Oregon Football: Ducks Program Faces Big Weekend with NFL Draft and Spring Game

On Thursday, the NFL will hold its annual draft and on Saturday the Ducks will hold their annual spring game at Autzen Stadium. For Duck fans, this is a huge weekend as their program can continue to step forward as one of the nation's best programs.

As Thursday night approaches, recent Duck players will cross their fingers and hope that over the next few days a professional football team will call their name and draft them to their team. 

Players like LaMichael James, David Paulson, Terrell Turner and others will have hopes that they will be a fit for a certain team in the NFL. On the other hand, many are still scratching their heads about the departure of Darron Thomas and are wondering why he left and where he will end up.

For the Oregon program, the NFL draft offers an opportunity for the program to grow as more and more of their players are not only being drafted but are playing big roles with their respective teams.

Players like Patrick Chung, Jarius Byrd, Ed Dickson, Jonathan Stewart and others are all players that are paving the way for future Ducks. High selections for LaMichael James and David Paulson could continue that trend.

Back on campus, the Ducks are hosting their spring game on Saturday and it will feature current and future Duck stars. Fans will be anxious to see how players have developed and what newcomers could play a huge role in the Ducks present and future.

To go along with a good showing at the NFL draft, Oregon's spring game will be on the ESPN family of networks and will be aired on ESPN3. While it isn't one of ESPN's major channels, the fact that it is still being offered is a great sign for the Ducks.

As the Ducks continue to try and pave the way for their stay towards the top of the year after year national rankings, weekends like this are important. Good outcomes in the draft and a solid performance in the spring game are both ways that can keep the Ducks at the top.

For Duck fans, sit back, relax and enjoy because after this weekend it is a long wait for football in the fall.  

Joe Penkala is a B/R National Featured Columnist who covers college football. You can contact him @joepenkala.