NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Could Gabbert be the future?

Profootballtalk.com reported today that Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett is scheduled to visit Cincinnati for a private workout with Bengal coaches and scouts at the end of the week. PFT had this to say about Mallett:

Mallett has an outstanding arm, but he's awkward on his feet and there are questions about his mental makeup.

They went on to point out the obvious: That the Bengals are likely not considering Mallett with the fourth overall pick, but are more interested in him at the 2nd round or later. However, John Clayton of ESPN feels that if Florida State signal-caller Christian Ponder is still on the board when the Bengals pick in round two, he’ll be their guy:

Florida State’s Ponder isn’t going to fall below Cincinnati’s pick in the second round

Either way, it looks less and less likely that the team will take their QB of the future in round one, especially considering that Cam Newton is now looking like the number one overall pick to Carolina, or at worst, to the Bills at three.

Nonetheless, PFT thinks the team will still go QB in round one, even with Newton long gone. They tab Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert to the Bengals in their latest mock draft:

If Carson Palmer skips the season (likely) and there's no pre-draft free agency (also likely), who's going to play quarterback in Cincinnati? Palmer is in physical decline anyhow, so even stubborn Bengals owner Mike Brown can't afford to pass on perhaps the highest-rated passer in the draft.

Personally, I still say the team should upgrade the WR, DL, or DB positions with the fourth pick, and address the QB of the future situation in round two.

Saints RB Chris Ivory is doing his best to get back on the field, and according to the National Football Post, he’s feeling better and is now able to put some pressure on the foot that cost him the last part of the season.

When we last saw the New Orleans Saints on the playing field, they were down to about their eighth-string running back as injuries ripped through the depth chart of the defending Super Bowl champions.

One of the impressive young members of that larger-than-you-would-like group is on the mend. Chris Ivory says he is recovering nicely from surgery to repair a Lisfranc ligament in his foot. Although he cannot rehabilitate at the team's facility during the lockout, he is out of a walking boot and in good spirits.

"It has gotten a lot better,” Ivory said, according to James Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I’m to the point now where I can put a little more pressure on it, but that pressure is still—I’m still hesitant to put a lot on it, to where it’s like I’m walking normal. I still have a little ways to go.

"They went in and put a screw through one of my bones, and, I believe, they connected it with my next toe. That’s supposed to help it align, to line the bones and the ligaments back up, and at my last checkup everything was aligned perfectly."

We are exactly one month and a couple hours away from the 2011 NFL Draft, so with that in mind from now until April 28th there will be news, rumors, speculations and mock draft selections galore here at Billsgab.  As the Bills continue their ongoing player evaluations, the Bills have schedule pre-draft interiews with some high profile draft prospects:  Auburn QB Cam Newton and DT Nick Fairley;  Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers and Cal DE Cameron Jordan.

With it's also expected that other prominent names ( Texas A & M LB Von Miller, Patrick Peterson of LSU and Georgia WR A.J. Green) will also meet with the Bills, we can now add another hot commodity to the list:  Alabama DT Marcell Dareus.

NFL.com's Jason La Canfora has reported that Dareus and the Bills are expected to meet sometime this week.  With Dareus in high demand, there are as many as seven other teams picking in the first 10 selections of the draft that in hot pursuit to meet with the standout defensive tackle.  Carolina, which holds the first overall selection, is schedule to meet with Dareus, as well as the Denver Broncos, the team picking directly ahead of Buffalo.  Dareus is also scheduled to meet with Cleveland, San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington.

Click HERE to read the rest

A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the Dolphins, Giants, and Patriots are showing significant interest in Alabama running back Mark Ingram. The Dolphins worked out Ingram on Monday, and he may have workouts or visits set with the G-Men and New England at later dates.

The source also said that Ingram looked "very fit and explosive," and that the Dolphins are "very impressed." In mock drafts, Ingram is widely sent to Miami as the team risks losing Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to free agency. If Miami don’t bite on Ingram at No. 15 overall, it’s possible he could fall deep into the 20′s or out of the top 32 altogether.

Many people would never put together the game of football and former President Teddy Roosevelt, but in this new book hitting the stands on April 12th – “The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football,” author John Miller takes a look back at the history of the game and how Roosevelt’s influence and passion for the game actually saved it.

The 272 page book takes you back in time when Roosevelt stepped in back in 1905 and met with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and helped out in changing some rules that paved the way for the game today.

Some of the changes in rules included the yards needed to gain a first down from five to 10, the creation of a neutral zone at the line of scrimmage, and a decrease in the length of the game from 70 to 60 minutes.

It’s an interesting look back to a simpler time of the game, and a great read for all types of football fans from old to young. The book will be available on April 12th, and you can order it from Amazon by clicking HERE.

The National Football Post reports that the Ravens Monday met with Temple defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, who is moving up the ranks at a rapid pace and could end up being a first round pick.

Temple defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is meeting with the Baltimore Ravens today, according to a league source with knowledge of the sitaution.

The Ravens have displayed interest in Wilkerson with scouting executives attending his Pro Day workout. He conducted a private workout for the AFC North club and the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

Wilkerson has also met with the New Orleans Saints. He has upcoming visits with the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans.

Wilkerson is one of the fastest-rising draft prospects, leaving behind the sleeper category and emerging as a potential first-round commodity.