Darren

McFadden

As long as he stays out of piano bars between now and late April, McFadden should have no trouble being a top three pick. Although Miami could pass on him at No. 1, it would probably be hard for St. Louis to do the same at No. 2 with Steven Jackson entering a contract season in 2008. A coin flip will determine who picks third between the Falcons and Raiders.

“There’s going to be some stuff that comes out on that kid,” one coach said. “I’m telling you. Just watch.” “He’s the best skill-position player in the draft, by far. But he has issues,” said another. “He’s going to get a lot of questions.” We still have a hard time believing McFadden will drop out of the top ten.

The Jets are doing their homework in case McFadden falls to the No.6 spot because of off-field concerns. He has been involved in two nightclub incidents and has two children on the way from two different women.

Kiffin doesn’t call the personnel shots in Oakland and may not even be in the know as far as owner Al Davis’ line of thinking, so take this with a grain of salt. Kiffin also has never exactly been straightforward with the media.

Schefter says he’s “looking for Vernon Gholston” to be Oakland’s choice. Schefter usually has the inside scoop on anything Raiders-related, from reporting Art Shell’s firing several weeks in advance to revealing Lane Kiffin and Al Davis’ back-and-forth. It’d be hard not to trust him on this.

If Lane Kiffin says Oakland doesn’t need another tailback, Davis is probably thinking the exact opposite. Davis loves measurables, and other than Vernon Gholston, no one has better on-paper numbers than the Arkansas runner. Kiffin is likely hoping for a defensive lineman, but he isn’t calling any shots.

Nothing is set in stone until the cards are formally turned it, but it appears we’ve got our top four picks: Dolphins at 1 - Jake Long, Rams at 2 - Chris Long, Falcons at 3 - Matt Ryan, McFadden to the Raiders. The Chiefs appear to be on the clock.

Just about every Oakland beat writer has been pushing for the Raiders to go defense with their first-round pick, but Al Davis doesn’t listen to that. Coach Lane Kiffin also wants defense. We know Davis doesn’t listen to him.

The Raiders have Michael Bush and Taiwan Jones for depth. Working out Miller and Johnson signals concern that Darren McFadden (foot) might not be available for Week 9. We wouldn’t put too much stock in the workout unless one of the two is signed.

He only got a $200,000 signing bonus, which far from assures DMC’s roster spot. McFadden ran into brick walls last year in Oakland, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. The silver lining is that he stayed healthy for the first time in his career. Not durable or effective enough to carry a backfield and going on age 28, McFadden is likely being brought in to compete for snaps. Look for the Cowboys to add more backs as they attempt to replace DeMarco Murray.