Though I am a huge college basketball fan, I didn't really see most of the guys projected to be available to us enough times to comment on them at length.

Fortunately, one of the beautiful things about this here Internet is there are many blogs out there that follow these guys all year long and can give insight into what kinds of players they are and what they are capable of becoming.

When you draft at #19, it can be tough to gauge which players will still be available. Therefore, we'll be previewing some players that could be intriguing to the team, even if in the end they end up going much higher or much lower than where the Hawks make their selection.

Today we begin the series with one of the many point guards predicted to go in the first round, Syracuse sophomore Jonny Flynn.

Our guest expert today is Sean Keeley, who writes about the Orange at the blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Here are his words on the Syracuse floor-leader:

Jonny Flynn:
Draft Express profile
(photo credit: Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)

How he got here: Unfortunately for Syracuse fans, what got us excited about Jonny Flynn in the first place is exactly what got him here. A star at nearby Niagara High School, Jonny was a natural choice to come to SU, which hadn't had a great point guard in some time. Jonny was a rock for us his freshman year (played every minute of every game) but he really flourished in his sophomore season. It all came together in the 6-overtime epic against UConn in the Big East Tournament. Jonny put the team on his back and will themed back into the game time and time again. SU doesn't win that game without him, nor do they return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six seasons.

Strengths: A born leader, I would put him up against any incoming point guard in the nation gladly. He's explosive and quick and extremely tough, rarely taking time off the court for injuries or rest. And though he might not be tall, you might have seen one or two of his ridiculous dunks from this past season...dude's got hops. Not to mention that he's extremely charismatic and a fantastic ambassador for whatever team he plays for. You'll want a guy like Jonny representing your franchise.

Weaknesses: He's short, standing around 5'10" by most counts. That's much shorter than most of the other bigtime point guards. But if that's the only reason you're not interested in him, you probably haven't seen the guy play much. His outside shot could use some work and he's going to have trouble creating for himself underneath.

Why Hawks fans should want him: He'll be your floor general within 2-3 seasons. He doesn't seem caught up in statistics and his desire to win basketball games is evident to anyone who watches him play. He knows when to put the team on his back and when to let someone else do it. And he's a fantastic representative for your franchise...he's got a million dollar smile and from all accounts is a great guy.

He's so good that when he announced he was going pro, Syracuse went from being a preseason Top Five team to not even among the Top 25. Oh and did I mention he held his own in a scrimmage against Chris Paul last summer and LeBron James personally reached out to Jonny to tell him to go pro?

What might give Hawks fans pause: Again, his size. But really, that's the only thing that should trouble you. And Jonny makes up for that in so many ways. Not a great 3-point shooter, but I don't think he'll be asked to do that too often.

What (if any) current player he reminds you of: This might be the homer in me but I can absolutely see Jonny being a Steve Nash-type pointman. He's got the stamina and the vision to run the floor quickly. He's not going to put up 20 points a night but he might put up twelve points and ten assists. And he can certainly play better D than Nash.