03/20 — Over the past couple of days, we’ve heard a lot about Boston College QB Matt Ryan, Virginia DE/OLB Chris Long and Arkansas RB Darren McFadden. While Ryan and Long performed well at their respective workouts, the Hogs won’t host their pro day until next Tuesday.

After electing not to play in the Senior Bowl and then declining to throw at the NFL Combine, Ryan reportedly completed 48 of 52 passes (not too bad considering three incompletions were drops) in front of a large gathering at Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“I thought I did OK,” Ryan told NFL Network. “I showed every throw that I think you have to make in the NFL. I went through the entire tree, showed that I could throw on the run and make all the throws you have to make to play on the next level. I thought I did a good job of that today, so I was pleased with the workout.”

NFL Network's Mike Mayock believed Ryan impressed onlookers with his understated athleticism and good footwork.

“The only concern was not as tight a spiral as you’d like to see 100 percent of the time,” Mayock said. “But mark this down, folks — a top-eight pick. No doubt about it.” In fact, in his latest mock draft, Mayock has Ryan going No. 1 overall to the Dolphins.

Also on March 18, Long went under the microscope down in Charlottesville, Va. After skipping linebacker drills in Indy, he showcased his OLB ability during a workout run by Virginia coach Al Groh.

“Surprisingly, I was pretty comfortable out there,” said Long about playing in space. “I always knew I could do it, and towards the tail end of the season I started to have to do it a little bit situationally.”

The thing about Long is that his physical tools get overlooked because of the “high-motor” tag. He might not be quite the freak that Ohio State prospect Vernon Gholston is, but Howie’s son has all the goods.

“I feel like I can do whatever a team asks me to do,” he said. “With repetition and a little hard work, I think I can do anything they ask me to do defensively. “

And before we get to Run DMC, let’s give a little love to Florida DE Derrick Harvey. The Gators’ ninth all-time leading sacker (20.5) dazzled in Gainesville and his stock is soaring.

"I'm getting excited now. I can't wait for the draft," Harvey said after his pro day. "I've always dreamed of playing pro football, and it's almost here."

If you picked up a New York Daily News this morning, you are aware that Rich Cimini reported that Jets RB coach Jimmy Raye visited the Arkansas campus and met with McFadden and two other running back prospects.

Before you pencil in McFadden at No. 6, we can assure you that the Green & White are doing their due diligence. The fact is they’re going to visit a number of the top prospects (by the way, most prognosticators have fellow Hogs RB Felix Jones going in the first round as well) and will entertain many at their Weeb Ewbank Hall facility prior to the draft.

One of the more intriguing topics of this draft will be in what order the wide receivers fall. Limas Sweed, who’s a big target at 6’4” and 212 pounds but battled a left wrist injury last season, ran well at Texas' pro day and looked the part in drills. Some teams might like Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly, but he hasn’t been able to work out because of a hamstring injury. Cal burner DeSean Jackson is only 5’10” and 169 pounds, but that won’t matter much if he has space.

You get the picture — it’s cloudy.

“I think three or four wide receivers are going to go in the first round. Most teams tell me they don’t have three or four wide receivers with a first-round grade,” Mayock said. “Who will those guys be? I think Limas had a great workout. He made a case to be a first-round receiver.

"The guy right now with a lot of momentum is Michigan State’s Devin Thomas. He’s an explosive kid, he had 79 catches, he runs extremely well. He is probably the best run-after-the-catch guy in the entire wide receiver class.”

Less than two weeks remain before the University of Southern California and former Jets boss Pete Carroll conclude the college tours in SoCal on April 2. So we’ll continue to monitor everything as we go and we appreciate your feedback as spring heats up.