Here’s a list of players who made good first impressions with me after watching them practice up close all week at the Senior Bowl.

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson is short by NFL standards. A short man’s complex, though, he does not have.

Our friends at Sports Pickle made a joke about 49ers QB Alex Smith in real-time Sunday that couldn’t be overlooked: “I bet other No. 1 overall pick QB busts think Alex Smith has become a total sellout.”

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock says the time for the Blaine Gabbert era in Jacksonville is now.

Thursday is podcast day at the Culver City, Calif., offices of NFL.com and NFL Network. Both Rich Eisen and Dave Dameshek will tape their latest podcasts today –- but there is even more significance this week.

Hope you all enjoyed a happy Mother’s Day. Now we can look forward to perhaps some news from the 8th Circuit Court about the NFL lockout at some point about. In the meantime, here are some links to get your NFL week started:

It’s far too early to anoint anyone the steal of the 2011 NFL Draft. But if Marcus Cannon can bounce back from a reportedly treatable form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma — which he found out about last week and is expected to be mostly recovered from in several weeks — he could be that player.

A few notes, thoughts and observations from Radio City Music Hall as Round 4 of the NFL draft unfolds.

The run on quarterbacks during the early portions of the 2011 NFL Draft — four went in the first 12 picks, including surprise selections of Jake Locker (eighth) and Christian Ponder (12th) — had another subtle result.

On the clock with the No. 17 overall pick in the draft, the Patriots saw the chance to take their left tackle of the future. They didn’t pass on it.

The first big shock of the draft didn’t last long. It went precisely four picks, from the time the Titans took Jake Locker eighth overall until the Vikings made Christian Ponder the 12th pick overall and the fourth quarterback selected in the draft.

The Cardinals, one of many top-10 teams believed to need a quarterback, passed on the opportunity to select Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert with the fifth overall pick in the draft.

It’s a longstanding strategy among teams to avoid drafting interior offensive linemen too early, based on their value in relation to other positions. But we know this draft is setting up to be unlike any other.

NEW YORK –- In the days leading up to the NFL Draft, much of what prognosticators see playing out is a matter of educated guessing. But some names continue to emerge as players who could slide in the first round Thursday night — a topic that was discussed among NFL Network’s analysts during their Tuesday production meeting.

Washington’s Jake Locker is going to be the third quarterback off the board, according to our draft expert Mike Mayock.