So I was partaking today in a great American tradition — sitting on the couch with a frosty beverage in hand (Coke, in my case today) with the NFL draft on the tube — when I actually stopped vegging out and got to thinking: What if college teams had to draft players instead of recruiting them?

It's not feasible, of course, with thousands of high schools spread throughout the country and multiple levels of play in college, but it's a fun idea. What if we confined it to Kern County? If you were a college coach, which senior would you take with your first pick? Who would make your top 10? Your top running back taken?

For a pool of players, let's use the Arena Bowl rosters from the senior all-star game that takes place May 1 (six days from today) at Rabobank Arena, adding a few guys who aren't playing in the game for various reasons — West High quarterback Ben Jarvis, Highland offensive lineman Jordan Austin, Stockdale running back Stephen Silva, Liberty defensive lineman Trent Eskew, Liberty linebacker Angelo Ornelas and Golden Valley defensive back Michael Pulley.

Make your picks and leave 'em in the comment thread below, and we'll come up with a consensus top 10 in a few days. Also, tomorrow, we'll do Day 2 of the high school draft by coming up with a top 10 of returning players — i.e., if you were starting a new high school in Bakersfield and could pick any 10 returning players, who would you draft?

For now, here's my senior top 10:

1. Derek Carr, QB, Bakersfield Christian — Well, duh. Carr has the body and the arm and the smarts and the pedigree to be a college star. Don't be surprised if the guy's starting as a true freshman for Fresno State next year (right now, he's one of three candidates).

2. Patrick Su'a, LB, Highland — Another Fresno State recruit who was a blast to watch with the Scots. The guy was literally everywhere. I don't think three plays went by without him streaking to the sideline or into the backfield to make a tackle.

3. David Born, OL, West — Every team needs beef inside, and no senior in town offered more than Born, who had offers on the table from Pac-10 and Big 12 schools before he waited too long, so those scholarships offered elsewhere and ended up at Sacramento State.

4. Jake Peterson, WR, Bakersfield Christian — A playmaker of the highest order, though it remains to be seen if Jake would be a great receiver without Carr throwing to him. We won't know for a while, either, because Peterson is going to walk on at Fresno State where he hopes to get some playing time with Carr. Remember, before Carr arrived, he was athletic enough to be a pretty darn good high school quarterback. We might see him in that role in the Arena Bowl, especially if Jose Ramos is injured.

5. Byron Newman, RB, Golden Valley — No disrespect to the defensive guys on the board, but there are some playmakers in this player pool. Newman is a horse — he carried more than 30 times in a game for the Bulldogs more than once — with breakaway speed.

6. Brache Hayes, LB, West — This is the type of guy college coaches love to have — quick enough to where he could probably drop back and be a dynamite safety, big enough to where he could hit the weights and the protein and become a defensive end, or good enough to mature into an all-conference linebacker. The upside with this pick is tremendous (wow, I think I've been listening to Mel Kiper too much).

7. Tevin Jackson, DL, Bakersfield — I want some muscle on my line, and Jackson offers it on the defensive front. Remember, there were (some) times this year when the Drillers' defense was downright dominant, and Tevin was a big reason for that.

8. Ben Savaii, OL, Taft — Using this pick on some more girth. One of the reasons high school coaches rave about Savaii is that he weighs 250 (with a frame that can hold more weight), and he moves his feet incredibly well.

9. Trent Eskew, DL, Liberty — Could have gone with teammate Angelo Ornelas here or with Bakersfield Christian's Ryan Boschma, but I love Eskew's big frame and — get ready for another Mel Kiper word — neverending motor. Should be a sack machine after we bulk him up during a redshirt year.

10. Jose Ramos, QB, South — Never underestimate the power of a dual-threat quarterback in college. Ramos won at a high school that didn't see a lot of victories before he got there, and he's good enough to win somewhere in college, should he get the chance.

Guys who would go in the next 10 picks (alpha order): Jordan Austin, OL, HIghland; Ryan Boschma, DL, Bakersfield Christian; Chris Bowie, WR, Stockdale; Julian Dean-Johnson, RB, North; Adam Mullen, RB, Tehachapi; Angelo Ornelas, LB, Liberty; Daniel Swainston, OL, Liberty.