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    ***The GBN is pleased to announce an exciting (at least for us) new feature. Every Wednesday evening at 8 PM ET between now and the draft we will be part of an weekly internet radio broadcast focusing on the draft and related developments around the NFL. Folks can listen in at Blog Talk Radio. Chat questions can be sent at the show site and we will be taking caller questions. Should be fun!***

    February 9
  • (12:01 AM): Updated Projection Posted ... With the 2010 draft class now on the board, the GBN first-round projection for the 2010 draft has been updated. Let the debate begin!
  • Top pick trade buzz … Hard to know where its coming from exactly, but there are some quiet rumblings that Tampa Bay might be tempted to try and acquire the #1 pick at the 2010 draft from St. Louis in order to select Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. The Buccaneers have the 3rd pick this coming April and, with 10 picks overall including 5 in the first 100 picks this spring, have some ammunition to possibl make something happen. Meanwhile, the Rams very well could be talked into moving down, either to select a QB with a lower pick, or simply acquire extra picks to try and fill the team’s myriad of needs.
  • We get mail … Its always warms one up just a tad on yet another cold February morning find a draft publication in the mail. That was the case today when we received a copy of Jerry Jones’ excellent draft preview, AKA The Drugstore List. Folks can get more information at the Drugstore List homepage.
    February 8
  • (9:00 AM): Axeman on vet prowl ... Today is the first day that NFL teams can officially release veteran players. Teams have to be under the league's salary cap by March 5th when the free agent signing period begins.
  • (12:01 AM): Saints go marchin' in !!! ... Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints who put an exclamation point the 2009 seaon with a 31-17 Super Bowl win over Indianapolis in Miami. It was the Saints first title in the 43-year history of the franchise. And with the Saints win the first 95 picks of the 2010 draft are now set barring future trades. New Orleans will have the final regular pick in each round this year including the 32nd selection overall to wrap the opening round, while Indianapolis will have the second last regular pick in each round including the 31st selectio overall.
  • Positional rankings; top 200 updated... With the post-season college all-star games now in the books, the GBN positional rankings, as well as the GBN 'Big Board' ranking of the Top 200 overall prospects for the 2010 draft have been updated. Hopefully, we'll also have a revised projection within the next day or so.
    February 7
  • (12:01 AM): Vick at center of Super buzz … The story that won’t go away at this weekend’s Super Bowl in Miami is that St. Louis is seriously considering trying acquiring QB Michael Vick from Philadelphia. If nothing else, several Rams’ assistant coaches have reportedly talked with their Eagles’ counterparts - remember St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo was a long-time assistant in Philadelphia - about Vick. St. Louis obviously isn’t going to use the #1 pick at the 2010 draft as trade bait, however, if they could acquire Vick with a package of other picks, the Rams would then be free to concentrate on other positions. Meanwhile, the Eagles will likely be looking to move Vick rather than pay him a roster bonus later this spring. And while St. Louis is rumored to be interested in Vick, they may have some competition for his services as Buffalo is also said to have some interest.
  • LSU / leads Texas to star game win … LSU RB/KR Trindon Holliday scored a pair of 3rd-quarter TDs to lead the Texas all-star team to a 36-17 win over The Nation squad in Saturday’s all-star game in El Paso in front of an estimated 26,000 spectators. The diminutive Holliday, one of the fastest players in college football, scored on a 67-yard pass from Jacksonville State QB Ryan Perrilloux, with whom he once played at LSU, and then followed it up with 2-yard TD run.
    February 5
  • (12:01 AM): Official combine list released … The good folks who run the NFL’s scouting combine have released the ‘official’ list of players invited to the 2010 edition in Indianapolis later this month. And in addition to the 300-plus players on the unofficial list reported on earlier this month, the names of three other prospects appear on the official list including Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner, New Mexico C Erik Cook and Iowa junior CB Amari Spievey. The new additions bring the current combine lineup to 326 total players. Here’s the list broken down by position. The combine starts on February 25th and runs through March 3rd.
    February 4
  • Senior Bowl game thoughts, Part deux ... our crack scouting staff has emerged bleary-eyed but stiil bushy-tailed after spending the past three days pouring over the tapes from Saturday's Senior Bowl game. And while pro teams generally put far more stock in what happens during practice sessions, much can still be gleaned from the game itself, which after all is real football. Wth that in mind, here's our staff's overview of some of the strengths and weaknesses from this year's Senior Bowl defensive players, as well as their votes for the top 10 players in Saturday's game.
    February 2
  • (11:00 AM): Update on updated three round draft order... Thanks to the several correspondents who picked us up but there were a couple of errors in our unofficial election order for the first three rounds at the 2010 draft. Its actually Tampa Bay which has Chicago's second round pick (#42/44) not Denver, while Cleveland has pick #92 from the Jets. To show we weren't compleyely out to lunch those were okay in the list of picks by team. Please let us now if there are any other updates needed.
  • (12:01 AM):Canadian league releases schedule … The 2010 CFL regular season kicks off with a rematch of last year’s exciting Grey Cup game when Saskatchewn hosts defending champion Montreal on July 1st. Meanwhile, Edmonton will face Toronto Moncton, New Brunswick on September 26th in the first regular season CFL game ever in Atlantic Canada. The CFL season concludes with the 98th Grey Cup game which will be held November 28th in Edmonton. Bring your woolies! In the meantime, here is the full 2010 CFL schedule.
  • February 1
  • Final star game gets underway … Before NFL personnel people can take a well-deserved break prior to the start of the combine, there is still one final all-star game to be completed with practices for the Texas versus the Nation set to start later today in El Paso. And while the Texas v Nation game is still something of a poor cousin to the Senior Bowl and Shrine Classic, at least when it comes to prospects for the draft, this year’s edition has its share of solid second-tier prospects including several very-known players such as QBs Jonathan Crompton of Tennessee, Tim Hiller of Western Michigan, Rusty Smith of Florida Atlantic, Levi Brown of Troy and Ryan Perriloux of Jacksonville State. Meanwhile, as well as Penn State LB Josh Hull, East Carolina DT Jay Ross and North Carolina DE E.J. Ross Meanwhile, massive OTs Jared Veldheer of Hillsdale and J’Marcus Webb of West Texas A&M head a list of intriguing small school prospects. Here is the full list of participants in this year’s Texas versus the Nation game which will be played Saturday at 2 PM ET on CBS College Sports.
  • January 29
  • (1:00 PM): More Senior Bowl reviews on-line … With players at this year’s Senior Bowl in Mobile pretty much resting up for tomorrow’s actual game, more reviews are coming in on what happened at this week’s practice sessions. For those that haven’t seen them yet, both Rob Rang of CBS Sports and Tony Pauline of TFY draft and a special consultant to SI.com, a couple of draft guys who are right more often than not, have their reviews of this week’s winners and losers up. Meanwhile old GBN friend Russ Lande, of GM Jr and The Sporting News has some thoughts on the Senior Bowl's 'best of' performances.
  • Spartan WR pleads to assault charges… Michigan State WR Mark Dell, a second-tier prospect for the 2011 draft, was one of two Spartans’ to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from a campus fight in late November. With the plea other charges were dropped, but Dell still faces up to three months in jail. He will be sentenced early in March. The 6-1, 200-pound Dell averaged almost 18 yards a reception over the past two years. The other MSU player to plead guilty this week was junior-to-be WR B.J. Cunningham.
  • Bengals rook LB arrested on DUI charges … Police in Kentucky arrested Cincinnati rookie MLB Rey Maualuga on charges of drunken and careless driving. Maualuga reportedly hit a parking meter and two parked cars early last night. Maualuga was the Bengals' second-round pick at the 2009 who started the first 15 games of the season before breaking his left ankle.
  • Eagles get new GM …. Philadelphia has named Howie Roseman as the Eagles’ new general manager replacing Tom Heckert who left two weeks ago to become G.M. in Cleveland. Roseman, who has been the Eagles’ VP of player personnel the last two seasons, will continue to manage the team’s college and pro scouting staffs, as well as run the Eagles’ draft preparations including scouting prospects. However, head coac Andy Reid, who also serves as the team's vice president of football operations, has the final say on personnel decisions.
  • (12:01 AM): That's a wrap ... Practices have wrapped up in Mobile prior to tomorrow's actual Senior Bowl game. In fact, most scouts cleared town after Wednesday's full-pads workout as the practice sessions are considered to be far more important than the game itself from a scoting perspective. With that in mind, here are our final Senior Bowl practice thoughts.
  • January 28
  • (12:01 AM): Notes from Mobile ... With the second of two days of practice in full gear at this year's Senior Bowl in Mobile our crack scouting staff has put together some random thoughts on the winners and losers from today's session. And in something of a first, today's first has n mention of a certain QB from Florida! Meanwhile, most pro personnel people are now on their way with home with Thursday's largely walk-through sessions all that's left before Saturday's actual game.
  • January 27
  • (1:00 PM): There were a couple of roster changes to the North team at this year's Senior Bowl team with the addition of Vanderbilt OT Thomas Welch and Youngstown State WR Donald Jones.
  • January 26
  • (1:30 PM): Projection redux ... Not surprisingly, we get tons of letters after posting our updated 2010 draft projections with most referring to a pick by a single tea. However, corespondent James K. went way above and beyond the normal call of duty and passed along some interesting comments on each and every pick that we feel are worth sharing.
  • (1:00 PM): Notes from Mobile … We’ll have our full practice reports from Mobile once our scouting crew has a chance to compare notes, however, a couple of observations from the morning’s North practice. Best guy on the field was Michigan DE Brandon Graham who was unblockable in one-on-one pass rush drills. Same story for emerging Arkansas State DE Alex Carrington who showed a nice combination of strength and agility. Cal combo DE/DT Tyson Aluaha also was tough to block. Interesting that Idaho OG Mike Iupati got some reps at LT after stuffing the North DTs in the one-on-one drills. Iupati, though, struggled a little in moving laterally on the outside. Meanwhile, it was back to reality for UMass G/T Vlad Ducasse, one of the stars of yesterday’s North practice as he really struggled to stay with quicker D1A athletes. Other players who stood out at this morning’s practice included Missouri LB Sean Weathersoon, Cal CB Syd’quan Thompson, Washington LB Donald Booker, Oregon TE Ed Dickson, and Wayne State RB Joique Bell. More to follow.
  • Legend of Mount Cody grows ... While Florida QB Tim Tebow will get most of the headlines, other players will be under the microscope at Senior Bowl practices later this week. One of the biggest, both literally and figuratively will be Alabama DT Terrence Cody who weighed in at a robust 370 pounds at yesterday morning's weigh-in. Photos aren't normally allowed at the weigh-in, the Mobile Press-Register did get an obstructed picture of Cody which is non-too flattering.
  • Illini OG dinged ... In addition to Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield, who reportedly tore an ACL during yesterday's first North team practice session, Illinois OG Jon Asamoah reportedly suffered some kind of leg injury and his status for the rest of the week is up in the air. We'll update as more info becomes available.
  • (12:01 AM): Knee sidelines Badger DE ... The great fear of all players at any all-star game is injury and that threat became a reality for Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield who reportedly tore an ACL at this afternoon's inital Senior Bowl practice. Schofield was battling huge UMass OT Vlad Ducasse in a one-on-one pass rush drill when he stepped awkwardly with the full weight of the 325-pound offenive lineman leaning on him. Schofield will undergo surgery in the next few days and his availability to play at all next season is very much in question.
  • Gator WR chooses football ... Florida WR Riley Cooper, who was a late-round selection of baseball's Texas Rangers last June, has opted to give up baseball for now and concentrate on football. Cooper, who is in Mobile this week for the Senior Bowl, was set to receive half of his signing bonus last week, but reportedly informed the Rangers that he was going to play football instead.
  • January 25
  • (5:00 PM) No-shows weaken Senior Bowl field ... Its an annual kabukie dance as players who origianlly committed to the Senor Bowl back out at the last minute, some because of injury, others purportedly at the behest of the agents who fear the exposure will hurt their client's gade. Players who did not report for whatever reason this year include Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, Texas Christian DE Jerry Hughes, RB Montario Hardesty USC OT Charles Brown, and LSU WR Brandon LaFell. Meanwhile, LSU RB Charles Scott did participate in the weigh-in although he has not been cleared to practice because of a shoulder injury.
  • (12:01 AM): Two more draft spots down; two to go... With Indianapolis and New Orleans off to the Super Bowl in the wake of Sunday's conference championship games, two of the final four positions for the 2010 draft have been decided. The Jets, for example, will pick 29th, while Minnesota will have the 30th pck overall. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl winner will pick 32nd, while the loser of the NFL title game will select 31st. Here's the updated first-round selection order for the 2010 draft as of today.
  • Senior Bowl week kicks off … The top seniors in the country are gathered in mobile for this week’s Senior Bowl which gets underway later this morning with the player measurements and weigh-in. Both the North and South will then have their first practice session on Monday afternoon. Each team them has full workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, while there will be lighter practices on Thursday and Friday. The actual game is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 3 PM ET on the NFL Network. The NFL Network will also have extensive coverage of this week’s practice sessions. The coaching staff from Miami Dolphins will coach the south team, while the Detroit staff will handle the North. As usual, we’ll have extensive reports from Mobile all week.
  • January 24
  • (6:10 PM): Jets loss nets pick ... The New York Jets threw a scare into Indianapolis, but ultimately the upstart Jets lost 30-17 to Peyton Manning and the Colts in this afternoon's AFC Championship game. With the loss, the Jets will get the 29th pick at the 2010 draft. The loser of this evening's NFC title game between New Orleans and Minnesota will pick 30th this coming April, while the Colts and winner of the Saints-Vikings dual will divvy up the final two picks in this year's first round.
  • January 23
  • (12:01 AM): Shrine game on afternoon sked... NFL fans can warm up for Sunday's conference championship games with a little pre-draft work when the East-West Shrine Classic, the first of the three big post-season college all-star games, kicks off at 3 PM ET in Orlando with coverage on ESPN2 and TSN in Canada. And while few of the players in today's Shrine game are considered top 50 prospects, there will still be plenty of mid- and late-round prospects on the field in Orlando. Heading the Shrine list is Mississippi DE Greg Hardy who was arguably the best pure pass rusher in college football over the past several years when he was healthy. Other intriguing players to watch in Orlando include DEs Willie Young of North Carolina State and Wisconsin’s O’Brien Schofield, BYU TE Dennis Pitta, Baylor MLB Joe Pawelek, OGs Sergio Render of Virginia Tech, Shelley Smith of Colorado State, and Texas Tech’s Brandon Carter, OTs Zane Beadles of Utah and Roger Saffold of Indiana, Arizona DT Earl Mitchell, safeties Darrell Stuckey of Kansas, Justin Woodall of Alabama, and Kam Cancellor of Virginia Tech, CB Devin Ross of Arizona and Bowling Green WR Freddie Barnes. Meanwhile, Western Illinois CB Patrick Stoudamire heads a solid small-school contingent which also includes QBs John Skelton of Fordham and Matt Nichols of Eastern Washington. Each team in the Shrine game has also traditionally included a player from Canada and this year‘s northern reps are C Matt Morencie from Windsor and Regina WR Jordan Sisco. Here are the full rosters for the East and West squads at this year’s Shrine game.
  • January 22
  • (12:01 AM): Revised 'Big Board' posted ... With the full 2010 draft class now officially on the books, here is the latest GBN Big Board ranking of the top 150-plus prospects for the upcoming draft.
  • January 20
  • (10:30 AM): Day 2 of shrine practice underway … The second and final day of full practices in pads at the Shrine game is just getting underway in Orlando as we speak. The two respective teams will also have practices on Thursday, but they are in shells and concentrate largely on special teams. In fact, figure that by about 5 PM ET later this afternoon there won’t be an NFL scout to be found in town as most head out after the Wednesday practice. An unlike next week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, reports on what’s happening in Orlando are somewhat hard to come by, however, both Chad Reuter of CBSSports and NFL Draft Scout and Paul Guilmette of Paul’s Pigskin Place are on the scene and have een providing reports.
  • (12:01 AM): ‘Missing players still missing … Still nothing definitive on the draft status of Norfolk State WR Chris Bell and Western Illinois DT Abe Koroma, neither of whom appears on the NFL’s official list of underclassmen applying for early entry to the upcoming draft although both announced they would be entering the 2010 draft even though they still had a year of eligibility remaining. Calls to both schools indicated that neither player is currently in school and both programs remain under the impression that the player had indeed entered the draft. For now we are including both Bell and Koroma in the 2010 draft class as their status may be affected by the fact that both are 5th year seniors who redshirted one year. Stanford RB Toby Gerhart, for example, who had the option of returning to school for a 5th year after he missed all but one game of his sophomore season with a leg injury, also isn’t on the list, although he actually did announce that he would entering the upcoming draft. On the other hand, Oklahoma junior TE Jermaine Gresham, who didn’t play a down in 2009 because of a knee injury, is on the list. Go figure.
  • Positional rankings updated … With who is in and who is out for the 2010 draft has been pretty much determined, we have updated our positional rankings and should have an updated ranking of the top 100 or so prospects for the upcoming draft in the next day or so.
  • January 19
  • (1:30 PM): Full list of underclassmen in draft released ... The NFL has released the final list of underclassmen who have applied for early entry to the 2010 draft. A total of 53 underclassmen will be in this year's draft field and while that number equals the record-high, there still wasn't the flood of underclassmen entering this year's draft to avoid the potential of labor strife on the league's horizon. The final list includedfour players who hadn't been showing up on earlier published lists including 300-pound East Carolina DT Linval Joseph, along with DBs Jerell Norton of Arkansas, Dennis Rogan of Tennessee and Josh Moore of Kansas State. all four are juniors and none is considered to be more than a mid-round prospect, although ECU's Joseph has some upside. On the the other hand, neither Western Illinois DT Abe Koroma nor Norfolk State WR Chris Bell, both of whom had announced they were entering the draft, appear on the league's final list of underclassmen. We are working to try and find out what happened to those two guys.
  • (12:01 AM) Question about rotation of late picks answered … sort of … A number of correspondents have queried in the past few days how the selection order of playoff teams will rotate in the second and subsequent rounds given the new methodology for assigning picks to playoff teams based on far they advance in the playoffs. As far as we can tell, and if anyone has more relevant material please send it along, playoff teams with the same W-L record eliminated in the same round will rotate picks in subsequent rounds, but otherwise will maintain the position assigned in the opening round. As a result - and again this is very unofficial - Cincinnati and New England will rotate the 21st and 22nd picks in each successive rounds, while Green Bay and Philadelphia will flop the 23rd and 24th selections.
  • Hog QB has surgery … Arkansas junior-to-be QB Ryan Mallett, who seriously considered entering the 2010 draft and is a top prospect for next year, reportedly had what is being described as minor surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. Mallett reportedly actually originally suffered the injury to the shoulder last spring and played with it through the 2009 season.
  • January 16
  • (3:00 PM): SMU back late add to draft list ... Add the name of Southern Methodist junior RB Shawnbrey McNeal to the list of underclassmen who have entered the 2010 draft. The 5-9, 190-pound McNeal ran for almost 1,200 yards and 12 scores this past fall, but is still considered more a free-type prospect.
  • January 15
  • (6:00 PM): Tide CB confirms draft entry; top kicker staying put ... Draft declaration day for underclassmen has been mostly a dud so far today. Indeed, in the last several hours the only peeps of news are that Alabama junior CB Kareem Jackson did ultimately confirm that he will be entering the 2010 draft, while UCLA junior PK Kai Forbath, the best kicker in college football last fall, will return to school for his senior campaign. Note, though, that even though we believe the deadline for underclassmen to apply to the NFL for early entry to the upcoming draft is now past, other players may in fact have put in their names but not made a formal announcement. As well, players who have not signed with an agent have a 72-hour window of opportunity to withdraw their names.
  • (2:30 PM): Top TE confirms draft entry ... Arizona junior TE Rob Gronokowski has confirmed that he will be entering the 2010 draft. Gronokowski didn't play this year because of a back problem, but has been medically cleared to resume full workouts and has the potential to be obe of the first 2-3 players off the board at the position this coming April.
  • (2:00 PM): Cardinal star back confirms draft entry ... Stanford RB Toby Gerhart, this year's Heisman Trophy runner up after he ran for almost 1,800 yards, has confirmed that he will be entering the 2010 draft rather than returning for another year in college. Gerhart was eligible to return to school becase he played in only one game as a sophomore after injuring a knee.
  • (12:30 PM): One top SEC defender in; one out ... Alabama junior C Kareem Jackson has reportedly told team officials that he will forego his final year of eligibility and enter the 2010 draft. Meanwhile, LSU junior MLB Kelvin Sheppard, the 4th leading tackler in the SEC last fall, will return for his senior season next fall after seriously considering entering the upcoming draft. Sheppard, a native of Stone Mountain, Ga., led the Tigers and .
  • (10:00 AM): Sooner back to stay ... It really isn't ahuge surprise, but Oklahoma junior RB DeMarco Murray has confirmed he will be returning to school for his senior season next fall. At the same time, there is still no official word from South Carolina junior DE Clifton Geathers, but it continues to appear that he is NFL bound as he reportedly has not atended any classes or team meetings this month. Indeed, it appears that the South Carolina coaches don't even know where he is. Geathers isn't all that highly rated but appears to be tempted to follow the path of his his brother Robert who was a mid-round pick by the Colts several years back after leaving Georgia as a less than heralded junior, but has evolved into a top NFL DE. Meanwhile, injured Miami RB Graig Cooper, who likely won't play at all in 2010 after tearing an ACL reportedly still hasn't ruled out entering this year's draft. Again that may be one of those an history repeat itself deals as former Hurricanes' RB Willis McGahee entered the draft in 2003 with no chance to play that coming year after tearing his ACL. McGahee was still a first round pick by Buffalo, although he was also a much-higher rated prospect than Cooper.
  • (12:01 AM): Draft D-day for underclassmen … Underclasssmen thinking about entering the 2010 draft have until 4 PM ET later this afternoon to file paperwork with the NFL to be included in this year's draft class. In fact, though, almost all of the big-name juniors have already announced their intentions, however, a number of other potential prospects have yet to make a formal announcement including RB DeMarco Murray of Oklahoma, TE Rob Gronokowski of Arizona, Florida State OG Rodney Hudson, CB Kareem Jackson of Alabama, and UCLA PK Kai Forbath among others. South Carolina junior DE Clifton Geathers is also believed to have decided to enter the draft. So far, by our unofficial count, 45 underclassmen who have indicated in some fashion or other that they plan to enter this year's draft. That's already above last year's total, however it is still not the flood of underclassmen that many were predicting given the uncertain labor situation facing the NFL in the next year or so. As well, underclassmen who have applied for early entry to this year's draft have a 72-window of opportunity to withdraw their names beginning at Friday's application deadline of 4 PM ET as long as they have not signed with an agent.
  • January 14
  • (7:00 PM): Mountaineer RB to stay in school ... West Virginia junior RB Noel Devine has announced that he will be passing on the chance to enter the 2010 draft and will instead return to school for his senior season.
  • (10:00 AM): Herd RB; Pack DE look to be headed to draft … Nothing has yet been officially announced but it appears that both Marshall junior RB Darius Marshall and Nevada junior DE Kevin Basped will be entering the 2010 draft. Marshall is a little undersized at 5-9, 195, but is a slasher who had almost 3,000 career rushing yards for the Herd including over 1,100 this past season despite the fact that he missed the better part of three games. Meanwhile, Basped is a rangy 6-5, 240-pound edge rusher who had 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons. Both are considered to be mid-to-late round prospects.
  • More Who's hot or not... Long-time GBN friend Paul Guillmette, editor and publisher of the Pauls Pigskin Place is back with another edition of his impressions of who stood out during the late bowl games.
  • Longhorns’ QB on the mend … Texas QB Colt McCoy reportedly got a positive assessment from noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews when he had his injured shoulder checked out. Indeed, McCoy is optimistic that he will be able to participate in the scouting combine at the end of February. McCoy sought out Andrews for a second opinion after he suffered hat has been described as a pinched nerve in his throwing shoulder in the Longhorns’ first series in the BCS Championship Game against Alabama.
  • Irish WR in a bit of legal hot water … Notre Dame sophomore WR Michael Floyd, a leading prospect for the 2011 draft, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol earlier this month after an altercation at a house party in Minneapolis. Floyd wasn‘t arrested, but was cited for underage consumption of liquor, a misdemeanor.
  • January 13
  • (9:00 PM): A&M sack artist back to school … The flood of underclassmen back to school continued this evening with word that Texas A&M junior DE Von Miller, who led the NCAA in sacks in 2009, announced he will to the Aggies for his senior season in 2010.
  • (7:00 PM): Two more juniors staying in school ... The number of underclassmen deciding to return to school rather than enter the 2010 draft grew by two as both record-setting Houston junior QB Case Kennum and Arkansas junior TE D.J. Williams have indicated they will be returning for their senior campaigns next fall.
  • (3:30 PM): Pitt DE to stay in school ... Scratch another potential prospect for the 2010 draft as Pittsburgh junior DE Greg Romeus has reportedly decided to return to school for his senior season next fall.
  • (1:00 PM): Spartan LB to stay in school ... Michigan State junior OLB Greg Jones has announced that he will return to play his senior season with the Spartans.
  • (12:01 AM): Crowd headed to Indy combine … Sporting News has a preliminary list of seniors invited to this year’s scouting combine scheduled for February 24th to March 2nd in Indianapolis. While SI posted their list by school, here it is broken down position. Of note is the fact that Stanford RB Toby Gerhart is already on the list. Gerhart, the Heisman runner-up this year, has another year of eligibility left after he played in only one game his sophomore season, however, this would tend to indicate that he is not going that route. Too, as is often the case with the combine, one of the stories is who didn’t get invited. Players not on the published list, for example, include WRs Riley Cooper of Florida, Bryan Anderson of Central Michigan and Naaman Roosevelt of Buffalo; interior offensive linemen Sergio Render of Virginia Tech and Thomas Austin of Clemson; Texas Tech DE Brandon Sharpe; Oklahoma DT DeMarcus Granger; LBs Joe Pawelek of Baylor, Josh Hull of Penn State and Rico McCoy of Tennessee and Western Illinois CB Patrick Stoudamire. And who isn’t on the list matters to the extent that while some players not invited to the combine will ultimately be drafted, the combine is a pretty good indicator who the NFL thinks the top 250-300 prospects are. Of course, many of the underclassmen who have applied to enter the 2010 draft will also be added to the list in the coming weeks and it is still possible that other seniors could also be added between now and the end of February.
  • USF in draft; BYU RB not … CBS Sports is reporting that South Florida junior WR Carlton Mitchell has decided to enter this year’s draft after the sudden dismissal of Bulls’ head coach Jim Leavitt. Mitchell is a 6-3, 210-pound big-play threat who averaged almost 18 yards a catch in 2009. Meanwhile, BYU junior RB Harvey Unga, the Cougars’ all-time leading rusher, has indicated he’ll be passing on the upcoming draft and instead will return to school for his senior year. Underclassmen have until the end of business Friday to apply for early entry to this year’s draft.
  • Top WR prospect signs with tough agent … Oklahoma State junior WR Dez Bryant, who missed most of the 2009 season after being suspended by the NCAA for lying about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders, has made an interesting choice of agents. Bryant reportedly has signed with Eugene Parker who was the agent for San Francisco WR Michael Crabtree last year. Many analysts had Crabtree rated as the top prospect overall at this time last year, but he was never able to work out for pro teams because of an injury and was ultimately taken with the 10th pick last April. Parker argued, though, that Crabtree still deserved to be paid as a top 5 pick which resulted in Crabtree holding out the first month of the season. Like Crabtree, Bryant is considered to be the top WR prospect in the 2010 draft with top 5-10 potential, but his off-field troubles, combined with the threat of some protracted negotiations once he is drafted, could scare off some teams with high picks this coming April. Stay tuned!
  • January 11
  • (6:30 PM): Hawkeye CB latest to enter draft ... Iowa junior CB Amari Spievey has announced that he will pass up his senior season with the Hawkeyes and enter the 2010 draft. Spievey is considered to be a second or third round prospect.
  • (5:00 PM): SEC safety to enter draft .. LSU junior safety Chad Jones has sent out a news release indicating he will enter the 2010 draft. Jones was an All-Sec DB and figures to be an early round pick at the upcoming draft.
  • Pitt soph WR cleared of assault charges … Pittsburgh sophomore WR Jonathan Baldwin has been found not guilty of two counts of indecent assault. The charges stemmed from an incident on a shuttle bus last April when Baldwin was accused of touching another female passenger. The 6-5, 220-pound Baldwin figures to be a top prospect for the 2011 draft.
  • (3:00 PM): Tide MLB enters draft … Alabama junior MLB Rolando McClain has announced that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 draft. McClain, the 2009 Butkus Award winner as college football’s top backer, is expected to be selected somewhere in the middle of the first round of this April's draft. The 6-3, 255-pound McClain had 101 tackles in 2009 including 4 sacks and 8.5 other tackles for loss while also picking off three passes.
  • (2:30 PM): Two more Gators enter draft ... The exodus of underclassmen from Florida continued this afternoon as a pair of Gator juniors, DE Carlos Dunlap and safery Major Wright, announced they will be entering this year's draft. Earlier in the day, Florida junior C Maurkice Pouncey had annouced he was going pro. Dunlap had been considered a likely top 10 pick before being suspended after he was charged with a DUI the week before the SEC championship game. Meanwhile, Wright is considered to be more a mid-round propsect.
  • (1:00 PM): Tech juniors enter draft … Georgia Tech juniors DB Morgan Burnett, RB Jonathan Dwyer and DE Derrick Morgan announced at a joint press conference this afternoon that they will all be entering their names in the 2010 draft. The Yellow Jacket trio joins fellow junior WR Demaryius Thomas, who announced late last week that he would be turning pro this winter. Morgan is a potential top 10 prospect who emerged as one of the nation's top edge rushers in 2009 when he posted 12.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Dwyer is considered to be a possible late first round candidate, while Burnett is second-third round prospect.
  • (11:00 AM): One Gator twin in draft; one not … ESPN is reprting that Florida junior C Maurkice Pouncey has said that he will be leaving school and entering the 2010 draft, however, twin brother Mike, a starting OG for the Gators, reportedly plans to stay in school and, may, in fact, move over to C. The fact that the Pounceys are not leaving for the NFL together is a bit of a surprise as they had previously said they would either stay or leave Florida together.
  • January 10
  • (5:00 PM): UGA LB to enter draft … Georgia junior LB Rennie Curran said this afternoon that he will leave school early for the 2010 draft. Curran was an extremely productive college player who had almost 300 tackles in three years including 130 last fall, however, he’s somewhat undersized at around 5-10, 225 and may have to make a move to SS to have an impact at the next level.
  • <(11:00 AM): Top TE prospect to see doc … Rob Gronkowski will be in California on Wednesday for a meeting with the doctor who performed surgery on his injured back in September. How the back responds will go a long way in determining whether Gronkowski enters the upcoming draft where he would likely be one of the first 2-3 players off the board at the position. Gronkowski, who didn’t play a down in 2009, says he will enter the upcoming draft if he can be medically cleared to be able to participate in next month’s scouting combine. The 6-5, 265-pound Gronokowski caught 75 passes for 1,200 yards and 16 TDs in his first two college seasons.
  • Defensive struggle in DII star game … This year’s Cactus Bowl between prospects from Division II schools turned into a defensive struggle with the West team winning 16-0. The fact that the game was played in freezing temperatures in Kingsville, Texas didn’t help the offenses. Texas A&M-Kingsville QB Billy Garza, a local product, though, was able to complete 15 of 27 passes for 146 yards and a TD to lead the West squad and was named the Offensive Player of the Game. For good measure, Garza also rushed for 33 yards on 6 carries. Garza’s TD pass was to Southeastern Oklahoma WR Jerome Hewitt who was the West’s leading receiver with five catches for 58 yards, while Central Washington WR Johnny Spevak also had 5 catches for 37 yards. Northwest Missouri State RB LaRon Council led the West rushing attack with 55 yards on 10 carries. While the East did not have many offensive highlights, West Chester LB Sam Scott, a 6-4, 215-pound sometime basketball player, was all over the field making 14 tackles while forcing a pair of fumbles and was named the Defensive Player of the Game. The Offensive Lineman of the Game Award was handed out to 6-7, 325-pound West Texas A&M OT J’Marcus Webb.
  • January 9
  • (11:30 AM): Tebow headed to Mobile... Interesting news from the the Senior Bowl in that star Florida QB tim Tebow has agreed to participate in this year's game. Tebow, of course, was a recrod-setting dual threat QB for the Gators, but has received a wide range of conflicting evaluations for his potential as a pro QB because of his less that text book mechanics.
  • (10:00 AM): USC WR; ‘Horns safety enter draft.. Southern California junior WR Damian Williams and Texas redshirt sophomore safety Earl Thomas are the latest underclassmen to have announced they will be leaving school and entering the 2010 draft where both are projected to be mid-to-late first round picks.
  • Lions; Dolphins staffs to coach Senior Bowl …
  • January 8
  • Top small-school CB on shelf … Indiana (PA) CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, one of the top prospects for the 2010 draft outside the ranks of D1A schools, had been selected to play in next week’s East-West Shrine Game will not be able to participate after undergoing surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered in the school’s season-finale.
  • (2:30 PM): Hogs QB confirms no draft this year ... Arkansas redshirt sophomore QB Ryan Mallett has announced that we will be passing on the 2010 NFL draft and returning to school for his junior season next fall.
  • (1:45 PM): USC RB enters draft ... Southern California junior RB Joe McKnight has announced that he will make himself available for the NFL draft. The 5-11, 200-pound McKnight, who reportedly runs the 40 in under 4.4 seconds, ran for over 1,000 yards this season wile splitting carries witht the rest of the deep USC backfield, but was held out of the team's bowl game because his relationship with a Santa Monica businessman who owned a 2006 Land Rover that McKnight was driving was being invesigated.
  • (1:30 PM): Tech WR enters draft ... Georgia Tech junior WR Demaryius Thomas has announced that he will be entering 2010 draft. The 6-3, 230-pound Thomas, who caught 46 passes for almost 1,200 yards this past season, will be an intriguing option for NFL teams looking for a big, physical wideout to upgrade their receiver corps, although there are still questions about his pure foot speed. There will also be questions about how quicly Thomas can pick up a pro offense as the Yellow Jackets run an option offense without a very sophisticated passing offense.
  • (12:01 AM):Star CMU WR enters draft ... Central Michigan junior WR Antonio Brown has announced he will be entering the 2010 draft. The 5-9, 180-pound Brown Brown, who is also a dangerous punt returner, isn’t all that big or physical, but does have sprinter speed, although he is still more of a possession type receiver who is most effective working the underneath zones. This past season, for example, Brown had over 100 receptions, but only averaged just over 10 yards per; at the same time, he averaged over 13 yards on pnt returns and brought two back for scores. Brown also returned a KO for a TD in CMU's dramatic bowl win over Troy earlier this week.
  • January 7
  • (7:00 PM): Ole Miss QB to enter draft; VA Tech DE too... Mississippi has confirmed that junior QB Jevan Snead has decided to leave school and enter the 2010 draft. Snead actally entered the season projected as a likely first-round pick, but after a somewhat inconsistent 2009 campaign, could slip down a rond or two. Meawnhile, Virginia Tech junior DE Jason Worilds has also announced that he will skip his senior season and enter the upcoming draft.
  • (12:01 AM): Top Big 10 OT to enter draft … Iowa junior OT Bryan Bulaga, the Big Ten’s offensive lineman of the year, has announced that he will be entering the 2010 draft. The 6-5, 315-pound Bulaga is projected as a first-round pick, although his ultimate draft grade may have been compromised by a non-football illness that forced him to miss three games early in the season.
  • January 6
  • (6:00 PM): Gator TE; USF DE enter draft … The 2010 draft class grew by two players as both Florida junior TE Aaron Hernandez and South Florida junior DE Jason Pierre-Paul have announced they will be turning pro this winter. Hernandez should be one of the first 2-3 TEs off the board this coming April, while Pierre-Paul, who is still very raw after having played only one year of major college football after arriving at USF from the junior college ranks, has some people talking first-round potential because of his size - he’s a rangy 6-5, 260-pounder with a huge wingspan - combined with uncommon athleticism for a DE.
  • (4:00 PM): One in one out for Lions … Penn State junior RB Evan Royster has announced hat he will pass on the 2010 NFL draft and return to school for his senior season. Meanwhile, PSU DE Jerome Hayes has reportedly opted to enter the draft rather than petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. Once a highly recruited prep recruit, Hayes missed a couple of seasons with knee injuries. Hayes had 18 tackles and a sack for the Nittany Lions in 2009.
  • January 5
  • (7:00 PM): Two out of three ain’t bad for Bucks … A pair of Ohio State juniors have reportedly indicated they will be passing on the 2010 draft as both DE Cameron Heyward and CB Chimdi Chekwa will return to school for their senior seasons next all. Earlier in the day, Ohio State junior DE Thaddeus Gibson had announced that he would be entering this year’s draft. Same story at Clemson where both junior FS DeAndre McDaniel and DT Jarvis Jenkins have said they will be back on campus next fall. McDaniel, though, has left the door to the NFL slightly ajar if the league’s special draft advisory committee should rate as a potential first-rounder, although that‘s considered a real long shot.
  • (2:00 PM): Sooner CB changes mind will enter draft; Buck DE too ... Oklahoma junior CB Dominique Franks has had a change of heart and will enter the 2010 draft. Earlier, the 6-0, 190-pound had indicated he would be returning to school; Franks looks to be a second or third round prospect for the upcoming draft. Ohio State junior DE Thaddeus Gibson has also announced that he will forgo his senior season and enter the upcoming draft where he projects to be a mid-round choice, although most likely as an OLB as at 6-2, 240 he is somewhat undersized for a DE.
  • Pack RB to enter draft ... North Carolina State RB Toney Baker, the Wolfpack's leading rusher in 2009, has decided to pass on a 6th year of eligibility awarded to him by the NCAA after he missed almost two full seasons because of a knee injury and enter this year’s draft.
  • (10:00 AM): Canes’ DT, Cavs corner to stick with school … Miami junior DT Allen Bailey has reportedly told reporters from the Miami Herald that he will be returning to the Hurricanes for his senior season next year. Same forVirginia junior CB Ras-I Dowling who has announced he will be staying with the school through the 2010 season. Dowling had been considered to be one of the top prospects at the position for the upcoming draft with the potential to sneak into the latter stages of the opening round if he did opt to turn pro this winter, while Bailey was considered a late second or early third round prospect. Meanwhile, North Carolina junior WR Greg Little has also indicated that he will be returning to school next year.
  • Irish QB to have toe surgery; miss combine … Notre Dame junior QB Jimmy Clausen, who has already declared for the 2010 draft, played most of the past season with torn ligaments in a big toe and will have surgery later this morning to correct the problem. Clausen is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 months meaning he will not be ready to participate in the scouting combine in late February, or even Notre Dame’s pro day in March, but hopes to be able to throw for pro scouts at private workouts early in April.
  • CBA contract talks resume; rookie cap on agenda … A rookie wage scale is among the major topics the NFL and the players union are expected to discuss in labor negotiations which resume later this morning. The NFLPA has reportedly presented a proposal to the owners that would include reducing the money paid to rookies and shifting it to veterans' contracts instead. The union plan reportedly would have a scale or cap for how much rookies would be paid. Reducing the sometimes potentially cap-killing contracts rookies, especially those taken early in the draft, reportedly is one of the primary goals in the owners’ agenda. If the owners and NFLPA can not agree on a new CBA the 2010 will be an uncapped season.
  • January 4
  • (7:00 PM):LB U LB enters draft ... Penn State junior LB Navarro Bowman has announced that he will be entering the 2010 draft. The 232-pound Bowman, who reportedly runs the 40 in around 4.55 seconds, had 17 tackles along with a pair of interceptions in 2009 despite missing a couple of games. Bowman is projected as a late-first, early second round prospect at this year's draft, although he has had his share of off-field troubles in the past.
  • (12:10 AM): Draft order corrected ... PLease note an early version of the 2010 first-round selection order was inadvertantly posted. The corecct version has now been posted. Our apologies for the error.
  • Gator CB to go pro … Florida junior CB Joe Haden has announced that he will be entering the 2010 draft. Haden is considered to be one of the top-rated corners in the current draft field and a potential top 10-15 pick this coming April. Meanwhile, the NFL is still waiting to hear from a bunch of other Florida juniors including DE Carlos Dunlap, TE Aaron Hernandez, C Maurkice Pouncey, OG Mike Pouncey, FS Major Wright and RB Chris Rainey. On the other hand, 5 North Carolina junior defenders including DT Marvin Austin, LB Bruce Carter, FS Deunta Williams, LB Quan Sturdivant, and CB Kendric Burney reportedly will announce at a press conference later today that they will all be returning to school for their senior seasons. Listening to Wisconsin junior RB John Clay and junior OT Gabe Carimi one also gets the feeling they are strongly leaning toward returning to school. Underclassmen have until January 15th to file the necessary paperwork with the NFL to be included in the 2010 draft class.
  • (9:00 AM): Better late than never ... What with all the bowl action going on this week we find ourselves behind the curve on some regular stuff. So before the final week of the NFL regualr schedule kicks off in about 4 hours, let it be known that Houston LB Brian Cushing, the 15th player taken at the 2009 draft, was last week's winner of the GBN 'Rookie of the Week' award after his 9 tackle, one sack, one interception performance helped the Texans defeat Miami 27-20. Cushing edged out his RBs Arian Foster, his Houston teammtae who ran for 97 yards on 19 carries against the Dolphins, and Shonn Greene of the Jets who ran for 95 yards on just 16 carries as the Jets beat the Colts' 'B' team to knock Indianapolis from the ranks of the unbeaten. Also just a little later than usual, here is the updated rookie stats package for play following week 16 of the NFL schedule.
  • January 2
  • (7:00 PM): Cal back enters draft … Despite missing the final month of the schedule, California junior RB Jahvid Best announced earlier this afternoon that he's entering the 2010 draft. Best has rushed for just under 2,700 yards in his career including almost 900 this fall despite suffering a severe concussion and back injury that ended his season prematurely back in early November. The 5-10, 195-pound Best who has track speed is still projected to be one of the first backs off the board this coming April.
  • (2:00 PM): Gator OT to stay; CB going pro??? … Florida junior OT Carl Johnson, one of a passel of Gator underclassmen who have considering entering the 2010 draft, announced after last night’s Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati that he will be coming back to school next fall. Meanwhile, teammates are saying that Florida junior CB Joe Haden has told them he is entering the draft. Haden, who projects to be a top 10-15 prospect, though, is saying he still hasn’t made a final decision. Meanwhile, Florida junior C Maurkice Pouncey, who is expected to enter the draft, started in the Sugar Bowl despite spending five-plus hours at a local hospital because of kidney stones. Pouncey received a CT scan which showed no kidney obstruction, got some IV fluid and suited up
  • UT QB dinged … Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton suffered what is a being described as a ‘pretty severe concussion’ when he hit his head on the turf in the waning moments in the Vols’ bowl loss to Virginia Tech. Crompton was taken by ambulance to hospital and spent the night under observation, but has since returned home.
  • Cowboy corner to sit bowl …. Oklahoma State CB Perrish Cox, one of the better cover corners in the 2010 draft class, will not play in today’s Cotton Bowl against Mississippi for violating team rules. Nobody from the program is saying officially but it is believed that Cox missed curfew in the days leading up to the Cotton Bowl. Meanwhile, there is also some question as to whether star OSU OT Russell Okung, a potential top 10 pick this year, will play after he tweaked a knee in practice this week. On the other hand, Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy, who had been expected to miss the rest of the year after breaking a wrist, may get some snaps.
  • Back in the saddle … Nice to see that Oklahoma senior DT DeMarcus Granger, who missed the entire season after undergoing back surgery, played extensively in the Sooners’ bowl win over Stanford earlier this week.
  • January 1
  • (10:00 AM): Record setting CUSA QB looks to be staying … Houston junior QB Case Keenum didn’t say it directly but left little following the Cougars’ disappointing bowl loss to the Air Force in which he was picked off 6 times that he’ll be back for his senior season next fall. Said Keenum in a post-game presser "I'm going to learn from this… I'm a winner and a competitor. That's how it's going to be. We're going to take this into the offseason, and we're going to use it as motivation. Look for the Cougars to do something special next year, because the there's a lot of guys in this locker room who have a lot of determination."
  • (9:00 AM): UT safety enters draft … It was one of college football’s worst kept secrets as Tennessee safety Eric Berry announced after the Vols’ bowl loss to Virginia Tech last night that he will be entering the 2010 draft where he is expected to be a top 5 pick.
  • Bills name familiar face new G.M…. Buffalo has named Buddy Nix as the team’s new general manager with full control of the club‘s football operations. The 70-year-old Nix has been a national scout with the Bills for the past year. Prior to that Nix was director of player personnel, overseeing both the college and the pro scouting departments in San Diego and later was assistant G.M. with the Chargers.
  • December 31
  • (10:00 AM):Canes junior RB tears up knee Miami junior RB Graig Cooper, who reportedly had been considering entering the draft, suffered what is being described as a serious knee injury running back a KO in the Hurricanes’ bowl loss to Wisconsin earlier in the week. An MRI still has to be conducted, however, all indications are that Cooper tore an ACL and the whispers around the program are that he may not play at all in 2010.
  • Top TE prospect running again … Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham, who missed the entire season after undergoing knee surgery, has reportedly been running and cutting on the sidelines during practices this week. Gresham, who was on crutches for a couple of months following a surgical procedure that stitched back together torn cartilage in his knee, is still planning to enter the 2010 draft where he hopes to be a first-round pick, although he likely won’t be 100% during pre-draft testing. Meanwhile, Arizona junior TE Rob Gronkowski says he is still ‘50-50’ about entering this year’s draft despite the fact he still can barely get out of bed after undergoing back surgery earlier in the year. Gronkowski has indicated he will enter the draft if the NFL’s special draft advisory committee suggests he will still be a #1 pick, although like Gresham there is little likelihood that he will be able to do much more than make a cameo appearance at the scouting combine and campus pro dates prior to the draft.
  • December 30
  • (10:00 AM): Bruin DT declares… UCLA junior DT Brian Price reportedly announced after yesterday’s win over Temple in the Eaglebank Bowl that he will be leaving school and entering the 2010 draft. The 6-2, 300 Price, who led the nation with 22 tackles for loss this season is considered to be a mid-to-late first round prospect who could be the 3rd DT off the board this spring.
  • December 28
  • USC DE declares for draft; top RB sits out bowl ... Immediately after last night's Emerald Bowl win over Boston College, Southern California junior Everson Griffen announced that he will be entering the 2010 draft. At the same time, USC junior WR Damian Williams, who had a terrific bowl game, continues to indicate that he is still undecided, while junior RB Allen Bradford is saying he will return to school. And for the record, USC junior RB Joe McKnight did not play in last night's game. McKnight, who is being investigated for having received improper benefits, was allowed to rejoin the team and practice last week, but ultimately was never cleared to play. McKnight is considered one of the top 4-5 RB prospects for the 2010 draft although he has not formally stated whether he will be entering this year‘s draft.
  • December 23
  • Top T prospect could get bowl look at C … Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, a potential top 10-20 prospect for the 2010 draft, will get a chance to show off his versatility when the Sooners play Stanford in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s eve as he is expected to start at C because of injuries along the offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Williams, a consensus All-American LT, has never played C in a game, although he has practiced there some throughout the season for an emergency situation. Williams could improve his stock with teams looking to draft linemen with the flexibility to play multiple positions upfront.
  • December 22
  • (3:00 PM: Big East OT confirms draft entry ... Pretty much as expected, Rutgers junior OT Anthony Davis has formerly announced that he will be leaving school and entering the 2010 draft where he is projected to be one of the top players at the position off the board. The 6-5, 320-pound Davis, for example, is currently rated #2 by the GBN among offensive tackles while he is ranked 13th overall on the GBN Big Board.
  • (1:00 PM): Island LB to enter draft … Hawai’i OLB Blaze Soares has decided to give up on hopes of being granted an extra year of eligibility and will be available in the 2010 draft. The 6-0, 240-pound Soares missed the entire 2008 season after suffering a potentially career-threatening torn ligament at the base of his left calf in fall camp, but came back this season to lead the Warriors with 107 tackles. Unfortunately, Soares couldn’t count the 2008 season as a red shirt because he spent a year at another school prior to enrolling at Hawai’I, although he didn’t play football that year.
  • (11:30 AM): Iowa DE to stay in school … Iowa junior DE Adrian Clayborn, one of three underclassmen from the Orange Bowl-bound Hawkeyes seriously thinking about entering the 2010 draft, has said he is planning to be back at Iowa for his senior season. The 6-3, 282-pound Clayborn led the Hawkeyes with 9.5 sacks and 18 total tackles for loss this fall as he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. Meanwhile, folks around the Iowa program are still awaiting decisions from fellow juniors OT Bryan Bulaga and CB Amari Spievey as to whether they will forego their final seasons of eligibility and enter the upcoming draft.
  • Sooner LB denied extra year … Oklahoma MLB Ryan Reynolds has lost his appeal to the NCAA for a hardship waiver that would have given him an extra year of eligibility because of past injuries. Reynolds tore ACLs in both the 2006 and 2008 seasons and missed time in 2007 with a neck injury.
  • December 21
  • (3:30 PM): USC TE ruled out of bowl... Southern California TE Anthony McCoy is one of three Trojans who have been declared academically ineligible for the Emerald Bowl against Boston College on Saturday. McCoy, one of the leading TE prospects for the 2010 draft, will be joined on the sidelines by back-up DE Averill Spicer, a free-agent candidate this coming spring.
  • (3:00 PM): Top college rusher going pro… ESPN is reporting that Fresno State junior RB Ryan Mathews, the nation’s leading rusher in 2009, will be leaving school early and entering the 2010 draft. The 5-10, 210-pound Mathews averaged over 150 rushing yards per game this past season and then added another 144 in the Bulldogs’ disappointing bowl loss to Wyoming this past weekend in which Mathews was stopped three times from the 1-yard line in overtime and also lost a critical fumble earlier in the game, although the latter was only his second of the season.
  • Gator KR out of bowl … Dynamic Florida kick returner Brandon James will not play in the Sugar Bowl early next month after having surgery on his right foot. James broke a bone in foot against Alabama in the SEC title game and had surgery last week.
  • December 20
  • (3:00 PM): Big 10 CB declares for draft … Michigan junior CB Donovan Warren has announced that he'll enter the 2010 draft. The 5-11, 195-pound Warren is projected as a late first or early second round prospect for the upcoming draft. In fact, the GBN has him rated as the #3 CB and the 35th top player overall for this year’s draft.
  • Canes OT to have surgery; miss bowl … Miami LT Jason Fox, a solid mid-round prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the Champs Sports Bowl against Wisconsin on December 29th after having surgery on his left knee. Miami sources are saying, though, that Fox is expected to be able to resume workouts in a few weeks and should be ready for the scouting combine in February.
  • December 19
    December 18
  • (2:00 PM): Sooners DT to enter draft ... Oklahoma junior DT Gerald McCoy has announced that he will be entering the 2010 NFL draft. McCoy is projected as a potential top 5 pick this coming April.
  • (9:00 AM): Terp tackle to enter draft ... Maryland junior OT Bruce Campbell announced this morning that he will enter the 2010 draft. The 6-6, 310-pound Campbell fiures to be a late first round or more likely second round prospect this coming April. For the record, the GBN has Campbell rated as the #5 offensive tackle as well as the 47th best overall prospect for the upcoming draft, although he has the upside to go higher.
  • December 16
  • (4:00 PM): Illini WR to enter draft … Illinois junior WR Arrelious Benn did announce at a press conference this afternoon that he will be forgoing his senior season and entering the 2010 draft. The 6-2, 220-pound Benn with reported 4.4 speed is projected to be one of the first receivers off this board this coming April despite coming off a disappointing 2009 season in which he had just 38 receptions for 490 yards and 2 TDs as he was slowed much of the year by a nagging ankle injury. That compared with 67 catches for over 1,000 yards the previous season. For the record, the GBN has Benn rated as the #2 wide receiver as well as the 17th best overall prospect for the upcoming draft, although several other services have him somewhat lower.
  • December 15
  • Texans mid-round TE done for year … Houston rookie TE Anthony Hill will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his knee. Hill, a 4th round pick at the 2009 draft, played in only 5 games this year after missing time earlier in the season with a case of the H1N1 flu; he had one reception.
  • SC DB to miss bowl with knee… If Southern California DB Josh Pinkard didn’t have any bad luck he’d likely have no luck at all. The oft-injured Pinkard will not play in the Emerald Bowl against Boston College after he suffered yet another knee injury suffered in the Trojans’ regular-season finale against Arizona. Pinkard, a 6-1, 215-pounder who has played both corner and safety for USC, missed almost all of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with torn ACLs.
  • Star K-State WR/KR is legal hot water… Kansas State WR Brandon Banks, who doubles as one of the most dangerous kick returners in college football, was arrested on charges of battery and unlawful possession of a stimulant over the weekend. Banks was selected as the All-Big 12 return specialist and special teams player of the year by coaches after leading the conference with over 2,000 all-purpose yards and tying C.J. Spiller of Clemson for a D1A leading 4 KO returns for TDs. For good measure, Banks also Kansas State with 56 receptions for 705 yards this fall. Banks, who has been invited to the East-West Shrine all-star game in January, will reportedly not play in the Wildcats bowl game.
  • December 14
  • (7:00 PM): Scratch one top prospect ... In something of a surprise, Washington junior QB Jake Locker has announced that he will be taking a pass on the 2010 draft and returning to school for his senior season. Locker had been projected as a potential top 5-10 pick at this year's draft.
  • (11:30 AM): Big Board tweaked ... For the record, the GBN Big Board ranking the top 100 or so prospects for the upcoming draft has been tweaked to reflect comings and goings among underclassmen as well as some other ups and downs.
  • (12:01 AM): Injured SC looking to enter pros … Southern California RB Stafon Johnson, who suffered a scary season-ending throat injury in a weightlifting accident, is expected to announce soon that he will make himself available for the 2010 draft according to family sources. Johnson could petition the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of the injury, but apparently has decided to move on. Meanwhile, USC junior WR Ronald Johnson, who was sidelined for the first five games because of a broken collarbone, said that he will not be seeking a draft evaluation from the NFL’s special adversary committee and will return for his senior season next fall.
  • December 13
  • (7:00 PM): Rams hold top pick … With St. Louis going down to a 12th defeat in 13 games this fall, the Rams will come out of the weekend sitting on the first overall pick were the 2010 draft held today. And if the draft were held today, the Rams would be followed in order by Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Detroit. As usual, the full, updated first-round selection order for the upcoming draft will be posted after the Monday night game.
  • (12:30 pM): Top rook QBs, WR to sit ... Both of rookie QBs Matt Stafford of Detroit and the Jets' Mark Sanchez have been decativated for today's games. Stafford, the first player taken at the 2009 draft, has a shoulder problem and won't play when the Lions play at Baltimore, while Sanchez, the 5th pick this past April, has a sore knee and will be idle when the Jets play in Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, star Minnesota WR Percy Harvin, the 22nd player taken this year who leads all rookie receivers in receptions, will not play when the Vikings host Cincinnati because of migraines.
  • December 12
  • (12:01 AM): Top safety looks to be leaving school … Tennessee junior safety Eric Berry, one of the top overall prospects for the 2010 draft, hasn’t said so officially but gave every after indication after being awarded this year’s Jim Thorpe Trophy as the nation’s best defensive back. Responding to a question at a post-award presser, Berry was is being quoted as saying that he was ‘going to really miss the fans; the fans were always into the game whether we won or lost, they always stuck by us.” Berry did backtrack somewhat the next day at practice saying that he is still undecided, but did confirm that at this time he is leaning toward turning pro as opposed to returning to school. Meanwhile, at least according to a report by Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun the father of Florida junior safety Ahmad Black says that the four Gator juniors from the same Lakeland high school will be leaving school after the Sugar Bowl and entering the 2010 draft. According to Bruce Black, son Ahmad, offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey and RB Chris Rainey are all on the verge of turning pro at the end of the college season. According to the report, it appears to be a done deal for Black and the Pouncey twins, although Rainey, who is not as highly rated as the other three, is being encouraged to stay in school.
  • December 10
  • Nation’s top RB hints at going pro… Stanford RB Toby Gerhart, who has a year of college eligibility left, is hinting that he will be entering the upcoming draft. Gerhart has not formally announced his future plans, but in a local interview, apparently inadvertently, indicated that he was going to start training for the NFL’s scouting combine. The 235-pound Gerhart, who is a leading contender for this year’s Heisman Trophy which ill be presented this coming weekend, ran for over 1,700 yards and 26 TDs this fall.
  • Sooners CB to stay in school … Oklahoma junior CB Dominique Franks reportedly will not be entering the 2010 draft, but rather plans to return for his senior season. Franks has that he has submitted paperwork to the NFL to evaluate where he would be drafted, but he plans to play for the Sooners next season no matter what projection he gets back.
  • December 7
  • (7:00 PM): Irish WR Tate goes pro too ... Notre Dame will be losing not only junior QB Jimmy Clausen to the 2010 NFL draft as junior WR Golden Tate has also announced his intention to forego his senior season and enter the upcoming draft. The 5-10, 190-pound Tate had 93 catches for 1,496 yard and scored 18 TDs this season.
  • (5:00 PM): Big D1AA DT to go pro … Western Illinois junior DT Abe Koroma, at one-time a highly regarded Penn State recruit, will be entering the 2010 draft. The 6-3, 317-pound Koroma played at Penn State for two seasons, but left for what were described as personal reasons. Koroma, though, was one of several Penn State players who got into a pot of hot water when marijuana was found in their apartment. Koroma, a prototype run-stuffer had 39 tackles, including 3 for loss in 2009 for the Leathernecks despite plying in only 9 games.
  • (1:00 PM): Irish QB to enter draft ... Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen will reportedly announce at a 3 PM ET news conference that he will be leaving school and entering the 2010 draft. Clausen is expected to grade out as a top 5-10 prospect at this coming April's draft. Meanwhile, star Irish WR Golden Tate will also reportedly discuss his future plans at this afternoon's news conference.
  • That’s a wrap … With the exception of this weekend’s Army-Navy game, the regular college football season is one of the books after this past weekend‘s championship weekend. With some thoughts on the winners and losers in this past weekend‘s action, especially as it relates to the upcoming draft, as well as our choices for most of college football‘s major awards, here‘s our college football wrap in the latest edition of the Scouts Notebook.
  • Big 10 CB leaning; SC FB not … Michigan junior CB Donovan Warren is reportedly leaning towards entering the 2010 draft. As with most underclassmen considering entering this year’s draft, Warren currently is seeking an evaluation of his status from the league's special draft advisory committee and will make a final decision around Christmas Meanwhile, Sourthern California junior FB Stanley Havilli says that he is most likely to return to school next fall. Same story for Oklahoma junior DT Adrian Taylor who has announced that he plans to return to Oklahoma next season instead of entering the NFL draft. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/12/06/oklahoma.taylor.ap/index.html#ixzz0Yyna5kSD Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription
  • Star Bowl site updated … The folks at the Texas versus the Nation all-star game wants to let everyone know that they have updated their website. As well, there is still time for people to nominate players for the game on-line.
  • December 4
  • (9:00 PM): Top Big XII wideout to go pro … Kansas junior WR Dezmon Briscoe has announced that he will forego his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL draft. The 6-2, 200-pound Briscoe had 84 receptions for almost 1,400 yards this season.
  • (12:01 AM): Beaver CB suffers Civil War injury … Oregon State CB Tim Clark, a second tier prospect for the 2010 draft, fractured his right leg in the Beavers' 37-33 loss to Oregon last night. With the win, Oregon gets the Pac-10 invite to this year’s Rose Bowl.
  • December 3
  • (2:00 PM): Seahawks GM resigns… Tim Ruskell has resigned as president and general manager of Seattle. Ruskell’s five-year contract with the team ends at the conclusion of the season. Vice president for player personnel Ruston Webster will serve as interim G.M. until a replacement can be found. Ruskell arrived in Seattle in February of 2005 after a 20 year career in scouting that included a stint in Atlanta as the Falcons’ assistant GM. The 4-7 Seahawks are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the second straight year after going 4-12 in 2008.
  • December 2
  • Top DE arrested, suspended for DUI … Updating the story on Florida junior DE Carlos Dunlap, the potential top 10 prospect at the 2010 draft who was arrested for a DUI just 5 days before the Gators were scheduled to play Alabama for the SEC title and a spot in the BCS national championship bowl, Dunlap will not play this Saturday, while the Gators are not commenting on his possibe availability for the team's bowl game in early January.
  • December 1
  • Browns lose top DT for year … Cleveland may have edged closer to the #1 pick at the 2010 draft with news that Pro Bowl NT Shaun Rogers will miss the rest of the season with a lower leg injury. Rogers will reportedly need surgery and will be placed on injured reserve.
  • November 30
  • Different kind of return top SEC safety's 'surprise' ... Turns out that the surprise that Tennessee junior safety Eric Berry promised Vols' fans on Saturday when the Vols faced Kentucky was that Berry would be returning KOs. There had been some speculation that Berry, who is considered to be a potential top 5 pick were he to enter the 2010 draft, might announce that he would be byassing the draft and returning for his senior season after he did not participate in the team’s traditional last tackle drill on Thursday morning in which graduating players tackle a blocking pad dressed in Kentucky gear.
  • Als win CFL title in bizarre finish ... The Montreal Alouettes overcame a 16-point 4th quarter deficit to win the 97th Grey Cup 29-28 over Saskatchewan on a 33-yard FG by former Auburn PK Damon Duval with no time on the clock. Saskatchewan thought it had held onto to win when Duval missed a 43-yard FG on what would have been the game's final play, but the Roughriders were called for too many men on the field which gave Duval a second kick at the can.
  • November 29
  • SC back thinking of staying… Southern California junior RB Joe McKnight is being quoted as saying that he is leaning toward returning for his senior season. "I feel like right now is not the right time to drop everything and leave," said McKnight who added that he’d also like a chance to win a Heisman Trophy. However, McKnight is the father of a young son he has to provide for so that may ultimately affect his decision.
  • November 28
  • (12:01 AM): Colts get new G.M. with old name… Indianapolis has named Chris Polian, the son of team president Bill Polian, as vice president and general manager of the organization, although it does not appear that he will actually take over day-to-day operations of the franchise until his father retires. The younger Polian has been the Colts’ assistant general manager of football operations since 2004 and previously was employed as the team’s director of pro scouting from 1998-2000 and assistant director of football operations from 2001-03. Meanwhile, Bill Polian, who has been the Colts' president since 1998, reportedly will become a consultant to ease the transition to his son whenever he determines he no longer wants to run the team, although he is expected to remain on the job at least through the 2012 season. The Colts reportedly made the move to keep the younger Polian off the G.M. market.
  • November 27
  • (4:00 PM): Lions lose emerging rook TE for year ... Detroit rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew, the 20th player takebn at the 2009 draft, will have season-ending surgery after suffering a knee injury in Thursday’s 34-12 loss to Green Bay.
  • Cincy QB back in first unit … Cincinnati QB Tony Pike, a solid second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will be back in the starting lineup later today when the undefeated 4th ranked Bearcats host Illinois. Pike missed several games after the plate in his surgically repaired wrist was dislodged and required a second surgery to repair it. The game is at Noon ET on ABC.
  • November 23
  • Irish QB decked... Notre Dame junior QB Jimmy Clausen, who has been mentioned as a likely first round pick if he were to enter the 2010 draft, was reportedly involved in a fight outside a South Bend bar early Sunday morning following the Irish's loss to UConn. Clausen reportedly has two black eyes from the altercation.
  • Injuries to impact race to bottom… The odds that St. Louis, which has picked second overall in each of the past two years and would have the #1 pick were the 2010 draft held today, finally gets the #1 choice got a little shorter as the Rams will be without QB Marc Bulger for the next 3-6 weeks because of fracture in his knee. Bulger will be replaced by former Baltimore starter Kyle Boller. Meanwhile, Detroit's Matt Stafford is being listed as questionable from Thursday's annual Thanksgiving Day game with Green Bay after he reportedly separated his non-throwing shoulder just prior to throwing the game winning TD in last Sunday's game with Cleveland.
  • Bad break for Bills' C ... The news just keeps getting worse for Buffalo which lost emerging OG Eric Wood for the year and perhaps longer after the Bills' late first rounder who has started all season long, suffered a severally broken leg in Jacksonville on Sunday. Wood had surgery imediately after the injury, however, there is no indication yet when Wood will be able to resume training.
  • 49ers drops tamper charges against Jets... According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, San Francisco is dropping the team's tampering charge against the New York Jets over WR Michael Crabtree, the team's first round pick at the 2010 draft who held out the first few weeks of the season. The 49ers filed the charges with the NFL after Deion Sanders said he knew of two teams that were willing to pay Crabtree what he wanted while he was holding out from the Niners. Had the Jets been found quilty they could have been fined and/or forced to forfeit draft picks.
  • Als, Riders to meet in CFL final … It will be the Montreal Alouettes versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2009 edition of the Grey Cup scheduled for Sunday evening at 6:30 PM ET in Calgary. Montreal cruised to the title game with an easy 56-18 win over British Columbia in the Eastern division championship game, while Sask knocked off Calgary 27-17 in the western title contest.
  • November 22
  • (12:01 AM): Top SEC back done for year… Arkansas RB Michael Smith, one of the most dangerous all-around backs in the country, will miss the season-final against LSU and likely the Razorbacks’ bowl with a hamstring injury. The 5-8, 180-pound Smith finishes his career with 2,000 total rushing yards and 53 career pass receptions.
  • CIS to have new champ … There will be a new champion in Canadian college football after Queens upset defending champion Laval 33-30 in one of two national semi-finals on Saturday. The loss was a bitter one for Laval as next weekend’s national championship game will be played on their home field in Quebec City. Queens will play Calgary, which beat St. Mary’s 38-14 in the other semi-final, for the Vanier Cup at Noon ET on Saturday the 28th. Meanwhile, the finalist for the 2009 Grey Cup, emblematic of supremacy in the Canadian pro league will be decided later this afternoon when Montreal hosts British Columbia at 1 PM ET in the CFL East final, while Saskatchewan hosts Calgary for the West title at 4:30 PM ET.
  • November 20
  • Badger back confirms NFL interest… Wisconsin red shirt sophomore RB John Clay has confirmed that he is considering leaving school this winter and entering the 2010 draft. The 6-2, 250-pound Clay, who has rushed for over 1,100 yards and 12 scores will reportedly seek an evaluation of his draft stock after the season from the NFL advisory committee.
  • B>Top star game goes back to matinee format… The Senior Bowl has announced that this year’s game will be played at 3 PM CT on January 30th. In a departure from tradition, the 2009 Senior game was played in the evening. For those who missed the story earlier this fall, the Senior Bowl will be staying in Mobile at least for the foreseeable future after the organizing committee flirted with the idea of moving to an NFL city in the region.
  • November 19
  • Bonus coverage ... One thing Paul Guillmette noted in his commentary above is that weeknight college games are great because oe canm focus on just one contest. And that should be the case layter this evening when Oklahoma State hosts Colorado on ESPN at 7:30 PM ET. The game likely won't have a huge impact on the national rankings, although the 12th ranked Cowboys are a solid 8-2, however, it is a chance to check out several top 2010 draft prospects including Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung (#76, 6-5, 300), a potential top 10 pick this coming April. The Cowboys also have a very good cover corner in Perrish Cox (#16, 5-11, 195), while other OSU veterans to watch include QB Zac Robinson, RBs Kendall Hunter (#24, 5-8, 190), Keith Toston (#5, 5-11, 205) and Beau Johnson (#2, 5-10, 210), RT Brady Bond (#60, 6-6, 295), and OLBs Andre Sexton (#20, 6-0, 220) and Patrick Levine (#4, 6-1, 225). Unfortunately, these have been lean times for the Colorado football program, although the Buffalos do have a good second-tier TE in Rain Greer (#87, 6-3, 250), who isn't all that fast but does know how to get open.
  • November 18
  • (12:01 AM): Top RB to miss game with head injury… Star Fresno State junior RB Ryan Mathews, the nation’s leading rusher, will miss Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech after sustaining a concussion last week against Nevada. Mathews, who has 1,491 yards rushing this fall along with 14 TDs, is expected to return for the Bulldogs’ season-finale at Illinois on December 5th. Meanwhile, there is no timetable for the return of California junior RB Jahvid Best who suffered a severe concussion when he landed on his head in a game two weeks ago. Best definitely won’t play Saturday when the Bears play arch-rival Stanford, while the team is reportedly taking a wait-and-see attitude as to whether Best will be available for Cal’s bowl game. The school, though, has indicated that Best’s concussion symptoms have cleared up for the most part, but that he is still suffering from a sore back.
  • OT wins second weekly GBN rook award... Its a rarity when an offensive lineman is named NFL rookie of the week, much less than twice in the same year, but that is the case for New England OT Sebastian Vollmer who had another outstanding effort in the Patriots' dramatic loss to Indianapolis in the late Sunday night game. Here are all the details in this week's Rookie Report . Meanwhile, here is the updated, unofficial rookie stats sheet through week 10 of the NFL schedule.
  • November 16
  • (12:01 AM): Top pick on line in Monday nighter… The final weekly draft first round selection order for the opening round of the 2010 draft won’t be decided until after tonight’s Monday night game between Cleveland and Baltimore. If the Browns lose to the Ravens, Cleveland and St. Louis would be tied for the #1 overall as both teams would have the identical strength of schedule based on their opponents’ combined W-L records. In a scenario in which Cleveland loses to Baltimore, Detroit would be third in the proverbial ‘if the draft were held today’ selection order, followed by Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland in the 4th, 5th and 6th spots respectively. A Cleveland win over the Ravens, though, and the Browns would drop all the way down to the 6th pick with everyone else moving up one. As usual, we’ll have the updated selection order for the 2010 draft after the tonight’s Browns-Ravens dual in Cleveland.
  • November 13
  • (12:01 AM): Mid-season draft grades posted... As usual at this time of year, our crack scouting staff has spent the past week or so locked up in the GBN War Room pouring over tapes, stats and scouting reports and have graded how each NFL team's 2009 rookie class has performed over the first half of the season. Of course, grades are provided with the proviso that it can take up to 2-3 years for a draft class to fully develop, however, based on what we have seen through first half of the season, teams that have goten the most productivity from the current rookie classes include Indianapolis, Minnesota, and Jacksonville each of which received an A, while Buffalo, Detroit, Houston and New Engaln weren't far behind with A- grades. For the record, the top-graded offensive rookie was Baltimore OT Michael Oher, followed by Minnesota WR Percy Harvin and New England OT Sebastian Vollmer. Meanwhile, the top rookie defenders have been Houston LB Brian Cushing, Buffalo DB Jairus Byrd. Here's the full report .
  • November 11
  • (9:00 PM): Ole Miss DE finally out for year… The injury-plagued college career Mississippi DE Greg Hardy is most likely over because of a fractured wrist. Hardy first injured the wrist earlier is the season and tried to try and play through it, but aggravated it last week and X-rays revealed a fracture. Hardy will have surgery tomorrow. Hardy, one of the top prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, has 26.5 career sacks including 5 sacks this season despite playing with a stress fracture and the wrist injury.
  • November 10
  • (1:00 PM): Two more Sooners vets out for year… Oklahoma, which has already lost QB sam Bradford and TE Jermaine Gresham for the remainder of the year, will be without two more veterans the rest of the regular season. DE Auston English ruptured a tendon in an ankle during last weekend‘s loss to Nebraska, while C/G/TE Brody Eldridge has a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. English will likely undergo surgery in the next few days.
  • (9:00 AM): Orange lose top DT for rest of year… Syracuse DT Arthur Jones, a late first-round prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season with a torn MCL that will require surgery. Its been a tough year for Jones, who considered entering the 2009 draft before opting to return for one more year at SU, as he tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights back in February and then was slowed much of this season by a lingering hamstring problem. The 6-3, 293-pound Jones finishes his career with 38.5 tackles for loss.
  • November 9
  • (3:00 PM): Duck back in the water... Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount has been reinstated to the team and will be available to play Saturday when the Ducks host Arizona State. Blount, who at the start of the season was considered to be one of the top senior prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, was suspended he punched a Boise State player after the Ducks’ season-opening loss to the Broncos.
  • (9:00 AM): LSU RB done for year… LSU has confirmed that RB Charles Scott, one of the top senior prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone suffered in Saturday’s loss to Alabama. Scott could return for LSU's bowl game and should be fine for the pre-drafttesting process including the scouting combine. The 5-10, 235-pound Scott rushed for 542 yards this season as he averaged 4.7 yards per carry and scored 7 times; those numbers were down from the previous season when Scott averaged 5.4 yards a try and scored 18 times while rushing for almost 1,200 yards.
  • Top RB prospect dinged… California junior RB Jahvid Best, p[otentially one of the top backs in the 2010 draft if he opts to leave school early this winter, returned home Sunday afyer spending the night in hospital. Best suffered what is being described as a severe concussion when he landed on his head in the Bears’ loss to Oregon State Saturday afternoon. Best underwent several tests while in hospital which reportedly were negative, however, there is no timetable for his return to the field this fall, if he returns at all as Best also suffered a minor concussion during Cal‘s game last weekend.
  • November 6
  • (10:00 PM): Cardinal loses top LB for year… Stanford LB Clinton Snyder, a decent second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained in practice earlier this week. The 6-3, 235-pound Snyder leads the team with 61 tackles this season and has started 42 of 44 games in his career. Here is the full, updated first round selection order for the 2010 draft were it to be held today.
  • (9:00 AM): OSU WR to enter draft... Suspended Oklahoma State junior WR Dez Bryant has confirmed that he will be entering the 2010 draft where he is expected to be a premium pick. Bryant was suspended for the rest of the year when he lied to NCAA investigators about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders. Bryant's final appeal to the NCAA wasrejected earlier this week. The 6-1, 15-pound Bryant averaged 19 yards per catch on 17 total receptions in three games this season after a breakout year in 2008 when he caught 87 passes for 1,500 yards and 19 TDs.
  • November 5
  • (9:00 PM): Gator LB suspends self for second half… Florida MLB Brandon Spikes, one of the top 1-2 prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, will sit out the entire game this weekend when the top-ranked Gators play Vanderbilt. Spikes had been suspended for the first half of Saturday's game after he was seen attempting to gouge the eyes of Georgia RB Washaun Ealey during a tackle last week. Spikes, reportedly requested that he not play at all so as not to be a distraction. Interestingly, Ealey said earlier in the week that he did not think Spikes should be suspended at all as he never came close to his eyes.
  • November 4
  • (5:00 PM): Top Sun Belt QB done for year… Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith, a decent second -tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the remainder of the season after spraining his non-throwing shoulder. Smith will decide if to have surgery later this week. With or without the surgery Smith is expected to be fully healed in time to participate in this year's scouting combine in Inianapolis in late February. The 6-5, 230-pound Smith, a 4-year starter at, is the program’s all-time passing leader with just over 10,000 career yards through the air; for his career, Smith completed 56% of his pass attempts including 76 for scores against 36 interceptions.
  • Top soph RB to transfer… Colorado sophomore RB Darrell Scott, once one of the top recruits in the country, has announced that he is going to transfer at the end of the semester, likely to UCLA. Scott's uncle, WR Josh Smith transferred from the Buffaloes to UCLA this year. Scott was considered a huge recruiting coup for the Buffaloes when he selected them over Texas and several other big-time programs two years ago, however, his tenure at Colorado was derailed in large part by injuries. The 6-0, 220-pound Scott had arthroscopic knee surgery late last month to clean up cartilage after getting hurt in the second game of the season after missing large parts of his freshman with assorted nicks.
  • November 2
  • Orange WR out of juice… Syracuse junior WR Mike Williams, one of the best receivers in the country, has reportedly quit the team for undisclosed reasons. Williams did not play last year because of academic problems and was suspended from Syracuse's game against Akron two weeks ago for violating team policy. Williams ranks 6th nationally with 107 receiving yards per game and has 7 TD receptions which ties him for 14th in the country.
  • Top DT cited for driving offense… Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, a potential top 5 prospect for the 2010 draft, was been ticketed for negligent driving after he hit three parked cars early Sunday morning. Suh, who was driving a 2003 Land Rover sport-utility vehicle, said he struck the first vehicle after he swerved to avoid hitting a small dog or cat crossing the street. Suh reportedly had been drinking before the accident, but his blood-alcohol level was well below the legal limit.
  • Top Big 10 WR out for extended period. … Minnesota WR Eric Decker, one of the better senior prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, will be undergoing surgery to fix torn ligaments in his left foot. Decker will have the operation later this week in North Carolina to repair what is being described as a sprain Lisfranc ligament. Unfortunately, the normal rehab period for such an injury is at least months meaning Decker won't be able to participate in the combine or other pre-draft workouts and likely won‘t be 100% until close to the opening of training camp next summer. Decker, who was drafted by MLBs Minnesota Twins in June, also hasn’t ruled out playing baseball once he’s healthy.
  • October 29
  • Top QB prospect has surgery… Oklahoma junior QB Sam Bradford underwent what is being described as successful surgery on his injured right shoulder on Wednesday. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews who indicated that the 35-minute procedure went "just as expected." Bradford sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in the Sooners‘ season opener and then reinsured in the Texas game two weeks ago. Bradford has said he plans to enter the 2010 draft if his recovery goes as planned. That process, though, is expected to take 4-6 months.
  • Top D1AA DE out with mono… Montana State DE Dane Fletcher, one of the better players at the position outside the ranks of D1A schools, is out indefinitely because of a case of mononuclueosis. The 6-2, 245-pound Fletcher has 46 career tackles for loss.
  • October 28
  • (8:00 PM): No extra year for Sooners’ DT… Oklahoma DT Demarcus Granger, who has not played this fall after undergoing off-season back surgery, will reportedly not get an extra year of eligibility and will be in the 2010 draft class. In fact, Oklahoma reportedly did not even ask for a medical hardship year for Granger because he hasn’t had multiple injuries. Oklahoma, though, reportedly has applied for a hardship year for senior MLB Ryan Reynolds, who has endured three knee surgeries during his career, including one last year that ended the last half of his junior season.
  • October 26
  • Senior Bowl stays in Mobile for now… The Senior Bowl will in fact be played in Mobile again this coming January. City and game officials reached an agreement to keep the game in Mobile for the next three years earlier this month. The agreement, though, did provide a proviso that game officials could opt out of the deal prior to the expiry of the contract if they paid a relatively small buy-out fee. Game officials had reportedly shopped the game, which has been played in Mobile since the early 1950s, to several NFL in the south including Tampa and Jacksonville.
  • Go north young man… Football free agents are being invited to sign up for several upcoming tryout camps for the Canadian Football League. Regional workouts will be conducted in various locations across the United States over the coming months. Those interested can submit player information to the following email: cfltryoutcamps@yahoo.com.
  • October 22
  • Pats cut TE, get pick back ... New England made a bunch of player moves prior to this week's trade dedline including releasing TE Michael Matthews who had been acquired from the Giants early in September for a conditional 2011 draft pick. With the release of Matthews the conditions weren't met and the trade has reportedly been voided.
  • October 20
  • (5:00 PM): Eagles send rook, pick to Rams for vet LB ... Philadelphia has acquired LB Will Witherspoon from St. Louis in exchange for rookie WR Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in 2010. Gibson was a 6th round pick at the 2009 draft.
  • Bearcats QB has arm plate repaired… Cincinnati QB Tony Pike underwent a procedure this morning to repair the plate in his left arm. Pike, an emerging prospect for the 2010 draft hurt his left wrist and forearm in last week’s win at South Florida. It is the same arm in which he had a plate and six screws inserted last year after breaking it, but the plate shifted when he fell awkwardly on the arm last week. Pike will not practice Tuesday or Wednesday and his availability for Saturday’s game with Louisville will depend on the amount of swelling in his arm.
  • More top QBs dinged… West Virginia is uncertain about the availability of QB Jarrett Brown when the Mounatineers play UConn this coming weekend. Brown, a mid-to-late round prospect for the 2010 draft, was knocked unconscious and suffered what is being described as a mild concussion when tackled early in West Virginia’s win over in-state rival Marshall this past weekend. Meanwhile, Texas QB Colt McCoy, one of the top 2-3 rated prospects at the position for the upcoming draft, bruised the thumb on his passing hand in the second quarter of the Longhorns’ 16-13 win over arch-rival Oklahoma on Saturday. Despite the win, McCoy in fact struggled through one of the worst passing games of his career as he completed just 21 of 40 for a measly 127 yards and a TD while throwing an interception.
  • October 19
  • (12:01 AM): Bucs get #2 pick for one-time early pick… Tampa Bay has acquired in exchange for DE Gaines Adams, the fourth overall pick at the 2007 draft.
  • October 13
  • (10:00 AM): ‘Noles TE done for year… Florida State TE Caz Piurowski, a decent second-tier prospect at the position, has been lost for the rest of the season after he tore ligaments in his right knee while run-blocking during Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. Piurowski will reportedly have surgery sometime in the next two weeks once the original swelling subsides. The 6-6. 270-pound Piurowski had 13 catches for 182 yards and two TDs this fall for the Seminoles.
  • October 8
  • Update on Browns-Jets trade for WR Edwards… The two picks that Cleveland will receive to complete the package for WR Braylon Edwards who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland reportedly include a conditional third-round choice which could escalate to a second rounder if Edwards catches a certain number of passes this fall, plus a 5th-rounder.
  • October 7
  • (9:30 AM): Another Duck CB done for year... Oregon CB Willie Glasper will miss the rest of the season because of a right knee injury suffered in practice. Glasper is the second Ducks' CB to be lost for the season as Walter Thurmond is also out for the season because of a knee injury.
  • Browns send WR Edwards to Jets for vets, picks…. Cleveland has sent enigmatic WR Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets in exchange for veteran WR Chansi Stuckey, LB/special teamer Jason Trusnik along with a pair of undisclosed draft picks. This is the second big deal between the two clubs this year after the Browns traded the 5th pick overall at the 2009 draft for a later first rounder and several veterans. The jets then used the 5th pick to select QB Mark Sanchez who has led the team to a 3-1 record to date including an early season win over New England. Meanwhile, the NFL is probing whether Edwards violated the league's conduct policy following accusations he assaulted a friend of NBA star LeBron James outside a Cleveland nightclub earlier this week.
  • October 6
  • No juice for Illini who bench starting QB… Illinois QB Juice Williams, a second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, has been replaced as the team’s starting QB following a disappointing 1-3 start. The athletic 6-2, 235-pound Williams threw for 3,200 yards and 22 scores in 2008, but had completed just 57% of his pass attempts this fall including only one TD pass against 4 interceptions.
  • Big OG back in Tech good graces.. Texas Tech has lifted the suspension of OG Brandon Carter, potentially one of the first 4-5 players off the board at the position at the 2010 draft. Carter was suspended after the Red Raiders loss to Houston two weeks ago when he reportedly threw his helmet and criticized the coaches.
  • October 3
  • (10:00 AM): WAC loses top QB prospect… Hawai’i QB Greg Alexander will miss the rest of the season after suffering what is being described as major ligament damage in a loss Wednesday night at Louisiana Tech. The 6-3, 230-pound Alexander had been considered a decent second-tier prospect at the position, although he has never put up the gaudy numbers of some of his predecessors.
  • October 2
  • (3:00 PM): Ducks leave door open to rescind RB suspension… Oregon has announced that suspended RB LeGarrette Blount could be re-instated if he meets certain criteria, but not until Novemeber 7 at the earliest. Blount has been suspended since the Ducks season opener against Boise State when he punched a Broncos player who confronted him and later go into a scuffle with a teammate who was trying to calm before finally being dragged off the field by coaches and security personnel. Since then, Blount has practiced with the Ducks as a scout-team player, although he has reportedly missed some workouts for undisclosed reasons. The 240-pound Blount ran for just over 1,000 yards last fall as a back-up, but was held to minus yardage in the Ducks’ loss to Boise State. Ironically, since Bount’suspension, Oregon has won three straight including last week’s 42-3 pounding of previously unbeaten California.
  • Top small school prospects profiled… It isn’t likely that any players from outside the ranks of D1A schools will be selected in the opening round of the 2010 draft, however, there are still a number of very good prospects playing at the lower levels this year. The latest edition of the GBN Scouts Notebook profiles the top dozen prospects from outside D1A for the upcoming draft.
  • October 1
  • (12:01 AM): Injured Sooner TE to enter draft… Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham, who will miss the entire season year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, has confirmed that he will still be entering the 2010 draft. Gresham, who is considered to be the top prospect for the position, had the option of returning to Oklahoma for another season next fall since he has never red shirted. Gresham injured the knee prior to the Sooners’ season opener this fall and underwent surgery soon afterwards. Gresham hopes to begin working out again I time to be ready for this year’s scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February.
  • September 30
  • (12:01 AM): Top OT back on field... Iowa junior OT Bryan Bulaga has been medically cleared to play after missing the first three games of the season with a thyroid condition. Bulaga, a top 10-15 prospect if he opts to enter the 2010 draft, was hospitalized briefly when the condition first surfaced. There were also concerns that the condition could be chronic and that Bulaga could require life-long medication, but that no longer appears to be the case.
  • September 29
  • (3:00 PM): Chiefs get 'Phins pick for vet QB ... Kansas City has acquired an undisclosed 2010 draft pick from Miami in exchange for veteran QB Tyler Thigpen. Thigpen will replace Chad Pennington on the roster after the latter was placed on injured reserve because of yet another shoulder injury. In fact, expect Thigpen, who started 11 games with the Chiefs last fall, to replace Pennington as the Dolphins' starter sooner rather than later. Second-year pro Chad Henne is currently pencilled in to replace Pennington, however, the former Michigan signal-caller is still very much a work in progress.
  • Ducks lose top CB prospect for year... Oregon CB Walter Thurmond, one of the most productive corners in college football, will misss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Thurmond, who is also a dynamic kck returner, was injured knee on the opening KO of Saturday's huge 42-3 victory over California.
  • (9:00 AM): USC back injured in weight room accident still critical but stable… The latest on Southern California RB Stafon Johnson who was seriously injured in a weight room accident at the school on Monday is that he is listed in critical but stable condition after a 7-hour operation last night. Johnson, a potential top 100 prospect for the 2010 draft, was doing bench presses yesterday morning when he apparently lost control of the bar and it landed on his neck resulting in crushing injuries to his neck as well as severe injuries to his larynx. The eraly indications are that Johnson is unlikely to play again this season, but that the injuries are not life or career threatening.
  • Gophers DE suspended a pair… Minnesota has suspended starting DE Cedric McKinley for the next two games for an unspecified violation of team rules and policies. McKinley is a late round/free agent type prospect who has one sack and three other tackles for loss through the 3-1 Gophers first four games this fall.
  • Buckeye safety suspended for game for late hit… Ohio State SS Kurt Coleman, a second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, has been suspended for one game for a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the Buckeyes' win over Illinois on Saturday.
  • Cal WR out for month… California WR Nyan Boateng, a potential sleeper prospect for the 2010 draft who likely will impress at pre-draft workouts because of his size/speed combination although he’s never been all that productive, will miss about a month after undergoing surgery on his broken right foot.
  • September 22
  • More injuries slow top prospects… A couple of more injuries to make note of regarding the 2010 draft class. Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, arguably the top senior RB prospect this year continues to be bothered by a turf toe type injury and had to sit out the latter part of last weekend’s win over Boston College. In fact, Spiller has just 176 rushing yards through three games to date and is averaging only 4.3 yards per carry, although he has also returned both a punt and KO for TDs this fall. Meanwhile, Penn State LB Sean Lee has been limited this week by a strained knee and is listed as ‘day-to-day’ after straining his left knee in last weekend’s win over Temple. The injury is another setback for Lee who missed all of the 2008 season after tearing the ACL in his other knee. Its also another setback for the LB corps at “LB U’ which also likely will be without star junior LB Navorro Bowman this weekend when the Nittany Lions open their Big Ten schedule with a visit from Iowa. Bowman had barely played this fall to date by a groin injury.
  • Horns LB out for year… Texas MLB Jared Norton, a decent second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will have season-ending shoulder surgery. Norton, who was injured in the Longhorns season opener earlier this month, is expected to apply to the NCAA for a medical redshirt to get another year of eligibility.
  • September 20
  • (2:00 PM): Dual-threat Big East QB done for year ... As feared, star South Florida QB Matt Grothe, one of the top dual-threat QBs in the country and is the Big East’s all-time leader in total offense, will miss the rest of the season after tearing an ACL in yesterday's win over Charleston Southern.
  • (12:01 AM): Back sidelines top TE prospect for year… Arizona junior TE Rob Gronkowski, who had been considered a potential late first round pick if he had ultimately opted to enter the 2010 draft, will not play this year because of a back problem that has sidelined him since the beginning of preseason practices. The 6-5, 265-pound Gronkowski had 47 receptions for 672 yards and 10 scores in 2008 despite missing three games with a case of mono.
  • ‘Horns’ CB back in play… Texas CB Deon Beasley, a late-round/free agent type prospect for the 2010 draft, has been reinstated by the NCAA and will be eligible to play later this evening when the 2nd ranked Longhorns host Texas Tech. Beasley had missed the first two games of the season because of unresolved NCAA academic eligibility issues.
  • September 18
  • OSU OT for month… Ohio State OT Jim Cordle, a second tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the next 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury.
  • Vandy loses top DB for year… Vanderbilt has lost veteran FS Ryan Hamilton for the year after he tore a pectoral muscle in last weekend‘s game against LSU. Hamilton, a 4-year starter who had over 100 tackles last fall, was considered a decent second-tier prospect for the upcoming draft.
  • September 15
  • (9:00 AM): Top MAC back done for year… Kent State RB Eugene Jarvis, one of the most productive backs in the country, will miss the rest of the season with what is being reported as a lacerated kidney. Jarvis will be hospitalized for about one week and is expected to make a full recovery within two months, although media reports have indicated that a CT scan also revealed that Jarvis is missing his other kidney. The diminutive Jarvis, who’s listed at only 5-5, 170 pounds, has over 3,400 career yards to date. Jarvis has already used his red shirt season, but is expected to apply for a 6th year of eligibility based on medical grounds.
  • September 14
  • (9:00 AM): SC safety sore but okay… The 2010 draft class appeared to take a hit early in Southern California’s dramatic win over Ohio State on Saturday night when USC safety Taylor Mays, a potential top 5-10 pick at the upcoming draft, had to be helped off the field with a leg injury. Mays only missed a few plays, though, and finished the game with a team-high 8 tackles. Mays was later diagnosed with a sprained knee and likely will be stiff and sore this week but is not expected to miss much if any playing time. Meanwhile, Southern Cal junior C Kris O'Dowd, potentially the first player off the board at the position if he opts to leave school this winter and enter the 2010 draft, returned to action and played the entire game against the Buckeyes. O'Dowd missed the Trojas' season-opener as a reslt of a dislocated knee cap suffered in mid-August.
  • UGA loses DE for year… Georgia DE Rod Battle, a possible late round prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season after tearing an ACL in Saturday night's 41-37 victory over South Carolina.
  • September 10
  • (11:30 AM): Prospect injury update… In addition to the shoulder injury suffered by Oklahoma junior QB Sam Bradford, the presumptive #1 pick overall at the 2010 draft, a number of other top prospects were dinged over the weekend, although none is expected to miss much, if any playing time. Illinois junior WR Arrelious Benn, the projected top pick at the position if he enters the 2010 draft, for example, left the Illini’s game with Missouri with what was feared to be a high ankle sprain which could have taken awhile to heal, however, the injury apparently isn’t that serious and Benn now hopes to play this weekend in Illinois’ home opener against Illinois State. Meanwhile, Mississippi DE Greg Hardy, who was limited throughout preseason drills due to a right foot injury he aggravated in a car accident this summer, went down early during the Rebels' win over Memphis with an ankle injury. Hardy was initially carted off, but he later returned and gutted it out as part of the Rebels' defensive line rotation through the rest of the game. Hardy’s ankle was swollen after the game, but will reportedly continue to play. Same story for Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung, who was forced to the sidelines for awhile in the Cowboys’ epic win over Georgia, but did return and isn’t expected to miss any game time. The problem, though, for each of these guys is that they likely won’t really be at 100% for awhile and will be that much tougher to grade for pro scouts.
  • (12:01 AM): Draft by the numbers… There will still be some fine-tuning of rosters between now and the actual kick-off to the regular season later this week, however, for the most part, the rosters of the 32 NFL teams that are going to contest the upcoming season are now in place. And while it is an imperfect indicator, results from this week's cutdown date tend to reinforce the notion that the 2009 draft class was necessarily all that strong. For example, 41 players selected at last April's draft were released prior to Saturday's deadline for teams to be down to the opening-day 53-man roster limit, considerably more than the previous year. Here‘s a quick rundown of some the basic numbers .
  • Eighth round numbers too… Proof that one doesn’t necessarily have to be drafted to play pro football - although it sure helps - is borne out by the fact that, as we go to press, almost 40 undrafted rookie free agents are still on an active NFL roster. Indeed, undrafted players make up 16% of all rookies currently on an NFL roster. Still, making an NFL roster as an undrafted rookie is something of a longshot as only about 5-6% of all undrafted rookies in a pro camp this summer are still around on an active roster. Overall, almost two out of three teams in the league kept at least one undrafted rookie, including Tampa Bay which currently has five. Here’s the unofficial list of undrafted free agent rookies still on an NFL roster.

  • With all the new draft picks available this year it may be hard to work out this years NFL online betting plan. Only time will tell, once the draft is complete and the teams start to play the picture will be clear and choosing a team to bet on shouldn't be a problem at all.

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