Michael Conroy / AP

USC's Reggie Bush is expected to be the top pick in the NFL draft.

Lawson climbing the boards
While North Carolina State linebacker/defensive end Manny Lawson probably won’t crack the top 10 picks in the draft, at least three prominent scouts said last week that he ultimately could be the biggest star in this draft when it’s all said and done.

“Totally motivated kid,” a scout said of Lawson. “Everything he does seems very intense and purposeful. He’s smart and I think he sees the big picture of what he can be and do for himself with this.”

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.

Furthermore, if Lawson ends up with a team that can play him as an open-side linebacker in a 3-4, he might be unstoppable.

• Quick hits
  The folks in Tennessee, where the Titans pick No. 3, were very concerned when they had Texas quarterback Vince Young on the chalkboard during their personal interview with him. At one point, Young went to draw a play to work against a specific defense. He ended up with three offensive linemen blocking the same player.
• There are folks in Detroit who believe that GM Matt Millen is angry enough with quarterback Joey Harrington after Harrington professed his love for the Dolphins that Millen might make Harrington wait until June 14 before letting him go rather than trade Harrington now. Perhaps, but look for common sense to overcome that and for the Lions to eventually accept a 2007 sixth-round pick for Harrington by next week.
• Linebacker LaVar Arrington’s seven-year, $49 million contract isn’t worth anything close to that, particularly after he received a signing bonus of only $5.25 million. In short, Arrington didn’t get anything close to what he thought he was going to get. That could continue to hurt his relationship with agents Kevin and Carl Poston.
• The Dolphins are nothing if not thorough in evaluating prospects. The team recently had mid- to late-round candidate Michael Robinson in for a visit. After spending 24 hours with Robinson, a former running back turned quarterback who is expected to return to a multi-purpose job, in Miami, the Dolphins sent an assistant coach to Penn State to spend another 24 hours with him.

More news

Jose Yau / AP

Offseason needs for NFC teams

Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.

Jeff Gross / Getty Images

Wesseling: Offseason priorities for AFC teams

Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.

Headlines

• Label

PFT: Ward willing to restructure to stay with Steelers

PFT: Plenty of anti-Peyton sentiment in Washington

PFT: Rams name Snead new GM

PFT: Big Ben fires warning shot at new OC Haley

PFT: Dancing man Gronkowski has ankle surgery

O'Donnell set up Tebow with Jenny McCarthy

PFT: Giants' Cruz will shop a book, Eli won't

PFT: Peyton will return at 'high level,' Polian says