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a few years ago.'
• Brandt once believed a quarterback needed 30 or more games in college before he was ready to play in the NFL -- whether immediately or soon after. That thinking has changed, too.
• "I think with Andy Dalton and Cam Newton, you saw it last year how it is beneficial to play right away," Brandt said. "Dalton led his team to the playoffs and Newton destroyed just about every rookie record previously set for quarterbacks."
• ___
• FAMILY AFFAIR: Several players in this year's draft crop have family connections to the NFL, starting with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
• The Colts have told Luck, the son of former NFL QB Oliver Luck -- now the athletic director at West Virginia -- he will be the first overall choice Thursday night.
• He also apparently has a more obscure relationship, to a Pro Football Hall of

Famer, William "Link" Lyman, a tackle for four pro teams, including the Bears at the end of his career (1933-34). According to Ancestry.com, Luck is an eighth cousin to Lyman, who made the Hall of Fame in 1964 and died in 1972.
• Northwestern running back Drake Dunsmore's father, Pat, played tight end for the Bears, and Maryland RB Davin Meggett's dad, Dave, won a Super Bowl with the Giants. Ohio State RB Dan Herron's brother, David, played for the Chiefs last season and now is with the Saints.
• Jeff Fuller the Texas

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