Since I am a Wolfpacker at heart, just ran across something this morning that I wanted to get out. Manny Lawson has lived in the shadows of Mario Williams for the past few seasons, but according to NFL talent scouts, his stock is rising quickly. In fact, one scout had this to say:

Lawson is a pretty reasonable facsimile of Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor. At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Lawson is long and lean. He runs a 4.45 40-yard dash and scored a 40 on the Wunderlich exam, meaning his extraordinarily bright. Further proof of that is that Lawson already has a degree in engineering.

Good luck to Manny, who I know for a fact is a great kid and has worked hard for ALL he has accomplished.

With the draft coming up, all eyes are on the Houston Texans, and what they will do with their #1 pick. The most obvious choice is Reggie Bush. Both Bush and the Texans are in ongoing contract talks. The main sticking point appears to be, hold on to your seats…..MONEY. The Texans aren’t shy about ponying up the cash, but Bush’s team is letting it be known that the #1 contract should be more than the previous years contract. Last year’s #1, Alex Smith, got a $24 million deal. And like I said, the Texans WILL overpay, but they contend that they shouldn’t pay more for a player who is NOT a QB. With that in mind, the Texans have also opened up communications with Mario Williams’ camp. The stud DE from NC State is widely acknowledged as the best defensive player in the draft, with measurables similar to and in some cases surpassing those of current NFL star Julius Peppers. If I had to put money on it, Bush is the #1 pick. This kid is going to be one of those guys who…..well, he is just going to be one of those guys. We will look back on him 15 years from now and marvel at his career. That’s not to take anything away from Williams, who I think will also have a stellar career in the NFL, but if you have that #1, you have to take someone who can take some of the pressure off D. Carr.
Also, the Titans have the 3rd pick. Now, I am not going to get into the screw job they’re giving Steve McNair, at least in the post. It is almost a given they are going to be taking a QB, but which one. Most talent scouts have tabbed Leinart from USC as close to a given as you can get. With that said, Vince Young from Texas offers an extra layer of ability and skills to the QB position. In fact, the Titans may be favoring Young at this point, and that offers up the possibility of trading back, picking up a few more positions, and taking Young a little later in the draft, as it’s not expected for Young to go to any of the teams immediately following the Titans. Of course, there are some in the Titans organization who would love to get Matt Leinart in there and team him up with Norm Chow, his former offensive coordinator from USC. Right now, the Titans could change the landscape of the first round with what it decides to do.

With the draft one week from today, the Chicago Bears may have opened up a few doors for themselves but closing down of their needs. The Bears signed Ricky Manning Jr. of the Carolina Panthers to a 5 yr., $21 million dollar offer sheet. The Panthers “have almost no chance or desire to match” the offer. Considering how stout the Chicago defense was this past year, this is a great addition to the defense. He adds depth to an already good secondary, which includes Vasher and Tillman. If the offer sheet stands, the Panthers would receive a 3rd round pick in the draft.

According to Newsday.com, LaVar Arrington arrived in New York on Thursday and:

LaVar Arrington is not a Giant yet, but his agents and the team are inching closer and closer to a deal that would bring the former Redskins linebacker to a team that could certainly use a veteran linebacker.

Sources close to the situation say the deal may actually have been closed on Fri. night. Now, whether the Giants met Arrington’s asking price, we won’t know for sure ’til the ink dries. This is a HUGE addition to the D for the Giants. Getting a seasoned veteran, despite the injury to his knee last year, will go a long way towards making this one of the better defensive units in the NFC.