Dominic Hixson

[Kangaroo Craig]

The following is an article posted by Zac Jackson, a writer for Clevelandbrowns.com. I found it interesting because Zac listed his "All sleeper team" and at the wide receiver position he has Dominick Hixson. I thought you guys would find this interesting:Filed under: Draft Blog — Zac Jackson @ 4:03 pm We’ve established that Reggie Bush is a once in a generation athlete, A.J. Hawk is on his way to Canton and Mario Williams is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and tackle six quarterbacks on his way down. But there are other guys in this draft, too – 254 will be picked – and many fly way under the radar.Some guys like it that way. Some teams like it that way, too. With 30 days until the start of the 2006 NFL Draft, it’s time to look at some of the “sleepers†who could hear their names called on the draft’s second day, guys who fans may not know a lot about but could end up making favorable – and lasting – impressions on the teams who draft them.The Sleeper Team – strictly my opinion, and some worthy players are certainly left out – starts with the offense; I’ll list the defense in the next posting.QB: Brett Basanez, Northwestern – Hit his stride last September and October, completing nearly everything he threw and really grabbing attention from the NFL. He isn’t overly big or strong, and he didn’t finish his senior season as well as he started it, but the Big 10’s Offensive Player of the Year is athletic, experienced and smart. The new buzzword for quarterbacks is intangibles, and Basanez ranks well.RB: Jerious Norwood, Mississippi State – His college career was marred by losses and turmoil in Starkville, but Norwood still found ways to shine. He carried MSU to an upset of Florida in 2004, then twice posted 200-yard games last fall. Norwood had a solid showing at the Senior Bowl, then posted a 4.4 40-yard dash at the combine to raise his stock.RB: Chris Barclay, Wake Forest – Didn’t get invited to the combine because he’s considered too small to play in the NFL. But he’s the only player to lead the ACC in rushing three times – yes, three straight years – and is a member of a pretty exclusive 4,000-yard, 40 touchdown club. He also can contribute as a kick returner, and his coaches say he can be a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield even though he didn’t catch many in Wake’s offense.WR: Domenik Hixon, Akron – Probably won’t get drafted, but he’ll have more than a fighting chance to make someone’s team. Hixon is a football player; after two years as a safety, he moved to receiver and became Charlie Frye’s top target in ’04. He’s a fearless athlete, a high-character player, and the thought that his best days as a receiver are ahead should help.WR: Demetrius Williams, Oregon – Needs to gain weight and beat the rap that he’s too injury prone. But Williams is tall (6-foot-2), smooth, and can get open. He won’t be a starter right away, but he has very good hands and good potential to develop.TE: Tony Scheffler, Western Michigan – The Directional Michigans aren’t exactly football factories, but they’ve produced some players. Scheffler was a very productive (100 catches the last two years) player and he certainly has NFL measurables. He was nearly 6-foot-6, 264 pounds and ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine.OL: Fred Matua, USC – A sleeper from USC? Don’t act like you ever heard of Matua before he declared for this year’s draft. He’s young, athletic, and certainly knows what it’s like to block for big-time athletes on big stages. A team with patience can get a player late in this draft who likely would have gone much higher a year from now.OL: Travis Leffew, Louisville – Has very human measurables, but he’s regarded as tough, reliable and smart. He’s played in plenty of big games as a tackle for Louisville (he owns the school record for consecutive starts), and he could probably play all five line positions in a pinch. Versatility can win jobs in the NFL.OL: Daryn Colledge, Boise State – Wasn’t the best offensive linemen in a talented group at the Senior Bowl, but he was probably the most pleasant surprise. He’s solid on and off the field, and though he’s an experienced left tackle he’s willing to play any position at any time. Look for Colledge to go before some of the bigger-name offensive linemen on draft day.OL: Chris Kuper, North Dakota – Like Colledge, Kuper is a native Alaskan with above average athletic ability and intriguing upside. There are concerns about his size and the level of competition he’s used to playing against, but his positives seem to outweigh the negatives.OL: Zach Strief, Northwestern – At almost 6-foot-8 and at least 330 pounds, he’s certainly big enough to play in the NFL. The Cincinnati native also has 40-plus games of starting experience and is the kind of player, in terms of character and work ethic, teams feel is worth developing.UTIL: Garrett Mills, Tulsa – A pass-catching machine as a tight end in college, Mills might need to play fullback in the NFL because of his size. He’ll contribute immediately as an H-back type in the NFL and be given a chance to bulk up and have a productive career.UTIL: Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M – The last of McNeal’s four-year (seems like 14-year) quarterbacking career at A&M ended so badly that the Aggies didn’t make a bowl game and actually played better after McNeal went out with an injury. But he came back with a very strong performance in the Shrine Game (9-of-11, 211 yards, 2 TD) and was one of the fastest players at any position at the combine. He’ll have a chance to make a roster in “slash†role and might get drafted.

[liljc]

Very cool. Except, I believe someone will take a shot on Hixon somewhere on day two.