FanHouse Marcus Freeman

In 2003, Pisa Tinoisamoa led the 12-4 St. Louis Rams in total tackles as a 22-year-old rookie. His defensive coordinator was Lovie Smith. After five seasons apart, the two will once again be working together in 2009, as the Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with the linebacker.

At first glance, due to the hulking presence of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, you might think there's no way the Bears need a linebacker. Tinoisamoa does, however, represent an upgrade to the serviceable yet unspectacular duo of Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach at the strong side linebacker position. It will be a two-down job on many possessions, as Urlacher and Briggs never leave the field.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

When the Bears made one of the biggest offseason splashes by trading for Jay Cutler, they were left without a first-round pick. Many Bears fans would argue this was a blessing in disguise, considering general manager Jerry Angelo's rocky history with first-round picks (David Terrell, Cedric Benson, Rex Grossman, Michael Haynes).

Still, there were more needs than just quarterback on this team for the near future. Would Angelo be able to fill all those holes with a bunch of second-day draft picks?

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Success has its advantages. In a draft like this, the successful teams can get comparable talent for a mere fraction of the price. Teams picking in the bottom of the first round will gladly take the available players and be thrilled about it. There will be starter-caliber talent on the board, and teams like the New York Giants appear ready to reap the benefits.

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

It's not how it sounds, but still -- funny. Senior-to-be Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman recounts the moment a bunch of men made a very important decision to stay together, while in the shower.

ESPN: I hate to make you describe a shower scene, but take me back to after the LSU loss when you and the other juniors talked about coming back for this season.

MF: Just a lot of emotion. Sitting on that bench and thinking, 'Hey, I don't think I'm going to come back and have this feeling again.' But we got in the shower, everybody's disappointed. I forget who was the first person to say something, but it was weird that all of us that had major decisions about coming back were all in the shower at the same time. (Alex) Boone or Malcolm Jenkins or someone said, 'Hey, I'm coming back. I'm not leaving college football like this.' And then James Laurinaitis said, 'I'm coming back, too,' and I said, 'I'm coming back, too.' We all knew we really had to go home and think about it, but that was the first feeling of, 'Hey, let's come back and do it one more time. Let's go out with a bang our senior year.'

We tease, but the shower is high on the list of unusual places to collectively arrive at such an important decision.

(Via: Twin Killing)