College Preview: FCS/D-II Pro Prospects
They are now called the Football Championship Subdivision, otherwise known as Division 1-AA football. Those are the guys who get to have a full-scale post-season tournament to decide their champion. A step below them is Division II, and they too have playoffs.
Every year, the FCS schools produce a handful of pro prospects. Division II usually sends anywhere from two or three players to a half-dozen into the NFL through the draft each year. In the 2009 NFL Draft, the first FCS player taken was in the third round, when with pick No. 69 Dallas selected OLB Jason Williams of Western Illinois.
Later in the third round, William & Mary CB Derek Cox was taken by Jacksonville; he’ll start against the Chiefs on Sunday. Also third round picks last year were Cal Poly WR Ramses Barden by the New York Giants and CB Ladarius Webb out of Nicholls State; he returned a kickoff for a touchdown last Sunday against Denver.
We checked with our NFL personnel department sources and they were all in agreement that the No. 1 guy on the smaller school level is CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (right) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He’s 6-1, 195 pounds out of Columbus, Ohio. Owusu-Ansah is an explosive talent, who has scored touchdowns this season on punt and kick returns, along with two interceptions. He has five scores and 775 yards in returns of punts, kickoffs and interceptions. Plus, he’s had 21 tackles in the Crimson Hawks defense.
With his speed and athletic ability, Owusu-Ansah is right now pegged as a second-third round type talent. Where he ultimately lands will depend on what he does after the season. He should be invited to the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl. There will be some heads he’ll have to turn at those personnel-type conventions to keep him at the top half of the draft. His talents may be better suited for free safety.
Along with Owusu-Ansah, these are the top 25 players at the FCS level at this point of the ‘09 season. As with the guys on the BCS level, this list could get shuffled quite a bit before April:
| # | Name | Pos. | School | HT | WT. | Comment |
| 1. | Akwasi Owusu-Ansah | CB/FS | IUP | 6-1 | 195 | Considered 2nd-3rd round talent |
| 2. | John Skelton | QB | Fordham | 6-5 | 256 | Great size and arm; 60 TD passes |
| 3. | Andre Roberts | WR | Citadel | 5-11 | 180 | 54 catches, 5 TDs; returns punts |
| 4. | Vladimir Ducasse | G/T | UMass | 6-5 | 330 | Just scratched surface of talent |
| 5. | Chris Carter | WR | UC-Davis | 6-0 | 195 | All-purpose 896 yards; 64 catches |
| 6. | James Ruffin | DE | No. Iowa | 6-4 | 264 | 21.5 career sacks; 183 tackles |
| 7. | Nathan Overbay | TE | E. Washington | 6-5 | 270 | 8 TD catches in 9 games; 35 total |
| 8. | Patrick Stoudamire | CB | W. Illinois | 5-11 | 198 | Returned fumble 88y for TD in ‘09 |
| 9. | Tony Washington | OT | Abilene Chris. | 6-6 | 305 | Raw talent; he’ll be 24 in Feb ‘10 |
| 10. | Derek Hardman | OT | E. Kentucky | 6-6 | 300 | Four-year starter at RT and LT |
| 11. | Austen Lane | DE | Murray State | 6-6 | 265 | 27 career sacks with 193 tackles |
| 12. | Donald Jones | WR | Youngstown | 6-1 | 210 | 86 catches for 1,056 yards, 11 TDs |
| 13. | Kyle Mutcher | C/G | Weber State | 6-3 | 295 | All-conference honors at C & LG |
| 14. | Mike Caussin | TE | James Madison | 6-5 | 240 | 14 career TDs in 56 catches |
| 15. | Joique Bell | RB | Wayne State | 5-11 | 224 | 6,941 all-purpose yards; 79 TDs |
| 16. | Pat Simonds | WR | Colgate | 6-6 | 222 | 11 TD catches this year in 53 rec. |
| 17. | Ryan Perrilloux | QB | Jacksonville St. | 6-2 | 228 | Troubled LSU transfer; 17 TDs |
| 18. | Terrell Hudgins | WR | Elon | 6-2 | 232 | 82 rec., 1,042 yards, 13 TDs in ‘09 |
| 19. | Austin Steichen | C/G | No. Iowa | 6-3 | 305 | Big interior blocker |
| 20. | Casey Krips | OT | S. Dakota State | 6-8 | 308 | Big, smart and athletic at LT |
| 21. | A.J. Jackson | WR | California St. (PA) | 6-5 | 235 | So far in ‘09: 64-894 yards-12 TDs |
| 22. | Kelton Tindal | WR | Newberry (SC) | 6-2 | 189 | Timed in 4.22/4.24 in the 40 |
| 23. | Curtis Pulley | QB | Florida A&M | 6-3 | 200 | Kentucky transfer; 28 TDs ‘08-9 |
| 24. | Casey Bender | G | S. Dakota State | 6-6 | 292 | Injuries slowed his development |
| 25. | Juamorris Stewart | WR | Southern | 6-1 | 196 | 136 for 2,172 yards, 21 TD in ‘08-9 |
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