Deacons' Curry is no chicken

Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry so solidified his NFL draft position at last month's scouting combine — he's widely expected to be chosen no lower than No. 3 overall on April 25 — that the last thing he needed to do was impress the scouts with another workout today in Winston-Salem.

Such is Curry's confidence that he joined several other college linebackers on the practice field at Wake and was put through a series of position drills. He didn't need to run the 40-yard dash again. His 4.56 seconds at the combine led all linebackers.

Though as many as 40 NFL scouts, coaches and personnel directors weren't talking afterward, Curry didn't appear to do anything that hurt his stock. Considered perhaps the safest pick in the draft, he may even be taken first overall by the Detroit Lions.

"Football's what I do," Curry said, " ... and working out is what I like doing. I like position work. Pro Day is something I've watched happen for the last four years, and I always saw myself being the same shoes. ... And what I do is not always for myself, it's for my teammates. I knew me working out would draw some attention. For my teammates, that's a great thing."

In addition to all of the NFL representatives, several members of the media showed up, including an NFL Network crew, and fans lined the wall at one end of the facility.

The other participants included cornerback Alphonso Smith, who's No. 32 overall on Scout Inc.'s list of available prospects. He'd be higher if he were taller than 5-9.

Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals was there to see his brother, Wake receiver D.J. Boldin.

"In this business, the only thing you can ask for is an opportunity," Anquan Boldin said. "I'm pretty sure he'll get in somebody's [training] camp."

By the way, it's safe to say that a network owned by the league has a decided advantage over other members of the media. The NFL Network crew had total access on the field. No one else other than the scouts and coaches did. -- Roger van der Horst, (Raleigh) News & Observer