The Rams now hold the first pick of intrigue in the draft with the No. 2 overall pick. General manager Billy Devaney has received phone calls this morning about his team’s top pick, but did not mention any particulars.

An NFL GM told NFL Network that the Lions “think they have the next Jay Cutler” in Georgia QB Matthew Stafford.

You really have to applaud the Detroit Lions for going after the player that they really wanted in Matthew Stafford. The Lions were thinking that all the players at the top of this year’s draft board were pretty even, and figured that they were better off getting the player they really coveted.

Florida WR Percy Harvin‘s athleticism and game-breaking ability seem to be overriding character and injury concerns.

Alabama OT Andre Smith appears to have rebounded from his combine catastrophe and his shirtless 40-yard dash at a private workout.

Things have been overly crazy today with information overload that entails a lot of deciphering and massaging.

Ask any college football fan to point on a map where the best college football is played and they’ll likely point to the Southeastern corner of the country. And they’d be right — if they have the Atlantic Coast Conference, not the Southeastern Conference, in mind.

The men of the hour — all nine of them — finally made their way inside Radio City Music Hall on Friday afternoon. In less than 24 hours they’ll be back, and one of them will be the top overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

A source inside the Detroit Lions’ organization told NFL.com’s Thomas George that neither the team nor Matthew Stafford believe any differences in contract talks will stop the Georgia QB from being the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday’s draft.

It’s only one day before the draft, and the rumors are flying — particularly about quarterbacks. One of the most-talked about players in those rumors is USC’s Mark Sanchez.

Jason Smith doesn’t play around. While most of the other draft prospects saw their opportunity to talk with kids at an NFL Play 60 event as a chance to smile for the cameras, joke around and dispense cliches, Smith got serious.

Jason Campbell will request to be traded should the Redskins acquire a quarterback in this weekend’s draft, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Atlanta’s acquisition of Kansas City’s All-Pro TE Tony Gonzalez in exchange for the team’s 2010 second-round draft pick triggers a series of scenarios not only for each team on the field but for this weekend’s draft.

In a mock draft conducted by NFL Network analysts Thursday, Georgia QB Matt Stafford was not among the first four picks. Here’s a sneak preview.

In their Thursday morning production meeting, NFL Network’s draft analysts debated the merits of Detroit taking quarterback Matthew Stafford with the top overall pick.