NFL.com Kirwan: Johnson's workout could change top of draft

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By Pat Kirwan
NFL.com Senior Analyst


(March 17, 2007) -- Draft boards at the club level are subjective things. Many teams will have the same 10 names in the top 10 slots on their boards but not in the same order.

After the tremendous workout down in Atlanta this week by wide receiver Calvin Johnson, it's possible he will be the No. 1 player on 80 percent of the draft boards. That doesn't mean he will be the first player chosen, but he could be if the right team winds up in the first slot.

Of course, the Raiders could select Johnson with the first pick and then trade his rights to the team that really wants him, as the Chargers did when they selected Eli Manning and traded his rights to the Giants. Remember, the Chargers also wound up getting QB Philip Rivers and LB Shawne Merriman in that deal.

Draft boards drive decisions. As one longtime NFL scout said to me this week, "If Oakland sits in the top spot and takes JaMarcus Russell, the Lions No. 2 spot doubled in value with Calvin still on the board."

Scouts, personnel directors and coaches are all looking for reasons to worry about the top candidates. JaMarcus Russell has a great arm and he has won at the highest level, but even though he was 256 pounds at his workout one scout told me he has been as heavy as 300. He wonders what will happen when Russell gets paid.

Another scout said Adrian Peterson is a heck of a back but he has a short-shuttle time that indicates he could be more of a straight-line guy. I said look at the game tapes again before trusting times in shorts. An owner told a coaching friend he thought Peterson's upright style could lead to injuries and fumbles.

Brady Quinn has been under a microscope for two years. Even though Charlie Weis strongly states the quarterback is NFL ready and will be a star, doubts exist. How about 95 touchdown passes, 11,700 passing yards and one more touchdown pass than JaMarcus Russell and Drew Stanton combined?

But when it comes to Calvin Johnson, there hasn't been one comment from anyone about the talent, physical tools, character or professionalism. Johnson is going to change the draft order before it is all said and done.

TANK JOHNSON
The Bears now have their starting defensive tackle in jail for four months. Let's hope he will learn some valuable lessons while he's away and comes back to be a productive member of society. The Bears organization seems to believe Tank will learn. That's great, but what are the football questions surrounding Tank going to jail?

Go back and look at the effect of this much jail time on Jamal Lewis. It took him a significant length of time to regain his former running production. In fact, Lewis took two seasons to fully regain his old self.

Tank will not be working out the way a 300-pound tackle should be in the offseason. He probably will lose weight, strength and aerobic conditioning over the next four months. If the team rushes him back too quickly when he gets to camp, the likelihood of injury will rise.

Meanwhile, the top backups at Johnson's position are out on the open market. Ian Scott has visited Minnesota and Denver, and Alphonso Boone took trips to Kansas City and Denver. I expect the interest in both players to rise in the next week or so. If Chicago loses both players this spring, then there will be a need for defensive tackles in the draft, even though the club likes Antonio Garay very much.

Will the Bears use one of their Day 1 picks -- especially No. 31 or No. 37 -- to repair the defensive line? They might want to consider that option. What if Tank makes a future mistake (which appears highly unlikely)? What if there's another suspension? What if he isn't the player he once was?

There sure are some football decisions to be made in Chicago on the defensive line, and I'm sure Jerry Angelo has been planning a course of action.

GOOD TIMING
A lot can be said by your actions. The Bucs brought in Charles Grant for a nice visit to the facility. It's a strategy more teams should employ.

There is a window of opportunity that doesn't come along very often to recruit other teams' players legally with an eye on the future. If Grant doesn't sign a long-term deal, he could very possibly be free next year, and he sure knows what the Bucs think of him. It also applies pressure to your own players who might be stubborn about restructuring a contract or signing an extension. Consider the defensive linemen on the Bucs watching Grant walking around the building. Do you think they get the message (without anyone saying it) that we will be moving on if you don't want to cooperate?

On the same note, I found it interesting that the day after the Eagles had running back Ron Dayne in for a visit that Eagles free-agent running back Correll Buckhalter signed a two-year extension. I talked with Buckhalter; he's very happy to be back with the club that stuck by him when he had his problems and injuries, but I can't help but think that a visit by another "big" back made it easy to sign a two-year deal.

By the way, it does work both ways. Dayne signed a new deal with the Texans right after his visit to the Eagles, and you have to wonder what the Saints are thinking now that Grant has visited the Buccaneers.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10066453
 
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