As posted at GBN: http://www.gbnreport.com/
Top pick a lock; not so fast…
Coming into the scouing combine in Indianapolis the consensus around the NFL was that LSU QB Jamarcus Russell was pretty much a slam dunk to be the #1 player selected by Oakland. Heading home, though, the league-wide consensus seems to have softened somewhat. No question Russell has a s much physical talent as any QB prospect to come along in some time, concerns have been expressed in the scouting community about his work ethic and commitment to the game. Those doubts were hardly eased when Russell showed up at the combine with something of a spare tire as he weighed in at a robust 265 pounds, 8-10 pounds over his normal playing weight. That in turn has started speculation that Oakland could in fact return to their original Plan A, that is, try and acquire a veteran QB and use the top pick on another positional player; that would also give 2005 3rd rounder Andrew Walter more time to develop. The fact that Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson, the likely #1 pick this year if it isn’t a QB, blew the socks off everybody in the league when he ran a 4.35 at 6-5, 239 pounds in borrowed shoes at the combine makes Plan A that much more attractive. It should be noted that this is just the latest speculation from around the league; indeed, no one outside, or for that matter in Oakland has more than a passing clue at to what Al Davis is thinking and the curmudgeonly Raiders’ owner will pretty much make the final decision on his own. At the same time, the strong-armed Russell has the kind of physical skills to run Davis’ beloved vertical passing. Whatever, it appears we could be in for a wild next two months with so many perms and combs at the top of the draft board. Stay tuned!
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