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Georgia juniors DE Charles Johnson and RB Danny Ware are both reportedly entering the 2007 draft. The 6-2, 265 Johnson led Georgia with 9.5 sacks, including two in Saturday's bowl game, and in fact often outplayed teammate DE Quentin Moses who is expected to be one of the first defensive players off the board at the upcoming draft. Ware, meanwhile, was a reserve with the Bulldogs. Georgia is also awaiting word from junior CB Paul Oliver as to whether he will be following Johnson and Ware into this year’s draft.....

California junior RB Marshawn Lynch has announced he will be skipping his senior season and entering the 2007 NFL draft. The 5-10, 223-pound Lynch was the Pac-10's offensive player of the year after rushing for a conference-best 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lynch is expected to be the second back drafted this coming April after Oklahoma junior Adrian Peterson. Whether he goes in the top ten or slips in to the middle of the first round though will be determined by how Lynch tests at pre-draft workouts this winter. While explosive Lynch hasn’t always been that durable. Plus, there have also been rumblings that he may not be the hardest worker out there.....

Tennessee junior WR Robert Meachem has reportedly his coaches, teammates and others at the school that he plans to declare for early entry into the NFL draft and will not return for his senior season. Meachem set the Vols’ single-season record with 1,298 receiving yards last season when he caught 71 passes, including 11 touchdowns. Meacham applied to the NFL draft advisory board for a projection of where he might go in the draft and reportedly received a grade ranging from late first round to early second round.....

Michigan junior DT Alan Branch has not said publicly yet whether he will be entering the 2007 draft however speculation continues to grow that he will indeed be in this year’s draft class where he is expected to be a top 5-10 pick. The latest evidence reported is that Branch has not enrolled for this semester's classes which began this week. Underclassmen have until January 15th to formally apply to the NFL for early entry to this year’s draft.....

Art Shell's second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders has reportedly ended after just one season. Shell reportedly met with owner Al Davis on Thursday to discuss the future of the team following a 2-14 season that was the worst for Oakland since 1962. The team issued a statement after the meeting saying Shell would not return as coach for the final season of his contract, although Shell may remain with the team in another capacity. With that record the Raiders earned the #1 pick at this year’s draft, however, the change in coaches is not expected to have a huge impact on the direction the team takes with that pick as owner Davis makes most of the key decisions himself.....

Pittsburgh is expected to announce later today that long-time Steelers head coach Bill Cowher will be stepping down after 15 years on the job.....

Detroit Lions fans are no doubt dancing in the streets as we speak with word that team president Matt Millen will stay on in that capacity with the team. That means that Millen will once again be overseeing the Lions’ draft preparations as they prepare to make the 2nd pick overall at the 2007 draft. Just so the Lions’ faithful don’t get too giddy though, the team did announce that it was parting company with three assistants including defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, offensive line coach Larry Beightol and special teams coach Chuck Priefer. In fact, This is a crucial period for many teams with high picks as front offices get reshuffled in the wake of disappointing seasons.