Best on the board: forget his injury history and lack of mobility. Byron Leftwich's strong arm, accuracy and leadership make him the premier choice in the draft. Any team that doesn't realize it is making a mistake. (NFL).

Their friendship began on the 50-yard line inside the Marshall football stadium. The upperclassman, who was the starting quarterback, casually asked the freshman, who was ending his first day on campus, if he could throw a pass into the end zone.

"Why not?" replied the freshman.

He picked up the football and leisurely tossed it on a line through the goal posts.

The erudite upperclassman thought for a few seconds about what he had just seen. He remembered the limits of his own arm. He laughed and turned to the rookie.

"Come on, I'll buy you dinner at McDonald's."

Now, almost five years later, Chad Pennington is an emerging star ...