Chris Long points out the pain that the opposition will now begin to feel as he applies the heat

Here is the latest draft scoop out of Miami.

The Dolphins have scheduled private meetings with Long, Ryan and Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long in their college cities, according to officials who work with each player. (They have not requested similar sessions with Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston and LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, agents said.)

source

WalterFootball.com gives us the scoop on Chris Long, the most likely prospect.

The Dolphins need a 3-4 rush linebacker. They’ll be able to grab a quarterback, nose tackle and right tackle later in the draft, but they won’t be able to obtain a devastating sack-artist like Long or Gholston at selection No. 32. Long played the 3-4 at Virginia and it doesn’t exactly hurt that his father is Howie Long. The Tuna has a history of drafting players who have NFL bloodlines (Bobby Carpenter).

To summarize, Miami has to acquire a 3-4 linebacker here, and Chris Long is currently the top prospect at that position, edging Gholston out by a nose. This could change in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. source

Matt Ryan would take years. Too much for the impatient Big Tuna.

Jake Long is great, but not great enough to warrant pick number 1.

NFL Football Fan Question Who would you take?

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Miami to draft Ryan or Long, which Long?

Matt Ryan showing off his passing against my Michigan State University Spartans

Matt Ryan of Boston College had his workout day and it was good.

You mean great, right?

No, good. It was ok. Nothing really went wrong.

You mean that it sucks then, right?

No, you are not listening. It went well. Keep in mind, there is only one quarterback to evaluate for the top of the heap and it is Matt Ryan. So, good is good.

“I don’t think he slips (in the draft),” Minnesota Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman said. “He finds his wide receivers down the field. If there is anything lacking in arm strength – and I think he has enough arm strength – he knows where to go with the ball.”

Spielman was one of 42 representatives from 22 teams in attendance Sunday. But the group lacked star power, with only one head coach – Kansas City’s Herm Edwards – in attendance. The Chiefs’ Carl Peterson also was the only general manager in attendance, along with Kansas City offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and quarterbacks coach Dick Curl.
source

It was like being introduced at the Prom and being afraid to fall down. Matt completed 48 of 52 passes.

When it was over, Ryan’s performance Tuesday seemed to dovetail relatively well with his scouting report: an adequate arm and the ability to make all the throws the NFL will demand, but with a ball that is not always perfectly clean. Many of Ryan’s passes had some wobble to them, which can be caused by gripping the football too tight at the release point and is considered correctable with coaching. At times his receivers had to wait a slight tick to let the ball catch up to them, and a few passes didn’t have perfect placement. But overall, there didn’t appear to be any glaring gaffes in the workout.

Seemed suspicious that Miami, Atlanta and Baltimore hardly had anyone there. They all need quarterbacks real bad! KC was there and along with the other four will probably invite Matt in for individual workouts.

Wow, this is getting nerve wracking!

NFL Football Fan question Which team will take Matt Ryan?

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Matt Ryan shows off, kind of

Rashard Mendenhall does the happy dance after Rivals ranks him number 2 after Darren McFadden

Rivals.com lists the running backs. Go there and learn about each one.

1. Darren McFadden, 6-1, 217, Arkansas
Arkansas’s best.

2. Rashard Mendenhall, 5-11, 225, Illinois
Only a junior. Dominated Big 10.

3. Jonathan Stewart, 5-10, 230, Oregon

4. Felix Jones, 5-11, 200, Arkansas

5. Chris Johnson, 5-11, 195, East Carolina
Fastest player at the NFL combines.

6. Kevin Smith, 6-0, 210, Central Florida

7. Jamaal Charles, 6-0, 200, Texas

8. Matt Forte, 6-1, 220, Tulane

9. Steve Slaton, 5-9, 195, West Virginia

10. Ray Rice, 5-9, 200, Rutgers

You know your team should take an offensive lineman first, but these guys are hard to pass up.

NFL Football Fan Question Will your team draft an offensive lineman?

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Top 10 running backs 2008 NFL draft

Darren McFadden – How fast do you run with the football tucked under your arm?

So, who had the fastest time at the NFL Combine this year?

Darren McFadden, right?

Wrong! Chris Johnson.

Who?

Chris Johnson of East Carolina.

Like said before, Who?

Well, actually he should have had the second fastest time to McFadden. Darren McFadden supposedly ran a 4.27 after Chris Johnson ran a 4.29.

But he then received a text message from University of South Florida cornerback Mike Jenkins, who was watching the workouts on TV. source

Mike’s text message told Chris about Darren McFadden’s supposedly faster time. So, Chris had to go out a run again.

And did he.

Johnson ran faster than all but one of the roughly 3,000 combine participants since electronic timing was adopted in 1999. He was clocked at 4.24 seconds, which easily bested McFadden’s official time of 4.33.

“I thought I was fast, but I didn’t know I was that fast,” Johnson said after a recent post-combine workout at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. “I would have been happy with anything in the 4.2s. It surprised me.”

Now it will draw some attention to Chris Johnson, but more teams are interested in the multi-talented Darren McFadden and his phenomenal time of 4.33. Who would not want a big strong running back with blazing speed that came out of a big time program (Arkansas), where he posted big time numbers?

Chris is not exactly mincemeat. He led the NCAA in all purpose yardage at 227.7 yards a game.

Hey, McFadden will be one of the top picks, no doubt.

But maybe, the publicity of running the second fastest NFL Combine time since the electronic era starting in 1999 ever will help Chris Johnson get drafted.

Oh, and the fastest time? Rondel Melendez, 4.24, in 1999. You remember his fabulous NFL career don’t you? He bounced around the league for a few years and then bounced out.

NFL Football Fan Question How fast is fast?

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Darren McFadden – How fast is fast?