Pro football bigwigs such as Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll descended on Norman, Okla., Monday to take in the long-awaited pro day of Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford.

Hope all the big-name gawkers enjoyed watching Bradford, because they're certainly not going to be coaching him any time soon.

Sign it, seal it, deliver it: Bradford is heading to St. Louis as the Rams' first overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

Things could be more frustrating for Minnesota Vikings fans regarding QB Brett Favre in 2009.  Was he coming back was he not coming back and would he play for the Vikings.  On and on it went for Favre during the off-season, but as expected he finally decided to sign on with the Vikings to help them make a run at the Super Bowl with one of the most complete teams in the NFL. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are a franchise with a solid core of very young offensive talent. Andy Reid has transformed his offense from a unit which featured no marquee weapons for Donovan McNabb, into a group that is headlined by explosive playmakers such as LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, and DeSean Jackson.

However, the team is going through a serious transition. There is a changing of the guard happening in Philly. Veteran leaders Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, Brian Westbrook, and now quite possibly Donovan McNabb will have been disposed of in favor of younger talent.  To make matters worse, the Eagles must decide how best to move forward after the tragic loss of their defensive co-ordinator, Jim Johnson.

Finding more leaders is a must for the Eagles in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Free Agency:

Philly has been quite active in overhauling their roster, having released Brian Westbrook, Darren Howard, Shawn Andrews, Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, and Will Witherspoon.  Of those players, Andrews and Witherspoon were considered starters, while the remaining players were valued role players.  To help offset those losses, the team signed DL Darryl Tapp, as well as DB Marlin Jackson to play safety. It appears that the Eagles are zeroing in on the Draft to fill the remaining spots on the roster.

Draft Needs and Targets:

Despite the infusion of talent at offensive skill positions, the Eagles' massive offensive trenches still need a makeover. They have their bookend tackles, but need to strengthen the interior of the line soon.  Losing Shawn Andrews in free agency, plus an injury to C Jamaal Jackson leaves the interior an area of need coming into the draft.

Philadelphia loves monstrous linemen. The average weight of their linemen is 330 pounds, and the average height is 6'5" 1/2. Of the potential lineman pool at pick #24, the Eagles could target Idaho OG Mike Iupati or C Maurkice Pouncey of University of Florida.  Both players have received a late first round grade, and are maulers with good feet.  From a size standpoint, Iupati seems the ideal fit (6'5" 331 lbs.), whereas Pouncey is 6'5" and a mere 305 lbs. However, it has been noted that Pouncey plays big and has proven how stout he can be against SEC DT's Dan Williams and Terrence Cody.  the real issue at stake is whether Philly wants to utilize a premium pick on an interior offensive lineman, since those positions can be found in the middle rounds.

If they decide to pass on this area until later on, another logical area to look at along the middle of the defense, namely LB and S.  Before last season, the heart and soul of the defense, Brian Dawkins was allowed to leave for the Broncos. And the defense has not been the same since.  Furthermore, defensive co-ordinator Sean McDermitt was forced to go to his 3rd string MLB after the position was depleted by injuries. With this in mind, I could see them being keen on a play-making safety like an Earl Thomas if they are willing to move up into the first-half of the Draft. Or they could look at Taylor Mays, who could be a good value in the back half of the 1st round.  He won't be the ball hawk that the team may hope for, but he certainly can fill Brian Dawkins other role as enforcer.  Plus, Andy Reid loves big and strong players.  Mays fits the bill.

As mentioned before, LB is an area of concern.  Perhaps a player of Sean Weatherspoon's type, extremely vocal and smart, would go a long way in restoring that swagger on defense.

The Indianapolis Colts runner up to the New Orleans Saints, but of the most successful franchises over the last decade in the NFL as far as regular season records are concerned.  The Colts last missed the playoffs in 2001 when they finished with a record of 6-10.   Since then they have won 10 or more games in each and every season.  Perhaps even more impressive it was only in 2002 that they finished with 10 games, every year since they have won 10 or more games. 

With all that said the Colts have only two Super Bowl appearances during that time frame and only one Super Bowl title, a win over the Bears in 2006.  You can essentially guarantee in 2010 is that the Colts will be competing for the league's best record and will likely make another run at an NFL title.  There team is consistently that good and plays that strong year after year.  Whether it's a testament to Peyton Manning or the success that Bill Polian drafts with the Colts are going to compete on an annual basis. 

Florida Cornerback Joe Haden ran the 40-yard dash at the UF Pro Day today and bested his surprisingly bad time from the Combine. Reports are that Haden ran in the high-4.3s, low-4.4s.

This should help confirm Haden's story that he was suffering from a mild back sprain during the Combine, and may elevate him back up to the first CB drafted position he held almost unanimously for months; but it may not.

Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson has been climbing draft boards all over the country, and a number of teams are rumored to have him above Haden on their big board. 

One thing you can count on down in Baton Rouge is that the LSU Tigers will always have at least a handful of NFL ready prospects each and every year.  This year is no different as the Tigers field a dozen prospects who were invited to the NFL combine to workout a couple weeks ago.

There are a few highly regarded prospects who could go in the early parts of round two, however the prospects that showed up the best at the Pro Day on Monday were three less heralded prospects, all on the defensive side of the ball.  The three stand outs covered the three personnel groupings on defense, the DT position, the LB and one CB put forth efforts that could raise their NFL draft stock.  Find out which three stepped up their performances and were noticed inside. 

Thirty one of the 32 NFL teams showed up in Norman Oklahoma to take in the Sooners' Pro Day for NFL scouts early last week.  However only  one of the two prospects thought of as a possible number one overall pick worked out, DT Gerald McCoy.  Sam Bradford is still taking the time he feels is necessary to be completely healed from his shoulder injury and won't workout until the 29th of March.

McCoy started his day having breakfast with St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnolo.  The Rams are obviously considering taking McCoy with the first overall pick and if they do take McCoy or Suh it would mark the first time since 1994 a DT was drafted  number one overall. 

McCoy however continued to improve on his impressive off-season as he continues to give Ndamukong Suh a major challenge for the top defensive tackle rating in the upcoming draft.  McCoy is 6-4 295-pounds went through most of the same D-Line drills at the combine and continued to impress the scouts in attendance.  As one scout reported "You always expect him to do well, and then he always does better than you expect."

McCoy stands out as a very athletic DT with very little fat on his body, arguably a lean frame for 295-pounds.  McCoy stood on the rest of his work out numbers from the NFL combine but looked sharp and crisp in the individual drills. You can clearly see in this video just how smooth McCoy is going through his drills.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams improved on some of his numbers from the NFL combine likely solidifying his status as a top-15 prospect in the draft.  Williams improved his time in the short shuttle from the 4.6 he ran at the NFL combine to a 4.4 he ran at the pro day.  He then followed that improvement up with a better time in the three cone drill running a 7.4 down from a 7.6 seconds he ran at the combine. 

Williams measures 6-4 314-pounds with long 34 1/4 inch arms solid size for a future left tackle prospect.  Williams was one of the biggest surprises during his workout at the NFL combine, where he was projected to worse by scouts than he did.  One scout predicted at the combine that Williams would be a bust compared to how he was hyped going in.  Williams however was the second most impressive offensive tackle in the work out department at the combine and he continued to impress in front of scouts on this day. 

Williams has quick feet, solid athleticism and impressive strength and has been called the best O-Lineman to come out of Oklahoma in the better part of a decade.  He can play either tackle spot as he was primarily a starter at right tackle before moving to the left side upon the graduation and subsequent drafting of Phil Loadholdt last year.  Here are some high lights from Williams' work out in Norman.

All the official numbers for the players who participated in the Oklahoma Pro Day workout can be found here on the OU official athletic site.

The national champions held their 2010 annual pro day down in Tuscaloosa on March 10th and many of the top prospects participated.  Alabama, not surprisingly is loaded with some top NFL caliber players, with at least two players who could wind up going in the first round. 

The Crimson Tide roster is so loaded in fact that they had a total of 10 players work out at the NFL combine earlier this month.  Plus representatives from all 32 NFL teams showed up to see all 18 draft eligible NFL players work out.  This is typically what you get when you experience the level of success that the Tide has recently.  The story line though had to be the work out of middle linebacker/inside linebacker Rolando McClain who didn't work out for scouts at the combine due to a hamstring injury.  McClain was in full effect inside the Tide's indoor practice facility measuring in at a solid 6-foot-4 259-pounds.  McClain is built like a typical thumping inside linebacker, he can play down hill fill up the gaps shed blockers and make the tackle.  He's obviously an ideal fit in the 3-4 scheme, but shouldn't be written off in the 4-3 scheme as a MIKE because he could hold up well at the point of attack in a one gap scheme. 

McClain then went out and ran the 40-yard dash in a decent time in the 4.6 to low 4.7 range on both tries.  This would be considered an acceptable time for a player of McClain's size.  He also flowed naturally through the linebacker drills showing agility and ability to get quickly into zone if called upon. 

To be clear though McClain's strength is a thumper, a gap filler stout stud at the point of attack.  He's not going to make as many plays side line to side line or dropping back into zone coverage as he will coming up and punching you in the mouth.  He's going to meet the fullback or guard head on in the hole, blow up the block and make the tackle.  This is the strength to his game and given that he's played in Nick Saban's NFL friendly 3-4 defense he should be able to come in and make a  contribution as a rookie. 

Elsewhere Terrence Cody continues to show his dedication to dropping weight a very important aspect to his standing in the upcoming draft.  Cody has dropped another five pounds since the NFL combine to 349-pounds down from his high of 370-pounds at the Senior Bowl. 

The 349-pound weight appears to be an all-time low for Cody since arriving at Alabama and he could put himself into the latter part of the first round the further weight he drops.  Cody is a pure 3-4 two-gap nose tackle and any team seeking to build the personnel for a stronger 3-4 defense could find Cody rather enticing.  Cody will likely hold some more personal workouts prior to the NFL draft and it will be interesting to monitor his weight leading up to the draft in late April. 

The other Crimson Tide member of note to go through some drills was offensive guard Mike Johnson.  Johnson is a mid round projection who measures 6-5 312-pounds.  Johnson ran the 40-yard dash and kept his time in the 5.3 range, same as he ran at the NFL combine.  In the two agility drills Johnson  ran a 5.05 short shuttle and 8.16 three-cone drill.

YouTube High lights From Alabama's Pro Day can be found here