Fantasy Football Collective

The far superior non-conference clash, perhaps the best of the week, was the shoot-out between Big East up-and-comer South Florida and Big XII Cinderella story Kansas. The two quarterbacks, neither of which are on anyone's draft radar, threw for a combined 711 yards. South Florida, down 20-3, scored 31 straight, and Kansas still came back to tie the game with 5:30 left. Though it may sound like there couldn't have been much of a pass rush on either side of the ball, the talent I saw having an impact in the NFL draft was South Florida defensive end George Selvie, who, with the win, was crucial in providing the Bulls' a chance at a BCS bowl come January (give or take one loss in the Big East).

Selvie isn't necessarily a surprise selection for this column. He came into the season on most All-American watch lists. He was the national leader in career TFL's in 2007 with 40.5, and second in sacks with 20. In build, Selvie physically resembles Pro Bowl end Jason Taylor. At 6'4" and 245, Selvie is tall and broad in the shoulders, and has put on weight going into this, his junior year without losing any of his speed off the end. (This article, of course, assumes the junior Selvie enters the draft early - being the best player at his position will probably convince him to do that.)

Selvie's presence among draft boards owes a debt to South Florida's aggressive non-conference scheduling the past few years, a policy antithetical to most BCS programs who rely on cupcake wins because their conference games are considered strong. Selvie has been able to play against elite talent in the Pac-10, SEC, and Big XII, with the Bulls going 2-1 in that stretch.

South Florida's "upset" of Auburn in week two of 2007 came largely because of a fearsome pass rush, courtesy of Selvie, who had 1.5 sacks and 3 TFL's. Auburn's offensive gameplan, much like Kansas' this year, was designed specifically to take Selvie out of the game, via screens thrown to his side of the line and rushes to the other. Excellent coverage downfield from safety Michael Jenkins, who had one pick and is now starting for the Atlanta Falcons, also contributed to the win. There were multiple penalties on both sides of the ball, and though two picks out of Brandon Cox may sound like the order of the day to Auburn fans in retrospect, keep in mind that the Tigers were supposed to win that game. Instead, it was the springboard from which South Florida rose (and later fell, hard) to national prominence.

In games where he has been a factor - the Auburn game, the win over West Virginia that silenced doubters in 2007, the Kansas game this year - Selvie has 6.5 TFL's and 3.5 sacks, and the Bulls have won. In South Florida's disappointments- a loss to Oregon in the Brut Sun Bowl, a loss to Rutgers when SF was ranked #2 in the country, a near-loss to UCF in week two this year - Selvie has no TFL's and no sacks. Watching South Florida's defense play, I got the sense that the players rely on his energy and playmaking ability to play more aggressively, and his second half performance - 2 sacks and a PBU off a screen - was what got the Bulls offense rolling. For him - and for the Bulls - to remain a factor the rest of this year, he will have to overcome teams preparing for his dominance.

Considering the direction NFL teams are going - with almost no offensive skill players going in the early- to mid-first round in 2007 save for the requisite quarterback - Selvie is destined to be a top five pick on a par with Chris Long (who, as we now know, almost went to Miami instead of Jake Long). Selvie's clean off-the-field record and humble demeanor will make him a darling to the newly moralistic NFL brass under Roger Goodell. Remaining at the top depends on his ability to stay healthy and relevant and keep the Bulls defense motivated in what could be a difficult stretch of Cincinnati-UConn-Rutgers-WVU to close the season.

Depending on who has first pick this year, and whether he decides to declare, I will venture a guess that Selvie will be in a Cincinnati Bengals hat hoisting #1 in April.

Author - Bryan Kelly