Pro days in L.A.: How tweet it is

College pro days are, in a way, the NFL’s version of the Internet’s Twitter.

Short bursts of information -- some useful, some not.

Fleeting glimpses of a larger mosaic.

A blistering 40-yard dash here, a choreographed passing performance there, a sea of raised stopwatches, and -- voila! -- talent evaluators have a little clearer vision of who a pro prospect really is.

For a city that hasn’t had an NFL team in 14 years, this is Super Bowl week, when all eyes are trained on Los Angeles. UCLA held its modest pro day Tuesday, and USC’s standing-room-only extravaganza takes place today. The town is teeming with NFL coaches, general managers and scouts, all determined to gather every last bit of information on players who, a month from now, will cost them tens of millions of dollars.

Here, in keeping with Twitter’s short-sentence rules, are some observations from the Bruins’ pro day and the one the Trojans are about to stage:

* USC quarterback Mark Sanchez tops Georgia’s Matt Stafford on a lot of draft boards.

* Don’t be surprised if Sanchez goes fourth to Seattle. Half of the Seahawks’ front office is in town.

* Sanchez was scheduled to meet Tuesday night with Seattle and Jacksonville brass, with Jags picking up dinner tab.

* Trips Sanchez has already made: Detroit, San Francisco and St. Louis.

* Ranking Trojans’ top 3 linebackers: 1. Brian Cushing (1st round); 2. Rey Maualuga (1st); 3. Clay Matthews (late 1st/early 2nd).

* UCLA’s highest-rated prospect? Punter Aaron Perez, who impressed scouts by booming some kicks into the ozone layer.

* Rick Neuheisel says future pro days will be a bigger deal for the Bruins. With his recruiting, he’s right.

* It was a good day for UCLA safety Bret Lockett, who bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times and ran his best 40 in 4.45 seconds.

* Tailback Kahlil Bell, UCLA’s only combine invitee, ran ho-hum 40 times of 4.72 and 4.75. Scouts see him as a late-round battering ram.

* For a running back, one-tenth of a second in the 40 is like the difference between a Ferrari and a Ford Focus.

* Unbelievable: The most impressive Trojan at the combine was kicker David Buehler, who was faster and stronger than USC’s linebackers.

* Oft-hobbled UCLA QB Ben Olson was a spectator. He re-injured his foot but hopes to run in 2-3 weeks.

* Agent Chuck Price, who reps Matt Leinart, was at UCLA’s pro day. Says Leinart is in better shape now than in any previous March.

* Price says Leinart was inspired this off-season by Tom Brady. The two worked out at the same L.A.-area gym, as did Reggie Bush.

* A ton of teams are in the market for a quarterback, including San Francisco, the Jets and Denver, which now hopes to trade Jay Cutler.

* Bruins QB Patrick Cowan, out last season, threw some beautiful deep balls. Third QB somewhere?

* You want tough? Check out former UCLA middle linebacker Christian Taylor, who played his last 1 1/2 seasons with a torn biceps.

* USC’s pro day might be big, but it won’t match the 2006 version that included Leinart, Bush and easily more than 1,000 spectators.

* The highest-profile NFL types at UCLA were Vikings Coach Brad Childress and Green Bay GM Ted Thompson. Today will be a who’s who.

--

sam.farmer@latimes.com

Follow Sam Farmer’s real-time updates from USC’s pro day and the NFL draft at twitter.com/latimesfarmer.