NFL Draft Pac-10 prospect preview

Jake Locker | 6'3, 226 pounds | QB | Washington
Quarterbacks as athletic and strong-armed as Locker don't come around often. In his first year in head coach Steve Sarkisian's pro-style offense, Locker showed marked improvement as a pocket passer. Add his incredible ability and speed and you have a front-line football player. He showed much better pocket instincts in 2009 and didn't always just pull the ball and run. He can be very good in the play action game and can throw effortlessly on the move.

Locker seems to finally be realizing his upside after being slowed by injuries as a sophomore. It's scary, but we likely haven't seen the best of Locker yet. If he can improve some on his touch, Locker has the look of a No. 1 overall pick.

Jurrell Casey | 6'1, 300 pounds | DT | Southern California *
In playing style and build, Casey is very similar to former Trojan Mike Patterson, who was selected 31st overall in 2005. His game is based on explosion and aggression. He's flashed immense talent, but needs to show he can sustain it for a whole season.

Chris Galippo | 6'2, 250 pounds | MLB | Southern California *
Although back issues have slowed Galippo's progress some, he showed in 2009 that he's a solid force at linebacker. He's lined up inside and on the weak side so far and saw some time in the spring at strong-side linebacker. He's expected to play the middle this year, but has to beat out sophomore Devon Kennard. Galippo reportedly played very well in the spring, so that should say something about Kennard's future prospects. A Lombardi Award watch list selection, Galippo had 70 tackles and eight tackles for a loss last season.

Rahim Moore | 6'1, 195 pounds | S | UCLA *
With Eric Berry and Earl Thomas off to the NFL, Moore might have the best hands of any safety in the nation. In 2009, he was the nation's leader with 10 interceptions. He's instinctive and has quick feet to break on the ball. His tackling is decent, but his overall physicality needs to improve.

Kristofer O'Dowd | 6'5, 300 pounds | C | Southern California
The only thing holding O'Dowd back is injuries. He played in just eight games last season after suffering serious knee and shoulder injuries. When healthy, O'Dowd is a technically sound and physical anchor. He's started since his first season at USC and been excellent as a pass blocker.

Jacquizz Rodgers | 5'7, 192 pounds | RB | Oregon State *
Jacquizz is the faster and more explosive of the two Oregon State Rodgers brothers. He'll never be an every down running back in the pros, but his agility will get him on the field. Rodgers is an elusive runner and a deceptively good receiver.

Akeem Ayers | 6'5, 250 pounds | OLB | UCLA *
There are few better playmaking linebackers in college football than Ayers. He scored three touchdowns on defense last season to go with six sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss. With his size, Ayers is going to have teams hoping he comes out following his junior year with the Bruins. There's not a lot he can't do, so expect to see Ayers rise on the charts.

Stephen Paea | 6'1, 310 pounds | DT | Oregon State
Paea's game is based on strength and positioning. Although he's considered undersized for a defensive tackle, but he gets good leverage. His first step is impressive, which has helped him get 19.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks over the past two seasons.

Stanley Havili | 6'1, 230 pounds | FB | Southern California
Havili has been a good draft option since his freshman season at Southern California. His blocking isn't at an elite level, but Havili has good athleticism and speed. His receiving skills are solid and he knows how to run a route. He's the kind of modern fullback that will give a team options.

Kai Forbath | 6'1, 192 pounds | K | UCLA
There hasn't been a kicker in the draft as good as Forbath since the Patriots took Stephen Gostkowski in 2006. He nearly entered the draft after his junior year, unheard of for a special teams player. He is flawless inside 50 yards and has 12 career field goals of 50 yards or more.

Owen Marecic | 6'1, 244 pounds | FB | Stanford
There is no better blocking fullback in the nation than Marecic. Toby Gerhart was able to get to so many holes last season because the work Marecic put in. He's powerful at the point of attack and agile enough to take on moving targets. He's not much of a runner, but he's shown he can handle short-yardage plays.

RS sophomore to watch: Andrew Luck | 6'4, 235 pounds | QB | Stanford
Some are already calling Luck the next Peyton Manning. But after just one season, in which he completed 56.3 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns to four interceptions, that's extremely premature. It's true that Luck has all the tools – a compact and quick release, strong arm, good football intelligence – he just has to continue showing it.

The hype may not be totally premature, but Luck has some things he has to improve upon. Most noticeably, Luck needs to scan the entire field better. He may play in a pro-style offense, but he doesn't have to make many field-wide reads.