NFL scouting combine

INDIANAPOLIS -- The teams at the top of the NFL draft typically have a long list of needs, and this year is no exception. Even though there isn’t an obvious No. 1 pick, there are enough elite players to address some of those glaring deficiencies among the league’s have-nots.

It’s early, and a lot can change between the combine and the draft, but here’s a look at where the elite prospects could land:

1. MIAMI

Pressing needs: DE, DT, QB, T, WR.

The skinny: Bill Parcells has both kept and dealt the No. 1 pick in his career. Now, as the Dolphins’ top executive, he’s likely to shop this one, but has plenty of options should he decide to keep it. He can grab a defensive end or tackle that fits his 3-4 philosophy; roll the dice on a quarterback of the future to supplant John Beck; or grab a true left tackle that would allow him to move Vernon Carey to the right side.

The pick: Virginia DE Chris Long.

2. ST. LOUIS

Pressing needs: DE, DT, T.

The skinny: The Rams got only 5 1/2 sacks from their defensive ends last season and need to start pressuring the passer. If Chris Long is gone, they probably will reach for the next-best defensive lineman on the board. Yes, they need help at offensive tackle, and Michigan’s Jake Long is very enticing. But St. Louis thinks it can squeeze at least another year out of Orlando Pace, who has played only nine games in two seasons because of arm and shoulder injuries.

The pick: Louisiana State DE Glenn Dorsey.

3. ATLANTA

Pressing needs: QB, DT, LT.

The skinny: The Falcons badly need a quarterback and have no plans to rebuild their franchise around the two on their roster: Joey Harrington or D.J. Shockley, who is coming off knee surgery. There aren’t a lot of free-agent options there, either. Of course, it’s always nice to protect that investment with a capable blind-side blocker or two, and the team just cut left tackle Wayne Gandy. On defense, the Falcons have gotten rid of Rod Coleman, and fellow tackle Trey Lewis is coming off a bad knee injury. Oh, the holes they have to fill.

The pick: Boston College QB Matt Ryan.

4. OAKLAND

Pressing needs: DT, WR, S.

The skinny: Ten running backs gained at least 100 yards on the Raiders last season, and the team generated only a modest pass rush. The need for a good defensive tackle is only amplified by the retirement of Warren Sapp and the bust-like performance of big-money free agent Terdell Sands. Good thing for Oakland this draft features some talented men in the middle. Oh, and despite all the talk the Raiders might trade down for more picks, Al Davis almost never does that.

The pick: USC DT Sedrick Ellis.

5. KANSAS CITY

Pressing needs: LT, CB, WR.

The skinny: The Chiefs used their top pick on an offensive lineman in 1998 and 1999, choosing Victor Riley then John Tate. As expected, both players wound up as pretty reliable starters. If Kansas City can get a left tackle in this draft, it can move Damion McIntosh back to the right side. The team also could use some help in the secondary -- although it’s highly debatable whether there’s a top-five-worthy defensive back in this draft -- and is perpetually in search of a play-making receiver.

The pick: Michigan LT Jake Long.

Quotable

Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly, on former teammate Mark Clayton’s advice on the NFL: “He just told me it’s going to be a lot more technique. He told me it’s more like a dice game out there. Dice game? A chess game is what I meant.”

Texas A&M; tight end Martellus Bennett on keeping his cool: “I don’t do much trash talking on the field. Most of the time I let the other guys do the trash talking. I just tell them ‘God bless you’ and they get real mad.”

Ohio State tackle Kirk Barton on the strangest questions he has been asked in team interviews: “Some of the personality tests, whether you’d rather be a cat or a dog. You wonder if it’s a house cat or a tiger. If it’s a tiger, then you’re solid. But a dog can beat a [regular] cat. I always pick the dog. They’re a little more ferocious of an animal.”

Sunday notes

Florida State wide receiver De’Cody Fagg suffered a left leg injury during morning drills at the RCA Dome. He was taken off the field on a stretcher. The severity of his injury was not known.

According to a report by NFLDraftScout.com, an old lower-leg injury to LSU’s Dorsey is troubling some evaluators.

The star defensive tackle suffered a hairline fracture of his right tibia in 2006.

One team doctor told The Times the injury was not a concern, and Dorsey echoed that at his news conference.

“I haven’t missed a game since I’ve been at LSU,” he said.

“Everybody gets nicked up. Who doesn’t go through a season without bumps and bruises? I don’t think there is a problem at all. None of the teams have come to me about injuries at all.”

Fast company

Top 40-yard dash times for running backs:

*--* Chris Johnson, East Carolina 4.24 Darren McFadden, Arkansas 4.33 Anthony Alridge, Houston 4.36 Jamaal Charles, Texas 4.38 Chad Simpson, Morgan State 4.42 Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois 4.45 *--*

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sam.farmer@latimes.com