Roundup: Draft day is here

The NFL Draft begins today with the first round, and a handful of Pac-12 players could potentially be Thursday selections. One of the guys who figures to go early tonight is Utah's Star Lotulelei, and he along with BYU's Ziggy Ansah can make history for the state of Utah. This could be the first year that two players with collegiate ties to the state of Utah are both top 10 selections in the same draft.

Oregon's Dion Jordan could potentially go second overall, so it's no surprise that Jordan's name is high up on most draft boards. Because Chip Kelly is the new head coach there, Jordan's name has been linked with Philadelphia, which has the fourth overall pick. However, the Eagles reportedly like linebacker Barkevious Mingo out of LSU more than Jordan. Regardless of where he goes, Rant Sports asks the question "is Jordan the best Duck to ever enter the draft?"

This guy most likely won't hear his name called tonight (though supposedly there is a shot the Broncos take him with their first round selection), but Johnathan Franklin is knocking on NFL heaven's door. The Los Angeles Times figures him to be more of a potential second round selection. Either way, it's a heck of a jump up for a guy who was once seventh in the running back depth chart at UCLA.

Colorado won't have anyone going tonight, but the switch to tight end is giving Nick Kasa a chance in the NFL. He could hear his name announced Saturday in rounds four through seven or could go the free agent route.    

CougCenter is getting in on the NFL Draft fun too, and in their latest podcast, they talk about where Jeff Tuel, Travis Long and Marquess Wilson will go in the draft.    

Here's a look at the Sun Devil prospects who are ready for a shot at the NFL, courtesy of Tyler Lockman at FoxSports Arizona. They include linebacker Brandon Magee, safety Keelan Johnson and punter Josh Hubner. In other Fork news, Arizona State is in talks with Chase Field about playing football games there during the Sun Devil Stadium remodeling. The earliest they'd play at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks is 2015.

Part two of the Shannon Turley feature from the Stanford Daily is out, and this one deals with how it pays to be different. As you'll learn if you choose to click on the link, Turley isn't one for traditional lifting methods and such. Also, here's also a look at Stanford's NFL hopefuls as they eye this week's draft.  

Oregon State's spring game won't be much of an actual "game", but ESPN's Pac-12 Blog encourages you to watch to get a better idea of who Oregon State's quarterback might be come fall (we encourage you to watch as well, obviously). For more Beaver football tidbits, you can hear about Brandin Cooks and Storm Woods' well-documented bromance in the latest Pac-12 Podcast.

In basketball news, USC big man Dewayne Dedmon has declared for the NBA Draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility.    

On a normal day, this link would be much closer to the top of the page, but check out the snazzy new Cal men's basketball uniforms. Think Ricky Kreklow and Richard Solomon have a future in modeling?    

I figure we've linked enough about Desmond Trufant, and whenever a "Gregg Bell: Unleashed" article comes out, I'm compelled to post it. Bell's latest offering concerns the new leader of Washington women's basketball, and he says that Mike Neighbors is not your everyday hoops coach.  

I'd be remiss if I didn't have one link about the Pac-12 women's golf championships that just wrapped up yesterday, and Arizona finished in a tie for fourth with Stanford. USC claimed first, Washington took second (24 strokes behind the Women of Troy) and UCLA brought home the bronze. Men's golf championships start Monday.