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HOT COUGAR ACTION: Ranking WSU's NFL Prospects

In yesterday's morning link post, I ran down the list of former WSU football players currently on NFL rosters. As luck would have it, Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com, The Sports XChange and CBSSports.com took a look at the top five NFL prospects on the current WSU roster.

To no one's surprise, Rang ranks Marquess Wilson as the No. 1 prospect on the 2012 WSU roster. NFLDraftScout.com has Wilson at No. 46 overall and as the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2013 draft.

Next up on the list is Jeff Tuel. Rang, like many, points out how well Tuel fits into Mike Leach's offense. He highlights his athleticism and touch as strong qualities.

I would say most WSU fans would have Travis Long next on the list of potential NFL prospects but Rang goes a little outside the box and lists Andrei Lintz No. 3. The Lintz hype train has been moving at bullet train speeds since spring football and Rang describes him as an "intriguing developmental project worthy of late round consideration."

Long does make an appearance at No. 4, but Rang's assessment isn't as rosy as some might expect.

Considering his prior success, Long deserves the benefit of the doubt and will certainly earn plenty of attention from NFL scouts. At this point, however, he's late round or undrafted free agent prospect despite his consistent production against Pac-12 competition.

Junior offensive lineman John Fullington rounds out the list, with Rang calling him one to watch for the future. Damante Horton, Deone Bucannon and Dan Spitz are listed under the just missed category. You can read Rang's complete analysis here.

Football

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Wilson Named to CBSSports.com Preseason All-America First Team - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
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25. Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington Stat

Video: Washington State OLB Travis Long - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN

Washington State's Travis Long talks about moving from defensive end to outside linebacker and the positive buzz around the Cougars after the hiring of Mike Leach.e