Louis Murphy hasn’t taken long to endear himself to new Raiders coach Tom Cable.

Through the offseason mini-camps and voluntary workouts, Murphy has shaken off the critics who tried to label him before the draft as a good wide receiver with average-at-best hands.

“He’s probably the surprise of our (rookie) class,” Cable said to NFL.com of Murphy. “He has all the makings to be a very special football player at this level — mainly because he was impressive on a daily basis. We really think we found one.”

That’s high praise, seeing that the Raiders used a top-10 pick on another wide receiver, Maryland’s Darius Heyward-Bey.

At this point, Murphy looks to be in the running for the team’s No. 3 receiver position. Bu the Raiders, who seem permanently locked in mediocrity, could look to move him along further if his progress continues.

* * *

The offeason luck wasn’t as bright for one of Murphy’s Gator teammates, as Denver announced last week that it had released running back Kestahn Moore.

Moore, who was signed as a free agent after going undrafted, will have to look for work elsewhere in the league before training camps open next month.

* * *

It’s hard to knock Nick Calathes for taking that Greek contract after watching the NBA Draft Thursday night. The deal, which after perks is on par with one of this year’s lottery picks, wasn’t what caused him to fall, as name after name was called before Minnesota selected him No. 45 overall in the second round. It also didn’t come into play when the Timberwolves sold his rights to Dallas about an hour later.

Minnesota, which had already drafted three points guards ahead of the Florida native, planned on pawning off two of them for future considerations. The Wolves did that when they sent Ty Lawson to Denver for a future first-round pick and shipped Calathes to the Mavericks for a 2010 second rounder and cash.

Calathes is likely to spend more than one year honing his game in Greece before taking another shot at the NBA. The league he’ll be joining is considered by some scouts to be slightly higher in competition than Division-I basketball in the U.S. If Calathes can prove himself there, there may be a spot for him waiting in Dallas in 2011.

* * *

While we’re on the top of draftable players, it’s never too late to start talking about the 2010 NBA Draft. ESPN’s Chad Ford already has his list of top-100 players posted, and he says the crop could be one of the strongest in years.

Of local interest are his comments on Florida recruit Kenny Boynton. Ford says that as of right now, Boynton could be a first-round pick, but says that his sources have said that he’s likely a player who should spend at least two years in college before making the leap to the pros. That doesn’t mean, of course, that Boynton will take the advice.