Absence

Given my ever-lasting absence from the blog, I figured I should post this for those few who stumble onto the page.

I am still following the NFL Draft and incoming rookies, though less thoroughly than previous years. As the difficulty of my schoolwork has increased, and the amount of writing become overwhelming, I have just been too busy to continually write for this blog.

Most of my knowledge is stored in fairly unorganized tables and sticky-notes, with no true rankings and few in-depth comparisons in place. Because of this, I am many steps away from putting my thoughts in front of an audience. My focus on rookies has become more specified--generally I am eying quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends, defensive backs, pass-rushers, and some of high-profile offensive tackles. So sorry linemen.

I sincerely apologize to those who followed this blog in the past (mostly the early Colin Kaepernick fans who found me to have the only agreeable opinion concerning his talent) and I hope to continue this blog in the future. As my college days come closer to an end and the real world fast-approaching, I am unsure of how I will be able to balance my time in the future. However, I can confidently say that I want to return to State of the Skins (though in retrospect this may have proven to be a somewhat misleading name, as I focus mostly on NFL Draft prospects). I thank all of you who read my material and apologize for my abrupt departure (and brief reappearance).

My All-Star Team

This is pretty self explanatory--I am "drafting" a team based on who I believe are the best players currently active in the NFL. The roster is the same set-up as the Pro Bowl rosters and the defense is for a 3-4 base.

Offense

QB1: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)

QB2: Drew Brees (New Orlean Saints)

QB3: Tom Brady (New England Patriots)

RB1: Arian Foster (Houston Texans)

RB2: Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens)

RB3: LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles)

FB: Vonta Leach (Baltimore Ravens)

WR1: Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions)

WR2: Gregg Jennings (Green Bay Packers)

WR3: Wes Welker (New England Patriots)

WR4: Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)

TE1: Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)

TE2: Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints)

T1: Matt Light (New England Patriots)

T2: Joe Thomas (Cleveland Browns)

T3: Jake Long (Miami Dolphins)

T4: Andrew Whitworth (Cincinnati Bengals)

G1: Jahri Evans (New Orleans Saints)

G2: Marshal Yanda (Baltimore Ravens)

G3: Logan Mankins (New England Patriots)

G4: Brian Waters (New England Patriots)

C1: Scott Wells (Green Bay Packers)

C2: Matt Birk (Baltimore Ravens)

Defense:

DT1: B.J. Raji (Green Bay Packers)

DT2: Vince Wilfork (New England Patriots)

DT3: Barry Cofield (Washington Redskins)

DE1: Haloti Ngata (Baltimore Packers)

DE2: Jason Babin (Philadelphia Eagles)

DE3: Jared Allen (Minnesota Vikings)

OLB1: DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys)

OLB2: Von Miller (Denver Broncos)

OLB3: Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers)

ILB1: Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers)

ILB2: Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)

ILB3: London Fletcher (Washington Redskins)

CB1: Darrelle Revis (New York Jets)

CB2: Charles Woodson (Green Bay Packers)

CB3: Brandon Browner (Seattle Seahawks)

S1: Eric Weddle (San Diego Chargers)

S2: Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers)

S3: Ed Reed (Baltimore Ravens)

Special Teams:

K: Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders)

P: Shane Lechler (Oakland Raiders)

KR: Devin Hester (Chicago Bears)

PR*: Brandon Banks (Washington Redskins)

ST: Jarrett Bush (Green Bay Packers)

LS: Brian Jennings (San Francisco 49ers)

There are many players missing who I really wish I could have put on, as well as some who did not make it because they fit a 4-3 formation and not a 3-4. Also, there are some I chose not to include because of penalties, issues with maturity, and risk of suspensions. I stand tall in my view that players should conduct themselves in a mature and professional manner on and off of the field, as well as follow the rules of the game despite their opinion of the rules.

* Punt Returner is not a position recognized by the Pro Bowl but I believe that the differences of how punts and kickoffs are returned are large enough to recognize separate positions.