FanHouse MichaelJohnson

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

All joking about character risks aside, the Cincinnati Bengals needed to have a good draft. They've had some misses -- through bad scouting and bad luck -- with top picks in recent years, and they had to hit on their top pick this year. You can take as many shots as you want at his weight and conditioning, but when you watch a tape, there is no question the Bengals' first-round pick can play football.

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

Yes, the Carolina Panthers are late to the party. But I thought it only appropriate given that the Cats have no first round pick in this year's NFL Draft. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing whatsoever. Last year, the Panthers traded this year's first-rounder (plus 2008's second and fourth round picks) for the Eagles' first round pick (No. 19 overall) and selected Jeff Otah. Carolina made the playoffs and looked like a Super Bowl contender late in the season.

Who can blame him at this point?

Usain Bolt barely even broke a sweat in Beijing this past year when he broke every Olympic record in front of him. The 100 meter world record wasn't even a challenge, as he celebrated for the last 10-15 meters, and he also took down Michael Johnson's 200 meter world record -- which had stood for 12 years.

Now he's going to start running the 400-meter, and there is very little doubt he can easily shatter this record as well -- also owned by Johnson. He's obviously the fastest man in the history of the planet, so I see no possible reason he cannot break this record with ease, barring injury.

In fact, I started doing some thinking about Bolt and his amazing gift. Remember those Man vs. Beast shows on Fox? When they did sprints, they'd pit a sprinter against a giraffe or zebra or something. The human would always burst out of the gate with a lead. Once the animal got a little warmed up and started moving they'd blow by the poor human with ease.

Last Monday night, ESPN introduced a thing called optical-tracking technology, brought in to show how fast different players like Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson really are.

The Saints young star was kind enough to break two punt returns for touchdowns, each showing that explosiveness most in the Louisiana area have been waiting for. With the new technology, we got to watch Bush reach a top speed of 22 miles per hour. How fast is that if you compared him to other quick-footed humans? The LA Times broke it down.

If you don't think 22 mph sounds that fast, consider this: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt averaged 23.07 mph over 100 meters when he took the gold medal with his blistering 9.69-second performance in the Olympics. That's according to EliteFeet.com, which also translated the times of star runners Maurice Greene (21.0 mph in the indoor 60 meters), Michael Johnson (20.71 in the 400) and Florence Griffith Joyner (21.32 in the 100), among others.

Yes, those speeds are averages over the distance, as opposed to Bush's top speed at a given point. But those runners also weren't carrying a football and saddled with a helmet and pads.

After today's loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College quarterback Chris Crane was asked what happened on his first interception. And in his explanation, he also explained why Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson is going to be a high first-round NFL draft pick in April.

"They started bringing pressure from the field," Crane said. "I tried to throw over a 6-foot-7-guy and I didn't realize it."

NFL scouts absolutely love Johnson's 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame and the long wingspan that Crane wasn't able to avoid when Johnson tipped a pass that was intercepted. He's a great athlete and showed today against Boston College -- when he also had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage -- that he's a very good player.

The reason I question whether he's one of the truly elite players in the 2009 draft class, though, is that he came off the bench as a situational pass rusher in his sophomore and junior years and didn't become a starter until this season. That tells me that Georgia Tech's coaches don't see Johnson as a complete player, even though NFL scouts seem to think he'll become one.

After today's loss to Georgia Tech, Boston College quarterback Chris Crane was asked what happened on his first interception. And in his explanation, he also explained why Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson is going to be a high first-round NFL draft pick in April.

"They started bringing pressure from the field," Crane said. "I tried to throw over a 6-foot-7-guy and I didn't realize it."

NFL scouts absolutely love Johnson's 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame and the long wingspan that Crane wasn't able to avoid when Johnson tipped a pass that was intercepted. He's a great athlete and showed today against Boston College -- when he also had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage -- that he's a very good player.

The reason I question whether he's one of the truly elite players in the 2009 draft class, though, is that he came off the bench as a situational pass rusher in his sophomore and junior years and didn't become a starter until this season. That tells me that Georgia Tech's coaches don't see Johnson as a complete player, even though NFL scouts seem to think he'll become one.

Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong had escaped the Sudan and was living in a refugee camp in Kenya when he heard about the Olympic Games. Wanting to see the Games, he walked five miles to the nearest television, where he saw American Michael Johnson win the 400-meter dash. He tells his story:

"I want to be as fast as that guy," Lomong recalled thinking upon seeing the Olympics. "And that's what inspired me from that point on. I want to run as fast as that guy and I want to run for that country."

Lomong later left the refugee camp, came to America, became an American citizen and began running for Team USA. He was chosen as the American flag bearer for yesterday's opening ceremony.

While host country China's support of the Sudanese government is shameful, Americans can be proud that our country has welcomed Lomong.

"I am so happy," Lomong said. "I'm so proud to be an American."

Jamaica's Usain Bolt ran the 200 meters in 19.67 seconds today in Athens, the fastest 200 time this year.

That, combined with his world record in the 100 meters and the failure of Tyson Gay to qualify in the 200, makes Bolt a favorite to win gold medals in both sprints in Beijing. If he does, he'll be the ninth man to win both the 100 and the 200 meters. The complete list of sprinters who have won the 100 and 200 is below.

Michael Johnson won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics, two more golds in 1996, and two more in 2000. He's one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

But his gold medal total is about to go from five to four. One of Johnson's golds comes from the 4x400-meter relay at the 2000 Olympics, and Johnson has now learned that some of his relay teammates used performance-enhancing drugs. And in a guest column in the Telegraph, Johnson writes that he no longer wants the medal:

I'm sure that there will be calls for us to give it back. I'm not sure what will happen with that effort, but I know that the medal was not fairly won and that it is dirty, and so I have moved it from the location where I have always kept my medals because it doesn't belong there. And it doesn't belong to me. So, as difficult as it is, I will be returning it to the International Olympic Committee because I don't want it. I feel cheated, betrayed and let down.

Kudos to Johnson for having respect for the rules of international sports, and for understanding that his relay medal is tainted. Johnson isn't just one of the greatest sprinters of all time, he's also a man of integrity.

There is no denying it now; the injury bug that has plagued the Giants for the last four seasons is back.

After a relatively healthy start to the year, New York suddenly finds themselves riddled with damning injuries that could spell disaster from here on out.

In addition to Brandon Jacobs, who will miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury, the Giants are likely to be without safety Gibril Wilson (knee), cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) and wide receiver Plaxico Burress (ankle/knee) tomorrow against the Chicago Bears.

Wilson and Ross are both listed as doubtful, with Burress securing his normal place on the injury report under "questionable."

Rookie Michael Johnson is the leading candidate to replace Wilson at safety, while R.W. McQuarters would get the starting nod against his former team if Ross doesn't make an amazing 24-hour recovering. Additionally, Sinorice Moss would replace Plax if he does end up missing his first game of the season.