The Draftguys never rest - we're on our way from Mobile and the Senior Bowl to the final and most intriguing all-star game, the Texas Vs. The Nation game in El Paso, Texas. We've had the privilege of watching the highest character kids at the Shrine Game, and the best talents at the Senior Bowl (although both games contain lots of both). Texas Vs. The Nation has some great kids and great physical specimens of their own, but most of all, it has some of the best stories. Last year's players included Brian Stokes, a Iraq War Vet, Marcus Thomas, who was truly down to his last chance, and has made good as a Denver Broncos 4th round pick, and Walter Thomas, the planet-sized man who went from the front page of the New York Times to being one of the fastest cuts in the history of the NFL (it took the Saints 15 minutes to pull the trigger).

We love every second of our ultimate draft road trip, but no stop is more intense than El Paso. This game more than any other gives you a chance to see the names that no one except the hardcore draftniks know - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know them, because in time, everyone will. Here are some of the players we are most excited about seeing at the beautiful Sun Bowl:

Blake Mitchell, QB - South Carolina

You won’t see Mitchell too high on many draft lists, but we came away very unimpressed with members of the third tier of QBs that we saw over the last two weeks. There is an opening for a few of “the pack” of likely UDFA QBs to move into the top 15 and the late rounds of the draft, and for Mitchell, seizing that opportunity starts in El Paso. He played some of his best ball at the end of the season, and he’s never lived up to his physical potential – exactly the kind of interesting gamble to watch for signs of “getting it” at this point in the draft season.

Eddie Williams , WR - Lane College

When Draftguys went to the Shrine Game practices last year, a WR from tiny Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee stood out and we could not stop talking about him. Jacoby Jones was his name, and he’s gone on to be a third round pick and one of the most exciting rookies of the 2007 preseason. When we interviewed Jacoby right before last year’s draft, he said he teammate Eddie Williams might be even better than he is. If he is, NFL scouts will certainly take notice this week. Williams definitely has the size/speed combo NFL teams are looking for, and if he hits, he’ll hit big.

Alley Broussard, RB - LSU/Missouri Southern

If you’re going to look for an NFL quality RB, LSU is a good place to start. Last year, we had the privilege of watching Justin Vincent in this game, this year we get to watch former Bayou Bengal Alley Broussard. He’s another blue chipper who lit it up early in his career at Baton Rouge, only to tear his ACL and eventually leave LSU. This week is Broussard’s chance to make a big statement to the NFL that he is still the guy who was good enough to be considered the 4th best RB in his recruiting class, ahead of LenDale White and Laurence Maroney.

Eric Bakhtiari, DE - San Diego

Josh Johnson has already shown us that we should not ignore players from the University of San Diego just because they do not give football scholarships. Bakhtiari’s astounding total of 20 sacks in 2007 would have given us a reason to watch him more closely even if Johnson had flopped in Houston last week. He was also the ONLY FCS (the level formerly known as 1-AA) DE to be nominated for the Ted Hendricks award, given to the top DE in college football. He will have a chance to show yet again that he belongs with the big boys this week in El Paso.

Blake Barmore, QB – Trinity

Another QB who has a chance to get into the draft with an outstanding week, Barmore will get our respect simply because he was at the center of the most memorable play in college football this year (arguably ever), the fifteen-lateral “ Mississippi Miracle.

Texas Vs The Nation has fascinating stories of players looking for redemption and players still looking for that first shot. Longshot players don’t come out of “nowhere”, they come out of schools like Mount Union and Northwest Missouri State, and they all come together in El Paso so we can get to know them and their game better. Draftguys will be reporting from the scene all week so when everyone says “Who?” on the second day of the draft in April, you’ll know the answer.