Football Capsules: Defensive players make strong case for top pick

INDIANAPOLIS — Ndamukong Suh thinks he should be the No. 1 pick.

Gerald McCoy and Eric Berry both contend they should go first, too.

Suddenly in the quarterback-driven NFL, defense is becoming all the rage. Early draft projections have Suh and McCoy, defensive tackles, going among the top four picks. Berry could join them in the top five, and none of the three defenders are shy about making their cases for who is the best.

"In my eyes, I feel like I’m the best player in the draft because I bring a lot to the table," Berry said Sunday. "I was a game-changer in college. If you want to compare the big playmaking ability, you can put that there. As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I was a star for three years."

McCoy and Suh can’t exactly say the same thing though they are clearly the bigger stars now.

Suh came to the league’s annual scouting combine a little shorter than 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, two months after joining the other Heisman Trophy finalists in New York. McCoy, a playful character with oodles of charisma, checked in at 6-4, 295.

Those two and Berry, of Tennessee, are presumably battling a pair of quarterbacks, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, to become this year’s draft lottery winner.

History does not bode well for these defenders.

Quarterbacks have gone first in nine of the last 12 drafts. The last defensive tackle to go No. 1 overall was Cincinnati’s Dan Wilkinson in 1994. Of the five defensive tackles taken No. 1 since 1964, only one — Dallas’ Russell Maryland — played in a Pro Bowl. He made it once.

Coaches think McCoy, of Oklahoma, or Suh, of Nebraska, could change the legacy.

"You have to talk about a dominant defensive tackle, somebody that changes the game, somebody that changes schemes, changes how you would block it," St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said, when asked to describe a franchise defensive tackle. "He gives offensive coordinators in the run game or the pass game a little bit of a headache. I think that’s the type of guy you describe. Both of those guys are good football players."

The Rams have the No. 1 pick, the Lions are No. 2, and McCoy said he has already spoken to both teams. Suh had not spoken with the Rams as of Sunday afternoon.

Do they fit the mold of franchise-type players?

In McCoy’s case, he says yes and illustrates the point by recounting the story of a 238-pound, 12-year-old kid from Oklahoma City.

"One time in little league, I tackled three people," McCoy said. "I came through and the quarterback didn’t know who to give it to, so I just grabbed everybody."

Now that’s chaos.

Suh has a more serious approach. He emerged as a Heisman contender after almost single-handedly stifling Texas’ high-scoring offense in the Big 12 title game. He’s also gaining a reputation as a serious, cerebral player with a massive body.

The questions about Suh are more about whether he can adapt to the NFL style, which will require him to play the run on the way to the pass.

"I think I can do that, I just haven’t had the opportunity just yet to do that because of the scheme that we were in," Suh said Saturday in Indy. "I’m not saying that was a problem because there’s opportunities in our scheme when I had a chance to do that, but it wasn’t as much as some of the teams did. Gerald had that opportunity a little bit more."

Berry has more significant obstacles to overcome.

Safeties have rarely gone in the top 10, much less the top five. The last defensive back taken No. 1: Safety Gary Glick of Colorado A&M, who went to Pittsburgh in 1956.

Most teams place a premium on cornerbacks or pass rushers instead of interior linemen or big-hitting safeties.

Those days could be changing.

"I look at those two players, McCoy and Suh, and from my opinion, they’re the two best players in the draft," said Mike Mayock, draft analyst for the NFL Network. "They’re both clean off the field. I like McCoy ahead of Suh, only because he’s more disruptive in the pass game, but they’re both great players."

The talent pool runs deep on defense this year.

Nearly two-thirds of the first round picks could come on defense. Among the possibilities are Florida cornerback Joe Haden and Gators defensive end Carlos Dunlap and linebackers Sergio Kindle of Texas and Rolando McClain of Alabama.

But in a year when half of the six players given franchise tags were defensive tackles, there could be up five or more defensive tackles taken in the first round. Mayock said he has 14 defensive tackles projected to go in the first three round.

And it all starts with McCoy and Suh.

"Either one would be fine with me," McCoy said when asked about going first or second. "A one or two pick, a third pick, a 15th pick, a pick, I just want to get picked. I love football. I just want to play in the NFL. It’s a dream and passion of mine. I just really want to play."

Combine Notebook: Rolle ready to accept dual career-path

INDIANAPOLIS — Safety Myron Rolle figured out the proper balance between football and academics long ago.

His priority: Becoming a neurosurgeon after football ends in 10 to 12 years.

So could his passion for football wind up ruining the precious hands of a future surgeon?

"That’s not something I really worry about," Rolle said Sunday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine. "When I’m on the football field, I’m a football player. I’m tough, I’m physical, I’m aggressive and I like contact. I want to do some violent things on the field. That’s the total opposite of how you need to be as a neurosurgeon."

Anyone who has walked through an NFL locker room has seen fingers that are, well, bent out of shape.

Rolle insists this dual-career path can happen. He has not played football since 2008 because he spent the past year studying as a Rhodes Scholar in England. To stay in shape, Rolle played rugby, then returned to the U.S. in December to start preparing for the NFL draft.

Last month, he worked out for scouts at the Senior Bowl and now he’s in Indy trying to wow them with pure athleticism.

But Rolle’s outspoken desire for life after football is also creating plenty of questions about his devotion to the sport.

"My answer to them (scouts), which is a genuine and truthful answer, is that I think my pursuits academically have helped me in football," Rolle said. "You learn discipline, you learn time management, you learn structure, you learn organization and as a football player those are obviously valuable assets and traits you can use to be great whether in film studies or on the field."

CABLE GUY: Coach Tom Cable thinks the best thing for Oakland’s quarterback situation is a competition.

That means former No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell will have to win back his old job.

"I have not put a lot of thought into this at this point," Cable said when asked about naming Russell the starter. "JaMarcus is working and doing the things he should be doing right now. He’ll get himself prepared to compete for the job. I think that’s the only way to look at it."

Cable did not respond to questions alluding to the lawsuit filed by a former assistant coach who claims Cable broke his jaw during a training camp altercation. He said only that he doesn’t have "that many distractions."

He also acknowledged the team hoped to sign defensive end Richard Seymour to a long-term deal after putting the franchise tag on him earlier this week.

"I think Richard wants to be there, get there and get his family settled," Cable said. "I think those are the things important to him."

But the bigger question is the open competition at quarterback.

"That would help our football team right now, getting into more of that competition," Cable said. "I’m for having guys go at it and battle for the job."

STILL THE RECORD: Titans running back Chris Johnson spent part of the day monitoring whether his record 4.24-second 40-yard dash would hold up a second year at the combine.

It did.

Johnson’s biggest fear Sunday, as he wrote on Twitter, was Clemson’s C.J. Spiller, considered the best running back in the draft. Spiller ran a 4.37, not even the fastest time at his position. That distinction went to California’s Jahvid Best, who clocked a 4.35.

The closest to breaking Johnson’s mark was Spiller’s teammate, receiver Jacoby Ford, who ran a 4.28 on Sunday. LSU return specialist Trindon Holliday ran 4.34 seconds on Saturday.

EYE-POPPING: Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes came to Indy knowing one question would come up repeatedly.

How do you explain what happened in last fall’s eye-gouging incident?

On Sunday, he shared his answer with the media. He’ll have to wait until April to see if NFL teams are willing to accept the explanation.

"I just told them (scouts) it was the SEC, Florida and Georgia," Spikes said. "It’s a big rivalry game and there’s a lot of emotions going on. I just felt like, if you go back and look at that film, both sides were taking shots at each other."

FORGET BASEBALL: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart hasn’t created much buzz at the combine even though he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

At 6-feet and 231 pounds, some are questioning which position he’s better suited for a feature runner or fullback.

Gerhart thinks he’s built in the mold of Eddie George and Corey Dillon, a power runner. But he’s willing to do both.

"I firmly believe I have the skill set to play running back," he said. "I threw in a little wiggle every now and again, but I’m a physical runner."

Gerhart won’t be taking another page out of Deion Sanders’ playbook, though. He’s decided to give up baseball.

-- Michael Marot

College

Citadel quarterback charged in armed robbery case

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A quarterback for The Citadel has been charged with three others in connection with an armed robbery of a man at his home, Charleston police said Sunday.

Miguel Starks, 19, and former Citadel player linebacker Reginald Anthony Rice, 22, were charged Saturday with armed robbery, first-degree burglary, kidnapping and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, Charleston police spokesman Charles Francis said in a news release.

Francis said two College of Charleston students also were arrested in connection with the case. Stephen Horace Francois, 20, was charged with armed robbery, kidnapping and first-degree burglary and Sasha Gaskins, 18, was charged with accessory after the fact.

The arrests were first reported by The Post and Courier of Charleston.

Francis said a woman who knew the victim got him to open his garage door by saying she was having car trouble. Three men forced the victim back into the house at gunpoint, tied him up and took his wallet, electronic equipment and jewelry.

The victim freed himself, reported the robbery and described the suspects.

Francis said he did not know whether any of the four had attorneys.

The school said Sunday it would not comment on the investigation, but released a statement from head football coach Kevin Higgins.

"Like the rest of The Citadel community we are shocked, angry and saddened by the alleged events involving Miguel Starks," Higgins said. "Senseless does not begin to describe the situation. Miguel is an only child, loved and provided well for by his parents Michael and Sharon. He has many talents and football is just one of them.

"We will continue to cooperate with the investigation in any way that we are asked."