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Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei wasn’t able to work out for scouts at the combine because doctors found his hear was pumping below normal levels, leading him to return to Utah for more evaluation before resuming his normal workout schedule.

There were no further problems, which got Lotulelei cleared to take part in the school’s pro day on Wednesday. Joe Schad of ESPN reports that Lotulelei put up 225 pounds 38 times, had a 30 inch vertical leap and a 4.65 time in the shuttle run. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net reports that Lotulelei ran the 40 even though he wasn’t scheduled to do so and put up an “official” time of around 5.15 seconds.

The numbers are good across the board for Lotulelei, but scouts were already high on him as a football player. The question for teams is going to be about his medical reports, not his ability since the latter has already been well documented. It’s certainly a good sign that he was given the go-ahead to take part in the pro day, although individual teams will likely still want to see what their medical personnel have to say.

Assuming things keep checking out on that front, there’s no reason to expect he won’t wind up being taken somewhere near the top of the draft.

Not to be lost in the discussion of the Ravens’ recent free-agent losses: they went through the same thing last offseason.

In 2012, the Ravens lost offensive guard Ben Grubbs, outside linebacker Jarret Johnson and four other contributors in free agency. On the other side of the ledger, Baltimore added safety Sean Considine and cornerback Corey Graham — players best known, to that point, for their special-teams work.

Well, Graham ended up being much more than a coverage ace. His play on defense was a revelation, a boost to the secondary after corner Lardarius Webb left the lineup. And while the Ravens could have used some of the players they had lost in the offseason . . . well, Baltimore managed pretty well in the end.

Moreover, the Ravens will get some 2013 draft picks for their troubles. The NFL announced Monday that Baltimore will receiver four compensatory selections in April’s draft. Only the Falcons, who lost four free agents and signed none, will get as many compensatory selections.

Per NFL rules, a maximum of four compensatory picks can be awarded to a team for their net free-agent losses in a given offseason. Compensatory picks are distributing using a metric tied to playing time, salary and postseason awards garnered by the departed free agents. Compensatory selections cannot be traded.

The highest compensatory selection will go to Houston (Round Three, No. 95 overall), which lost Mario Williams to Buffalo last March. The Chiefs (No. 96) and Titans (No. 97) also received third-round selections.

Here’s the complete rundown of 2013 compensatory picks:

Atlanta Falcons (four picks): one fourth-rounder (No. 133), three seventh-rounders (Nos. 243, 244, 249).

Baltimore Ravens (four): one fourth-rounder (No. 130), one-fifth-rounder (No. 168), one sixth-rounder (No. 203), one seventh-rounder (No. 247).

Tennessee Titans (three): one third-rounder (No. 97), one sixth-rounder (No. 202), one seventh-rounder (N0. 248).

San Francisco 49ers (three): one fourth-rounder (No. 131), two seventh-rounders (Nos. 246, 252).

Houston Texans (two): one third-rounder (No. 95), one sixth-rounder (No. 201).

Kansas City Chiefs (two): one third-rounder (No. 96), one sixth-rounder (No. 2o4).

Detroit Lions (two): one fourth-rounder (No. 132), one seventh-rounder (No. 245).

Miami Dolphins (two): one fifth-rounder (No. 166), one seventh-rounder (No. 250).

Cincinnati Bengals (two): two seventh-rounders (Nos. 240, 251).

Seattle Seahawks (two): two seventh-rounders (Nos. 241, 242).

Green Bay Packers (one): a fifth-rounder (No. 167).

Oakland Raiders (one): a sixth-rounder (No. 205).

Pittsburgh Steelers (one): a sixth-rounder (No. 206).

Philadelphia Eagles (one): a seventh-rounder (No. 239).

New York Giants (one): a seventh-rounder (No. 253).

Indianapolis Colts (one): a seventh-rounder (No. 254).

AP

Teams interested in drafting Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones have likely been looking into his medical condition for some time and now they have a new, positive report to consider.

Jones left USC after getting diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine that makes sufferers more susceptible to injury, and several teams had reportedly dropped him from their draft boards for the same reason. Jones has said he was misdiagnosed by doctors for the Trojans and that he has had no issues after transferring to Georgia.

It’s a position that got some support from orthopedist Craig Brigham, who examined Jones and issued a report to NFL teams refuting the notion that Jones has ever had a serious condition. According to Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, Brigham ”concluded that Jones either had a very mild incident of spinal cord concussion or merely a stinger that has long since resolved” and that Jones should be “cleared to play without restriction.”

That doesn’t mean that all the red flags around Jones will just disappear. Doctors disagree about their diagnoses all the time so teams are going to still have to delve into Jones’ health between now and April. Chances are that someone will feel his talent is worth the risk, but the big question will be at what point they decide that the risk/reward ratio swings in their favor when it comes to selecting Jones.

AP

Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd’s stock is rising and he doesn’t want to stem the tide by taking part in his pro day at less than 100 percent.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network and NFL.com reports that Floyd will hold his pro day on March 22 instead of taking part in Florida’s official pro day on March 12. Floyd hurt his ankle at the combine and wants to be fully recovered before he shows off for scouts from around the league.

Floyd put up strong numbers at the combine, running very fast for a player his size and confirming everything we saw in terms of his athleticism during his collegiate career. Another strong performance at his pro day should cement Floyd’s spot as one of the first players off the board in April.

A glowing report from Greg Cosell of NFL Films has given some momentum to Floyd’s ascent up the draft board. Cosell said he was worthy of being selected first overall by the Chiefs. If he did, he’d be the first defensive lineman to go first overall since Mario Williams in 2006.

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When Katie Couric asked Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o about his sexual orientation, Te’o replied “far from it” with a lot of added emphasis on the far part of the answer.

That apparently satisfied the curiosity of the NFL teams that spoke to him at the combine. Unlike Colorado tight end Nick Kasa and Michigan State running back Le’veon Bell, though, Te’o says that none of the teams he spoke to in Indianapolis asked him about his sexual orientation.

“No, I don’t think that’s a question they asked,” Te’o said, via Kristian Dyer of Yahoo! Sports.

There are reports that teams are interested to know more about Te’o's orientation, but that they knew they couldn’t ask even in the joking way that it appears the question was posed to other players. That’s because it is against both league policy and, in some cases, the law to inquire about the sexual orientation of a prospective employee.

With the league investigating, Te’o (and many other combine attendees) should be on the interview list to make sure no questions are crossing those lines.

AP

Linebacker Alec Ogletree’s play during the 2012 season at Georgia had many people talking about him as a potential first-round pick in April, but a DUI arrest just before the combine raised a red flag that clouded the picture.

Ogletree said that he met with 25 teams in Indianapolis and said that teams approached the interviews differently. Some of them asked a lot of questions about the arrest and his previous suspension for a positive drug test in college while some wanted to talk more about football after asking about the arrest, but that the end result was that half the questions he fielded had to do with his brush with the law.

“It was pretty much 50-50,” Ogletree said, via NFL.com. “They asked me, ‘Why should we believe you?’ and stuff like that. Once I gave them an answer, they took what they needed from me and basically moved to the football aspect.”

Ogletree felt that all the interviews went well, although that hardly means he’s still on track to go at the top of the draft. He’ll go somewhere, though, because, for better or worse, talent wins out over just about everything else when NFL teams are looking to stock their rosters. What he does with that shot, be it in the first round or somewhere much later in that process, will have much more to do with Ogletree’s NFL outlook than anything that happened before he was a pro.

AP

The combine has come to an end which means it is time to start crunching their results during drills to see who is rising and falling on draft boards.

Former NFL defensive back Corey Chavous will join Mike Florio to do just that on Wednesday’s edition of PFT Live. Chavous, who analyzes the draft for DraftNasty.com, will share his thoughts about which players made a strong impression during their work in Indianapolis as well as those that will have to try again to convince NFL teams that they are worthy of a pick. We’ll touch on the quarterbacks, Manti Te’o, Tyrann Mathieu and plenty more during Chavous’ visit.

The series of offseason to-do lists also lurches forward on Wednesday with looks at the Bears and Giants as they try to improve on years that ended short of the playoffs. For the Bears, that meant a housecleaning on the coaching staff. A year removed from winning the Super Bowl, the Giants didn’t make any big moves on that front but we’ll see what they might be up to when it comes to their roster.

You can watch it all live at noon ET.

AP

Bad performances at the combine can hurt someone’s draft stock, but so can bad luck.

A league source tells Mike Florio of PFT that Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein suffered a “serious knee injury” during drills at the NFL’s Scouting Combine on Monday.

The tough break comes after Klein turned in a 4.66 40-yard dash that made a good case for the inside linebacker’s athleticism. Klein was the co-defensive player of the year in the Big 12 in 2012, but there were doubts about how well his skills would translate to the NFL. A good 40 doesn’t answer those doubts altogether, but it’s better than the alternative.

Those questions are secondary, though, if Klein’s injury turns out to be as severe as reported.

UPDATE 4:49 p.m. ET: It sounds like the news is better than originally feared. Klein tweeted out that he avoided a serious injury and will finish up his workouts at a pro day on March 26.

AP

On Sunday, word broke that Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei would return home for more medical tests after doctors didn’t like the results of his heart exam at the combine in Indianapolis.

It’s scary to hear anything less than an ideal result when the heart is involved, but Lotulelei’s case may not be as serious as initially feared. Mike Garafolo of USA Today reports that Lotulelei has been given the green light to work out back in Utah and doctors are hopeful that the reason for the abnormal results of his exam are because of other factors.

Per Garafolo, the hope is that “dehydration, too much sodium in his diet or rapid weight loss in a short timeframe” was to blame for his left ventricle working less efficiently than they’d like. Lotulelei dropped 10 pounds in three days recently, something that could have altered the results.

Lotulelei will see a specialist later this week and still plans to do all the drills at a March 20 pro day in Utah. Garafolo points out that current Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander was also pulled out of drills at the combine last year before getting clearance from a specialist a short time later.

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On Saturday, Florio reported that Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones was sliding down or off several draft boards because of spinal stenosis.

The condition, a narrowing of the spine between the fourth and fifth vertebrae, contributed to Jones’ departure from USC and it has apparently led some NFL teams to view the highly regarded Jones as too big of a risk for a premium draft pick. Jones, who transferred to Georgia and starred for them after leaving the Trojans, hit back at the talk that he’s damaged goods after going through his combine medical exam.

“The doctors checked me out and they feel like I am fine,” Jones said, via the Detroit News. “I don’t have any contusions on it. I didn’t have a bunch of MRIs or anything like that. I only had one incident of having a stinger at USC in 2009 and I haven’t had any symptoms after that. I played two years of SEC football. I practiced every day and never had any symptoms. … Everybody saw me, everybody felt me and pulled on me and yanked on me today. They understand where I am at.”

Teams will get a full medical evaluation on Jones in the coming weeks, but the nature of his medical history makes it clear that different doctors are going to have different reads on Jones’ condition. Each team will have to weigh those opinions along with Jones’ production when they decide when and if to make him their choice on draft day.

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Peter King’s latest Monday Morning Quarterback column contains a segment with ex-Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli where Pioli ranks the top-ten underclassmen available for April’s NFL draft. It’s a rare glimpse into an NFL General Manager’s mindset regarding draft opinions front-office decision makers keep so secret.

Pioli was fired on January 4, but his work on this year’s underclassmen is still relatively fresh. Underclassmen don’t participate in the late-January all-star game circuit. All that is currently available on them is college tape. And Pioli was doing tape and scouting work until his dismissal.

Pioli ranks Texas A&M tackle Luke Joeckel as the top underclassman eligible for the 2013 draft, calling him a “strong candidate” to be selected first overall. Pioli’s former team, of course, holds the No. 1 pick.

Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner, and Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins make up the rest of Pioli’s top five.

Alabama running back Eddie Lacy is sixth, and Pioli envisions him as an “every-down back” in the NFL with “low mileage” after playing behind Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson his first two seasons.

Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, Cal receiver Keenan Allen, Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree, and San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar round out the top ten.

Jones, who is ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s top-rated overall prospect for the 2013 draft, has some concerns, according to Pioli. Pioli calls Jones a potentially “tough positional fit” in the NFL due to tweener-type size and noted that Jones dominated in certain games while disappearing in others.

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One way or another, Jake Matthews was going to wind up following Luke Joeckel.

Either Matthews, who is the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews and a cousin of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, would follow his fellow Texas A&M offensive tackle’s lead and declare for the NFL draft or he would opt to remain in school to take over for Joeckel as the left tackle in front of Johnny Football. Joe Schad of ESPN.com reports that A&M has confirmed that Matthews has opted for the latter and will remain an Aggie for the 2013 season.

The news isn’t a huge surprise, although most people thought Matthews would go in the first round this season even without the experience of starting on the left side. With Joeckel on hand, Matthews started on the right side and was impressive enough to generate plenty of draft buzz. Staying another year will give him a chance to prove he can handle the marquee position on most offensive lines and, potentially, follow Joeckel on the top of the draft board.

With Michigan’s Taylor Lewan also choosing to return to school, there figures to be a good battle to become that first tackle taken in 2014. Joeckel looks like a lock for those honors in 2013 and there’s been talk he could wind up as the first overall pick when the NFL gathers in New York.

AP

At this time last year, there wasn’t much doubt that a quarterback was going first in the draft.

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III both had their supporters, but it was a safe assumption that the Colts were coming away with one of them. Even though they badly need a quarterback, things aren’t so clear for the Chiefs this season and they won’t have a chance to evaluate one of the top quarterback names at the Senior Bowl.

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith announced on Twitter Tuesday that he will not be accepting the invite from the Senior Bowl to participate in the game later this month. It’s not surprising to see a top quarterback prospect opt out of the game, but there was some hope that Smith would play after a rough performance in the team’s bowl game loss to Syracuse last month.

There’s plenty of time and plenty of evaluations to be made at the top of a draft with much less certainty than we’ve seen in the last few years. Smith’s obviously banking on individual workouts and the combine being enough to convince some team to spend a pick on him come April.

AP

The Buccaneers player grumbling about his bosses who said “Can we send these coaches back to college?” is getting his wish, a little at a time.

According to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Ron Turner is leaving to take the head coaching job at Florida International University.

The Bucs previously lost wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck to Western Michigan.

Of course, those two aren’t really the ones being grumbled about.

FIU previously tried to hire Bucs consultant Butch Davis, with some reports saying it was a done deal (though his buyout from UNC seemed to be a complicating factor more than anything).

Turner returns to the college game, where he spent one year at San Jose State and eight at Illinois.

The Bucs could end up replacing Turner with John McNulty, who was fired as part of Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt’s staff last week. Bucs coach Greg Schiano asked for permission to hire him as his offensive coordinator last year, but was denied. McNulty was Schiano’s OC at Rutgers.

AP

Another underclassman threw his hat in the ring for consideration in April’s draft.

Syracuse left tackle Justin Pugh announced that he will forgo his final year with the Orange. Pugh started every game he played in his time at Syracuse and was All-Big East in each of the last two seasons. He’s been talked about as a possibility in the late first-round as left tackles always draw interest around draft day.

Pugh did miss the first four games of the season with a shoulder injury, though, and that will be something teams examine closely in the period before the draft. Pugh’s size and athleticism definitely make him look like a fit at the professional level, but he’ll need to prove healthy enough to do the job to get picked on the first night of the draft.

With players like Luke Joeckel, Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews also weighing an early jump to the NFL, it could be a busy year for tackles in the first round.