With the 76th draft quickly approaching, there has been much speculation over where the value is in the draft. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock foresees as many as nine defensive ends going in the first round.

Three…more…days.

If you’re a draftnik, and if you think Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper are like Axl and Slash, then you know what’s in three days. The path to prime time is getting short, as draft weekend starts Thursday.

So if the NFL draft is just three days away, then what are some good draft 3s?

Four. In some Eastern cultures that number is bad luck and represents death. For a lot of fans, it will be death by a thousand paper cuts waiting for Thursday … Day 1 of the 2011 NFL Draft. Four is football at its essence: Four downs, four quarters, and going way back, the Four Horsemen. But what does the No. 4 signify in the world of the draft? Round 4 kicks off the last day of draft weekend, which is often low on hype and high on value. Speaking of value, there’s been some good fourth-round picks from the last couple of years, but nothing like the 2006 draft. Here’s a sampling: Owen Daniels (98th overall), Brad Smith (103rd), Jahri [...]

The 2011 NFL Draft is only five days away. So on this Saturday, when you’re sitting around watching “Saved by the Bell” reruns, general managers and scouting personnel around the league are doing everything they can to get ready for D-Day. With five days left, they don’t have much time …

St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson is part of an extinct breed in the NFL — the featured running back. This species is in short supply, kind of like the panda. That time could be running short.

Has Christian Ponder moved into the first round? Our Vic Carucci certainly believes so.

Six Days to Sunday. NFL Films did a documentary special in 1995, but as good as it was, it would be hard pressed to beat the drama and suspense of the six days leading up to the NFL Draft. If only we could be flies on the wall in various scouting departments around the league, where they have six late nights left to work on their draft boards.

Should the eventual winner of the Madden 2012 cover competition be avoided in fantasy drafts? Don’t laugh…

When it comes to the downside of the draft process — when his work ethic, consistency and character are questioned at seemingly every turn — Auburn DT Nick Fairley does his best to ignore it.

Auburn DT Nick Fairley poses for a portrait at the NFL Network Studio on April 21st.

Is Jake Locker the next John Elway? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

NFL Network’s Marshall Faulk doesn’t think Cowboys QB Tony Romo has earned the right to head into the 2011 season without facing a challenge from Jon Kitna for the starting job.

Yesterday we took a look at the strength of schedule for every NFC team, noting that the Panthers had one heck of a hard road to getting back to viability. Today, it’s another one of 2010’s lousy teams that shows up as having a tough task, as we look at the AFC strength of schedule.

Gerald McCoy of the Buccaneers recently stopped by the NFL Network studios in Los Angeles, so we spent a few minutes catching up on what’s happened since his last visit a year ago.

Seven. One week. That’s how long until the most meaningful days on the NFL’s spring schedule. Seven, starring Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, and Morgan Freeman, may be the best thriller ever