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Duane Brown

You can never tell with the NFL.

Don't believe it, just ask Virginia Tech's Duane Brown and Vince Hall.

While Brown has recently seen his stock soar in regards to this weekend's NFL draft, Hall has helplessly watched as his status has taken as hard a hit as a 401(k) account during a recession.

Brown, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle, has been one of the draft's "late risers," moving from a projected middle-round pick into a possible selection in Saturday's second round. Meanwhile, Hall, a 5-11, 230-pound inside linebacker that Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster called "the best player he's ever coached," has dropped from the upper half of the draft board to a likely late-round pick because of injury questions and concerns about his lack of speed and size.

"It's all real good to hear, man, and I'm excited," said Brown, whose dominant play in January's East-West Shrine Game and stellar workout at the NFL combine in February accelerated him up the board.

"Still, I don't know where I'm going to be and when I might be taken. The draft is very unpredictable. But it's good to hear that a lot of people have opened their eyes for me."

In the past month, Brown has visited nine NFL clubs -- Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, San Diego, Carolina, Miami, Washington, Kansas City, Dallas and Detroit.

"It's crazy, man, I've been to a lot of places I've never been before," Brown said. "They really wine and dine you, really take care of you. It feels good. It feels like I'm being recruited again to college."

The draft experience has been far different for Hall.

While Brown turned a lot of heads with his speed and athleticism at the combine, Hall was hurt by his inability to participate in the workouts because of a bruised left knee.

He suffered the injury when he took a tumble from a personal watercraft during the Hokies' Orange Bowl beach party Dec. 30 in Hollywood, Fla.

"The injuries have been a bummer, man," said Hall, who missed four games after he sustained broken bones in his left arm and wrist in Tech's sixth game at Clemson.

"Not working out at the combine, I felt it probably threw me back, because I wasn't able to show the scouts and the head coaches. Everybody questions my speed, and I couldn't really show them because I didn't work out."

Alvin Keels, Hall's agent, said Hall is getting closer to full speed as every day passes.

"Vince is going to make a full recovery and he's moving along just fine," Keels said. "It's just there are some questions about that injury, and being that going into the season he wasn't the fastest guy in the world, ... a lot of teams worry if that's going to hurt his speed even more. He actually ran a 4.82 in the 40 at about 80 percent at pro [timing] day at Tech [March 27]."

When asked if he thought Hall will be taken somewhere in the middle stages of the seven-round, 252-player draft, Keels didn't sugar-coat things.

"That would be optimistic. ... That would be very optimistic," he said. "We'll just have to see where teams take it on draft day."

Hall, who started 44 consecutive games before getting hurt in the Clemson game, was the pulse of Tech's stout defense the past four years, making 404 career tackles. The Chesapeake native said he will tackle whatever the draft deals him, too.

"I don't know what's going on, man, and I've got mixed emotions," said Hall, who noted he has sent out a personal highlight tape to each NFL team. "I'm not really caught up in what round or anything. I just want to see my name, like, 'Vince Hall selected,' ... something like that. Whatever team I get on, I'm going to try my best to stay on it."

Counting cornerback Brandon Flowers, a junior cornerback who is expected to go late in the first round or the early second round, Tech could have as many 10 players selected, which would be a program high. The Hokies had nine players drafted two years ago and eight taken in 2002.

As for other Hokies looking to be drafted:

n Linebacker Xavier Adibi has been tabbed as anywhere from a late second-round to a mid-third-round pick by most draft analysts.

Adibi, a first-team All-ACC choice last fall, impressed in Senior Bowl practices and excelled at the combine except in the 40, in which he ran a 4.73.

"I felt I was the best out there," the 6-1, 232-pound Adibi said. "I just consider myself to be blessed to be in this position. I'm ready to get all this over with and see where I'm going and get ready to play football."

n Wide receiver Eddie Royal, who, like Brown, placed in the top five in four of the five major categories tested at the combine, figures to be the next Tech player to go -- somewhere in the third round.

The 5-10, 184-pound Royal did 24 reps in the 225-pound bench press, pacing all wideouts tested. Royal's 1.48-second time in the 10-yard sprint also paced his position.

Royal's position in a deep wideout class is helped by the fact he's a premier punt returner. He returned two punts for touchdowns and left Tech as the ACC's record-holder for career punt-return yards (1,296).

n Chris Ellis, a first-team All-ACC choice at defensive end last fall, has been projected to go in the third or fourth round. The 6-4, 260-pound Ellis also has enough speed (4.75) that some clubs have asked him to also work out at linebacker. He also could be a major special teams contributor.

n Defensive tackle Carlton Powell, being forecast by most as a fifth-round selection, is fast for his position (5.0). The 6-2, 292-pound Powell was a dominant run-stopper in his college career, holding opponents to minus-21 yards rushing in 73 plays he made against the run. Powell said he's had more contact with Miami than any other club to date.

n Receivers Josh Morgan and Justin Harper and defensive tackle Barry Booker figure to have to sweat it out until near the end of Sunday's second day of the draft. Of the three, Morgan is expected to have the best shot at being picked.