Days before the draft, everyone wants to know what the next person
knows. Here's a little more knowledge for draftniks:

* Even though the Raiders have reached out to the agents of LSU
quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and
Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, it is just an example of a
team doing exactly what it should. But it doesn't change the fact that
Russell was the choice yesterday, he's the choice today, and he will be
the choice tomorrow. Now granted, some said similar things about Reggie
Bush at this time last year. But remember this: Raiders head coach Lane
Kiffin worked with Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC. Now he gets a
chance to mold and shape another great young talented quarterback. And
once Raiders owner Al Davis compared Russell to John Elway, the race for
the No. 1 overall pick was all but over.


Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn could be the center of trade
attention.
* One of the key figures at the top of the draft could be Quinn, but
only if Cleveland bypasses him at No. 3. If that happens, then Minnesota
at No. 7 and Miami at No. 9 would be expected to try to trade up, each
higher than the other, in an effort to pick Quinn. So if Cleveland
passes up Quinn -- and many believe the Browns will go for Oklahoma
running back Adrian Peterson -- then Tampa Bay at No. 4, Arizona at No.
5 and Washington at No. 6 could be inundated with trade offers to get
Quinn, creating an active and unpredictable top 10.

* Few people around football have heard of Mark Jackson, but he is the
point man for the Raiders' negotiations with their potential No. 1 pick.
Jackson is the Raiders director of football development and the man
carrying out Al Davis' and Lane Kiffin's orders these days. Jackson was
the one that reached out to the agents of Russell, Quinn and Johnson to
begin to gauge what it would take to sign each player. Jackson spent
five years as the director of football operations/assistant athletic
director at USC, where he helped Pete Carroll turn the school's program
into one of the best in the country. Now he is trying to help turn
around the Raiders.

* History could be repeating itself in Tampa Bay. Back in 1988, the
Buccaneers used the fourth overall pick on University of Wisconsin left
tackle Paul Gruber. Twenty years later, the Buccaneers again are
scheduled to pick at No. 4 and could wind up with University of
Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas. If the draft unfolded that way, and
Thomas turned out to be the player that Gruber was, Tampa Bay and its
slew of quarterbacks would be very happy.

* Making the right pick at No. 1 is critical to Oakland's personnel but
just as critical to its payroll. The No. 1 pick, now expected to be
Russell, is going to sign a contract with close to $30 million worth of
guaranteed money. Thirty-million! The only NFL player who ever has
gotten more guarantees in his contract is Colts quarterback Peyton
Manning. If a player signing a contract that lucrative doesn't pan out,
it's going to paralyze a franchise's payroll and set it back for years.

* As recently as the scouting combine in February, some projected
Michigan defensive tackle Alan Branch to be the first defensive player
picked in this draft. Now Branch appears to be sliding and could fall
into the early 20s. Scouts are questioning Branch's motor, the game he
played against Ohio State, and it looks as if he now could go somewhere
between Green Bay's pick at No. 16 and Denver's at No. 21.


Houston QB Kevin Kolb is rising quickly up many teams' draft boards.
* While Branch is slipping, Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb appears to be
rising. Kolb has visited or worked out for the Eagles, Ravens, Jaguars,
Saints, Texans and Patriots. One team has Kolb rated as the 12th best
player in the draft. Another scout said he's a poor man's Brett Favre. A
personnel director believes Kolb is the second best quarterback in the
draft. JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn still will be the first two
quarterbacks picked, but Kolb now is bidding to become the third.

* Don't be surprised to see Cincinnati wind up with one of Texas'
defensive backs at pick No. 18. Both cornerback Aaron Ross and safety
Michael Griffin visited the Bengals, who ranked 31st in the league last
season in pass defense. Each player would help the Bengals, but the
belief around the league is Ross could help more.

* There aren't many players in this weekend's draft who have a fiancé;
with an equally impressive athletic resume. But Ross is one. His fiance'
is Sanya Richards, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in the 4 x
400 meter relay and is training for three events in the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing. Ross can run the 40 in 4.45 seconds -- and it might
not be enough to outrun his fiance'. Plenty of NFL personnel men asked
Ross about his fiance' at the scouting combine. Even more reporters are
going to ask Ross about it once he arrives in his new city.

* When San Francisco's staff coached in the Senior Bowl, they were more
than impressed with Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis. He made a
mark on them the same way that former Auburn running back Cadillac
Williams once did on the Tampa Bay staff that coached him in the Senior
Bowl. And just as Tampa picked Williams, it wouldn't surprise anybody to
see the 49ers go with Willis. If he were off the board, San Francisco
could look long and hard at Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem, but
the 49ers know they're in a position to nab one of the players they're
targeting.

* When Hurricane Katrina forced rock-and-roll legend Fats Domino to
evacuate New Orleans, he somehow found himself sharing an apartment with
LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who is projected to be the draft's No.
1 overall pick Saturday. Turns out the woman that Russell was dating was
Fats Domino's grand-daughter. Russell offered to take in her
grandfather, without knowing anything about him at the time. Not until
after he opened his apartment to Fats Domino did Russell learn that his
roommate was a legend who produced hits such as Blueberry Hill and Ain't
That A Shame. Now Russell sets out to eclipse the legend of his
roommate.

any scuttlebutt about that quarterback from boise state?...
cool under pressure...

Nothin major heard about him, he'll probably go in the 6th or 7th round.
The Draft is TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!