Dorsey had a good, not a great, workout for the NFL scouts, but he put to bed most of the rumors about his knee and leg issues that had clouded his draft status over the past two months.

With Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, player personnel director Rick Mueller and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron on the Tiger campus, along with a host of other top NFL coaches and scouts, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, ran a (5.10) 40-yard dash time, he did 27 reps of 225 pounds and posted an impressive 7.63 clocking in the three-cone drill.

Now Dorsey must wait out the next few weeks to find out his next football destination. The Miami Dolphins look as though they will chose between Virginia defensive end Chris Long and Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and this would put the St.  Louis Rams on the Dorsey watch-list.

If Chris Long gets selected by the Dolphins with the top overall choice, the Rams will have to choose between Dorsey and Michigan left tackle Jake Long.

There is no debate that former Saints head coach Jim Haslett, now the defensive coordinator with the Rams, will push hard for Dorsey’s services, but a more telling issue may come into play and that is keeping Rams star quarterback Marc Bulger healthy for an entire season and that may tilt the scales for the Rams to select Long instead.

If so, the Atlanta Falcons will have their shot at Dorsey. The Falcons desperately need a talented, big body in the middle and Dorsey would be the ideal fit for them to start their rebuilding under new head coach Mike Smith.

The thoughts of Dorsey in Atlanta, along with 2007 1^st round pick Jamaal Anderson-DE. and a budding young star linebacker in Michael Boley, gives Falcons fans hope for the future and in my opinion Dorsey would be hard for Atlanta to pass on.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Saints would like to get aggressive and trade up for Dorsey’s services, but the price to move up this far may be too pricey and the Saints may then take a Plan B approach and pursue USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, who could still be on the board with the 7^th overall slot in Round 1 and a more likely trade partner at that spot in the New England Patriots.

The Saints scouting department has all the information they need on both Dorsey and Ellis and they have another good source of information on the two in new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. Orgeron coached against Dorsey for three seasons when he was the head coach at Ole Miss and he recruited USC’s Sedrick Ellis to the land of Troy and he coached the disruptive interior defensive lineman his freshman season at USC before he bolted off to Mississippi.

In a nutshell the Saints would love to land one of the two top defensive tackles in this draft, either Dorsey or Ellis, but the price to move up would have to be just right to do so.

 Tiger wide receiver Early Doucet also had his first full workout for the scouts since the end of the 2007 football season. Doucet did impress the scouts in the first few days of practice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, but he sustained a slight hamstring injury and passed on the game and also the Combine workouts.

The sure-handed Tiger end ran a (4.55) 40-yard dash time at the LSU Pro-Day, along with posting a 34 ½-inch vertical jump, but it was his smooth route-running skills and excellent hands that quickly caught the attention of NFL scouts.

Doucet looks as though he will probably get selected early in Round 2 and in many respects he reminds me of Arizona Cardinals wide-out Anquan Boldin when he came out of Florida State. Like Boldin, Doucet is a former prep QB. and while he is not a track sprinter, he knows how to run routes, get open at critical times in a contest and he is a slippery runner to bring down in the openfield.

LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson ran a (4.62) 40-yard dash time for the scouts at the LSU Pro-Day and that is in line with what he ran at the Combine workouts. Jackson’s lack of great recovery speed will drop him down the draft charts some, but you just come away totally impressed with his coverage skills, his positioning ability and his timing skills with the ball in flight when you watch him on tape. Chevis did post a very impressive 40-inch vertical jump at the LSU Pro-Day. I have said this before, but I will repeat it, and that is that Chevis was the best cover cornerback I have seen at LSU in my 23 years of scouting.

Chevis looks like a perfect fit for a team using a lot of zone coverage schemes or the Tampa-2 alignment, and I look for him to be off the board late in Round 3 or early in Round 4.

LSU All-SEC linebacker Ali Highsmith bounced back from a lackluster showing at the Combine workouts during his drills at the LSU Pro-Day.  Highsmith ran a (4.74) 40-yard dash time, he did 23 reps of 225 pounds and posted a 29-inch vertical jump. Highsmith is a bit undersized, but everyone who watched him play at LSU also saw his defensive playmaking skills, especially against the run and his ability to run the field effectively. Like Chevis Jackson, I expect Ali to be off the board late in Round 3 or early in Round 4.

Running back Jacob Hester kept most of his numbers from the Combine workout, but a player like Hester does not jump out at you on a track, he impresses you with shoulder pads and a helmet on.  Hester, who has played halfback at LSU, projects to a fullback slot in the NFL, and this guy will make his mark in the NFL. He is a tough inside runner, who seems to be money in the bank in short yardage or goalline situations, he is a terrific receiver coming out of the backfield and he is an outstanding special teams performer.

I look for Hester to be off the board late in Round 4 or early in Round 5.

LSU strong safety Craig Steltz worked out for the scouts for the first time since the BCS Championship game against Ohio State. Steltz, a former Rummel High School standout defensive back, ran a (4.63) 40-yard dash time and posted a 35-inch vertical leap.

The heady Tiger ballhawk looks like a perfect zone-cover safety and in many respects reminds me of a poor man’s version of Denver Broncos All-Pro safety John Lynch. The Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears have shown interest in Craig’s services. Look for him to be off the draft board in Round 5.

Tiger quarterback Matt Flynn really looked good throwing the ball in drills at the LSU Pro-Day. He threw the ball with more zip on it than at the Combine workouts and with  more playing experience, he has a chance to be a good back-up quarterback in the NFL.  Matt does not have the strongest arm in this draft class, but he is smart, a very efficient downfield passer and he gets very high marks for his leadership skills and his ability to manage a game.  Look for Flynn to be off the board in Round 6.

Tiger cornerback Jonathan Zenon also had an impressive outing at the LSU Pro-Day also. He ran a (4.55) 40-yard dash time and posted a 37-inch vertical leap. While Zenon has a bit of a frail-build, he is 5-11 ¾, 184 pounds, he has good ball reaction skills and he has played in a variety of defensive sets. Like former Tiger cornerback Randall Gay, Zenon may turn out to be a better pro than collegiate player. Look for Zenon to be selected in Round 6 or 7.

The one LSU player that really stood out at the Tiger Pro-Day was strongside linebacker Luke Sanders.  Sanders has started for the past two seasons at LSU and he ran a very impressive (4.76) 40-yard dash time at 244 pounds, he did 31 reps of 225 pounds and posted a 34 ½-inch vertical leap. Luke has just never been able to properly apply those outstanding athletic gifts into production in college, but he certainly had tongues wagging about his workout. Sanders may be best suited to play inside in a 3-4 alignment, but he will have to learn how to play special teams, something he didn’t do at LSU, to stick around in the NFL. Sanders looks like he will be a premium undrafted free agent signee at draft time.

I look for fullback Shawn Jordan, tight end Keith Zinger, offensive tackle Carnell Stewart , punter Patrick Fisher and offensive guard Will Arnold (provided he can pass a team physical) to sign free agent contracts.

If the New Orleans Saints decide to concentrate on defense in the early rounds of the 2008 NFL draft, don’t be surprised to see this team take a long look at Ole Miss halfback BenJarvus Green- Ellis in the later rounds of the draft.

BenJarvus has been one of the few star players on the Ole Miss offensive team the past two seasons and he would bring to the table a tough, very hard inside running style this team lacked last season. He is a one-cut, downhill style runner, who is hard to bring down one-on-one downfield.

The former St. Augustine High School in New Orleans standout will drop down the NFL draft boards because he lacks great foot speed and long-range prowess as a runner, but NFL teams may be overlooking his strong traits as a runner.

Keep the name of BenJarvus Green-Ellis in mind in the middle to later rounds of the draft, if the Saints don’t use an early round pick on a halfback.

Tulane halfback Matt Forte continues to be a “buzz” player in draft circles. Forte looks to be off the board by the middle of Round 2 and teams like the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans have shown the most interest in the record-breaking Green Wave running back.  In my opinion Forte will be the next “Joseph Addai-type” running back in the NFL and whoever selects him will get a truly terrific football player.  If the Saints have an interest in a back in the early rounds, they couldn’t get a better fit-type back than Forte.

Nicholls State safety Kareem Moore, the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, ran an impressive (4.53) 40-yard dash time at the Nicholls Pro-Day and he has visits scheduled with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs in early April.

Moore, who has worked out with fitness-guru Tom Shaw in Orlando, is also getting a long look by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is projected to be selected in either Round 6 or 7.