Ever since Herman Johnson entered the world weighing 15 pounds and 14 ounces, it seemed he was meant to play football. He is listed as being one of the heaviest babies ever born in Louisiana and he says “my doctor told me all the time I was going to be an LSU Tiger.”

Jim Zorn is unusually forthcoming for an NFL coach. He’ll tell you as much, likely in a very thorough and well-thought-out way. When asked about what he learned during his first season as a head coach, Zorn offered this:

“One thing I’ve learned is that I’ve probably said too much in interviews with you guys,” Zorn quipped. “But that’s the way I am. I need to speak in shorter snippets.”

A common theme among many of the top prospects here at the combine is that they trained against elite teammates in college. Several players credited facing such high-quality competition daily at practice with their development.

Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith goes by the nickname “J. Smooth” for a reason — his lively press conference was possibly the most entertaining of the day at the combine.

Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith, projected as a potential top-five pick, hasn’t yet decided if he will work out this weekend at the combine. He said he will make his decision Friday.

It’s no surprise that Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was the man of the hour on Thursday. He’s the first-year man in Detroit who holds the top overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Part track meet, part grammar-school fitness test … those are the workouts of the NFL Scouting Combine. NFL Network has every event, from the weigh-ins to the bench press, covered with more than 15 hours of live programming over four days.

Days before the combine in Indianapolis, LSU offensive lineman Herman Johnson already is one of the biggest losers. Johnson, who has been listed at 6-foot-7 and 382 pounds, has lost over 30 pounds in his preparation for this week’s tests for NFL teams. He will participate in all the drills at the combine.

Fullback Eric Kettani, only the second Navy player to be invited to the Senior Bowl, will not be attending next week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. In a ruling made Friday by Navy superintendent Vice Admiral Jeff Fowler, Kettani will not be allowed to attend the annual six-day event in which top NFL prospects have a chance to improve their standing among their peers.