Moving up mock drafts in fast Lane

Here's Marcus Hayes' take on Lane Johnson from Thursday's Daily News.

NEW YORK - When Chelsea Goodman met Lane Johnson 4 years ago, she could not have known all that she would bring to their relationship.

A high jumper for the Oklahoma track team, Chelsea met Johnson when he transferred after a year of junior college. A big, strong athlete, Johnson, star prep quarterback in Texas, was not college QB material. He went to Oklahoma as a tight end.

By the time their relationship blossomed, Johnson was a defensive end for the Sooners - just like her father, John Goodman, in the late 1970s, before a 5-year stint with the Steelers.

That lasted just a few games in the second half of the 2010 season. Johnson switched to tackle 2 years ago.

Tonight, he likely will be taken in the first hour of the NFL draft, perhaps by the Eagles with their No. 4 overall pick.

John Goodman is part of a cluster of family Johnson has with him in New York. John Goodman became Johnson's father-in-law on Jan. 6. When Johnson met Chelsea, he hardly could conceive that her dad one day would be his chief counselor.

"He's been through what I've been through. He's been my mentor. He knows the ins and outs of the NFL, and he's given me lots of advice," Johnson said yesterday. "He knows what the NFL is all about."

He knows what Pennsylvania football is all about, too. Texas and Oklahoma have their way of voicing support and interest.

The Keystone State is a different brand.

"He told me Steelers fans are the best you can have. They're very passionate about football," Johnson said. "It keeps it alive."

No player's stock has been as live as Johnson's since January. He popped at the Senior Bowl for new Eagles coach Chip Kelly. He stunned at the NFL draft combine - a 4.72-second 40-yard dash. With the ability of playing either tackle spot and with promise of packing 15 more pounds on his 6-6, 310-pound frame, he might be the lineman with the most potential in a draft pool heavy with offensive line prospects.

With the fourth pick, the Eagles hold a card they have not held for a long time. The last time they held a single-digit pick, in 2000, they chose Corey Simon, a prototype defensive tackle; a pick that panned out.

They could do the same this time. Top-rated defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, a Philadelphia native, could be on the board when their slot comes up; in fact, they might be able to slip back and snag him.

They will be enticed to do the same if they decide Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner is worth the gamble, or if they want to invest in a quarterback, such as projects Geno Smith from West Virginia or E.J. Manuel from Florida State; or even if they consider different linemen, such as the Alabama duo, D.J. Fluker and Chance Warmack, who would be reunited with college line coach Jeff Stoutland.

Drafting any lineman likely would mean shuffling 2011 draft disappointment Danny Watkins to the bench, and, probably, moving right tackle Todd Herremans back to his natural position at guard.

All that said, articulate, athletic and a little bit nasty, Johnson would make perfect sense for the Eagles at No. 4.

He knows it.

"They're going to run a sprint scheme, 100 plays a game. That's exactly what we ran at Oklahoma," said Johnson, who, in his meeting in Philadelphia with the Eagles and in his workout with Stoutland at his hometown in Groveton, Texas, divined the Eagles' attack. "They want guys who can move, get to the second level. That's what I can do. I can play jumbo tight end. I can be the tackle-eligible."

He also can do some thinking. He has been the guy throwing the football, so he appreciates protection. He has been the guy catching it, so he appreciates giving receivers time to get open. He has been the guy rushing the passer, so he knows what the enemy sees.

"I know what defensive ends look for. I know their alignments. I know their moves," Johnson said. "I've played all over the yard. I know what everybody does."

The unimpressive draft pedigree of their current starters might be the best argument against investing top picks on the line. Their lead dog, Jason Peters, was undrafted; and, like Johnson, Peters played tight end in college. Left guard Evan Mathis was a third-rounder; center Jason Kelce, a sixth-rounder; Herremans, a guard taken in the fourth round. Only Kelce had immediate impact, which is more than can be said for Watkins, taken by the Eagles in the first round 2 years ago and intermittently benched the past two seasons.

Would the Birds dare trade down and take rush linebacker Dion Jordan, who is 15 pounds light for his size? Jordan played for Chip Kelly at Oregon, and Kelly gushed about Jordan's potential. But such a move would essentially erase either Brandon Graham or Trent Cole from the Birds' plans before either of the 4-3 ends proves that he cannot play outside linebacker. Unless, of course, the Eagles already have determined one, or both, cannot.

For that matter, Floyd, whose story of triumphal perseverance is the best in the draft, sure would look nice bookended with similar conventional defensive tackle Fletcher Cox; they would flank new nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga.

Besides, said Floyd, the scheme should not be an issue.

"They'll play a hybrid 3-4, so it's really 4-3," Floyd explained. "I'd still be an under-tackle. It's still a four-down feel. The linebackers walk down. It's just a variation of it. I think I'd fit perfectly."

That might be true, but the Birds will still need depth at nose tackle. There just aren't that many men built for the job. The Eagles have only one, and Sopoaga will be 32 when the season rolls around. Yes, the offensive line needs depth, but the nose tackle position is beyond shallow. Perhaps dealing down just a bit and taking Star Lotulelei makes the most sense.

Lotulelei declined the league's invitation to New York yesterday for the draft and the hoopla. He stayed in Utah with his wife and kids.

Johnson, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get to New York, a nice reward for Chelsea's patience: "She was there when things weren't going so great, all the way to where we are now."

He can't wait for his name to be called; to visit his new city; to start sanding away his rough edges.

He is, as he puts it, "Raw."

"But I know my best football is definitely ahead of me."

And he has a qualified guide a quick call away.

On Twitter: @inkstainedretch

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