Courtesy of reader Eastville Holdings comes this nice Felix Jones profile from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The whole thing is worth a read, but the best anecdote is this one (which was news to me…I don’t recall hearing this reported anywhere else after the game, although I could certainly be wrong):

When Arkansas beat LSU last fall in three overtimes, Lee called for a toss sweep with the option to pass on the 2-point conversion.

“Let’s put it in the hands of McFadden and see if they can tackle him,” Lee told then Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.

The huddle broke from the sidelines, and there was McFadden not going anywhere.

“What is Felix doing running out there?” Nutt said into his headset, noting that he had no more timeouts.

“Who cares?” Lee said.

Much like McFadden, no one could tackle Jones either, and he scored on the sweep designed for McFadden for the game-winning points in one of the nation’s biggest upsets of the season.

From the DC Fanatics blog, here’s a nice Topps photo shoot and interview with Felix Jones. The best part comes about two minutes in when they surprise him with a first peek at his brand new rookie card. Happy times:

Let’s check in on the ex-Hogs who have recently joined the work force:

* The Raiders held their rookie minicamp last weekend, and naturally D-Mac was the star of the show. Initial reviews were very positive, and the Bay Area media is getting their first taste of his versatility: “McFadden does too much, too well to stick him in an I-formation box. In two days of practice, he has sprinted around the edge, powered inside the middle, run routes as a wideout and caught passes out of the backfield. He even lined up at quarterback.”

* What did Mr. McFadden think about his first taste of life in the NFL? Be sure to read the full transcript of his press conference, but here’s a sample quote on one of the differences between college and the pros: “They hand you a playbook with pens and highlighters with a notebook to take notes, that’s something you don’t get in college, if you want to take notes you have to come with your own stuff, so I knew it was serious once they handed the playbook like that.”

* Raiders’ coach Lane Kiffin gives McFadden a very positive initial review.

* On the flip side, here’s an example of the disfunction I was referring to when I was ranting about why I didn’t want D-Mac to be a Raider. Expect plenty more stories like this one.

* Jerry Jones likes Felix Jones’ “bubble butt”. No further comment needed.

* In Dallas, the debate still rages as to whether or not Felix was the right choice. Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning-News weighs in with the opinion that he “should be the ideal complement to Marion Barber”. So that’s good…

* The Cowboys’ training camp will be looked at, up close and personal, on this year’s edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” reality show. Of course, don’t expect to see much of Felix on there…not only will he be overshadowed by notorious camera hogs like Terrell Owens (and Jessica Simpson?), he’s only the third most famous Jones on the team (behind Jerry and Pacman).

* The Huddle Report predicts that Peyton Hillis is going to be “a big-time RB” for the Broncos.

* A breakdown of the Chicago Bears’ draft that wound up with Marcuses Harrison and Monk.

* Speaking of Monk, it’s tough to make the team as a 7th rounder, but Chris Bahn of Arkansas Sports 360 reports that he’s making the most of his opportunity.

* The Chicago Sun-Times looks at the Marcus Harrison draft pick, and notes that although there are character-related concerns over his arrest last fall, he was “too good to pass up.”

As America’s favorite non-sporting sporting event, the NFL Draft certainly receives a lot of coverage. And, with six players drafted the Hogs were a major factor this year. Here are some links I’ve been saving up:

* Probably the best thing I read after the draft was this interview with Felix Jones. He landed in a great situation and sounds incredibly excited about it…he refers to it as “a dream come true” three times in a short span. Here’s a good quote on how he happy he is to be a Cowboy:
It will be an honor. I know that for sure. That star represents a lot. That is something I am going to wear and play my best and I am just happy now that I am getting a chance to put it on. This is a dream come true for me. 

* Of course, there are always naysayers and Arkansas Sports 360 reminds us that some folks in Dallas aren’t too happy about Felix being their first round draft pick. (editor’s note: Why??)

* On the flip side of that argument, SI’s Don Banks has the full story on why Jerry Jones went with Felix and ESPN’s John Clayton praises the choice.

* Surely you’ve been wondering what Warren Sapp thinks about D-Mac going to the Raiders. Well, wonder no more…according to this interview with Michael Silver, he wholeheartedly approves, calling the match “a perfect fit”.

* More from Don Banks: he pegs the McFadden vs Bush vs Fargas running back situation in Oakland as one of the top training camp battles to watch.

* Several undrafted Razorbacks were invited to various training camps. Tom Murphy has the latest on Robert Felton, Michael Grant, Matteral Richardson, Weston Dacus and more.

* What does Wally think about all this? Here’s his breakdown of the draft.

* Nothing was Shocking - In yesterday’s first round of the NFL Draft, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones landed where most prognosticators believed they would. Fun facts, courtesy of Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

“McFadden, a Little Rock native and two-time runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting, became the Razorbacks’ highest pick in the NFL Draft since Dan Hampton was selected fourth by the Chicago Bears in 1979.

It’s the fifth time two Razorbacks have been first-round picks, including 1967 (Loyd Phillips and Harry Jones ), 1983 (Billy Ray Smith Jr. and Gary Anderson ), 1989 (Wayne Martin and Steve Atwater ) and 2004 (Shawn Andrews and Ahmad Carroll ), but the first time two Arkansas running backs were first-rounders.”

For more coverage, including the reactions in Dallas and Oakland, visit the Razorbloggers by clicking here and here.

* In Other Draft News - Marcus Harrison was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 27th pick in the third round (90th overall).

* Offensive Behavior - The Red team posted a mere 601 yards of total offense yesterday in cruising to a 45-14 victory over the White team in Bobby Petrino’s first spring game. We’ll have more on this game later, when we post an eyewitness report from an old friend, someone whom the Razorback blogosphere misses dearly.

* No House of Payne - Forward Daniel Payne of Coffeyville (Kan. ) Community College will not joining Razorbacks next fall after all, apparently for academic reasons. Without Payne, the Hogs have five signees and are in the market for more.

The NFL Draft is almost upon us, and like my Expat counterpart, I generally find it to be one of the most ridiculous events on the yearly sporting calendar. If we could only apply the same level of intense analysis and attention to detail to some of our thornier national problems as we do the draft I’m sure things would be in much better shape right now.

But, I digress. Despite my cynicism I’m actually pretty excited about this year’s draft because of all the ex-Hogs who will factor in the mix. Here’s a quick look at how last year’s “Big Four” might fare:

* Darren McFadden. Naturally there are haters who prefer to obsess about his skinny calves rather than him blowing up the SEC for three years, but the general consensus is that he’s the top talent in the draft. However, most of the teams picking first don’t need a running back, so his future team is still very much in doubt. Earlier this week I was fretting about him going to the Raiders, but the latest buzz has him going to the Jets, who seem to be very interested in D-Dawg.

* Felix Jones. The “experts” are telling us that Felix is a late first round pick, which wouldn’t be too shabby at all. No one really knows anything, of course, but multiple mock drafts have him going to Dallas. That would seem to be a good on-the-field place for him to be, but he would be well-advised to decline any invitations to go strip clubbing with the team’s newest cornerback.

* Peyton Hillis. In a classic example of the type of overthinking that permeates most draft coverage, the word is that Peyton’s stock is dropping because he had a rough workout at the Scouting Combine in February. Only in the world of the NFL Draft would one bad day at a practice facility overrule the fact that he was money on the field for four years, but nonetheless he’ll be a solid middle round pick for someone.

* Marcus Monk. Surely every Hog fan is pulling for him after the year he’s had…passing up a solid NFL future to return for his senior year, getting seriously injured during preseason practice and then having a less impactful than hoped return to the field late in the season. The good news is that he performed well at the Scouting Combine and Pro Day and his stock is back on the rise. He won’t be a top round pick (like he might have been last year), but his future is much brighter than it seemed a few months ago.

* Bye-Bye Beverley? - That’s the jarring headline of Brandon Marcello’s latest Slophouse blog entry. According to the post, Patrick has been making some comments on his Facebook page that could lead some to believe that he won’t be with the Hogs next season, including “I’m leaving.” Apparently, though, the page doesn’t make it clear exactly what he will be leaving. But … Marcello says he ran into Patrick at this weekend’s Real Deal on the Hill AAU Tournament, and Beverley wouldn’t comment on the matter. That doesn’t sound good.

* More Hoops News: Pelphrey continues to add to his 2008 recruiting class by inking 6-7 forward John Henry, who played high school ball in West Memphis and spent last season at Cincinnati Harmony Prep School. And, scroll down about halfway through this story, and you’ll see that the Hogs could also add 6-5 shooting guard Nick Williams of Mobile, Ala., this week. He might come in extra handy if indeed Patrick decides to take his act elsewhere.

* Draft Talk: Next Saturday marks the arrival of what I find to be the sporting world’s most obnoxious event: the NFL Draft. I usually avoid this like the plague. This year, however, there are two obvious reasons to tune in: McFadden and Jones, and I’m sure that a hefty percentage of this week’s postings will deal with speculation concerning the two. Here’s some material that’s sure to be a conversation starter: Fox NFL Analyst Brian Baldinger is no fan of D-Mac:

“I think he’s the colossal bust in this draft. He doesn’t run with patience. He’s a very incomplete back who tries to run you over. If he gets a crease, he can take it to the house. But he doesn’t break tackles and he fumbles. I’m not impressed.”

And add this unnamed scout to the list of those not overly enamored with No. 5:

“I can’t believe how skinny his calves and his shins are. It’s almost scary. It’s like a skinny wide receiver. At the running back position, you want a guy who’s a little wider on his base. is built on top, but he’s got a very skinny base. I think that’s a little bit of a concern.”

* Practice Makes Perfect - To stay on top of the football team’s spring practice, be sure to check out the Razorbloggers’ top-notch and highly detailed daily reports.

* I’m in Charge Here - Houston Nutt is back to doing what many Razorback fans think he does worst: calling plays.

* Overall, you’d have to say that Wally’s column from today wasn’t too bad, particularly by his standards. Still, get a load of this groaner: “[Stan Heath’s] sideline de-meanor bothered a lot of the fans because he seemed docile. Pelphrey is quite different. The more mistakes the players make, mental or physical, demeanor he got.”

* John Brummett gets all huffy about Arkansans booing the Texas Longhorns in Alltel Arena this past weekend, and ArkansasSports360.com’s Jim Harris, who recently stopped by this site for a visit, says that Brummett could use some history lessons.

* For the “Sun Rises in the East” file: A Razorback football player has a brush with the law.

* For the “Good News” file: Marcus Monk appears to have improved his draft stock.

* Sweet (New) Home Chicago? Bears coach Lovie Smith recently lunched with former Hog running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

* Quick Programming Note: With the basketball season just completed and the new football season still a few months off, posting may be a bit slower than usual here at RazorbackExpats.com - at least for the next few weeks or so, as we take a little time to pause and catch our breath. But, we have an active spring and summer planned - with the unveiling of the RazorbackExpats Hall of Fame and more Q&A’s with various Hog heroes on the schedule - so check back often.

After hiring away Bobby Petrino before the NFL season was over, the Razorbacks aren’t among Atlanta Falcons fans’ favorite teams. However, according to a mock first-round NFL draft recently compiled by Rivals.com, Atlanta fans may soon have less reason to hate the Hogs. That’s because Rivals has the Falcons taking Darren McFadden with the No. 3 pick in the first round. (Note: the exact order of the No. 3-5 picks has yet to be determined.) Alas, Felix is nowhere to be found.

However, Felix does chart - at No. 29 - on the site’s ranking of the top 100 draft prospects. McFadden is No. 3, behind Matt Ryan and Glenn Dorsey.

Razorback news from around the web to help distract you from certain underachieving basketball teams:

* Looking for more behind-the-scenes info about the Hogs’ coaching search drama last month? ESPN.com reports that if not for one inspired performance by the New Orleans Saints we’d likely be discussing the possibilities of the Will Muschamp era at Arkansas.

* The football schedule for next year is out and it looks a little, well, challenging. I hope Bobby Petrino knew about this before signing on…otherwise he might be on the phone with his agent right now.

* News that probably did not make John Pelphrey’s day: prized point guard recruit Terrance Joyner is going to look at other schools while the NCAA reviews his academic standing (scroll down to the bottom of that article for details).

* Ryan Mallett officially becomes a Razorback and is greeted with a wet dorm room.

* In what surely won’t be the last mock draft we see between now and April, ESPN’s Todd McShay says D-Mac is the top talent in the draft, but has him going 4th to the Oakland Raiders. Felix is nowhere to be found in the first round, although McShay does say he’s a possibility for the New York Giants at pick #26.

* Lastly, because they apparently haven’t run this story quite far enough into the ground, ESPN once again takes the trouble to remind everone (especially recruits…thanks guys) that Bobby Petrino is the WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD. EVER!