Adrian Peterson is living every football player’s dream. He’s in New York basking in the glow of being an almost certain top-10 pick in Saturday’s NFL draft.

But just how long will the former Oklahoma star have to wait to hear his name called and have his picture taken with league commissioner Roger Goodell?

That’s the question waiting for an answer.

NFL.com’s draft experts all believe Peterson is the best running back in the draft and will go in top 10.

The 4.37 40-yard dash he ran at the scouting combine in March solidified that status.

In the six weeks since he has worked out at OU’s pro day, as well as visiting with the Detroit Lions, who own the second pick, the Cleveland Browns, who own the third, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who own the fourth.

There’s certainly a rationale for any of those teams to take Peterson.

Player personnel types like the fact Peterson is an aggressive runner who makes the most out of his powerful, 6-foot-1-plus, 217-pound frame.

He rushed for 4,045 yards in three seasons with the Sooners and 41 of his 747 rushing attempts went for touchdowns.

The workload he carried in college and his upright running style has drawn comparisons to Hall-of-Famer Eric Dickerson since he made himself eligible for the draft.

“Man, being compared to Eric Dickerson, that’s crazy,” Peterson told NFL.com. “He’s one of the greatest running backs. It’s an honor to be compared to him.

“A lot of guys say, ‘You run in that upright position and have a little breakaway speed.’ Watching some of his film, I see the upright position and the power he runs with.”

There isn’t a team in the draft that couldn’t use an explosive running back. But the ones with the first 10 picks are more desperate.

Oakland, picking first, was last in the league in rushing in 2006. But all indications are the Raiders will use the top selection on LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Detroit couldn’t run the ball last season either. The Lions have been rather quiet about their intentions. But adding Peterson would help an offense that averaged just 83.4 yards per game on the ground last season.

The Browns also have an interest. Phil Savage, Cleveland’s general manager, attended OU’s pro day and seemed impressed with what he saw.

But the Browns, who averaged just 14.9 points per game last season, also need to improve at quarterback, wide receiver and on the offensive line.

“We have to make a decision on who is going to help us the most,” Savage said.

Tampa Bay also struggled to run the ball and score last season and could take Peterson at No. 4 if he’s still available.

All will weigh the need to upgrade their running games against other factors. One of those factors will be Peterson’s durability.

Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site Wednesday Peterson re-injured his collarbone in the Fiesta Bowl. Peterson made NFL teams aware of the injury at the scouting combine.

One team executive told Sports Illustrated the collarbone injury is a concern.

“It’s not enough to take him off anyone’s board, but it’s a concern because of his straight-up running style,” the executive said. “He has been a bit injury-prone and now you’ve got a situation where you’re drafting damaged goods.”

The collarbone injury caused Peterson to miss seven games last season and was the third notable injury he suffered while at OU.

Peterson underwent shoulder surgery following his freshman season and missed one game and was significantly limited in three more due to an ankle injury as a sophomore.

He doesn’t believe that should be held against him.

“You hear this stuff, and it’s just crazy,” Peterson told Sports Illustrated. “A high-ankle sprain? Anyone could get one of those. And I hurt my collarbone diving into the end zone. That’s just a fluke.”

It’s all part of the draft process.

To NFL teams, this is the weekend franchises can make or break their futures. It often seems like they spend more time trying to figure why they shouldn’t take a player than why the should.

But everyone agrees, Peterson’s pros are greater than his cons. Just how great may be determined Saturday.

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com