A compendium of off- and on-the-field notes for the 2008 NFL Draft, which starts at 3 p.m. Saturday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

 

Two players this weekend can become part of an exclusive NFL club. Virginia defensive end CHRIS LONG and UCLA safety MATT SLATER can become the fifth and sixth sons of Pro Football Hall of Fame players to be drafted into the NFL.  Chris can follow his father HOWIE (HOF, 2000) and Matt his father JACKIE (HOF, 2001). 

 

The Hall of Fame father/drafted son rundown:        

 

HOF FATHER (Year Inducted)	DRAFTED SON (Team, Year)
RB Tony Dorsett (1994)	CB Anthony Dorsett (Houston, 1996)
QB Bob Griese (1990)	QB Brian Griese (Denver, 1998)
RB-DB/Coach Don Shula (1997)	QB Mike Shula (Tampa Bay, 1987)
TE Kellen Winslow (1995)	TE Kellen Winslow (Cleveland, 2004)

 

An impressive number of players who will be drafted this weekend already have earned their college degrees, with majors ranging from international business to history.   

 

“These guys should be applauded for what they did,” says Oregon offensive coordinator CHIP KELLY, who coached quarterback DENNIS DIXON, a sociology graduate.  “They’re exactly what’s right about college football.”

 

PLAYER	COLLEGE	MAJOR
TE Cole Bennett	Auburn	Management Information Systems
QB Colt Brennan	Hawaii	Communications
TE John Carlson	Notre Dame	History
T Gosder Cherilus	Boston College	Communications
RB Tashard Choice	Georgia Tech	History, Technology and Society
TE Brad Cottam	Tennessee	International Business
QB Dennis Dixon	Oregon	Sociology
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar	Boston College	Communications
OL Robert Felton	Arkansas	Criminal Justice and Sociology
DE Wallace Gilberry	Alabama	Telecommunications
LB Tavares Gooden	Miami	Liberal Arts and Criminology
S Marcus Griffin	Texas	Government Studies (Liberal Arts minor)
LB Quentin Groves	Auburn	Criminology
CB-S Jonathan Hefney	Tennessee	Political Science
QB Chad Henne	Michigan	General Studies (3.5 years)
DT Trevor Laws	Notre Dame	Marketing and Sociology
CB Patrick Lee	Auburn	Criminology
LB Jeremy Leman	Illinois	Speech Communications (3 years)
OT Jake Long	Michigan	General Studies
DT Frank Okam	Texas	Sports Management (3.5 years)
DT DeMario Pressley	North Carolina State	Sports Management
QB Matt Ryan	Boston College	Communications
WR Limas Sweed	Texas	Youth and Community Studies
TE Jacob Tamme	Kentucky	Integrated Strategic Communications
C Cody Wallace	Texas A&M	Sports Management

 

Division I-AA quarterback JOE FLACCO of Delaware is aware that playing on that level may lead some people to question his ability.  Only two Division I-AA players (CB RASHARD ANDERSON by Carolina and WR SYLVESTER MORRIS by Kansas City, both first-round selections out of Jackson State in 2000) have been drafted in the top 30 selections in the past 10 years.

 

But Flacco doesn’t let that hinder his confidence.  “I feel like I’m the best quarterback in the draft,” he says.  “Hands down.”  

 

A former Delaware quarterback, SCOTT BRUNNER, who led the Fightin’ Blue Hens to the 1979 Division II championship and played six years in the NFL, believes that Flacco has all the tools.  “Without a doubt, he’ll play at the next level,” says Brunner, now a banker in New York City.  “He’s one of the top five quarterbacks in the country.  It’ll be fun to have another Blue Hen quarterback to root for.”

 

To back up Flacco’s feeling of confidence, look at this stat: three non-BCS quarterbacks finished in the top 10 in passer rating in the NFL in 2007:  

 

QUARTERBACK	COLLEGE	2007 PASSER RATING/RANK
Tony Romo, Dallas	Eastern Illinois	97.4/No. 5
Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay	San Jose State	94.6/ No. 7
Kurt Warner, Arizona	Northern Iowa	89.8/No. 10

 

Ohio State defensive end VERNON GHOLSTON, a sure first-round choice, can be the first this weekend in what the Buckeyes hope will be an onslaught of draft picks that will retain their No. 1 ranking as the school with the most selections over the past 10 years (since 1998):  

 

SCHOOL	DRAFT CHOICES	SCHOOL	DRAFT CHOICES
Ohio State	67	Georgia	55
Florida State	64	Nebraska	48
Miami (Fla.)	64	Michigan	47
Tennessee	64	USC	46
Florida	58	Notre Dame	45

 

The highest Connecticut has had a player chosen in the draft in the past 10 years was No. 82 overall (LB ALFRED FINCHER by New Orleans in 2005).  That could change this weekend, thanks to cornerback-safety TYVON BRANCH, who last year became the only Husky in history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season.

 

At the NFL Scouting Combine this past February, Branch earned another distinction that only five other players have achieved in the past five years, according to NFL.com draft expert GIL BRANDT.  Branch joined the unique quintet comprised of players who weigh at least 200 pounds, ran the 40 in under 4.4 seconds and lifted 225 pounds at least 15 times.  Four of the five were starters in 2007:        

 

PLAYER	COMBINE	DRAFTING CLUB/ROUND
CB DeAngelo Hall *	2004	Atlanta/1
S Bob Sanders *	2004	Indianapolis/2
CB Karl Paymah	2005	Denver/3
S Michael Huff *	2006	Oakland/1
S LaRon Landry *	2007	Washington/1
CB-S Tyvon Branch	2008	???

                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 * 2007 starter

 

  

Hawaii QB COLT BRENNAN … Backed up Arizona QB MATT LEINART in high school (Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California).

Oregon QB DENNIS DIXON … Graduated with a 3.27 GPA in sociology.

LSU DT GLENN DORSEY … Gets himself revved up for a game by listening to PHIL COLLINS’ soft-rock classic In the Air Tonight.

 

Ohio State DE VERNON GHOLSTON … Was so big as a high school sophomore (6-2, 205) that his football coach thought he was a parent walking the hallways.  When the coach realized he was a student, he cajoled Gholston into coming out for football.

 

Virginia DE CHRIS LONG VirginiaDE CHRIS LONG … Could be chosen higher in the draft than his DT Hall of Fame father HOWIE (Second round, 48th overall by Oakland out of Villanova in 1981).

 

Michigan T JAKE LONG … was flagged for two penalties his whole college career: a holding penalty as a freshman and a false-start as a senior.

 

Arkansas RB DARREN MC FADDEN … has not been affected by fame, according to Arkansas faculty member JANET FORBESS, who has had McFadden in several classes: “As he has gotten more and more famous, he doesn’t change in the classroom.”

Rutgers RB RAY RICE … Participated in the NFL’s High School Player Development program that emphasizes life skills in preparing athletes for college.

 

BostonCollege QB MATT RYAN … Won the 2008 Manning Award, the only QB award that considers a candidate’s bowl performances, and is voted upon by ARCHIE, PEYTON and ELI MANNING and the media.

 

Kansas CB AQIB TALIB … Is the youngest of four children, and his first name in Arabic translates to “last to come.”

Miami (Fla.) safety KENNY PHILLIPS is expected to be a first-round selection this Saturday. If he and any other Hurricanes are picked in the top round, they would continue the school’s impressive streak.

Miami has had at least one first-round pick in the last 13 NFL Drafts (since 1995, DT WARREN SAPP, No. 12 overall by Tampa Bay), the longest such active streak of a school in the draft.

 

Schools with the best active streaks of most consecutive years with a first-round pick: 

 

COLLEGE	CONSECUTIVE YEARS WITH 1st-ROUND PICK
Miami (Fla.)	13 (Since 1995)
Oklahoma	6 (Since 2002)
LSU	4 (Since 2004)
Texas	4 (Since 2004)
Florida State	3 (Since 2005)