Ohio State lost its coach and best player as a result of a scandal stemming from tattoos. That story seems to be winding down, but we shouldn’t be surprised to hear about potential scandals at other schools where players are trading signed memorabilia for stuff.

In Alabama, it looks like the players might be partial to suits over tattoos. Outkick the Coverage is tracking this story, and they have photos of Julio Jones wearing 10 different suits as he walks into Alabama games. It’s still early, but let’s see if the NCAA gets involved.

Until the NCAA changes the way it does business, these scandals will start popping up all over the place.

UPDATE: Brooks digs into the story and uncovers more information and photos, including information about Mark Ingram.

Shortly after the Saints traded back into the first round to select Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush tweeted: “It’s been fun New Orleans.”

But does that mean that Bush is done in Nawlans? According to head coach Sean Payton, the answer is no.

After selecting Ingram, Payton told the media that the pick has “no bearing” on Bush’s future. He even went as far as to say that he would be “surprised, really” if Bush isn’t back in New Orleans in 2011.

But the fact that the Saints just traded up to take a feature back in the first round and Bush is owed $11.8 million next year says otherwise. If Bush were making significantly less, then I could see the Saints making room for the former Heisman winner. But at $11.8 million, I highly doubt that the Saints will keep him at the salary he‘s owed. Maybe he’ll be willing to take a paycut but if not, Bush could be in a different uniform come September.

The end could be near for the former No. 2 overall pick in New Orleans.

The Miami Herald is reporting that the famed Dr. James Andrews has given running back prospect Mark Ingram a clean bill of health heading into Thursday night’s NFL draft.

The Herald also points out that Ingram was not asked to return to Indianapolis for a medical recheck following the scouting combine. This is significant because potential draftees with medical red flags are often asked to return to Indy for further evaluations.

The health status of Ingram is important to the Dolphins, who hold the No. 15 overall pick. There’s a good chance that free agents Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have played their last snaps in South Beach and the Fish could snag a running back in the first round. Ingram would most likely be available at that spot and is arguably the best running back prospect in the draft.

Of course, Ingram’s clean bill of health doesn’t mean that the Dolphins will select him with the No. 15 pick – even though running back is arguably their biggest need. The interior of their offensive line is also a need, as is quarterback and even safety. It seems unlikely that Miami would take a signal caller in the first round, but it’s hard to figure what will go down on Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall. This year’s draft is shrouded in mystery.

Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers isn’t the only prospect that might see his draft stock fall over these next couple of weeks due to concerns about a knee injury.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi, teams have growing concerns about the health of Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who had his knee scoped prior to the 2010 season. After rushing for 1,658 yards and a 6.1 YPC average on 271 carries in 2009, the former Heisman Trophy winner was limited to just 875 yards on 158 totes a year ago.

I’ve released three mocks and in all three of them, I’ve had the Dolphins selecting Ingram with the No. 15 overall pick. There’s a real possibility that Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams (who are both free agents) have played their last downs in Miami, making the selection of Ingram a popular one in many mocks – not just mine.

But if his knee is a concern for some teams, then he could easily fall into the second round. Plus, there’s growing sentiment that the Dolphins want a home run threat, which doesn’t exactly describe Ingram’s game. If that’s the case, then maybe the Dolphins will look to nab someone like Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray or UConn’s Jordan Todman in the middle rounds.

If Ingram does slip into Round 2, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not a running back will even be selected in the first. Mikel Leshoure of Illinois is viewed as a potential first round pick, but Ingram is listed ahead of him in most pundits’ rankings so he may fall, too. It isn’t a great year for running back-needy teams, although there are always bargains in the middle rounds.

Mark Ingram ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which is considered to be on the slow side of average. In fact, the average 40-time for a RB since 2005 is 4.56, and that’s from a sample size of 163 RBs over six years.

Seven of the top eight rushers in the NFL — Chris Johnson (4.24), Jamaal Charles (4.38), Adrian Peterson (4.40), Maurice Jones-Drew (4.39), Michael Turner (4.49), Steven Jackson (4.45), Rashard Mendenhall (4.41) — ran a sub-4.5 in the 40-yard-dash.

There was one notable exception, and it was the top rusher of 2010, Arian Foster. He reportedly ran a 4.69 at his pro day, which just goes to show it doesn’t take elite speed to rack up yards.

Still, with so many of the top rushers with good to excellent speed, isn’t it worrisome for a team thinking about drafting Ingram? I posed this very question to our NFL guru, Anthony Stalter, who currently believes Ingram will go #15 to the Dolphins, and here is what he said:

There are a lot of fans and draft pundits who get too caught up in 40-yard dash times. When I watched Ingram last year, I saw a physical back but one that has great short-area quickness when he went through holes. It’s true, he doesn’t have great top-end speed and he’ll never be a back that can rely on straight-line speed (which is what the 40-yard dash measures). That said, Ingram is a very solid prospect.

After running a 4.62 forty at the combine, there’s a good chance that Ingram could drop into the bottom half of the first round. I still like him at No. 15 to Miami, but some teams are overly reliant on the forty so I could see him potentially falling come April. It would be too bad too, because I think he’s a nice overall player who has worked hard to shed some weight in the offseason.

Foster is the exception that proves the rule: Speed kills. It’s great that the undrafted Foster landed in a good situation in Houston and made the most of it. But Ingram is widely regarded as the top prospect in a weak RB draft, and in all likelihood will be a first round pick. If the Dolphins are drafting him in the middle of the first, isn’t it their expectation that he’ll be elite? And what are his chances of becoming elite without top-end speed?

It’s difficult to gauge whether or not a prospect is NFL-ready heading into the draft because we have no idea where he’ll end up. I may like Ryan Mallett as a prospect, but if his best fit is in a vertical offense and he winds up in the West Coast, well then he might not pan out. And that’s not my fault if he doesn’t. It’s your fault, NFL Team.

But based on their physical skills and strengths as they apply to the next level, here are the top 5 most NFL-ready prospects in my eyes.

1. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
Hands down, Green is the most NFL-ready prospect in this year’s draft. What I like most about him is his body control and balance. When he runs routes, he’s fluid getting out of his breaks and he uses his quickness to separate from coverage. He could stand to be more physical at the line of scrimmage and when the ball is in the air, but that’s not to suggest he doesn’t have great leaping ability or he doesn’t locate the ball well (because he does). He also catches passes away from his body, is good about getting up field after he secures the catch and he uses his hips incredibly well (an important trait that all players must have at the next level).
Best Fit: Cincinnati or Cleveland. Both teams run a version of the West Coast Offense, which relies on receivers to run a lot of horizontal routes (think sideline to sideline) and force defenses to stretch itself across the field. I would love to see Green wind up with the Browns because I think he would fit in well with the receivers they already have on the roster (i.e. Mohamed Massaquoi, Josh Cribbs, Chansi Stuckey and Brian Robiskie) and he would give Colt McCoy a true No. 1. But if the Bengals release Chad Ochocinco, I could see them pulling the trigger on Green at No. 4.

2. Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
What impresses me most about Peterson is that he’s a massive corner but he’s fluid in his movements. He’s 6-1 and 220 pounds but the guy is incredibly fluid when he gets in and out of his breaks. He doesn’t have the best footwork and somebody will have to work on his tackling, but he has a good first step and he can run with receivers vertically. He’s truly an impressive specimen given his size and athleticism. Big corners just can’t run as well as Peterson can.
Best Fit: One would think that the Tampa-2 would be a great fit for Peterson given his size, but he’s not an aggressive tackler so I would love to see what he could do in a 3-4 under new Cowboys’ DC Rob Ryan. The problem is I don’t know if he’ll fall all the way to the ninth pick in the first round. The Cardinals may snatch him at No. 5 and pair him with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

3. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
There are many pundits who believe Alabama’s Marcell Dareus is the best defensive tackle in the draft. But if he’s motivated and focused, Fariley could dominant in a one-gap system tomorrow. (I also worry about Dareus’ potenital weight issues.) Fairley has all the physical tools to be a dominant player at the next level; he’s got a thick lower have but for a guy his size, he also moves well. He’s powerful, explosive at the point of attack and doesn’t waste any movement while gaining leverage on offensive linemen. The problem is that his work ethic has come into question. He can be lazy, often disappearing for stretches at a time during games and he wasn’t on anyone’s radar until he became draft eligible. Hopefully he isn’t another top-10 talent that steals money and winds up bouncing around from team-to-team until finally falling out of the league in six years.
Best Fit: The Panthers. Ron Rivera is a creative coach and a true motivator, which is something Fairley might need if he’s to reach his full potenital. Rivera has had success with both 4-3 and 3-4 fronts and would probably play to Fairley’s strengths. But will Carolina bypass a franchise quarterback at No. 1 to take a defensive tackle with questionable drive and motivation habits?

4. Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
Like the top two guys on this list, what impresses me most about Miller is his hips. He’s fluid and has superb quickness, so he’s not just a rush linebacker. He’s quick enough to drop off in a zone and he displays good awareness off the snap. He gets a little upright at times, isn’t overly powerful and as you can see from the video below, sometimes he runs himself out of plays. But while Miller will need to polish his game once he reaches the NFL, he has the ability to be a productive pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme.
Best Fit: I mocked Miller to the Browns, who play a 3-4 and therefore would be a fit. But if the Cardinals decide to go with a veteran quarterback instead of drafting a future signal caller at No. 5, I could see Miller winding up in Arizona. Joey Porter is 34 years old and might not be back, which means the Cardinals will have an immediate need for an edge rusher in their 3-4 scheme.

5. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
This is a great defensive draft and seeing as how the running back class is thin this year, nobody seems to be talking about Ingram. But talk about a big guy with good vision, instincts and footwork. He’s drawing comparisons to Emmitt Smith, which I think are spot on. His physical skills don’t blow you away and therefore, isn’t the prospect that Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden were when they come out of college. But Ingram is effective running between the tackles and has a rare combination of size and fluidity. He’s not someone that will bowl a defender over, but he’s a powerful inside runner and can make guys miss at the second level.
Best Fit: Miami. There’s a good chance that both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have played their final downs for the Dolphins, making running back the team’s most pressing need. Ingram, whose father actually played for the Fish in 1993-1994, is the best RB in this year’s draft.

Comment Starter: Who’s the most NFL-ready prospect in your eyes?

Chris Low of ESPN.com reports that Georgia All-SEC outside linebacker Justin Houston has decided to declare early for the NFL draft. Houston finished second in the SEC this season with 10 sacks, which gave him 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

Houston is the latest SEC underclassmen to turn pro over the past month. Teammate A.J. Green announced last week that he was skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft, which means the Bulldogs will lose four linebackers and their star receiver this offseason. (Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent were seniors, while Marcus Dowtin is transferring to another school.)

Late last week, quarterback Cam Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley of Auburn decided to forego their senior seasons and enter the draft. Kentucky will also be without Randall Cobb next season, while Alabama will lose running back Mark Ingram, receiver Julio Jones and defensive end Marcell Dareus to the NFL.

Fairley could have company in the top 5 if scouts view fellow SEC player Ryan Mallett (Arkansas) as a top selection. At 6-6 and 238 pounds, Mallett certainly has the size and arm strength to develop into a starting quarterback at the next level, but some have questioned his inability to close out big games and lead his team in crunch time.

LSU’s Patrick Peterson and Stevan Ridley are two more names that the SEC will lose this offseason, but the conference is always producing new talent. It will repopulate.