Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things but Brian Billick says his Baltimore Ravens had JaMarcus Russell as the “highest rated player” he’d ever seen on a draft board. Now Billick’s admission means little to nothing. It’s not like his testimony will hold up in court should Mark Davis seek legal action to recoup the $30-millon Russell jacked from the Oakland Raiders.

NFL.com is doing a draft do-over series and naturally they’ve got the Raiders talking Calvin Johnson in their 2007 mulligan. It is all too easy to look back at it and see what Megatron has done and where Russell is to make that assessment.

It is also all too easy to make jokes at the expense of the Raiders and Al Davis for the disaster that was JaWalrus. Now Davis bears plenty of blame for his enabling of Russell. But as far as drafting Russell number one overall goes, that is a mistake plenty of NFL teams would have made if given the chance.

Who wasn’t blown away by Russell’s performance against Brady Quinn in his final collegiate game? Many are on record saying JaMarcus had the best pro day anyone has ever seen of a quarterback.

To be fair there were also those that saw just who Russell really was and advised against giving him a huge contract. But the talent was real. When he actually tried JaMarcus showed a real knack for playing the position including some clutch performances during his short career.

As stated previously none of this matters. The facts are what they are and were it not for Ryan Leaf’s Hudson Hawk routine then Russell would be the de facto biggest draft bust ever.

What this does illustrate is just how big a gamble the NFL draft is. All the so-called experts were lining up to praise Russell the day he was draft. Mel Kiper compared J-Russ to John Elway before he even crossed the stage to shake the commissioner’s hand. Once Russell ended his holdout and got to taking snaps all of a sudden all those so-called analysts began to distance themselves by moving on to the next flavor of the month.

Billick’s admission was related to all of the hype surrounding Texas A&M prospect Ryan Tannehill who has shot into the top 10 in many mock drafts. Nobody is saying Tannehill is the next Russell but the risk is always there. Just don’t expect the men who hyped up Tannehill to own it if the Miami Dolphins use their pick on the new Ryan Leaf.

On the schedule it reads as Groups 10 and 11, but on the field it is a show unlike any other at the combine.

While the NFL scouting combine is a good way to get a handle on a player’s athletic prowess, it means little in regards to his football ability. However, for defensive backs, athletic skill is the bread and butter of the position.

Yes, you have to have the ability and technique to play at the next level, but you’d better believe that there aren’t any NFL corners running a 4.6 in the 40 yard dash that are lining up face to face with Terrell Owens.

Brian Billick said it the best during the NFL Network coverage of the combine today when he plainly stated that, “Corners who can’t run become safeties and safeties who can’t run become linebackers”.

They are the athletic freaks of the sports world. Most of them are of average height and slight in build. Yet when they are evaluated at the combine, their sub 4.5s and their 42″ verticals can mean the difference between collecting an NFL check or returning to their hometowns to sell insurance. If you keep in mind that 2 time NBA Slam Dunk Champion Nate Robinson was a cornerback at the University of Washington, then you’ll get an idea of the type of talent we’re talking about.

For Groups 10 and 11, all the drills they ran through had a very direct connection to what they’ll be paid to do on Sundays. Jason Smith of Baylor ran a 5.22 in the 40 on Saturday. A respectable time for an offensive tackle, but in the long run it means little in his ability to keep a blood thirsty defensive end off of his franchise quarterback. However, Donald Washington of Ohio State, and his 45″ vertical, makes for quite a weapon against a Kurt Warner Hail Mary being hurled towards Larry Fitzgerald with the game on the line.

To truly understand this, simply follow the paths that Malcolm Jenkins and Vontae Davis will take to the NFL. Both are regarded as the best cornerbacks in the draft and both went out and conducted the drills in Indianapolis today.

Davis breezed through two 4.4 second 40s that will cement his first round status, while Jenkins strained to run a 4.5 and will most likely become a safety now. Jenkins will still be a first rounder but the difference, down the road, could be getting a Brian Dawkins payday or a Nnamdi Asomugha life changing contract.

I don’t put much stock in the NFL Combine, if it were that important then every first round draft pick would eventually end up in Canton and the rest of the rounds would be filled with journeymen. In the long run, only a man’s desire and determination, and not his number of reps on the bench press, will decide his football future. But if you’re willing to pay to see Hugh Jackman  pretend to have super human powers on the big screen, then why not log on to NFL.com and watch, for free, the closest thing we have to real life X-Men.