peril.

38. Luke McCown, Bucs – The McCown to watch in 2008.

39. Brodie Croyle, Chiefs – Be afraid Chiefs fans – at least he has Kelli.

40. J.P. Losman, Bills – Improved 2006 proved to be a mirage.

41. Trent Dilfer, 49ers – Better on NFL Network than on the field.

42. Rex Grossman, Bears – Late-season run before knee injury was better, but don't get carried away.

Tier Everyone else

43. Gus Frerotte, Rams – Pulled off a rare five-interception game.

44. Trent Green, Dolphins – Career probably over after another head injury.

45. Vinny Testaverde, Panthers – Better than David Carr!

46. Shaun Hill, 49ers – Shockingly competent three-game run gives him a shot in '08.

47. A.J. Feeley, Eagles – Hero of irrational Eagles fans everywhere ultimately looked like a backup.

48. David Carr, Panthers – There is ladder extending miles below rock bottom that one must take to get to David Carr's 2007 season.

49. Alex Smith, 49ers - Shoulder injury requiring surgery hopefully explains his dreadful play. (Can Mike Martz turn him around?

50. Kyle Orton, Bears – Neckbeard and a few late wins could give him a role in 2008.

51. Steve McNair, Ravens – Injured and dink-and-dunking is a depressing way to go out.

52. Troy Smith, Ravens – Earned valuable playing time down the stretch.

53. Matt Moore, Panthers – Undrafted players was most impressive rookie quarterback in league.

54. Matt Leinart, Cardinals – Abysmal start and worth ethic are a bigger worries than his collarbone injury.

55. Kelly Holcomb, Vikings – Worse than Brooks Bollinger, we think.

56. Seneca Wallace, Seahawks – Only played in meaningless Week 17 games.

57. Brooks Bollinger, Vikings – I probably should have stopped the list at fifty.

58. John Beck, Dolphins – Margin for error is slim at age 27 after depressing rookie season.

59. Tim Rattay, Cardinals – Best goal-line quarterback in the league.

60. Aaron Rodgers, Packers – Great comeback against Cowboys, but has been hurt in two significant appearances as a pro.

61. JaMarcus Russell, Raiders- Solid final game was nice way offseason present for Raiders.

62. Kerry Collins, Titans – Led the team to a few wins when asked.

63. Charlie Batch, Steelers – Lucky that Roethlisberger stayed healthy.

64. Patrick Ramsey, Broncos – Yep, still in the league.

65. Chris Weinke, 49ers – Better than David Carr!

66. Jim Sorgi, Colts – Showed why he's a backup in Week 17.

67. Byron Leftwich, Falcons – Hard to believe he's fallen this far.

68. Craig Nall, Packers – Being Favre's buddy is good work if you can get it.

69. Matt Cassell, Patriots – Matt Gutierrez nipping at his heels.

70. J.T. O'Sullivan, Lions – Mike Martz departure ends his chance to play.

71. Bruce Gradkowski, Bucs – Passed by Luke McCown.

72. Brad Johnson, Cowboys – Double date with Ashlee?

73. Brock Berlin, Rams – The most improbable starter of the season looked like it.

74. Andrew Walter, Raiders- Fourth on the Raiders depth chart is no way to go through life.

75. Brady Quinn, Browns – Anderson's emergence will make him earn any playing time