Bruce Ely, The OregonianFormer Oregon running back LaMichael James is expected to be a second- or third-round choice tonight in the NFL Draft.

It was hardly a surprise that former Oregon running back LaMichael James wasn't among the 32 names called last night during the first round of the NFL Draft. He was projected by most as a third-round selection, maybe a second-rounder, and so he'll likely come off the board tonight.

Plus, it never seemed like James was in denial or holding out hope, either.

"I just want to play in the NFL," he told The Oregonian on March 6. "I'm very blessed to be in the situation that I'm in to actually even play at that level. I'm not one of these people who cares about what round I'm taken in. That doesn't mean anything."

I think I'll get to a lot more of this in Monday's column, but I'd like to throw some empathy Mohamed Sanu's way. The Rutgers wide receiver was on the edge of his seat late in the first round, with the Bengals on the clock at No. 27, when his phone rang. The voice on the other end of the phone identified himself as being from the Bengals, and said Cincinnati was about to pick him. Sanu and those in his draft party exploded in excitement, and agent Mike McCartney even tweeted that Sanu was a Bengal. Then Cincinnati pick Zeitler.

"This is a great kid, I guarantee you, and someone played a cruel joke on him,'' McCartney told me. "It is unreal that someone would do that, but it happened.'' Sanu told McCartney after the draft not to worry about him, he'd be fine, and some team will draft him and get a good player. McCartney's right. Sanu must be a good kid, to respond to something that hurtful with an attitude so hopeful.

That's brutal. I know McCartney really well. One of his clients went undrafted in 2009 but made a roster, toiled on the practice squad and made an impact when opportunity presented itself. A rushing title ensued the following year, followed by another productive season, and in March, Arian Foster signed a five-year, $43.5 million deal with the Houston Texans.

Foster never stopped believing in himself, and obviously, James feels rather good about his abilities, too. And for good reason - he's talented. As Foster found out with the Texans, who employ a zone-blocking scheme, he's perfect in the one-cut style the organization prefers, but he has also added a liberal amount of his own flavor to the mix.

It was the right fit for Foster, who has since proven he'd be a fine mesh in any offense in the NFL - and was paid accordingly.

Here's to James being as fortunate, possibly at some point tonight.

And now, some links: