Demetrius Byrd is still in stable condition in a Miami hospital, and with the NFL Draft beginning on Saturday it looks like that awful car wreck he was in last weekend will have cost him in a big way.

But while Byrd's misfortune all but destroys his draft prospects, the outlook is a lot better for Tyson Jackson who is expected to go in the top half of the first round on Saturday. Jackson is one of probably a half-dozen players who should be taken from LSU this weekend, with Darry Beckwith probably a third-rounder, Herman Johnson going somewhere from the second to fourth round and Quinn Johnson, Brett Helms and Kirston Pittman decent bets to be drafted late. Curtis Taylor and Marlon Favorite are also on the draft board and it wouldn't be a shock to see somebody take a flyer on them late as well.

Since 1995 at least one University of Miami player has been taken in the first round of the NFL draft. But that streak will probably end this weekend, the New York Times says. LSU will take over with the nation's longest streak. At least one Tiger has been taken in the first round for the past five years and Tyson Jackson is expected to continue that string. The defensive end is pegged as a mid-first round pick. Four other Tigers are picked by Scouts Inc. as among the 150 best players in the draft: wide receiver Demetrius Byrd (93rd), defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois (97th), linebacker Darry Beckwith (136th) and guard Herman Johnson (140th). Byrd's status could be up in the air because he was seriously injured in a car accident Sunday. He's in a Miami hospital, but expected to make a full recovery. Draft analyst Mike Detillier told Louisiana Gannett News four other Tigers could go in the final rounds: defensive tackle Marlon Favorite, safety Curtis Taylor, defensive end Kirston Pittman and center Brett Helms.