Kalil stands out

Kalil, with his eye-opening performance at the NFL combine, USC center is heading upward as fast as anyone and has vastly improved his stock in this draft class. He has gone from a player who might have been selected in the third or fourth round to a solid first-day selection who could even sneak into the first round.

The combine ends today with workouts by defensive backs.

And among the teams looking for a center are the Arizona Cardinals, who, if they took Kalil, would reunite him with quarterback Matt Leinart and guard Deuce Lutui. Kalil said he'd be happy to play anywhere, but reconnecting with those teammates would be particularly appealing.

Mike Mayock, draft expert for the NFL Network, called Kalil the "best technician of any [college] offensive lineman" in the country, and said he proved that he moved well at 299 pounds, 14 more than his playing weight at USC.

"Quite frankly, I think he's fine at 285," Mayock said. "But he's trying to show people he can be a 300-pound offensive lineman, and he did real well."

In other news, Louisiana State quarterback JaMarcus Russell is still the clubhouse favorite to go No. 1 to the Oakland Raiders.

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, who not so long ago was in JaMarcus Russell's spot as the leading candidate to go No. 1, still thinks he belongs in that spot.

"I'm the most prepared collegiate player for the NFL in the draft," said Brady Quinn, who was upstaged by JaMarcus Russell in the Sugar Bowl. "There's not one other player that's had the kind of coaching I've had in the past couple of years. There's not one other player that's done what I've done in the past couple of years.