In the Oct. 19 issue of ESPN the Mag (a.k.a. “The Body Issue”), Bruce Feldman argues that speed is far more important in college football, where the hash marks are wider, the preparation isn’t as good and the talent disparity is greater, than it is in the NFL, where everyone is fast.

Case in point, the Oakland Raiders:

Or you can just look at the Oakland Raiders. Much like the Gators’, their performance separates them from the pack in recent years — just not in a good way. No one in the NFL covets speed the way the Raiders do.

Al Davis, the man who pursued such speedsters as the aptly named James Jett, is downright enamored of fast guys, perhaps even more so than Meyer is. (Of the nine fastest players tested by the NFL over the past 10 years, four — Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Ashley Lelie and Carlos Francis — have played for the Raiders.) According to an NFL scout, the Raiders had 15 players on their roster last season who’d run a verified 40 of 4.5 or faster — four more than the next “fastest” team. And what did it get them? A sixth-straight season with double-digit losses.

It’s a good read.

In one of the dumber moves in Roger Goodell’s tenure as NFL commissioner, the draft will now be a three-day event.

The 2010 NFL Draft will now start on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and only the first round will be held on that day. The second and third rounds will resume on Friday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. and Rounds 4-7 will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

“We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television.”

I get what Goodell is trying to do. The first round is what most people care about, so he’s trying to get maximize the number of viewers he can attain for that round by having it on a popular TV night.

That’s fine, but the draft to me is about getting together with a bunch of buddies on the weekend, kicking a few back and gushing (more like ranting on most occasions) over who our favorite teams selected. Two years ago you could kill a Saturday watching the first three rounds and making it into a big event. Now I feel that Goodell is turning the draft into the Emmys with having the first round be on a Thursday night and then kicking the other rounds to the side by having it on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Maybe it’s just me and I’m making a bigger deal out of this than I should be. But I hate the thought of not being able to get up on a Saturday morning all pumped up for the first two rounds of the draft.

In Bill Simmons’s most recent mailbag, a reader asks a question about former Redskins and Texans GM Charley Casserly…

Q: I’m taking Sports Leadership taught by Charley Casserly at Georgetown next fall. What percentage of the class is going to be on “How to draft a defensive end from N.C. State even when a running back from USC is available”?
– Rawiri, Washington

SG: Hold on, hold on, hold on … Charley Casserly is teaching at Georgetown??? This is the last straw! What’s next — Trevor Ariza’s agent and Lamar Odom’s agent teaching a class in sports law? For years, I’ve been waiting for some college or university to approach me about teaching a class called “Sports Column Writing 101,” “How to be Lazy and Succeed” or “Weaving Pop Culture and Sports to Your Own Literary Detriment.” Did I get one offer? Did UCLA ever say, “Let’s give Simmons a class, I bet 30 kids will be dumb enough to sign up?” Noooooooooooooo! But failed GM Charley Casserly gets to teach kids at Georgetown, the school I wanted to attend that brutally rejected me in 1988? This makes me want to skin sheep in front of a PETA rally. I’m so bitter right now.

Why is Simmons hating on Casserly? He doesn’t offer any evidence, so I guess that this is all about the Mario Williams-over-Reggie Bush pick in 2006. Only that pick has turned out pretty well for the Texans. Williams was a Pro Bowler last year and Bush has missed 10 games in his first three seasons.

In fact, after a semi-disastrous start in Houston in 2002 (David Carr, Jabar Gaffney and Fred Weary), Casserly rebounded in 2003-2006 by drafting five future Pro Bowlers (Williams, Andre Johnson, Jerome Mathis, DeMeco Ryans and Owen Daniels). Ryans was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2006. The Texans went 2-14 in the 2005 season, and Casserly was run out of town resigned after the 2006 Draft. But the team has improved since then, posting a respectable 22-26 record in the three years since his departure. Much of the credit for this leap is given to the aforementioned players that Casserly drafted.

Prior to joining the Texans, Casserly was the GM for the Washington Redskins, where he won Executive of the Year honors in 1999 after fleecing the Saints for all their picks in the draft (as well as a future first and third) while still landing the guy he wanted — Champ Bailey.

While Casserly did have his share of clunkers (Heath Shuler must be mentioned), the guy had his share of good picks as well. Again, I don’t know what Simmons’s beef is here, but if it’s the whole Williams/Bush thing, then he should check his facts — Casserly has been vindicated.

Read the first four parts of Correcting Bill Simmons.

Chris Bosh discussed Miami as a possible destination next summer.

“As of right now, I’m not sure. I like Miami, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know what comes along with being a part of that organization. I don’t even have any friends in Miami, which was the funniest part. A close friend of mine hit me yesterday and was like ‘Hey there’s another article out’ and I was like ‘What now?’ ‘Apparently a friend in Miami said you’re going to Miami.’ He sent me the article and I read it, and I’m like, ‘now they’re just making stuff up.’”

For Heat fans, re-signing Dwyane Wade and signing Bosh would be a dream scenario next summer. The best thing Miami has going for it (other than South Beach, of course) is Wade, so if Bosh signs he better hope that Wade doesn’t pull an Elton Brand and bolt. Speaking of…

Dwyane Wade discussed his hometown of Chicago as a possible destination next summer.

“I’m not ruling out a lot of places, including Chicago, but I’m not really thinking about those places. Like I said, 2010 is the year when I will sit down and open up my options and, hopefully, I’m still blessed and healthy to have those options and then go from there. But Miami is my number one option and I’ve made that clear. That’s where I want to be and, hopefully, we can get everything right here in Miami.”

Wade is just keeping his options open. He has said repeatedly that he’d like to stay in Miami, but he’s keeping the organization’s feet to the fire by insinuating that he still might leave if the franchise is unable to surround him with good players. The Heat are projected to have significant cap space next summer, so they could conceivably sign Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or even LeBron James.

If the Knicks draft Jordan Hill, then David Lee may be moved in a sign-and-trade.

Adding Hill would mean the Knicks will attempt to deal free agent David Lee in a sign-and-trade in July, possibly with Portland.

The Eastern Conference’s road to The Finals no longer goes through LeBron James’ palace. It goes through Dwight Howard’s Magic Kingdom.

An ability to defend the post is tantamount — something King James’ Cavaliers failed to do. Currently, the Knicks probably have the NBA’s worst post defense. Hence, Donnie Walsh’s fascination with Hill.

Portland doesn’t make a lot of sense other than the fact that they could use some toughness and rebounding inside. I don’t know what’s in it for the Knicks. The Blazers don’t have any expiring contracts, so New York would need to pry away one of the Blazers’ young pieces. With Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge seemingly off the table, would Portland give up Rudy Fernandez or Greg Oden to land Lee? Jerryd Bayless, Travis Outlaw, Sergio Rodriguez and Nicolas Batum are other possibilities.

The Knicks currently project to have about $34 million in cap space heading into the 2010 season, enough to sign two big name free agents. If they take on more than $4 or $5 million in salary as part of this potential trade, they’re only going to have enough cap space to sign one superstar. (Unless of course, they can rid themselves of Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries.)

According to the LA Times, the Magic need to get rid of Rafer Alston.

The Magic’s first order of business during this all-important off-season must be to do whatever’s necessary to get rid of point guard Rafer Alston.

You heard me. “Skip to My Lou” must skip outta town if the Magic is to move forward with Jameer Nelson as the starting point guard and de facto leader of the team. Just call it addition by subtraction.

Alston only has one year remaining on his contract, so he shouldn’t be difficult to move and it shouldn’t have much of an impact on the Magic’s attempt to re-sign Hedo Turkoglu. He’s a borderline starter in this league, so it’s not inconceivable that Orlando could keep him to backup Jameer Nelson, since he says he won’t be a distraction.

The Golden State brass reportedly promised Ellis that they wouldn’t draft a playmaking guard.

One source indicates that Ellis came out of the Nelson/Riley meeting with the understanding that they would not draft a play-making guard to usurp Ellis’ standing.

I assume that Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans would all fall into that promise-won’t-draft category.

This is a little different than promising not to draft a point guard. While I would classify Rubio, Jennings, Flynn, Evans and probably Holiday as “playmakers,” I would not describe Curry that way. Curry is at his best when he’s shooting, and if he’s spotting up with his feet set, even better. He and Ellis could conceivably share the backcourt duties in Golden State, and might actually fit well together.

Turkoglu looking for $10 million per season?

When Turkoglu opts out of the final year of a six-year, $36 million contract on June 30, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent starting July 1. He’ll assuredly be looking for a five-year contract and likely one worth the $10 million a season that Corey Maggette got last summer from the Golden State Warriors.

Turkoglu is a lot better than Maggette, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to get the same kind of contract. The Maggette signing was even considered lavish last year when it went down (and the NBA economy was better), so why should the Magic base Turkoglu’s contract on a bad deal that the Warriors made in knee-jerk reaction to losing Baron Davis and missing out on Elton Brand? The Magic should pay him his market value and he should take it. I don’t think there are too many teams in a position to give him $10 million per season, so I’d start with a deal averaging $8 million and go from there. I think the Magic could get this done for $8.5-$9 million per season. Turkoglu needs to remember who gave him a chance to flourish. More importantly, he has a good thing going in Orlando and he shouldn’t sacrifice several guaranteed playoff runs for a few extra million.

Luke Walton is a genius.

Luke Walton said he told general manager Mitch Kupchak and Coach Phil Jackson during his season-ending meeting on Tuesday that “if we can bring everyone back, we’ll definitely be competing for an NBA title, at least for the next couple years.”

Really? He’s saying that if the team that just won the title can bring everyone back, they’ll be a contender next season. Did he major in rocket science at the University of Arizona?

If Phil Jackson retires, will Coach K take over?

At least one well-informed NBA informant insists that Lakers coach Phil Jackson will hang up the clipboard this summer and his successor could be Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski — especially if his highly-influential agent (Kobe Bryant) puts the heat on Lakers management.

File this one under pure speculation. Besides, other than a crapload of money, I don’t see the upside here for Mike Krzyzewski. The Lakers just won the title and are expected to win it again next season. If he takes over, and the Lakers lose, he’ll get the blame. If they win, then no one will give him any credit because they were supposed to win.

Can you imagine how this will affect all the Laker and Duke haters around the country? Their heads will explode.

Yesterday’s rumors…
Does Ben Gordon have a promise from the Pistons?

Haynesworth is among the people expected to be interviewed by NFL officials possibly as early as this week regarding allegations that the Washington Redskins violated league tampering rules, according to league sources.
NFL investigators have been reviewing information relating to the Redskins’ pursuit of Haynesworth, who formerly played for the Tennessee Titans, and whether his representative was improperly contacted before free agency officially began at midnight Feb. 27. The Redskins and Haynesworth agreed to terms of a deal by 5:30 a.m. Feb. 27.
League investigators are interested in obtaining all communications between Haynesworth’s agent, Chad Speck, and Redskins officials in the weeks before free agency opened. Part of the difficulty, though, in determining the subject matter of the contact is that Speck also represents Redskins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly.

If convicted, the Redskins could lose a pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Last year, the NFL stripped the San Francisco 49ers of a fifth-round draft pick after they ruled the team violated the league’s tampering rules by having an improper conversation with Drew Rosenhaus, agent for Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, about the player’s upcoming free agent status.

Neither the NFL nor Speck commented on the report or the current investigation.

My colleague (and inspiration according to him) John Paulsen did a great job of highlighting the impact that this year’s offensive rookie class could have in terms of fantasy football, so I thought it would only be appropriate to show some love to the defensive rooks.

I’ve ranked the 10 rookies who I feel could make the biggest impact for their teams in 2009. This doesn’t mean that I think they’ll put up gaudy numbers, although they could. These rankings are more of a reflection of how I feel each rookie fits into their specific defensive scheme and what teams can expect in terms of overall production from these players in their first season.

Side Note: I stuck to only the defensive players that were drafted in the first two rounds. While plenty of mid-round picks have started and were successful in their rookie seasons, it’s a little hard to project at this point which third and fourth rounders could have an impact with training camps still a month or so away. Maybe I’ll re-visit this topic once again before the season starts and dedicate another piece to the mid-rounders that could have an immediate impact.

1. Aaron Curry, LB, Seahawks
Curry might not have been the first defensive player to come off the board in April (that honor went to LSU’s Tyson Jackson, who was selected with the third overall by the Chiefs), but he was the best defender that the 2009 draft class had to offer. Curry has the ability to play all three linebacker positions in a 4-3, although he’ll likely start on the strong side, allowing the Hawks to keep LeRoy Hill at weakside ‘backer. Curry has outstanding speed (4.5), size (6’2”, 254 pounds) and can stay on the field in passing situations, unlike some linebackers, who are often replaced in nickel packages because they can’t hang with backs, tight ends and receivers. Curry isn’t one of those situational prospects – he’s a complete player and should make a significant impact in his first year.

2. B.J. Raji, DT, Packers
When Dom Capers was hired to be the Packers’ new defensive coordinator, the plan was to use Ryan Pickett at nose tackle in the team’s switch to a 3-4 front. But when Raji slipped to the ninth overall pick, the Packers jumped at the chance to select the dynamic Boston College product. The immediate reaction to the selection was that Raji would play end and move inside to nose once Pickett becomes a free agent at the end of the season. But now it’s believed that Raji will eventually earn the starting nose spot given his size (6’2”, 337 pounds) and ability to rush the passer. With Raji at nose, the Packers can change their one and two-gap looks, which hopefully will allow him to either occupy multiple blockers or split the gap and create havoc in the backfield. Defensive linemen tend to struggle in their first season, but Raji could be the exception based on his versatility and overall athleticism.

3. Brian Cushing, LB, Texans
Cushing will start at strong-side linebacker this season, which should mean big things for him in his first year. He’ll immediately replace Zach Diles, who was leading the Texans in tackles at the strong-side ‘backer position last season before breaking his tibia. Houston likes to flush a lot of action toward its strong-side linebacker, which could allow Cushing to lead the team in tackles this season. Cushing is a fiery competitor who has excellent size at 6’3”, 243 pounds and has the speed to close in on ball carriers, although nobody will mistake him for A.J. Hawk. Cushing will have every opportunity to make an impact on an ever-improving Texan defense.

4. Rey Maualuga, LB, Bengals
Maualuga was an absolute monster at USC and could have the same success in the NFL. He’s a pure thumper who will make his presence felt on running plays and who is expected to beat out strong-side ‘backer Rashad Jeanty for a starting spot. He’s also expected to play one of the nickel positions in passing situations, which is a little surprising considering the knock on him was that he was only a two-down linebacker prospect coming out of college. But obviously the Bengals envision big things out of the former Trojan and he could wind up being one of the steals of the second round.

5. Larry English, LB, Chargers
Head coach Norv Turner has already said that English will see plenty of snaps in his first season and chances are he’ll be used as a situational pass rusher. English excelled at getting after the quarterback in college and while he isn’t being viewed as Shawne Merriman’s successor at this point, if he produces right away he’ll give San Diego options for when Merriman becomes a free agent in 2010. Depending on Merriman’s health and the overall opportunities he gets, it wouldn’t be farfetched to think that English could rack up seven to 10 sacks this season.

6. Louis Delmas, S, Lions
Delmas played for one of the worst defensive backfields in the nation last year at Western Michigan, but he was the a diamond in the rough. Some project him as the next Bob Sanders and new defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has already compared him to former Kansas City All-Pro Dale Carter. Delmas flies to the football and should make an immediate impact against the run. He might have issues in coverage at first, but if the Lions are patient, he should improve in that area with more seasoning. Rumor has it that he was the most impressive player in the Lions’ minicamp in early May.

7. Tyson Jackson, DE, Chiefs
Jackson’s impact won’t be reflected on the stat sheet because 3-4 ends don’t have the opportunity to rack up a lot of sacks. (Plus Jackson isn’t much of a pass rusher anyways.) But the fact general manager and top talent evaluator Scott Pioli passed on drafting dynamic linebacker Aaron Curry to select Jackson tells us everything we need to know about the former LSU product’s potential. Pioli believes Jackson could be the Richard Seymour of KC’s new 3-4 defensive scheme and if that winds up being the case, nobody is going to remember (or care) that he was a reach at No. 3. Jackson isn’t much of a pass rusher, but he’s outstanding against the run and if he holds his edge, expect the Chiefs’ linebackers to make a ton of tackles this season.

8. James Laurinaitis, MLB, Rams
I was surprised to see the Rams pass on Rey Maualuga in the second round, but new head coach Steve Spagnuolo has an eye for defensive talent so I won’t question his choice of Laurinaitis. The former Ohio State product is expected to start right away at middle linebacker, forcing Chris Draft to move to the strong side to fill the void created when Piso Tinoisamoa was released. Laurinaitis had trouble shedding blocks in college and seemed to run around blockers instead of through them, but there’s no doubt he’s a hard worker and will have every opportunity to excel in Spagnuolo’s 4-3 defense. He could be a force against the run.

9. William Moore, S, Falcons
Any one of the three defensive players the Falcons drafted in the first three rounds (Moore, Peria Jerry, Chris Owens) could have an immediate impact as rookies because they’re all projected to start. But Moore is the most intriguing player in the group because had he come out after his junior season, he would have likely been a top 15 pick. Injuries during his senior season, coupled with a poor week at the Senior Bowl caused his draft stock to fall, but he definitely still has top-15 talent. The Falcons have long needed an impact player at the safety position and might have gotten a steal with Moore in the second round. He should make an immediate impact against the run, which helps, but the Falcons need him to be solid in coverage because Lawyer Milloy was such a liability as a pass defender last year. He’ll need to beat out former third round pick Thomas DeCoud.

10. Fili Moala, DT, Colts
It was a little surprising that the Colts drafted a running back (UCONN’s Donald Brown) with the 27th overall pick in the first round instead of addressing their need at defensive tackle, but they did well by trading up in the second to nab Moala. The former USC product should start right away and not unlike most rookie defensive tackles, his impact probably won’t be felt immediately on the stat sheet. At 6’4”, 305 pounds, his main responsibility will be to eat up space and keep blockers off of Indy linebackers, which are two things he should excel at.

According to a report by Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post, one of the reasons why linebacker Rey Maualuga fell in last month’s draft (he was selected by the Bengals with the 38th overall pick after most projected him to go in the first round) was because he was a “handful” at USC.

Rey Maualuga, the second-round pick of the Bengals, needs to make sure he walks a very tight behavior line in Cincinnati. Maualuga slipped in the draft for a number of reasons, and he must keep his off-the-field behavior in check and not create problems for the coaching staff. In talking to some NFL people, I heard that Maualuga was not always compliant with the rules on and off the field at USC. He was, as one GM said to me, putting it mildly, “a handful.”

Well, Maualuga wound up in the right place if he’s intent on being disorderly.

When you think about it, Maualuga slipping into the second round isn’t that big of a surprise. First of all, scouts consider him a two-down linebacker in that he can be a force against the run, but a liability in coverage and thus he’ll have to come off the field in obvious passing situations. And if teams knew he caused coaches grief off the field while at USC, then it makes sense that NFL GMs hesitated taking him in the first round. No pro team is going to want to invest first round money on a player who was known to be (to borrow the exact word from the report) a handful while in college, not to mention will have limitations on the field at the next level.

The Bengals’ draft this year has boom or bust written all over it, or at least their first two picks do. Andre Smith was the riskiest pick in the first round given all the baggage he carried with him coming into the draft and now it’s clear that Maualuga was a risk as well, even for the second round. But both players are immensely talented and if they can fly straight and just play football, then Cincy might have gotten two steals. Plus, there’s a difference between being a handful and being destructive. We’re not talking about choir boys here and as long as Maualuga can respect his coaching staff and not get in trouble with the law, then I doubt the Bengals care if he’s a bit of a character.