Nerves set in as locals await NFL draft

Quinton Carter will be surrounded by family and friends at his Las Vegas Valley home Friday when he settles in to watch the NFL Draft.

If he can sit still, that is.

"I'll probably be too nervous to watch it," said Carter, a former Cheyenne High School and Oklahoma standout.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 208-pound safety doesn't expect to be drafted in today's first round but hopes to hear his name called as early as the second round Friday. The draft concludes with rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday.

Pro Football Weekly projects Carter as a third-round selection, and NFLDraftScout.com says he could go in the second or third round.

"It's been a crazy week and a half," Carter said. "You look at all those blog sites and draft boards, and everything is being contradicted. I talked to coaches, and they've said they have me as the No. 1 safety on their boards. They expect me to come off early."

The All-American made 96 tackles and four interceptions last season.

Carter's Oklahoma teammate, running back DeMarco Murray (6-0, 213), also could be a high draft pick. The Bishop Gorman product is listed as a second- or third-rounder by NFL Draft Scout, but Pro Football Weekly lists him as a fifth-rounder.

"I'm hearing the first, second or third round," said Murray, who is back in Las Vegas after a predraft visit to New York. "It's unpredictable. Hopefully, I'll go in the first couple of rounds."

Murray impressed at the NFL scouting combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds, which was fifth among running backs and 12th overall.

Last season, he rushed for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 71 passes for 594 yards and five TDs.

Murray said he visited seven teams and conducted three private workouts for multiple clubs in addition to the combine and Oklahoma's pro day.

"I got a lot of feedback," Murray said. "There were a lot of questions about my game, about me, about my health. Everybody liked me, liked my character. We'll wait and see how it goes."

Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy (6-4, 305), a Western graduate who played at Arizona State, is considered a midround prospect after coming out a year early. Pro Football Weekly calls him a sixth-rounder, but Guy said he has heard he could be selected as early as the second.

Guy, who made 41 tackles last season and six tackles for loss, could play tackle in a 4-3 defense or end in a 3-4.

"It depends on how teams want to pick me," Guy said. "One day you hear this, and the next day you might hear that."

Offensive linemen Matt Murphy (6-3, 304) and John Gianninoto (6-3, 297) are the most likely UNLV players to be drafted. But NFL Draft Scout and Pro Football Weekly project both to sign as undrafted free agents when the NFL labor dispute is settled.

Because there's no collective bargaining agreement in place, players who go undrafted this year won't be able to immediately sign with an NFL team.

But Murphy might not have to worry about that. He said he has heard he will go in rounds 4 to 7.

Murphy has visited the Indianapolis Colts and has been in talks with several teams. He has tried to entice teams with his ability to play all five line positions.

"The big thing I can do is be versatile," Murphy said.

Gianninoto said he has been told he could be selected in the sixth or seventh round or sign as what's called a preferred free agent.

He said the Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins have shown the most interest.

"I feel pretty good," Gianninoto said. "I did what I could. Now I will sit back and wait."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.