Posted by Josh Katzowitz

• The video (and story) of the day goes to Yahoo! Sports’ Doug Farrar who had Da’Quan Bowers tape his 40-yard dash attempts and then released it to the world. It’s embarrassing and hilarious and full of awesomeness. Bowers’ best line comes after Farrar’s second attempt: "Don't think he trained with us here at API. Because he didn't. We don't do that around here." The video is embedded below.

• There’s not much new news in this Ron Borges (of the Boston Herald) column, but you have to admire his lede. He sits on a toilet when he overhears NFL attorney Bob Batterman talking to a colleague about the labor negotiations. I’ve never gleaned any information in quite this manner, and honestly, I hope I never do. But hey, cheers to Borges to never being off the clock.

• While the Dolphins are trying to set up player-led workouts at Nova Southeastern University, agent Drew Rosenhaus is advising his clients not to participate until the April 6 hearing of Brady v NFL is heard.

• If Ravens S Tom Zbikowski had his druthers, he’d continue to fight in the NFL’s offseasons. His owner, Steve Bisciotti, seems cool with the idea.

• Packers TE Jermichael Finley called Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco “a clown.” Yeah, if only Ochocinco had thought up YOTTO (Year Of The Take Over) and used it in just about every Twitter status update, then he’d be one cool dude.

• Charlotte Observer beat reporter Joe Person has a prediction on who the Panthers will make the No. 1 pick at the draft: Blaine Gabbert.

• New Broncos coach John Fox believes that switching the team’s defense from the 3-4 to the 4-3 will really help Denver rush the passer.

• Sounds like Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker wouldn’t mind relocating a little further south for his job.

• Maybe the new kickoff rules won’t be so bad after all.

• Perhaps the biggest key for Titans WR Kenny Britt will be how much he grows and matures next season.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Panthers coach Ron Rivera was discussing quarterbacks and the positives displayed by the cornucopia of signal-callers that will be available in April’s NFL draft. Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Mallett are some of the guys at whom the Panthers are looking.

But Rivera, who’s said that the team is really focusing on eight players for the No. 1 pick, revealed that five of them are NOT quarterbacks. Great news, by the way, for Jimmy Clausen. For now, at least.

Panthers decision

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“We have a number of positions that we've identified as needs. We're trying to get to that point where we can start filling those needs as the time is appropriate,” Rivera said, via the Charlotte Observer. “If you can fill a need through free agency, we're going to do it. If we have to go through the draft, we'll do it. If we've got to make a trade, we'll do it.”

Some names thrown out there by staff writer Joe Person include defensive linemen Da’Quan Bowers (though his stock certainly had dropped since the NFL combine), Marcell Dareus and Nick Fairley. In reality, any of those players could go No. 1, though Fairley also isn’t as highly-rated as before.

Or, like Rivera said, the team could go the trade route and address another team need – like WR or CB.

“Anything's possible,” Rivera said. “We've got to finish the process and see where it all fits.”

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

• Patriots OT Matt Light is upset that his owner, Bob Kraft, wasn’t present at the labor negotiations in Washington. Instead Kraft was on a trade mission to Israel and the United Kingdom.

• The NY Times explains why Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco probably isn’t very good at soccer.

• Former Browns CB Frank Minnifield gives us a history lesson about the 1987 players strike, the last time the NFL went through a work stoppage.

• Before he was against the 18-game schedule, Bears LB Lance Briggs actually seemed like he was in favor of it. Or, at least, he didn’t mind it.

• The NFL owners meetings are this week in New Orleans. Saints owner Tom Benson just wants to be a gracious host.

• Here’s an update on former Patriots DE Jarvis Green and whether he’s going to continue playing football. Right now, he says he’s “in between.”

• Should Broncos QB Tim Tebow (or Kyle Orton, for that matter) be worried that Denver’s front office – which holds the No. 2 pick in next month’s NFL draft – is checking out Jake Locker, Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Mallett? Maybe, but probably not.

• Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick is drawing interest from plenty of teams. And a bit of trivia on him: did you know he could throw a baseball 94 mph?

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Posted by Rob Rang

A strong throwing session from Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert could push him to the No. 1 overall pick.

According to a Twitter note from Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune, Gabbert completed 44 of 49 passes and characterized "at least three" of the incompletions to drops by the collection of D-II receivers organized for the workout. With Missouri having no draft-eligible receivers, he was left to rely on others, rather than former teammates to catch his passes.

A source on the scene characterized Gabbert's workout as a "8" when asked to score it on a scale of 1-10. The source pointed out some "little issues intermediate and deep." But also noted "good velocity and accuracy on the move."

Gabbert's "little issues" on deeper passes wasn't unexpected. This was a primary concern based off of the largely horizontal (rather than vertical) passing he was asked to do while operating Missouri's spread attack.

In demonstrating good footwork from under center and accuracy while on the run, Gabbert helped alleviate concerns about his ability to translate to a more traditional pro-style offense.

As expected, the Missouri Pro Day was well attended by NFL decision-makers, including Carolina head coach Ron Rivera, Jets' head coach Rex Ryan, Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, Bengals' head coach Marvin Lewis, and Jaguars' head coach Jack Del Rio.




This post was cross-posted from Rob Rang's NFL Draft blog. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed .

Posted by Will Brinson



Got a link for the Hot Routes? Hit us up on Twitter (@CBSSportsNFL).

• Even though Jerry Richardson probably isn't the most favorite owner when it comes to fan discussions about the current labor situation, he's informed the team that Panthers employees won't have to take a paycut in the event of a lockout. So he's got that going for him.

• According to GQ, the Philadelphia Eagles have the second-worst fans in the country. First? The Phillies!

• Aaron Rodgers' year is going okay. He just hit a hole-in-one (his first one) on a recent golf outing.

• The Rams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, are "really, really high" on Julio Jones.

• Wofford (a tiny No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament) has more combined NFLers than 20 different teams in the NCAA tournament.

• We'll probably touch on it more later, but we want to go ahead and point out that Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports calls the NFL owners "communists."

• Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald does a mock draft that's predicated on the lockout continuing. A valid, if sad and/or terrifying point.

• The Bills took Blaine Gabbert out to dinner before his Missouri pro day. I hope they bought him wings.

• It's important to remember that Noel Devine out of West Virginia is still really fast. He ripped off a 4.43 at their pro day.

Posted by Will Brinson

Blaine Gabbert's found himself at the top of plenty of mock drafts over the past few weeks, including our own Rob Rang's latest March 14 rendition.

That's despite the fact that Carolina reportedly has some serious concerns about Gabbert's accuracy outside the hash marks and deep down the field.

The reported concerns are what make the NFL Network's Michael Lombardi's claim that Gabbert can "seal" up the No. 1 overall pick with an "impressive" pro day this week at Missouri so odd.

A strong pro day for Gabbert could certainly boost his draft stock, but it's probably too early to lock anyone in at No. 1.

Right now, the Panthers just have too many needs, there are too many options available to fill those needs, and there's too much intrigue with Cam Newton as a possible franchise quarterback to guarantee anyone's getting picked first overall just yet.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Finding out that the Panthers aren't in love with Jimmy Clausen might not seem like news, but it's fairly important with respect to the draft. After all, if everyone in Carolina think his ship has sailed, it's probably time to start drafting a quarterback.

Well, according to Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, the only person left in Clausen's corner is GM Marty Hurney. Oh, and the Panthers aren't big fans of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, either.

Banks cites a source who informed him that Hurney is the "only one in the building in Charlotte" who thinks Clausen can still turn into the Panthers starting quarterback. This isn't entirely illogical: watching Clausen play in 2010 made it clear he wasn't progressing quickly. (Duh.) But Hurney drafted him, and therefore has a little bit of loyalty -- even if it's blind -- to the Notre Dame product.

What's particularly interesting about this, but probably won't be publicly noted for quite some time (if ever), is that if everyone's already off the Clausen bandwagon after one season, there's a pretty good chance that John Fox was never on it to start.

Fortunately, Ron Rivera, as a new head coach, isn't likely to be saddled with a quarterback he's not amenable to; in this case, Blaine Gabbert. (And Clausen.)

NFL Draft

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And, apparently, Carolina "doesn't really love" Gabbert either. Banks cites a source who tells him the Panthers have concerns about the Mizzou product, because they don't believe he's "accurate enough outside the hash marks and deep downfield."

Those concerns are legitimate given the offense that Gabbert's coming from, and it obviously opens up the door for Cam Newton as the Panthers' No. 1 overall selection. In case the fact that they're holding a private workout with Newton didn't open it enough.

Or a defensive player, if they don't love Cam. But whether or not they turn to the Heisman winner with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, it certainly is seeming like there'll be a change at quarterback for the Panthers in 2011.

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Posted by Rob Rang

We all know the value of quarterbacks raises as the draft gets closer. We also all know that significantly altering a player's grade based on Combine performance is a quick way to get a scouting staff fired.

That said, there is an increasing belief among NFL teams that as many as five quarterbacks could wind up in the first round, following strong performances from Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker and Christian Ponder at the Combine.

[Related: CBSSports.com's 2011 QB Prospect Rankings]

Mallett unquestionably has first round skills. While his struggles at the podium in front of the media has been well documented, league sources tell our own Len Pasquarelli of The Sports XChange that teams who interviewed him in Indianapolis "came away impressed with him."

Locker, too, has unquestionable talent. His career-long struggles with inaccuracy remain a concern for many, but there was no denying he enjoyed a strong throwing session at the combine, throwing some of his most accurate passes on the deep outs, fly routes and post-corners that are generally considered the toughest throws scouts ask quarterbacks to make at the Combine. Some teams will take this as evidence that he's made strides under former pro quarterback Ken O'Brien -- and is likely to continue to do so under NFL coaching.

Perhaps the most surprising quarterback generating recent first round buzz is Ponder. His multiple arm surgeries make his medical grade the most important result from the Combine (and teams won't have these complete results for awhile), but there is no question that the former Seminole is building momentum following a Senior Bowl MVP performance and a strong showing during passing drills. Considering his intelligence, mobility and accuracy to the short to intermediate levels of the field, Ponder is viewed by some as the top true West Coast Offense quarterback in the draft.



In last week's mock draft I had only two quarterbacks (Missouri's Blaine Gabbert and Auburn's Cam Newton) projected in the first round. With virtually every one of the front office executives and head coaches acknowleding during their combine interviews the supreme value of the quarterback position and another two months for the hype around these three to build, we could end up seeing that number more than double by April 28.

This entry was cross-posted from Rob Rang's NFL Draft Blog. For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed.