Hey all --

Some good news for the local entrant at the NFL Combine, Brown's Zak DeOssie. The linebacker, who is the first Bears player invited to the league's annual meat market, reportedly ran 40-yard dash times of 4.53 and 4.56 seconds. And he benched pressed 225 pounds 26 times before getting pooped.

What does that mean, you ask?

It means DeOssie has rocketed himself up the draft board, and could now go as high as the third round. All that work he's done -- he has been meeting with a personal trainer in Winchester, Mass. four days a week since December -- definitely seems to have paid off.

As an Ivy League guy, DeOssie, who is the son of former Pats and Giants linebacker/long snapper Steve, came into the Combine with the "smart" label. He'll likely leave labeled smart and fast and strong. Sounds like a combination that will have his phone ringing on April 28, the first day of the Draft.

DeOssie may even end up staying in New England -- by all accounts, he's a high-character kid, he's been a ball boy at Pats training camp in recent years, Bill Belichick has been at Brown Stadium for a few of his games, and the Pats need to restock their linebacking corps.

shalise