Sportsfrog.com

Odds and ends from NFL Combine chatter:

—The always excellent Don Banks at si.com on what faces the Lions (and others at the top of the draft) when it comes to the usual default choice there—qb:

“There are plenty of hesitations within the league when it comes to expecting early results from a highly rated junior quarterback, and the track record of such picks is less than comforting. Yes, Ben Roethlisberger was the exception to the rule in 2004. But for every Big Ben — and there’s only one — there have been an Alex Smith, a Tim Couch, a Ryan Leaf, a Heath Shuler or an Andre Ware.
…
Most NFL coaches and personnel men characterize ‘09 as a down year for quarterbacks in the draft, and there’s a good chance for the first time ever the first four off the board will all be juniors: Stafford, Sanchez, Kansas State’s Josh Freeman and Ball State’s Nate Davis. While Ryan and Flacco both led their teams to 11-5 records and trips to the playoffs as rookies, the bar of expectation is being set considerably lower for projected first-rounders Stafford and Sanchez.

Sanchez will enter the NFL with a meager 16 career collegiate starts at USC, where he did at least spend four seasons after red-shirting his first year. Stafford was a three-year starter for Georgia, but he also just turned 21 two weeks ago. To expect either one of them to pull a Ryan or a Flacco later this year seems to me a flight of semi-fancy”.

Fair enough. And tough luck for a Lions team that it is a down year for quarterbacks in yet another year where they desperately need a franchise quarterback.

—In case you missed it, here is si.com’s take on the top 10 prospects at each position heading into the Combine.

—Nice read from Peter Schrager at foxsports.com on what he considers the top questions heading into the Combine, including:

“Who will be this year’s small school breakout star?

Last year, Leodis McKelvin (Troy) and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee State) were small school stars who made names for themselves with standout combine performances. Names to watch at this year’s combine? Cal-Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden, Liberty running back Rashad Jennings, Abilene Christian wide receiver Johnny Knox, Stillman defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill, Jackson State cornerback Domonique Johnson and Hartwick quarterback Jason Boltus.”

Rodgers-Cromartie was a revelation in the playoffs for any who had not caught his act in the regular season for the Cardinals. And, of course, it will be axiomatic that at some point in the Combine the patron saint of small school players, Jerry Rice, will be invoked by one of the talking heads as they wait the latest measurables from the small school hopefuls.

—An early mock draft? Version 4.0 at foxsports.com is here. They have Michael Oher, the Michael Lewis subject Ole Miss tackle going second overall. They give Mark Sanchez to the Lions, which is about 17 spots higher than I have heard he is currently slotted.

—At sportsline.com, for example, Clark Judge is raising the warning flag on Sanchez. It’s a one-year starter thing. As a Bengals fan who suffered greatly through the one-year college starter high draft pick to professional bust Akili Smith era, I understand the warnings.

The NFL Network has their usual wall to wall coverage at 11:00 am est Saturday and Sunday as the Combine wraps up over the weekend. Head here for the schedule. The sweat will be in glorious HD.