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As expected, three Big East players were drafted in the first round. That still qualified as big news for two league schools.

Rutgers' Anthony Davis went 11th to San Francisco, the highest draft pick in school history. Devin McCourty later joined him in the first round when New England took him No. 27 overall. The Scarlet Knights' only other first-round pick in their history came last year with Kenny Britt.

Rutgers is the first Big East school with two first-round picks in the same draft since Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004.

Former University of South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul made history tonight when he was selected with the 15th pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the New York Giants, becoming USF’s highest draft pick ever and the 12th selection in USF history.

Meanwhile, Jason Pierre-Paul became South Florida's highest-ever draftee when he went to the New York Giants at No. 15. The Bulls have only one other first-rounder in their short history, and that's 2008 selection Mike Jenkins, who was taken with the 25th overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

The Big East's three first-round selections were one more than the Pac-10, the same as the Big Ten and one fewer than the ACC. And of course, the Big East has fewer teams than any of those leagues.

Unless you've been living in a cave the past three months, you know it's NFL Draft time. (And even then, I've bet at least one mock draft made it to your underground dwelling).

Anyway, the first round is tonight at 7:30 in New York City (on ESPN, naturally). Let's look at the potential first-rounders from the Big East:

Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers: Davis had a disappointing junior year and he had some ups and downs during the scouting process. But none of that changes the fact that he's 6-foot-5, 325 pounds and wildly athletic at left tackle. Those types of guys just don't come around very often, which is why someone will take him early. Todd McShay currently pegs him a No. 8 to the Oakland Raiders, which is a fate I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: Pierre-Paul might be the biggest risk/reward guy in the first round. There's little doubt he has incredible upside or physical tools. However, he played only one year of major college football and is incredibly raw. Some NFL team will have to hope he loves the game and is willing to work at it; his potential, though is too much to ignore. McShay has him going 14th to the Seattle Seahawks.

Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: McCourty is being pegged as a late first-round pick, and I think whatever team lands him is going to be very happy. McCourty is a terrific corner but also an extremely versatile player who can do a bunch of things on special teams. And there will be no questions about his character or leadership; Rutgers coaches could not say enough good things about McCourty and what he meant to their team. McShay has him going No. 30 to the Minnesota Vikings, which would be a great situation for McCourty to walk into a team built to win now.

That should do it for the Big East in round one. South Florida safety Nate Allen has occasionally had his name mentioned as a late fist-rounder, but it looks more likely that he'll go in the second round unless a team really likes him.

Three first-round picks would match the number for the Big East last year. Rutgers had its first-ever, first rounder last year in Kenny Britt, and now the Scarlet Knights look to double the total from their previous 141 years.

• Butch Jones isn't anything like Brian Kelly, but he stands out in his own way, Paul Daugherty writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Paul Zeise has thoughts on Pitt's post-spring depth chart.
• West Virginia quarterbacks are working on improving their mechanics, Mike Casazza writes in the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Jason Pierre-Paul is about to make South Florida draft history, Greg Auman says in the St. Petersburg Times.
• The Homes News Tribune's Keith Sargeant has a Q&A with Rutgers backup quarterback Steve Shimko.

South Florida was a popular place to be for its pro day on Tuesday, and with good reason. The Bulls have five legitimate draft picks and others who could earn a shot, and that drew representatives from 27 NFL teams to Tampa.

The big winner might have been receiver Carlton Mitchell, who continues to make his decision to skip his senior year look like a wise one. He ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, down from 4.49 at last month's NFL Combine. With his size (6-foot-3) and speed, he'll be an intriguing option on draft day.

Cornerback Jerome Murphy, who's stock has been on the rise this offseason, improved his 40 time to 4.51 seconds. Defensive end George Selvie turned in a 4.88 in the 40, which was a slight tick faster than what he ran at the combine.

Jason Pierre-Paul ran well enough at the combine that he chose not to do so at pro day, but he did participate in the broad jump (9 feet, 9 inches) and the vertical leap (31.5 inches). Safety Nate Allen didn't the run the 40 because of a pulled quad injury, the same condition that kept him from running at the combine.

And quarterback Matt Grothe worked out. He measured in at 5-foot-11 and 1/2 and posted a 4.84 in the 40. That's faster than Selvie and the same time as linebacker Kion Wilson.

South Florida's official site has video of every drill, plus interviews with the participants.

TAMPA -- Some practice observations ...

• Don't expect too much deep analysis here. The media was allowed to watch the first 30 minutes, which consisted of some running and jogging, some skeleton pass and defense drills and field goal units. There was no contact during that window, though it was good to see a Big East team on the field in pads for the first time this spring. And one thing hasn't changed: The Bulls still pass the eyeball test just standing around in their uniforms.

• It's impossible to miss B.J. Daniels in practice. The quarterback is wearing a bright red jersey that really stands out against the rest of the team's green and white tops. It was either that or a protective halo around him, I suppose. And during stretching, several coaches stopped by to check on Daniels to see how he was doing. There's no doubt the quarterback is the franchise.

• Speaking of which, Daniels threw along with walk-on quarterbacks Glenn Fagan and Eric Johnson, who are both new to the program. It has to be a strange time for the receivers, as the walk-ons deliver wobbly ducks and Daniels throws bullets. Daniels and his receivers were out of sync much of the time I watched them Monday. Remember, they're all learning new routes and a new offense, and this was only the fourth spring practice. South Florida has a lot of wideouts. But who is going to emerge as the go-to receiver on this team? That's a big question.
• Depth won't be a problem for the offensive line. It looks like there are lot of capable big bodies.

• It was hard to gauge much of anything about the defense as there was no contact during the viewing period. Junior-college transfer Claude Davis has an impressive frame and seems to run well. The most impressive player on defensive was Jason Pierre-Paul. He's working out with the team as he gets ready for the NFL draft, going through their drills in shorts and a T-shirt.

• Good to see Maikon Bonani back and kicking in practice. He looks like he's bulked up a little, too. The Bulls had two field goal units going at the same time, one located about 10 yards diagonally across from the other. I guess you never know when you need to practice running a double field-goal attempt.

• It's definitely a new era at South Florida. At one point, Skip Holtz came over to talk to a few people on the sidelines and started chatting about the upcoming Big East track meet, which will include a couple of his players. Jim Leavitt would have ripped somebody's head off if they tried to converse with him during practice.

• Initial, knee-jerk reaction of questionable value: This team has a lot of talent, as usual, but it's awfully young and has a lot of work to do to pick up the new system. That makes me wonder if the Bulls can contend for the Big East title in 2010. But it's only March 22.

• I'm heading back to for some post-practice interviews and will chat with the coordinators tomorrow. Look for some South Florida stories to be sprinkled in on the blog in the next several days.

• Latwan Anderson's decision to go to Miami based on image may be somewhat troubling for West Virginia, but it's no big surprise, Bob Hertzel writes in the Times West Virginian.
• Mardy Gilyard and Tony Pike had nice performances at Cincinnati's pro day, Joe Reedy writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer. And here's some video from the event.
• The Home News Tribune's Keith Sargeant has more on Tim Brown's rocky pro day at Rutgers.
• In their latest mock drafts, Mel Kiper has Jason Pierre-Paul seventh, while Todd McShay lists him 17th. Anthony Davis is 18th in Kiper's draft and 23rd in McShay's. And Devin McCourty is 30th in Kiper's.

The NFL combine wrapped up on Tuesday, and as far as Big East defensive players go, it appears Jason Pierre-Paul and Devin McCourty solidified their status as potential first-rounders.

Pierre-Paul, the former South Florida defensive end, impressed with all his physical tools as expected, Todd McShay says.

"[He] measured just shy of 6-5 and at 270 pounds was a little heavier than we expected. That's a good thing, though, because there are some concerns about his ability to hold up against the run. He also has the kind of length that makes scouts salivate with 34-3/4 arms and 10-3/8 hands.

"What makes Pierre-Paul so special, though, is his best-in-class quickness. He ran a 4.67 and moved very well for his size, the kind of tools that give him the potential to be a dominant pass-rusher at the next level. His bench press was only 19 reps and he needs to develop his upper-body strength, but Pierre-Paul has a very high ceiling."

McCourty, the former Rutgers star cornerback, ran a 4.48 in the 40, which tied for fifth among corners. He was also sixth in the broad jump and second in the three-cone drill.

"We learned that Rutgers CB Devin McCourty is a quiet kid who doesn't draw much attention to himself when we got a chance to sit down with him at the Senior Bowl," Scouts Inc. analyst Steve Muench writes. "McCourty may not be flashy, but he handles his business and is showing he is worth considering late in the first round. McCourty officially ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, and he looked fluid changing directions during drills, just like he did in Mobile."

South Florida corner Jerome Murphy, who had an up-and-down senior season, impressed in some of the workouts. His 10 foot, seven-inch broad jump was one of the best of all the players who participated in Indianapolis. He also finished second among corners in the 20-yard shuttle drill. Former teammate and Bulls safety Nate Allen didn't run because of a quadriceps injury.

The players will now move on to their pro day workouts at their individual campuses. South Florida will hold its pro day on Friday.

• Marcus Easley talks about his standout NFL combine performance in the Hartford Courant.
• Jason Pierre-Paul showed why he's such a hot prospect by running a 4.64 in the 40, Greg Auman notes in the St. Petersburg Times.
• Louisville's Scott Long is climbing up the draft boards after a great combine, C.Ray Hall says in The Courier-Journal. (See, there was a reason I had Long ranked so high in the preseason Top 30 list).
• Mardy Gilyard continued to tell his story to anyone who would listen, Joe Redy writes in the CIncinnati Enquirer.

Here are a few links to help you finish out the work day:

• I've got to say I've been very entertained by Cincinnati coach Butch Jones' blog, whether he's actually doing it or someone else is in charge. The blog is offering some inside looks at the Bearcats' winter conditioning, including the team testing and Super Bowl champ Troy Evans' address to the players. Up today: a video of the post-workout tug-o-war contest.
• Here's a mock draft that has Jason Pierre-Paul going third, with Anthony Davis and Devin McCourty also in the first round. Remember that Kenny Britt was Rutgers' first-ever first-rounder last year, and now many sites are predicting two Scarlet Knights' first-rounders this year.
• NFL.com's Pat Kirwan lists Pierre-Paul and Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike among his 10 players to watch at the combine.
• Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney was in Bristol today and gives this interview about the always-intriguing topic of expansion. Delaney insisted that there will be nothing but internal discussion about potential new league members for quite some time but did say the Big Ten may know the direction it wants to go by June.
• NESN.com's Rob Lunn picks UConn to win the Big East this year. Of course, he's a little biased, having played for the Huskies. But his reasoning is not far off.

• Jim Leavitt, South Florida and a bunch of lawyers met for nearly six hours for mediation over the weekend without a resolution being reached, Greg Auman reports in the St. Petersburg Times.
• Former Syracuse receiver Mike Williams needs a big showing at the NFL combine, Russ Lande says in the Sporting News.
• UConn's Andre Dixon is holed up in preparation for the draft workouts, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.
• Anthony Davis, Jason Pierre-Paul and Arthur Jones are listed among the Top 45 prospects heading to the combine by SI.com.
• Cincinnati hosted several top junior prospects over the weekend, Tim Adams reports for Bearcatlair.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• The Home News Tribune's Keith Sargeant interviews former Rutgers star Shaun O'Hara, who just endowed a scholarship at his alma mater.

• You can watch Cincinnati players bonding through dodgeball -- yep, dodgeball -- here on Butch Jones' blog. (Butch Jones has a blog?)
• Here's a video retelling of the final game at Syracuse's old Archbold Stadium.
• UConn will move to FieldTurf because of a new pro team playing at Rentschler Field, but the Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner says it's no big deal.
• Mel Kiper likes Nate Allen as a second-round pick, Greg Auman notes in the St. Petersburg Times.
• Meanwhile, Jason Pierre-Paul's stock is red hot, and South Florida paid a consultant $25,000 to help with its coaching search, Scott Carter writes in th Tampa Tribune.

A postseason ranking of the Big East's top 30 players ...

No. 7

Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida, Jr.

Preseason rank: NR

Why him here: George Selvie topped my preseason list, but it turns out he wasn't even the most prodigious defensive end on his own team.

That honor, surprisingly, goes to Pierre-Paul, a junior-college import who didn't arrive on campus until fall practice had already begun. By the end of September, Pierre-Paul had developed into a terror against opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks, using his freakishly athletic 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame to register 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles.

Pierre-Paul made such an impact so quickly that he decided to skip to the NFL after just one season of major-college football, and he was recently projected as the No. 3 overall pick by ESPN's Todd McShay. Perhaps that's overvaluing a guy who himself admitted during the season that he was still very raw and needed to learn a lot more about the game. But natural talents like him don't come around very often, and even in just one season of work, Pierre-Paul established himself as one of the Big East's very best.

Previous:

No. 8: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
No. 9: Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati

• The Sporting News' Matt Hayes picks Anthony Davis and Jason Pierre-Paul as two of his most overrated players going into the 2010 NFL Draft.
• Is this a critical year for UConn football?
• Two Parkersburg, W.Va., standouts have been offered scholarships by the Mountaineers, Dave Poe reports in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
• Pitt product and NFL star Darrelle Revis came back to Aliquippa to talk to students.

No lunchtime links today, because there aren't any. It's a slow time, though Rutgers is expected to name two new assistant coaches this afternoon. So instead, I thought I'd give you the full list of Big East players who have been invited to the NFL combine, which begins Feb. 24 in Indianapolis:

• Nate Allen, S, South Florida
• Alric Arnett, WR, West Virginia
• Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
• Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh
• Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia
• Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
• Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
• Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
• Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
• Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
• Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
• Scott Long, WR, Louisville
• Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
• Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida
• Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida
• Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
• Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
• George Selvie, DE, South Florida
• Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse
• Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
• Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut

Scouts Inc. analyst Todd McShay is out with his latest mock draft, and boy is he bullish on a couple of Big East products.

McShay has South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul -- who played just one year of Division I football -- at No. 3 to Tampa Bay.

"The Bucs will consider Tennessee S Eric Berry here, but they are in dire need of a speed rusher and Pierre-Paul is the most explosive one this draft class has to offer," McShay writes.

Right behind Pierre-Paul at No. 4 is Rutgers' offensive tackle Anthony Davis, who skipped his senior year to turn pro.

"Solidifying its offensive line should be Washington's top priority, and Davis is the most naturally gifted tackle in this year's deep group," McShay writes.

McShay also has another South Florida product -- safety Nate Allen -- going in the first round at No. 27 to Dallas.

"Allen is far from a first-round lock, but the Cowboys need to improve their athleticism at safety, and Allen has the right combination of speed and fluidity in coverage to help fix the problem," he writes.

Hey, what about those critics who say the Big East doesn't have top talent?