Dissect The Cover 2
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ESPN.com IllustrationEditor's Note: Several projected first-round NFL draft picks have stopped by SportsNation to chat in the last month. In the days leading up to the actual draft we will revisit these chats to get to know the players just a little better.
Player: Mark Ingram
School: Alabama
Height/Weight: 5-9⅛/215
Mel Kiper ranking: 20
Scouts Inc. ranking: 23
Kiper Projection: No. 15 to Miami
After his sophomore season in 2009, Ingram earned Alabama's first Heisman in school history with his 1,658 yards and 17 TDs rushing. He also helped Alabama to the 2010 BCS National Championship, becoming the first person since Matt Leinart in 2004 to win the Heisman and BCS game's Offensive MVP in the same season.
Who do you most idolize at the running back position in the NFL right now?
I didn't grow up idolizing just one. I watched all of the greats. I've always admired a great running back. I like all of the guys from Barry, Emmitt, Walter, Earl to now Chris Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Ray Rice, all of those guys.
What do you think about the lockout?
I don't have any control over that. All I can control is that when it is time to play, that I'm in the best shape I can be in and give myself the best chance to play. Full transcript
With the draft a week away and NFL schedules coming out, it's time to get excited about football, right? Or is your interest muted this year?
One big reason for muted interest, of course, is the prospect of continued labor strife. How much of the schedule will the NFL play out?
Jon Gruden and the rest of the "Monday Night Football" lads didn't get to call any Ndamukong Suh games. Should that change this season?
Fans of the Cowboys and Lions don't have much say in this, but for everyone else, do you want your fandom colliding with your turkey fandom?
Christmas falls on Sunday this year. In the past, that led the NFL to schedule a lot of games on Saturday, Dec. 24. Is that the right call?
This is a shot from a "Madden" game. You can tell because Tim Tebow is passing. But which day without any actual football interests you most?
We haven't really lost anything yet as football fans, but is the grind of daily updates on legal proceedings and negotiations killing your fandom?
The current labor stalemate has to end if we're going to play these games, but do you feel like either side is winning at the moment?
Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.
Read more fan posts. Or respond by signing in or creating a profile, and start blogging.
Two Heisman Trophy winners are available in this year's NFL draft, and don't expect either 2010 winner Cam Newton or 2009 winner Mark Ingram to last beyond the opening round. That hasn't always been the case for Heisman winners moving to the pro game. Can you guess the round in which each of the Heisman winners below was selected in the NFL draft?
Welcome to SportsNation! On Tuesday, NFL draft prospect, and former Alabama Crimson Tide running back, Mark Ingram stops by to chat some football.
Ingram, the No. 1 overall running back according to Mel Kiper, led Alabama in rushing the past two seasons gaining 2,533 yards and averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He won the fan vote to be named the cover athlete for EA Sports' NCAA Football 12.
The guys at Scouts Inc. think Ingram is the most competitive runner to come out of college since Adrian Peterson and his profile says he's a "a tough, determined and no-nonsense runner. Possesses excellent field awareness, particularly with down markers and goal lines. A consistent finisher, almost always falling forward at end of runs."
Send your questions now and join Ingram Tuesday at 1:50 p.m. ET!
More Special Guests: Previous chats | SportsNation
"Boardwalk Empire" is great and maybe "Game of Thrones" has potential, but if HBO really wants a winner, keep the cameras rolling on Bruce Boudreau. The entertaining (irascible?) Capitals coach took a big swipe at the Big Apple recently, specifically Madison Square Garden. Will it come back to bite him in Game 4?
Boudreau said the locker rooms are bad, the benches are awful and the fans are not as loud as fans in D.C. Do you buy into the mystique of MSG?
Boudreau was a breakout star in HBO's "24/7" series, but is he on his last legs as Washington's coach if the Capitals lose in the first round again?
The NBA admitted Monday that referees missed the call in allowing Kendrick Perkins' tip-in late in Game 1 between the Thunder and Nuggets. That's probably small comfort for Denver coach George Karl. But is an admission enough, or should the referees be formally punished for the error? PollCenter: Are NBA referees biased?
Elsewhere, the NBA fined Blazers coach Nate McMillan for questioning why his team didn't get to the free throw line nearly as often as the Mavs.
Dwight Howard's teammates need to stop making the Atlanta Hawks look like five Bill Russell clones if the Magic want to avoid a second loss at home, but it's nice to know you have the three-time defensive player of the year behind you. But is a great defensive center the most valuable defensive presence in sports? Will the Magic win their series?
Howard can shut down the entire lane, but is that more valuable than what a defensive whiz like Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus offers in the field?
Howard is the defensive player of the year for the third time in a row, but Kevin Durant just won his second consecutive scoring title. Which is better?
Howard's defense and offense (46 points) wasn't enough to lift the Magic in Game 1 against the Hawks, but will Orlando even the series Tuesday?
Editor's Note: Several projected first-round NFL draft picks have stopped by SportsNation to chat in the last month. In the days leading up to the actual draft we will revisit these chats to get to know the players just a little better.
Player: Jake Locker
School: Washington
Height/Weight: 6-2½/231
Mel Kiper ranking: 25
Scouts Inc. ranking: 25
Kiper Projection: No. 25 to Seattle
In 2010, Locker threw for over 2,200 yards and 17 TDs, giving him over 7,500 yards and 50 TDs passing for his career. In addition, he also had over 1,900 yards and 30 TDs running the ball during his four years as a Huskie. Locker recently sat down with Jon Gruden at his Fired Football Coaches Association facilities to talk football.
I can only imagine that the process of meeting different team personnel and doing interviews can be interesting and eye opening. What is the oddest question that you have been asked by an NFL team during meetings/interviews?
Each interview was different. There was no two of the same. They kept you on your toes. It was fun to meet those guys and get a feel for what each organization was about.
Who are your top five wide receivers in the NFL that you'd like to play with?
There are so many guys in the NFL right now that are talented at that level. The interesting part is that there are guys with different skill sets that help their offenses in different ways. The opportunity to play with any of those guys at that level would be great. It would be a pleasure to be able to play with any of them. Full transcript
For proof that the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft need not be a consolation prize, we need to look all the way back to ... last year. It seems safe to guess that the Lions aren't disappointed about the addition of Ndamukong Suh after he went from the No. 2 pick to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Three more of those and he'll join a list of the best No. 2 picks since 1980. Can you name them?
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