Draft analyst is still high on former Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE — Darren McFadden has claimed the top spot on NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ’s “Big Board,” and Arkansas backfield mate Felix Jones has surged to No. 14.

Kiper’s projection has no bearing on whom the Miami Dolphins will choose with the No. 1 pick April 26 in the NFL Draft, but it indicates that McFadden’s stock has remained strong in the weeks since he concluded his 1, 830-yard junior season.

McFadden is expected to reveal his choice of agent and a potential marketing plan in the coming days.

McFadden is training at the Nikesponsored Michael Johnson Performance Center in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, Texas, in preparation for the NFL combine next month. Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal reported that McFadden’s training tab at the center is being picked up by Nike, fueling speculation he would reach an endorsement deal with the industry giant. McFadden also tops Scouts Inc. ’s Top 32 draft list with a grade of 99. Jones is ranked No. 32 on the same list with a draft grade of 91. McFadden is regarded as a top-five pick by virtually all analysts.

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3 at Senior Bowl The Razorbacks have three players — fullback Peyton Hillis, offensive guard Robert Felton and defensive tackle Marcus Harrison — at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. All three Razorbacks are considered middle-round draft prospects, though Felton’s play in Senior Bowl practices could have him trending upward. According to a report on SI. com written by Tony Pauline of TFY Draft Preview, Felton has held his own against the South team’s talented defensive front. “Felton was stout at the point of attack and was one of the few blockers from the South who was able to slow down the assault of the defensive tackles,” Pauline wrote. Felton, who can play virtually any position on the offensive line, is working as a guard in Mobile. He also played in the Hula Bowl. The Senior Bowl is slated for a 3 p. m. kickoff Saturday from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised by the NFL Network. Felton will be in his familiar No. 61, Harrison will be wearing his normal No. 55, and Hillis will don No. 32. Alabama’s D. J. Hall is listed on the South roster as No. 22, which Hillis wore at Arkansas.

Trio at D 1 Three Razorbacks draft hopefuls — Peyton Hillis, receiver Marcus Monk and linebacker Weston Dacus — have established a training regimen with D 1, an organization based in Nashville, Tenn. Dacus and Monk are rooming together during the 10-week program, which started Jan. 12, while Hillis has taken a week’s hiatus to play in the Senior Bowl. The group of players training at D 1, according to a news release from the organization, includes seven SEC players, among them Tennessee tight end Brad Cottam and linebacker Ryan Karl. The trainees, who are participating in two- and three-a-days six days a week, also include Illinois linebacker J. Leman and Wake Forest center Steve Justice, a finalist for the Rimington Trophy who lost out to Arkansas junior Jonathan Luigs.

Penix in draft pool Did you catch the “other” underclassman from Arkansas who was among the 53 college players who declared early for the NFL Draft ? That would be Sean Penix, a walk-on out of Fort Smith Southside and a reserve defensive back who spent his career on the scout team at Arkansas.