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TRADING UP FOR JaMARCUS?

BATON ROUGE, La. – Where will JaMarcus Russell land? It's still too early to tell, but the trade whispers have started to circulate around the potential No. 1 pick in the draft. A prominent one has the Washington Redskins taking a keen interest.

According to a source with intimate knowledge of the situation, Redskins owner Dan Snyder has become enamored with the idea of drafting Russell, which has in turn fueled speculation Washington could be targeting Oakland's No. 1 pick in a trade scenario. The trade could involve Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, the team's first-round pick in 2005, getting dealt to another team, or to the Raiders as part of a package to move up in the draft.

Russell has impressed the Raiders thus far, both with his skills set and his quiet-but-confident demeanor, which the team got to see over dinner at Ruffino's Italian Restaurant on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge. But coach Lane Kiffin insisted Wednesday Oakland was going to explore trading the No. 1 pick.

As it stands, Russell is set to take visits for personal workouts with Oakland, Washington, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland. If Washington were to be involved in a trade with the Raiders, a move to the top choice would likely cost the Redskins a healthy package of picks and possibly players. And it's worth noting Washington doesn't have a second-round pick this year to use for ammunition, having already dealt that choice away to the New York Jets (who sent the pick to the Chicago Bears as part of the Thomas Jones deal).
– Charles Robinson

BATON ROUGE, La. – If only Phil Savage could have squirreled away JaMarcus Russell when he met him seven years ago, the Cleveland Browns general manager would have the best arm many NFL talent evaluators have seen in a long time.

That's what Savage was left thinking Wednesday, when the league's nomadic flock of scouts, coaches and general managers spent 30 minutes shaking their heads over Russell's workout at LSU's pro day session. While it wasn't perfect – some grumbled about Russell not doing the full array of drills – there was one common thread shared: that Russell has one of the best arms most can remember among NFL draft prospects.

"The things that people saw today were the things I saw in the camp when JaMarcus was 14 – that arm strength from a kid that was 6[-foot]-4 and 185 pounds back then," Savage said, referring to the summer football camp he has held for youths since 1991. Savage, like Russell, is a native of Mobile, Ala.

"When I went back to training camp with the Baltimore Ravens that year I saw JaMarcus, I told (Ravens general manager) Ozzie Newsome, 'You've got to see this kid, Oz. He can really throw it. I wish we could draft him now and stash him away,'" Savage recalls.

Russell's arm didn't disappoint Wednesday. Going through the workout with LSU wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis and running back Justin Vincent, Russell showcased power and accuracy throughout most of the session. The script, which was put together by Tom Martinez – Tom Brady's personal quarterbacking guru – included the entire route tree, along with some scrambling and a few difficult roll-outs that saw Russell throw 65-yard passes while going across his body.

Out of 50-plus passes, only five appeared to be bad throws. And every pass he threw was a tight spiral with a high release point, whether Russell was throwing short, intermediate or deep routes. As for criticism, his footwork got sloppy at times – something that's not uncommon for quarterback prospects who are being fine-tuned for the next level.

"Toward the end on my drops I was a little inconsistent," he said. "I could be more precise and more balanced. Sometimes you can get a little anxious."

Still, it was an impressive display of strength, often with almost too much zip on intermediate routes – the Brett Favre-esque finger-breaking passes that are completed with an echoing smack.

"I didn't even need to see them to know he's got the arm – I could hear it," Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said.

Kiffin was one of nearly 100 NFL representatives, which included several other head coaches in the crowd – the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton. Among the general manager's in attendance were Savage, the Green Bay Packers' Ted Thompson, A.J. Smith of the San Diego Chargers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Bruce Allen.

All seemed impressed, although there were a smattering of scouts who were upset that Russell only threw and ran the 40-yard dash, but didn't go through the agility drills and bench press. Russell notched a 4.83 second 40-yard dash, which is considered a good time for a player who measured in at just over 6-foot-5 and 256 pounds. His weight was down nine pounds from the combine.

"His mobility is good enough," Thompson said. "He's got enough mobility. His size doesn't hinder him athletically at all. You know when he needs to run, he's going to be able to run. The game isn't too fast for him, either. In fact, I think the game actually slows down for him. You look at some of those games when the pressure was on him going into the fourth quarter and he was the guy they needed to perform, he was able to do that. I think the game slowed down for him in those situations."

"And as far as the arm goes, he definitely got a little check mark in that box. It's remarkable."

Smith went a step further, saying Russell's arm was perhaps the best of any prospect he'd ever scouted in person.

"As far as velocity and arm strength, no question," Smith said. "I would have to search to find someone to put into his category. … I just watched him and just thought about how I hope I don't have to face him the next 12 years in our division."