Sam Bradford and the top of the draft

National Football League
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All eyes in the NFL world are on the combine in Indianapolis this weekend, but perhaps the most interesting piece of information to come out in recent days hasn't come out of Indiana. Instead, it was a comment made by a respected journalist on a radio show that has raised eyebrows and given people projecting the NFL Draft cause to reconsider their prognostications at the top of the draft board.

One day after reporting that the top four teams in the draft (Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, and Redskins) have put out feelers about trading down, Adam Schefter said on WXOS (ESPN 101) in St. Louis that he believes Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford will go #1 overall in this April's draft.

Will Sam Bradford end up in St. Louis? (Icon SMI)

It's a bold move by Schefter to make this prediction, particularly with there being so much momentum behind the thought that the Rams will draft Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh at #1 overall. At the same time, there is a core of logic to it. The Rams have drafted several top-notch defensive players in the past few years, and spending #1 overall money on Suh would mean even more cash being invested into the front seven for the team's defense.

As for Bradford, he entered the 2009 season with the knowledge that he probably would have beaten out Matthew Stafford as the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Instead, Bradford returned for his redshirt junior season at Oklahoma. In the season-opener against BYU, Bradford sustained a third degree AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. He managed to recover enough to return to action, but he re-injured his shoulder in Oklahoma's loss to Texas.

World-class surgeon Dr. James Andrews surgically repaired Bradford's right shoulder, and since then Bradford has been quietly (and patiently) rehabbing the injury. At this point it looks like Bradford will be the first quarterback taken in the draft, particularly with him looking strong in the media questioning section of the combine today. The distance between Bradford and Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen (and the rest of the pack) continues to increase.

Does this mean that Bradford will go #1 overall? It's too early to know for sure, and particularly if the Rams have looked into trading down, it's unclear who will hold the top spot by the time the draft officially begins in late April. If the Bucs (or Lions) trade up to #1 to land Suh, then clearly Bradford won't go at #1. Plus, expect the Rams to tease the possibility of drafting multiple players to both smoke out any teams desperately wanting a player and also to give themselves negotiating power with whoever they do end up drafting ahead of April 22, 2010.

As for the combine, Maryland OT Bruce Campbell ran a stunning 4.78 seconds in the 40 this morning. That's said to be the fastest time ever for an offensive lineman ever at the combine, which if true is impressive. Campbell has been perceived as being in the mix among the top offensive lineman prospects to this point, though he doesn't appear to be in the mix with Oklahoma State's Russell Okung and Rutgers' Anthony Davis contending to be the top offensive lineman drafted.

Lightning quick LSU KR/RB Trindon Holliday ran what was originally labeled as a 4.22 40 and later revised to a 4.34. There isn't any questioning Holliday's speed, though with his small stature it will be interesting to see what NFL team ends up taking a shot on him.

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