Jeff Samardzija

If Samardzija were solely a baseball player, he'd be much more advanced as a pitcher and a lock first-rounder. But he's not. A consensus football all-American who set Notre Dame records for receptions (77) and touchdown catches (15) last fall, he's also the top-rated wide receiver for the 2007 NFL draft. His fastball has increased from 89-92 mph in 2005 to 91-94 mph this year, touching 96 on occasion. His 6-foot-5 frame and three-quarters arm slot give him power sink on his fastball. He has scrapped a sloppy curveball in favor of an 81-84 mph slider that already is an average pitch. He still has a lot of work to do on the mound. He gets hit more than he should because his control, command and secondary pitches are works in progress. While his mechanics are free and easy, he lacks deception. Samardzija has told Fighting Irish coaches that he'll return for his senior season of football, and he has made it clear to baseball teams that he'll at least explore the NFL next spring. While baseball clubs can give him a backloaded five-year deal as a two-sport star, few want to risk an early draft pick on a player who might walk away in a year. He makes the most sense to a team that has extra picks and can afford to gamble one, or to a club with few picks that wants to try to hit a home run. The Cubs fall into the latter category. Chicago GM Jim Hendry is a close friend of Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri, and the Cubs spent well over slot money to land Irish righthander Grant Johnson in a similar situation two years ago.