Blazers workouts start heating up again

Draft season got back into full swing on Friday with six prospects in town for workouts, only a couple of which appear to be possibilities for the Blazers' 24th pick. Things will start to heat up more next week when two more workouts are expected to be held, but in the meantime here is a breakdown of the guys who came in Friday.

Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Guard
6-3, 195 pounds
Projection: Late second round
McNeal is one of those players who easily gets lost in the crowd of the NBA Draft. A good scorer at Marquette, McNeal possesses only average size, average shooting skill and DraftExpress.com's breakdown of his senior season backs up those observations. The Draft is often packed with guys like McNeal -- people who look nice in college, but don't quite possess that extra something that makes them an obvious NBA player. Sometimes that perception will change once they're in training camp and can show what they can do in live action, but it's usually an up-hill battle.

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Guard
6-5, 195 pounds
Projection: Late second round
Vasquez is an intriguing prospect because of his good size for a point guard (though he measured an inch shorter at the combine than Maryland reported him) and skill set that has produced some extraordinary performances, such as his triple-double in Maryland's upset of national champion North Carolina last season. He has great vision, a good handle and was able to deliver the ball from virtually any point -- from the point, the wing or driving to the basket -- during his Maryland career. But he is also a cocky loud mouth, which suggests a lack of maturity. We're talking about a guy who described Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium as "My House" to the the Washington Examiner last season, after which his Terrapins got drilled 85-44 in "his house."

Omri Casspi, Israel
Forward
6-8, 220 pounds
Projected: Late first round
The small forward from Maccabi Tel Aviv is one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft. DraftExpress.com ranks him as the top International prospect, and he has some very interesting characteristics: A 6-foot-9 wingspan, apparently strong shooting abilities (45 percent from three last year; 50.5 percent overall. But his talent is apparently still pretty raw, and the scouting report calls Casspi a pure shot creator, with enough size to be effective at the rim. This is definitely a guy to keep your eye on. You can see DraftExpress' interview with Casspi from the combine here.

Micah Downs, Gonzaga
Forward
6-7, 200 pounds
Projection: Late second round
Word out of pre-draft workouts is that Downs could be a sleeper in the draft. His athleticism, ability to create separation from his defender have reportedly been impressive. Still, you can bet that Downs is on the outside of the draft looking in, and anyone who takes him, even late in the second round, is rolling the dice that he can develop down the road.

Chinemelu Elonu, Texas A&M
Forward
6-10, 235 pounds
Projection: Late second round/undrafted
The Nigerian-born Elonu may very well wind up back at A&M for another season since he has yet to hire an agent and his stock doesn't appear to be very high. Elonu. He averaged 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds for A&M last season, but played only 23.8 minutes — the only year in which the junior saw double-digit minutes on the court. He posted nine double-doubles in 34 games despite that limited playing time, though. And you can't fault him for smarts: He is majoring in agricultural leadership and either wants to coach or work with computers when he gets out of school.

Chris Johnson, LSU
Forward
6-11, 190 pounds
Projection: Late second round/undrafted
Johnson appears to have good size, athleticism and versatility to consider, but his talent still appears raw despite being a 23-year-old four-year player. He is extremely thin for a power forward, which would cause trouble for him when banging against the league's physical frontcourt players. But he also lacks the lateral quickness to make him effective on the perimeter as well. He averaged 2.7 blocks as a senior, but his 45.3 shooting percentage leaves much to be desired.