Darren McFadden, the NFL's Newest Star

Say goodbye to old man winter, spring is just about here. Pitchers and catchers have reported, March Madness is fast approaching and the NFL Draft is coming to ESPN ad nausea on April 26 and 27^th.

In the past couple of years, we have seen quarterbacks with the deer in the headlights look as their draft position fell much lower than they had anticipated (see Brady Quinn).

Don't be surprised to see this scenario play out again. According to the Chicago Sun Times, one quarterback scout declared this quarterback class "awful."

One player who will not see his draft day go up in flames is Heisman Trophy Award runner-up Darren McFadden from Arkansas.

The 6'2" running back is coming off year in which he gained 1,725 yards and tallied 15 TDs. At this year's Scouting Combine, he made the scouts drool like Pavlovian dogs with a lightning fast 4.33 in the 40 yard dash.

McFadden has shown the ability to fight for yards as well as catch the football out of the backfield, proving that he is a dual threat with both good size and excellent speed.

On the negative side, McFadden does have some character issues with at least one off the field altercation and two children on the way, one in July and another in August.

Additionally, during his time at Arkansas, he split time with RB Felix Jones. This might raise doubts about his ability to carry the load for an entire NFL season. However, I don't see these issues having too much of an effect on his draft position.

The Miami Dolphins hold the first pick in the draft and with Ronnie Brown already in the fold, it is doubtful that they would take McFadden with the first pick. However, the Big Tuna is now at the helm and I am pretty sure he has his own ideas on what to do with the pick. I would not be surprised to see someone trade up to #1 to get McFadden and the future Hall of Fame coach will listen to all offers.

The St.Louis Rams own the 2^nd pick and they also seem to be solid at running back with Steven Jackson. Although Jackson is coming off an injury-plagued season, he is still deemed the feature back for the Rams and came on strong during the last couple of weeks of the season. The Rams offensive line was a real problem area last year and I expect them to look there first.

The Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders draft 3^rd and 4^th respectively. There is an excellent chance that McFadden will go to one of these teams. The Falcons are still holding on to an aging Warrick Dunn and an under performing Jerious Norwood. However, the Falcons have so many holes, it is near impossible to predict what they will do. Quarterback is still a position of need for them as well. If any team is to be scared off by the characters issues it is the Falcons. They have had enough bad press in the last year to last a lifetime.

After drafting JaMarcus Russell last year, the Oakland Raiders appear set at quarterback. During the off-season last year, the Raiders signed Dominic Rhodes from the Colts even though they already had Lamont Jordan and Justin Fargas on the roster. This doesn't exactly scream confidence in the two incumbents. All three played last year with none of them separating themselves from the other. If McFadden is there at #4, the Raiders are likely to take him.

If for some reason, he is still on the board after the Raiders pick, I see the Chiefs passing since they already have Larry Johnson and plenty of other holes to fill.

Next up would be the Jets. There is no way the Jets will pass him up. The Thomas Jones signing last year turned out to be a stop gap measure at best. Look for them to draft a running back during the first few rounds.

Other teams from the top 10 that might be interested would be the Patriots, Ravens and Bengals. You could make a scenario for all three of these teams drafting him although the Ravens and Bengals would be more likely.

All in all though, it is likely that the Oakland Raiders will get McFadden, possibly trading up to do so. They will then pin their hopes on McFadden and Russell to take them to the next level. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the next level is out of last place.

Sources:

Scott Wright - Darren McFadden Scouting Report - NFL Draft Countdown.com

Jason Cole - McFadden's Quick Recovery - Yahoo.com Sports