http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
At a time when many NFL observers are expecting LSU quarterback
JaMarcus Russell to be the first quarterback, and likely the first player, drafted on April 29, some scouts are concluding based on films of the six-foot, six-inch flamethrower that he's another Byron Leftwich.
We're not saying Leftwich is bad, but his lack of mobility has caused him not to fulfill the promise that made him a top-ten draft pick in 2003.
And that's the early concern with Russell.
When scouts discuss mobility, it's not just about pulling the ball down and taking off when the receivers are covered up, but it's the ability to elude the pass rush by moving around in and out of the pocket. Some guys, like Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger, can buy more time in or out of the pocket. Others, like Tom Brady, can buy time with a well-timed step or twist or turn.
So at a time when many who are smitten with the guy who dismantled an overmatched Notre Dame team in the Sugar Bowl, the challenge is to set aside the hype and engage in an objective assessment of Russell and Brady Quinn, who has lost much of his luster, perhaps because he has spent so much time in the sunlight.
As to the Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick, we've said it before and we'll say it again -- Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson is the guy around whom to build a franchise.
After, of course, flushing the bowl of guys like Jerry Porter and Randy Moss.