Congrats to Alston, Pittman

Two local guys will fulfill their NFL dreams and they are very deserving for the opportunity.

Stanford's Jon Alston, who played at Loyola, is heading to St. Louis while Northwestern State stud David Pittman is going to Baltimore to become their nickelback.

Alston is the epitome of the student-athlete and a tremendous kid. He has got a tough road ahead of him, but he may fit the St. Louis scheme perfectly. He'll be their weakside guy at linebacker. He may have to add a few pounds and get up around 235, but he's quick and an excellent man on the pass rush.

Pittman was the Demons' cover corner, often lining up against their opponents' best receiver. More times than not, he shut them down. He'll be the Ravens nickelback and come in on special teams, which sounds an awful lot like what Terrence McGee did for Buffalo (only McGee has worked his way into the starting lineup). Pittman was sensational at the SEnior Bowl, keeping pace with some of the country's top seniors. One scout told me that he was right there with a lot of the receivers and didn't lose a step.

Be on the look for Grambling's Bruce Eugene and LSU's Kyle Williams to go on the draft's second day. Another local kid - Fair Park and LSU standout Ronnie Prude - will likely have to go the free agent route to the NFL.