Another debilitating injury has struck Syracuse senior defensive tackle Arthur Jones. He'll miss the rest of this season after tearing his lateral meniscus, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

Jones opted to not enter the 2009 NFL Draft after he was considered a mid-round prospect. In February, Jones tore a pectoral muscle while lifting weights. He sat out most of Syracuse's summer and fall practices but played every game this season.

On the season, Jones had 19 tackles with seven coming for a loss. He also registered two fumble recoveries and a sack and a half.

Jones frequently faced double teams this season as Syracuse's best defensive player. Here is a recent quote from Jones in the Post-Standard:

"No regrets at all. None at all," Jones said as SU (3-5, 0-3 Big East) prepared to face No. 14 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0) at noon Saturday at Heinz Field. "If I could do it all over again I would so the same exact thing. It’s been a great learning experience for me, just growing as a man with Coach Marrone and Coach Shafer (defensive coordinator Scott Shafer), just learning so much more than I had learned before. It’s been fun, you know. Being a team captain has been fantastic. I’m enjoying it."

H/T to the guys at Draft Daddy.

Another game for Nebraska, another dominant performance for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Suh consistently helped collapse Oklahoma's offensive line, forcing quarterback Landry Jones into several bad passes. On the day, Jones threw five interceptions, many of them due to pressure caused by Suh.

Even against double teams Suh made plays. In the second quarter of Nebraska's 10-3 win Suh blocked another field goal. Later he dropped into coverage and broke up a screen pass.

On the season, Suh now has 53 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hurries, eight pass breakups, five sacks, three blocked kicks, a forced fumble and an interception. Quite the mouthful.

Right now Suh is firmly entrenched as the No. 1 NFL Draft prospect in the nation. It's now beginning to appear that he's above and beyond every other player.

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

2 months ago: LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell (1) gets away from Louisiana-Lafayette linebacker Devon Lewis-Buchanan in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. LSU defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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• Even though they don't face off against each other, being on the same field could be enough to raise the gameplay of both Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy. Both are top five talents, but Suh is considered the better player by most.

One of the most disappointing players for me this season has been Oklahoma left tackle Trent Williams. He's showed he's a better player on the right side, which he played previously in his career. He could be given some trouble against Nebraska end Pierre Allen, a relentless player who doesn't quit until the whistle blows.

• Don't look now but Florida's Carlos Dunlap has four sacks in the last two games. He brutalized a bad Mississippi State team on Oct. 24 but has been pretty pedestrian this season. If he doesn't have a strong game against Vanderbilt, expect more dissenters to emerge.

• Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull has been gaining a good bit of attention as a draftable prospect. He's had an average career but is putting together a great season. If he can stay composed against Syracuse's front four, he could have another banner day.

• Entering the season, LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell was considered the best senior wide receiver in the nation and a first round player. While the latter is still true, it's not a guarantee he gets taken in the first 32 picks. Alabama's cornerbacks, Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas, are the best LSU will see this season. To improve his stock, LaFell needs to show he can beat physical coverage and make plays in the air.

•  Penn State junior Stefen Wisniewski is arguably the best center in the nation. His signal calling will really be put to the test against Ohio State's experienced and crafty defensive line.

Against a very good Penn State offense today, Ohio State strong safety Kurt Coleman can really showcase his all-around skills. He's a borderline NFL starter who can make plays all over the field.

• This could be the day that Cal's Tyson Alualu becomes an early round pick. A gap-shooting high-motor player, Alualu could feast on an Oregon State offensive line that is 101st in the nation in sacks allowed.

• Few talk about him, but Arizona State junior cornerback Omar Bolden is loaded with talent and athleticism. He can get people talking today against USC, which features NFL talent at every starting receiving spot.

• Remember Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan? He of five sacks in the first two games of the year? He's come back on with three sacks in the last four games and could have another banner contest against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons allow a lot of pressure on their quarterbacks and Morgan can take advantage.

• People keep telling me I'm missing the boat on Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. The senior is clearly having a good season. But let's see what he can do against North Carolina's rush-heavy defense.

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More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Dez Bryant

6'2, 215 pounds | Oklahoma State

Strengths: The most noticeable thing about Bryant are his hands. They're incredibly large and strong, which allows him to make a lot of difficult catches in traffic. Bryant's hands are so impressive the New York Times wrote a whole story about them.

Does a really good job concentrating on the ball when it's in the air. Rarely has to make body catches. Often showed good awareness of where the sidelines were and can get his feet inbounds.

Has a great grasp of a play while it's developing. Knows when to come back to the quarterback to get open and gain positive yards. Excels catching the ball in the air and is a great red zone target. Shows the agility in the air to twist his body around and shield defenders off.

Bryant has good size at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. More importantly, he knows how to use it after the catch. In the open field, Bryant is a bull to take down. He can easily break arm tackles and shrugs off tacklers who don't wrap up.

Lateral quickness and speed is as a good as when he's going straight line. Very good stop and go receiver. Doesn't take long strides which gives him some separation. Also uses head fakes well to trick cornerbacks.

Weaknesses: The biggest complaint about Bryant is his playing speed. Unlike Randy Moss, for instance, he probably won't time especially well. Fast cornerbacks can stick with him down the field and edge him over to the sideline.

A step slow off the snap. Could improve his suddenness to beat jams better with his quickness.

Because he comes from a spread offense, Bryant hasn't been asked to run a full route tree and may have to learn some in this area. His best route is clearly the quick slant.

Too often, Bryant likes to initiate contact. While this was fine against smaller Big 12 defensive backs, this could get him in trouble with more aggressive NFL defenses.

Can get knocked off his route and get knocked off his game somewhat (see this year's Georgia game). Could do a better job of properly securing the ball after the catch.

Typical of most spread receivers, Bryant can struggle blocking against the run.

Never really considered a leader on the Oklahoma State offense. Some question if he's a system player, much like former Oklahoma State star Rashaun Woods.

Final word: A lot of the same complaints that were made about Michael Crabtree can be made about Bryant. They both played in a spread offense. Neither has blazing speed but have the hands and high-point agility to make up for it.

The big difference is their attitudes. While Crabtree was known to have an inflated sense of his own self worth, Bryant is known to be a down-to-earth individual. He had a rough upbringing, being raised by a single mother who spent 18 months in prison for selling drugs.

Trouble with academics in high school scared away some teams, but his football acumen is sound. It's impossible to say how well Bryant will be able to digest an NFL playbook, but he just knows how to get open.

To do that, he can rely on his athleticism and quickness. Bryant may not be terribly fast, but he strong and shifty. No receiver in college football could cut on a dime as well as Bryant. That allowed him to get open for a split second and that's when his elite-level hands come in.

Over two and a third seasons, Bryant had 147 receptions for 2,425 yards and 29 touchdowns. He's also a very good special teams player who took back three punts for a touchdown.

In Crabtree, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson, there have been some special receivers in the draft this past decade. Bryant has the ability to be as good as any of them. He's like a better version of Anquan Boldin.

by Ed Reinke - AP

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His teammate Javier Arenas said he's like having a big and athletic version of Nick Saban on the football field.

Some consider him the next Brian Urlacher, at least when Urlacher was healthy. Saban, who doesn't just throw praise around, said he's the football version of Albert Pujols.

What Alabama's Rolando McClain is for certain the optimum linebacker prospect. He's got NFL size at 6-foot-4 and 258 pound. When he hits, he hits hard.

But McClain isn't just a shoulder-leading highlight-catching defender. He clearly knows how to wrap up and drives through the ball carrier.

This season, McClain's stat line is impressive. In eight games, e has 57 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, seven quarterback hurries, three passes defended and a forced fumble.

McClain will also do well in offseason testing. He recently told a reporter his body fat was only 9 percent. When asked about his 40 time, McClain said he ran a 4.59 and 4.63 over the summer.

But McClain isn't one of those players who doesn't play up to his speed. He's always going hard and fast toward the ball. He takes correct angles to the ball carrier and doesn't get caught up on blocks.

While McClain is rumored to have some anger issues, is that such a bad thing for a middle linebacker?

Most impressively, McClain is smart. As a sophomore, McClain became the leader of the vaunted Alabama defense. He's like another coach on the field, barking order at his teammates making sure they're in the proper position.

"He lines up the guys next to him," LSU coach Les Miles told reporters this week. "He understands backfield sets and what to expect. You can tell he's a very bright player. (He) understand the intricacies of the game."

Those intricacies are just what might make McClain a top five pick in the draft.

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

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Instead of coming up with my own half-assed opinion about wide receiver Mike Williams quitting the Syracuse football team, ESPN's Todd McShay did it for me.

Here's what he had to say for a story on Syracuse.com:

"There’s real serious concerns about him from a maturity standpoint, a mental toughness standpoint and handling everything that takes to be successful in the NFL," McShay said. "Everyone has talent in the NFL. A lot of cases, it comes down to whether you’re mentally or physically tough enough to play at the next level. If you have a guy that wasn’t tough enough or mature enough to handle academics and mature enough to finish out the season …if he just quit because he was frustrated, it can significantly hurt him."

McShay goes on to somewhat intimate what happened with Williams might help the case of Oregon's LaGarrette Blount who stayed in school while being suspended.

Oklahoma State may have been dominated 41-14 by Texas on Saturday, but the Cowboys still had the best player on the field.

That would be senior left tackle Russell Okung. Against one of the best pass rushes in the nation, Okung was stellar. Neither Texas starting defensive end -- Sergio Kindle and Sam Acho -- registered a sack or a tackle for loss.

Okung showed every aspect of his game on Saturday. Against Ocho's deep outside pass rush, Okung effortlessly slid around the edge to seal off. When Kindle tried to bull rush, Okung sunk his hips, repositioned the end and neutralized him. On run plays Okung kept his legs moving finishing off his blocks.

Those are precisely the skills that make Okung clearly the best left tackle prospect in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Also see: Russell Okung NFL Draft scouting report

Russell Okung

6'5, 300 pounds | Oklahoma State

Positives: In pass blocking, Okung displays a great initial kick slide off the snap. Moves back inside nicely to neutralize spin moves. Seems to be an intelligent player who shows good blitz recognition and is awareness against stunts.

Has shown the ability to shutdown an opponent's best pass rushers -- see 2009 Texas game. Properly uses his length to create space. Handles strong pass rushers really well.

He's a powerful player who really uses his legs well to drive defenders backward. His strength is ready for the next level, evident in his ability to move defenders down the line on running plays. He also displays good tenacity to snap off a punch and also finish off his blocks.

Clearly his durability is a big plus and he doesn't appear to wear down late in games and has had few injury issues. He's also developed into a leader for the Cowboys' high-octane offense.

Negatives: When Okung has to move around on the second level he looks a little heavy footed and has some trouble locking on a moving target.

Where he falters from time to time in pass protection is his second and third steps. He'll often short step instead of slide step. This allows quicker defensive ends who understand proper technique to get under his pads around the edge. He has the athleticism, however, to remedy this problem.

Where he needs to improve the most in pass protection is his stance. He'll get too high and lose lose leverage. This is mostly a product of standing up off the snap in Oklahoma State's spread offense. Still, it's an issue that will have to be worked on.

One of the things that you can question right now about Okung is his size. Billed at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, Okung doesn't look quite that tall and his appears don't look especially long. However, this is somewhat impossible to determine until he gets checked out at the NFL Scouting Combine. His frame, though, looks to be quite filled out.

Final word: Over his career, Okung has developed into the best offensive tackle in college football. He has the kind of athleticism required of a blind-side blocker in the NFL. His pass protection is very good and once he learns better leverage he can become a Pro Bowl-level left tackle.

Playing in 874 snaps as a junior, he led the Cowboys with 27 "dominating blocks," many of which came in the run game.

Compares favorably to Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady. Okung is clearly a top 10 talent and it seems likely he'll be drafted higher.