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There is never a good time to punch a police officer in the face. If you're an NFL draft prospect, however, doing so five days before the NFL draft is even worse.

According to the Omaha World-Herald (via Pro Football Talk), ex-Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard did just that, allegedly, early this morning (2:15 a.m.) at a bar in Lincoln (NE).

In Dennard's most recent game, the 2012 Capital One Bowl, he was ejected for getting into a fight with South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.

Before his rest, Dennard was projected to go to the Eagles in the second round (51st overall pick) in my mock draft. In my next update, he will be a third-round pick and could possibly slip even further.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wisconsin running back Montee Ball has decided to return to school for his senior season.

One of the main factors influencing Ball's decision to stay in school was the draft grade he received from NFL evaluators.

"I got it back two or three weeks ago, and obviously it weighed a lot on my decision. They came back, they said third round, and obviously I was a little disappointed. I felt like I was better than third round. Me coming back now, I'll be able to focus on my strength, my speed and all that stuff, and I believe I can better my stock," Ball said.

An area of focus for the 205-pound back will be to add about 10 pounds to his frame, however, he dropped 25-30 pounds going into last season. "I'm sure my body is a little confused with that, going from 230 to 205 and now I have to get back up to 215," Ball said.

Ball tied the NCAA record for touchdowns (39) set by Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders and he finished with 1,923 rushing yards last year. In other words, he is unlikely to improve upon his on-field performance.

I understand why Ball would be disappointed by the draft grade he received. Considering how short-lived the career of an NFL running back is, however, I don't understand why he wouldn't cash in on his opportunity to move on to the next level.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Four and a half months from now, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will (almost) certainly be this year's top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

That said, Luck, who is one of the five finalists, seems less likely to be this year's Heisman Trophy winner than he does the top pick in the draft.

The other four finalists are Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu a.k.a. the Honey Badger.

Griffin leads the country in quarterback rating (192.3) and has more yards (3,998), touchdowns (36) and fewer interceptions (5) than Luck (167.5-3,170-35-9).

Meanwhile, Ball leads the country in rushing (1,759) and rushing touchdowns (32). Richardson, who ranks sixth in rushing, has 1,583 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

The last defensive player to win the award was Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997. In the 13 years since Woodson won the award, the Heisman Trophy has gone to nine quarterbacks and four running backs.

Who will be this year's Heisman Trophy winner?

Related: Our 2012 NFL Mock Draft Database - Past Heisman Winners

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not only will Terrelle Pryor miss the first five games of the season as Ohio State's quarterback, he'll miss them all.

"In the best interest of my teammates, I have decided to forego my senior year of football at the Ohio State University," Pryor said in a statement released by his lawyer, Larry James, on Tuesday evening, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

But, wait, there's more.

In addition to the news that Pryor will skip his senior season, there is an ESPN Outside the Lines report with allegations from a "former friend" that Pryor was paid up to a total of $40,000 to sign memorabilia in 2009-10.

That's just what the Ohio State football program needs: more alleged violations.

Pryor, who compiled a 31-4 record over three seasons, threw for 2,772 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in addition to rushing for 754 yards and four touchdowns last year.

The likely next step for Pryor will be the NFL supplemental draft, provided there is one. If he declares himself eligible for the supplemental draft, however, it's likely he'll only be a mid-round pick.

Per Rob Rang of CBS Sports, a scout told him Pryor "is a nice college player playing in a system that caters to his strengths. He’s a basketball player playing football, though, when it comes to the NFL. He’s not a quarterback. He doesn’t have the makeup, the release or the accuracy for it. And he isn’t one of those guys that you can make into another position. He’s going to run well and people are going to get excited about him, but he isn’t a football player. What you’ve seen at Ohio State – on the field and off – is what you get with him.”

And ESPN's Todd McShay tweeted a question that has an answer that probably won't make Pryor too happy, "Has anyone explained to T Pryor how much mid-round supplemental draft picks make?"

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Heading into the 2011 college football season, Ohio State was already expected to be without coach Jim Tressel -- in addition to five players including quarterback Terrelle Pryor -- for the first five games of the season.

Not only will Tressel miss those five games, but he will miss all of the team's subsequent games as well. This morning, Tressel submitted his letter of resignation to Ohio State AD Gene Smith.

Therefore, Luke Fickell, who was a former Ohio State defensive lineman, will remain the team's interim head coach throughout the entire 2011 season.

"... Recruitment for a new head coach - which is expected to include external and internal candidates - will not commence until the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season," OSU President E. Gordon Gee wrote to the school's trustees, per the Columbus Dispatch.

ESPN's Bruce Feldman identifies seven possible replacements for Tressel (and Fickell) in 2012: ESPN analyst Urban Meyer, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, TCU coach Gary Patterson, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.

In his ten seasons at Ohio State, Tressel compiled a 106-22 record, won a national championship (2002) and seven Big Ten titles while beating archrival Michigan nine of ten times. Tressel has led the Buckeyes to a BCS Bowl game for six consecutive seasons, which is three times the next longest active streak of two by Oregon and TCU.

While Tressel ranks third all-time in wins at Ohio State behind Woody Hayes (205) and John Cooper (111), he won a larger percentage of his games (.828) than Hayes (.761).

SI's George Dohrmann has a story coming out soon and he tweets, "... Timing of Tress [decision] will make sense after you read it" so stay tuned ...

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In case you missed it last night, the Michigan State Spartans used "Little Giants" to score the game-winning touchdown that beat Notre Dame in overtime.

"A difficult loss, obviously," [Notre Dame coach Brian] Kelly said. "It came down to one play. Michigan State executed the play, and we did not. We had a guy covering who fell down."

Here is the fake field-goal attempt (and touchdown pass):

And if you're a Notre Dame fan like me, you wish you had missed it. Or that it was all just a bad dream.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the 28th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick.

Odrick, who has a good motor and good size (6-foot-5, 304 pounds), has the flexibility to play inside in a 4-3 defense and outside in a 3-4 defense.

Now the New York Jets are the on the clock with the 29th overall pick.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the 23rd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select Iowa tackle Bryan Bulaga.

Many mock drafts projected Bulaga going as high as the fifth pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With issues protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year, this is a great pick by the Packers.

Now the Dallas Cowboys, who traded with the New England Patriots, are the on the clock with the 24th overall pick.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the 13th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded with the Denver Broncos to move up to this spot, select Michigan DE/LB Brandon Graham.

Graham, who is six-foot-one and 268 pounds, has recorded 28 sacks in the past three seasons at Michigan. He has been compared to another small(ish) pass-rusher: Denver's Elvis Dumervil.

According to Pro Football Talk, it looks like the Eagles traded their first-round pick and two third-round picks to move up.

Now the Seattle Seahawks are the on the clock with the 14th overall pick.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)