The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back where it all began
After winning Daytona, Logano returns to his racing roots at Atlanta.
After three days of traveling the country as the winner of the Daytona 500, Joey Logano landed on familiar turf at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he raced on the quarter-mile Legends track as a pre-teen.
Through the years, he’s maintained friendships with the people who watched him race in the beginning.
“I still know all of the security guards because they’re the ones that let me in when I was 10 years old and walk around the garage,” Logano said. “They were my hook-ups back then, and they’re still here, so it’s cool to see them after all that.”
Between Sunday’s race at Daytona and Thursday’s open test session at AMS, Logano made the TV rounds, appearing on “Today” on NBC, “Fox and Friends” on Fox News, “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS, “Morning Express with Robin Meade” on HLN, “SportsCenter” on ESPN and numerous local TV shows.
And when talking with hosts such as Letterman on network TV, he seemed as
Logano
March 18.
Some of the top pass rushers will stand pat on their combine performances. Clemson’s Vic Beasley and Nebraska’s Randy Gregory will attend their schools’ pro days on Thursday. Florida, which features defensive end Dante Fowler, will hold its pro day April 7.
Another key date is March 11, when Southern Cal will hold its pro day. Defensive end Leonard Williams is considered the top defensive line prospect in the draft, though the Falcons, who have the No. 8 pick, would likely have to trade up to land him.
“Leonard Williams is going to be a force,” Kiper said. “People say he’s not going to be a great pass rusher. Well, he is. He’s going to bat down passes. He’s going to get into those throwing lanes.”
Mississippi State will hold its pro day Wednesday, when defensive end Preston Smith (Stephenson High) will be the main attraction.
“Preston Smith is the most underrated guy (of the pass rushers),” Kiper said. “He had a heck of a year.”
Last season, Smith had nine sacks, 15 quarter- back hurries and 15 tackles for losses. He also had two interceptions and two blocked kicks.
“He was very active when at Mississippi State and he had a great (combine) workout,” Kiper said. “He could be a firstround pick.”
The Falcons will also be interested when Kentucky announces its pro day date. Defensive end Bud Dupree had a spectacular combine. He had a broad jump of 11 feet, 6 inches, which was top among the linebackers. He also had the second-highest vertical jump (42 inches) and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds, which was the fourth fastest time of the linebackers.
He is also versatile. At Kentucky, he played defensive end but also functioned like an outside linebacker.
“I’ve got a lot of film in the three-point stance and standing up,” he said. “I think any team can see that I can play both positions.”
Dupree says he can also drop into pass coverage adroitly.
“I’m very comfortable,” Dupree said. “I got more comfortable this year by doing it a lot at practice, covering the slot.”
In 47 games for the Wildcats, Wilkinson had 146 solo tackles, 247 total tackles, 23½ sacks and 37 tackles for losses (209 yards). Coming out of Wilkinson County High, he was first-team all-state as a senior as chosen by the Georgia Sports Writers Association and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“When you look at him on paper, you say, ‘Boy, he’s a top-15 pick in the first round,’” Kiper said. “At worst, a top-25 pick. But I didn’t see consistent domination. I saw some instances (on tape) where (there was) a little bit of lack of great instincts to find the ball. ... I wouldn’t say ‘boom or bust.’ But he’s not a guarantee because his performances at Kentucky were a little bit spotty and up and down.”