nfl draft

The thing for the Detroit Lions and their fans to remember is every NFL draft happens in a vacuum.

The focus has now shifted to the NFL draft for all but two teams. The pursuit of franchise QBs once again will rule the top of the first round, projects Don Banks in his initial mock draft.

Alabama All-Americans Trent Richardson and Dre Kirkpatrick have declared for the NFL draft. The two announced their decisions to skip their senior seasons with the national champions.

Richardson and Kirkpatrick are both projected as potential Top 10 picks. Richardson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was third in the Heisman voting.

Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III scheduled a news conference for Wednesday where he is expected to declare for the NFL draft.

Blackmon runs past Cardinal, into NFL Draft, with BCS game for the ages.

Stanford is not staging an elaborate Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Andrew Luck. And why would it? Last season's runner-up kick-started his 2011 campaign on Jan. 7 by announcing he would forgo the NFL draft in order to return to college, saying "I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University." In an era of scandals, putting off millions to pursue graduation is the stuff of a Norman Rockwell painting.

No mass mailing could spark that kind of publicity.

There always are hidden gems found in the later rounds of the NFL draft. Chris Burke looks at this year's crop of unheralded rookies who already are beginning to look like draft steals.

This Sept. 11, 2010 file photo shows Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor scoring against Miami during an NCAA college football game, in Columbus, Ohio.

Jacksonville Jaguars standout running back Maurice Jones-Drew questioned the team's decision to draft Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the first round of this year's NFL draft.

In the wake of an extraordinary night in American history, Peter King reflects on the magnitude of the moment before giving his full analysis and observations from NFL draft weekend.