Posted by Will Brinson

NEW YORK -- There's not a whole lot that anyone knows about the 2011 NFL Draft, thanks to the labor situation keeping the Panthers from negotiating with one prospect. But there is one truth that we think we know: there might be a single running back taken in the first round.

One. That's it ... if someone bites on Mark Ingram with their top pick. However, Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams -- the third-ranked RB on CBSSports.com's prospect board -- thinks something different might unfold. In fact, he thinks we'll see "a couple running backs" go early on Thursday.

"The draft is full of surprises," Ryan Williams told CBSSports.com at NIKETOWN on Wednesday. "They say they don't want running backs in the first round -- how can you not take running backs in the first round when a lot of teams are taking running backs.

"I think we're going to get a couple running backs in the first round."

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A bold prediction to be sure, and one that's certainly a bit convenient, as a result of Williams hoping that he goes early.

But at the stage that he said this (less than 24 hours from the first round), there's not a whole lot for him to gain from saying this. He knows who's interested in his services.

And he also knows how many teams might be desperate for a second and/or first explosive running back capable of stepping in and making a difference right away.

"You look at the Dolphins, they're losing Ricky [Williams], Ronnie [Brown]," Williams said. "You look at the Bengals, they're losing [Cedric] Benson. Redskins lost [Clinton] Portis.

"Knowshon [Moreno] with the injury problems. Baltimore Ravens with Willis McGahee … so the list goes on."

Williams also added about the Panthers' DeAngelo Williams, "he's already gone."

And he's right. These guys are either out the door or likely gone. Miami's made their intentions clear (it's why nearly everyone has Ingram pegged to the Dolphins), DeAngelo seems like a lock to leave the Carolinas because of his status and Jonathan Stewart, Benson is an unrestricted free agent, etc., etc.

That's the weird thing about this draft -- there's a lot of teams who need running backs but a ton of teams who aren't acting all that interested in taking a running back early. After all, there's a ton of depth and, as always in this day and age, a ton of teams that actually need healthy, talented running backs.

For the Dolphins, Williams already has a solution: draft and pair him with Darren Evans, our 31st-ranked running back prospect , who also happens to have played at Virginia Tech.

"You know what would be great? If the Dolphins picked up me and Darren [Evans of Virginia Tech]," Williams half-joked. "I feel like me and Darren pair well with each other. They're losing Ricky and Ronnie -- pick up Ryan and Darren."

No one's going to bank on the Dolphins listening to Williams' advice, much less a pile of teams jumping all over a running back in the first round, but just remember if they do -- after giving credit for where you heard it first -- tell someone to hire Williams as a draft analyst ASAP.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Could an NFL owner break rank during or just before the NFL Draft and decide that it's time to make a trade or sign a free agent? That's a legitimate question, because I'm not positive I -- or anyone -- know the answer. But I'm fairly certain it could happen.

Of course, first, a few things have to go down. One, Judge Susan Nelson has to rule -- between now and the beginning of the Draft on Thursday -- in favor of the players on the stay issue as well as clarification of her original ruling . If she does, and it's not a stretch to think that she will, the league may be forced to open its doors immediately and begin the league year.

Pandemonium unlike we've known it could erupt. Or, alternately, teams could take their sweet time making moves to sign players. The latter seems like the most likely situation, because the NFL will still be pushing to get their appeal into the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Also, making a case for collusion, based on the fact that teams didn't sign any free agents amid the hectic few days of the NFL Draft could be a stretch.

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Although you could argue teams should be pursuing all of their options during that time, particularly if they want to shore up their respective rosters. And this, to me, is where things get interesting, should the league "begin the season" some time on Thursday.

Because there are some teams more in need in of making certain moves than others. The Eagles obviously would like to end up moving Kevin Kolb; our own Clark Judge recently pointed out just how coveted Philly's backup remains around the league.

And the Redskins, for example, would probably like to receive some sort of value for Donovan McNabb -- or Albert Haynesworth! -- before they're forced to cut him rather than paying him a roster bonus before he's due, when football actually starts. And they just so happen to need draft picks, thanks to the very trade they made last Easter to bring McNabb in.

And let's not put it past Dan Snyder to "go rogue" either; this is a man currently embroiled in a ridiculous lawsuit with a small-time Washington, D.C., newspaper because he didn't like the way he was portrayed publicly. He'll need someone to play along, should the rank-breaking be a trade and not a free-agent signing, of course. While it seems unlikely Jerry Richardson will bail on his role as lead negotiator to pick up a quarterback, there's nothing to say that another owner running one of the many quarterback-desperate teams wouldn't.

Of course, it seems like the owners are unified. Whereas reports about players splintering into factions have made their way into the public, we've not yet heard anything too concrete about owners arguing amongst themselves. But did you see the utter disorganization that went down on Tuesday when players attempted to make their way into team facilities?

Some teams, like the Giants, let players work out on Tuesday. (But not on Wednesday !) Other teams, like the Seahawks, said no. Jerry Jones stepped up to the mic and provided a not-too-crafted statement about why Cowboys players couldn't come in.

That's the very definition of "factions" -- if the NFL owners were all on a singular page, a concrete policy would have been in place across the league.

Which brings us back to the day of the Draft. Perhaps the NFL is forced to open its doors to players and "get back to work." And perhaps, hypothetically, owners are advised that it's better to wait and see how the appeal process shakes out before making personnel moves.

Do you think, though, that the Eagles front office can resist the possibility of landing a top-10 pick for tomorrow night in this quarterback-desperate landscape that exists? And do you think that anyone can predict what Snyder will do in relation to his payroll and roster decisions when he desperately needs draft picks?

Certainly not. And what would the repercussions be if an NFL owner started wheeling and dealing? The league could fine that team or take away draft picks ... except that would amount to admitting collusion.

In fact, aside from Roger Goodell giving someone a dirty look the next time they were in the same room, the only thing that might happen is the rest of the league following suit and opening up the floodgates for other signings and draft-day trades of players.

And if and/or once that happens, it might be kind hard to bring back the lockout.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

• Giants players were allowed in the weight room on Tuesday. But they won’t be allowed in the weight room on Wednesday. Go figure.
  
  
• The 49ers have hired former Facebook CFO Gideon Yu as the team’s new Chief Strategy Officer on the business side of things. (Yu and York negotiated the terms of their agreement over a long series of wall posts.)
  
  
• Jaguars receiver (OK...special teamer) Kassim Osgood isn’t fond of the man he calls “Roger Goddell”.
  
  
• Colts receiver Austin Collie does not want to be the poster boy for concussions.
  
  
• Here’s some hardcore football content you don’t see often: a ranking of the top 10 special teamers in the draft.
  
  
• Cleveland area businessman, Ken Lanci, who sued the NFL over the lockout is withdrawing his suit…for now. Lanci’s suit pertained to his PSL contract.
  
  
• Here’s a good read on Titans tight end Jared Cook being turned away from the team’s facility yesterday.
  
  
• Brandon Jacobs understands he can’t control what the Giants front office does on Draft Day.
  
  
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Posted by Andy Benoit

A person can go crazy trying to keep up with all the various draft rumors with the first round now less than 36 hours away. That said, here are three very credible NFL reporters who have gotten involved in the hoopla. We’ll pass along their tidbits:

*John McClain of the Houston Chronicle believes the Texans want to trade up to snag either Von Miller or Patrick Peterson.

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*Peter King of Sports Illustrated reports that the Falcons are trying to trade up to get either A.J. Green or Julio Jones. (King says it’s unlikely they’ll succeed.)

Jason La Canfora of NFL Network says the Steelers “will exhaust all possible scenarios to trade up” and get Mike Pouncey (which would obviously extend their current league-high for Pouncey’s on the roster from one to two).

Make what you want of this information. Or, just do the sane thing and wait a few hours for the first round of the draft to actually play out.

UPDATE 12:41 p.m. EST: Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette calls the idea of Mike Pouncey being a Steeler "a fantasy".

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Posted by Andy Benoit

There are many ways a person could rank the top draft decision makers for each NFL team. Among those criteria: team history of success; number of first-rounders who have panned out; the number of late-round gems discovered; consistency of the players developed within the organization.

But without a scientific formula, sometimes the best rankings can derive from a standard eyeball/smell/gut test. Thus, here is a ranking of all 32 “final draft decision makers” in the NFL.

Lists like these tend to attract criticism and rebuttals. Have at it -- this is meant to be a discussion starter.

1. Bill Polian, Colts
Sticks unwaverlingly to his formula: invest in a small handful of elite skill position players on offense and playmakers on defense, and then surround them with low cost youngsters who fit your scheme. In the 2000s he led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win and annual division titles. In the '90s he ushered in the most successful expansion franchise in NFL history (Carolina Panthers) and oversaw the four-time AFC Champion Buffalo Bills.

2. Kevin Colbert, Steelers
Doesn't get much attention because A) he rarely does interviews; B) the Steelers are often drafting late in the first round and C) he's almost always looking two or three years ahead when drafting players, which minimizes the hype of Pittsburgh's rookie class. These methods have brought in guys like LaMarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu, Lawrence Timmons, Mike Wallace and Maurkice Pouncey to name five.

3. Ted Thompson, Packers
It took major intestinal fortitude to pull the trigger on Aaron Rodgers when Brett Favre was still on the roster and many believed the 2005 Packers were in position to "win now." Virtually the entire Packers Super Bowl roster this past year was comprised of players who were drafted by the organization and in their prime. That's perfect planning paying off.

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4. Bill Belichick, Patriots
The best trader of picks the NFL has seen since Jimmy Johnson. Like an alchemist, he regularly turns one late first-round selection into two or three solid contributors who fit the Patriots' ever-changing system.

5. Mickey Loomis, Saints
Is batting about .750 with his high-round draft picks, and has managed to snag several small-school gems in middle to late rounds (See: Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, who was primarily a basketball player at Miami).

6. Ozzie Newsome, Ravens
Simply has a knack for connecting on stars. His latest include Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Ray Rice and (maybe) Michael Oher and Joe Flacco. Because of good mid-round drafting, depth is generally a plus for this club. The only true black eye on Newsome’s resume is the Kyle Boller pick, for which Brian Billick shares equal blame.

7. A.J. Smith, Chargers
Supposedly not the most likeable guy in the room, but that's in part because he has a gift for ruthlessly getting the most out of his resources. Part of that is replacing players a year too soon rather than a year too late.

8. Andy Reid, Eagles
Aside from Green Bay, Philadelphia is the only NFC team that has consistently drafted for the future first and the present second. Because of that, the Eagles are able to stay afloat when they do miss on a high-round pick.

9. Mike Holmgren, Browns
Jury is still out in Cleveland, obviously. But a person's track record has to count for something, right? And Holmgren's is pretty good.

10. Mike Tannenbaum, Jets
Home runs (D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis -- who was a grand slam -- and possibly Mark Sanchez) outnumber strikeouts (Kellen Clemens, Vernon Gholston). Willing to be aggressive and trade up to get his guy. So far, it's worked well.

11. Jerry Reese, Giants
Has done a superb job building off the foundation that Ernie Accorsi put in place.

12. Thomas Dimitroff, Falcons
Ex-New England front office executive instantly turned the rudderless post-Vick Falcons around by nailing the Matt Ryan pick. Has since retooled the offense with solid role players and upgraded the speed on defense.

13. Mark Dominik, Buccaneers
Made the bold commitment for the Bucs to get younger on both sides of the ball. Already, those young players have turned out a 10-6 record, putting the team a year or two ahead of schedule. The decision to draft Josh Freeman one day could lead to a Lombardi Trophy.

14. Marty Hurney, Panthers
For the most part, Panthers have been consistently competitive for 10 years despite the absence of a star quarterback. How? Solid offensive line (Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil were successful high draft picks), good running game (DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were two more successful high picks) and a staunch defense (Jon Beason has more than lived up to first-round billing).

15. Scott Pioli, Chiefs
Was an integral part of the Patriots dynasty and is showing a knack for finding players who fit the Chiefs’ scheme.

16. Billy Devaney, Rams
Has not been at the helm long; will soar up this list if his 2011 draft class turns out to be anything like his 2010 class.

17. Mike Shanahan, Redskins
A nod to experience more than anything. Shanahan The GM has never been as good as Shanahan The Coach. But Shanahan The GM has still been around the block a time or two and knows exactly what he wants. Having Bruce Allen handle some of the technical GM duties is helpful.

18. Ken Whisenhunt/Rod Graves, Cardinals
Only one player they've taken in the first three rounds has not contributed (Cody Brown). The rest all have been part of a club that has won postseason games two of the past three seasons.

19. Jerry Angelo, Bears
Seems to have a slightly better feel for the veteran market than the rookie market, but we're nitpicking. Has done a fine job finding players who fit Lovie Smith’s Cover 2 defense. Offensively, he’s building around Jay Cutler (for whom he traded significant picks to get).

20. Mike Reinfeldt, Titans
The assumption is he occasionally has to cater to the demands of Bud Adams, which could be a challenging wrinkle to his job. Overall, has constructed a deep roster and seen a few gambles pay off (notably Chris Johnson in 2007).

21. Rick Spielman, Vikings
Too many busts early in his tenure, though some of that was beyond Minnesota's control (Kenechi Udeze's health issues, Erasmus James' injuries). While forcing a few picks into the lineup, the Vikings also have gotten their money's worth from top picks Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice and Adrian Peterson (considered a risk because of injury problems at Oklahoma).

22. Jerry Jones, Cowboys
Yes, the Cowboys have a talented group. But a bulk of that talent was acquired when Bill Parcells was around.

23. Martin Mayhew, Lions
Still waiting to see what becomes of the major investments on offense (outlook appears good but still not certain).

24. Jeff Ireland, Dolphins
Brand new in his role as top decision maker. It wouldn't be fair to judge him based on what his former boss (Parcells) did.

25. Gene Smith, Jaguars
In two years has shown willingness to rebuild in bunches by using back-to-back draft picks on the same position. In that time, not a lot has changed in Jacksonville's bottom line, though there is legitimate optimism about this franchise's direction.

26. Pete Carroll, Seahawks
It's way too early to judge. His first draft class looks like it could turn out to be spectacular at the top (Russell Okung has star traits, Earl Thomas has shown flashes and many like Walter Thurmond) but very few men have successfully worn the GM hat while coaching.

27. Trent Baalke, 49ers
The Niners' draft record during his two years as VP of Player Personnel was iffy, but he wasn't the final decision-maker then. His first draft class will likely prove to have produced long-term starters with the first four picks (Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, Taylor Mays and NaVorro Bowman). Iupati, in fact, seems destined to be a perennial Pro Bowler.

28. Buddy Nix, Bills
Bills are full of overachievers, but part of overachieving is not being very talented. The Aaron Maybin air ball in 2009 puts a damper on what was otherwise a solid draft class. But Nix, a national scout at the time, wasn't fully responsible for that draft class. His 2010 draft class is off to a slow start but its still in the judgment phase.

29. Rick Smith, Texans
Houston is overhauling its defensive scheme after spending five years investing first-round picks on players who were supposed to fit that scheme.

30. Mike Brown, Bengals
He would be a great fantasy drafter because he always takes the best player. Problem is, in the real draft, team chemistry needs to factor into your decisions. Those "best players" Brown takes are often available because of character red flags.

31. John Elway, Broncos
No track record to evaluate.

32. Al Davis, Raiders
One apparently solid draft (2010) does not erase years of atrocious ones.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Since when did Andy Dalton become a top-10 pick for this week’s NFL draft? Hell, when did he become a first round pick? I must have missed that memo, but apparently, somebody thinks quite highly of the former TCU quarterback.

That team, according to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora is the Titans – who apparently are thinking of picking Dalton with the No. 8 pick (rather than, as convention (and our mock draft gurus Rob Rang and Chad Reuter) dictates, go with Auburn DT Nick Fairley).

La Canfora’s sources told him that Tennessee – which, after losing Vince Young and probably Kerry Collins, is in desperate need of a starting quarterback whose name happens not to be Rusty Smith – considers Dalton an elite prospect who is less of a risk than the other quarterbacks who might fall to No. 8.

Considering Auburn’s Cam Newton and Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert likely will be off the board by the time the Titans pick, Tennessee could want to avoid Washington’s Jake Locker and Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett and pick Dalton instead. The Titans also could be worried that by the time they get to their second-round pick, Dalton would be gone.

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Greg Cosell of the NFL Network disagrees, telling the Sacramento Bee that Dalton is no better than (gasp!) a fourth-round pick.

“He won't go there. He'll go higher," Cosell said. "But he doesn't throw it very well. He doesn't spin it very well. He's a guy you'll have to camouflage. He needs a strong running game to be successful."

Either way, it’s nice to know that Dalton’s red hair might not be that big a consideration with at least one NFL team.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Marcus Cannon, a bubble first-round pick and a former OT from TCU, has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Pro Football Talk reports.

Cannon, who is listed as the No. 31 selection for Pittsburgh according to Chad Reuter’s mock draft (Rob Rang doesn’t have Cannon going in the first round), had been aware for years of a benign mass in his stomach/pelvic area.

But he underwent a biopsy recently, with the results sent to all 32 teams, and the test came back positive for the cancer – which, PFT explains, is treatable.

Doctors are recommending chemotherapy, which would last about 12 weeks and presumably would then allow him to try to continue his football career.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Amid all the all-encompassing insanity of the lifted lockout, here's some potentially damaging news for a pair of prospects, just 48 hours before the NFL Draft: Georgia LB/DL Justin Houston and Iowa DL Christian Ballard have reportedly tested positive for marijuana.

That's according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (whose tweet somehow almost got lost in the maw that is the legal discussion regarding the lockout), who notes that the pair are "2 highly-graded defensive draft kids."

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And he's right: Houston is the No. 44-overall player on our draft board. Ballard is ranked 59th overall.

Neither of the players' respective agents returned comments to Glazer, but expect them to be asked plenty of questions over the next few days, particularly as teams decide whether or not they want to risk drafting either of the players with the reported news floating out there.

But considering that the failed tests reportedly occurred at the NFL combine, if the reports are true, then teams are already aware of the issues at hand.

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