AFC North Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Pittsburgh Steelers
1. Alex Mack, C- California
2. Eric Wood, C- Louisville
3. Evander Hood, DT- Missourri
4. Darius Butler, CB- Connecticut
5. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State

Baltimore Ravens
1. Darius Butler, CB- Connecticut
2. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
3. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina
4. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State
5. Percy Harvin, WR- Florida

Cincinnati Bengals
1. Andre Smith, LT- Alabama
2. Eugene Monroe, LT- Virginia
3. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College
4. Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB- Texas
5. Michael Crabtree, WR- Texas Tech

Cleveland Browns
1. Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB- Texas
2. Michael Crabtree, WR- Texas Tech
3. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College
4. Aaron Curry, OLB- Wake Forest

AFC South Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Tennessee Titans (#30)
1. Larry English, DE- Northern Illinois
2. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina
3. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
4. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State
5. Alex Mack, C- California
6. Percy Harvin, WR- Florida
7. Evander Hood, DT- Missouri

Indianapolis Colts (#27)
1. Peria Jerry, DT- Ole Miss
2. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
3. Chris Wells, RB- Ohio State
4. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State
5. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina

Houston Texans (#15)
1. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC
2. Rey Maualuga, ILB- USC
3. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
4. Chris Wells, RB- Ohio State

Jacksonville Jaguars (#9)
1. Jeremy Maclin, WR- Missouri
2. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College
3. Michael Crabtree, WR- Texas Tech
4. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
5. Mark Sanchez, QB- USC

AFC East Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Miami Dolphins (#25)
1. Vontae Davis, CB- Illinois
2. Darrius Butler, CB- UConn
3. Peria Jerry, DT- Ole Miss
4. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
5. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers

New England Patriots (#23)
1. Clay Matthews, OLB- USC
2. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC
3. Darius Butler, CB- UConn
4. Larry English, OLB- Northern Illinois
5. Vontae Davis, CB- Illinois
6. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State

New York Jets (#17)
1. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR- Maryland
2. Percy Harvin, WR- Florida
3. Tyson Jackson, DE- LSU

Buffalo Bills (#11)
1. Robert Ayers, DE- Tennessee
2. Everette Brown, DE- Florida State
3. Brandon Pettigrew, TE- Oklahoma State
4. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College

Buccaneers Sign Byron Leftwich

Today it was reported on ESPN.com that Tampa Bay signed QB Byron Leftwich to a two year $7.5 million deal. While it is currently unclear what his role on the team is, one would have to guess that as of now he is not the starter due to the fact that QB Luke McCown will be making $5 million this year with his current contract. But the Bucs would not have made this move if they did not want him to atleast compete for the starting job given that QB Brian Griese is already a solid backup. Given that the Bucs made so many moves in the offseason to upgrade their offense, it seems as if he was signed because they don't have full confidence in McCown and need a quarterback who can immediately get the most out of their investments in WR Antonio Bryant, and TE Kellen Winslow. In the meantime, McCown, and maybe still QB Josh Freeman, will develop while Leftwich has the reigns.

He flashed some skill this season when stepping in for QB Ben Roethlisberger with the Steelers and showed teams that he is still capable of being a successful starting NFL quarterback. Although he did not quite meet expectations in Jacksonville, I still think he has potential to be a solid QB. He has great arm strength and pocket presence but has a very slow delivery. It did not seem to hinder his performance last year though. I really think that the past two years has served as a wake up call and that he will finally be ready to be the quarterback he was drafted to be. He now has two great weapons in Bryant and Winslow and could do some serious damage with them.

NFC West Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Arizona Cardinals (#31)
1. Donald Brown, RB- Connecticut
2. Chris Wells, RB- Ohio State
3. Louis Delmas, FS- Western Michian State
4. James Laurinaitis, ILB- Ohio State
5. Knowshon Moreno, RB- Georgia

San Francisco 49ers (#10)
1. Jeremy Maclin, WR- Missouri
2. Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB- Penn State
3. Michael Crabtree, WR- Texas Tech
5. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College
6. Mark Sanchez, QB- USC
7. Andre Smith, LT- Alabama

Seattle Seahawks (#4)
1. Mark Sanchez, QB- USC
2. Eugene Monroe, LT- Virginia
3. Matt Stafford, QB- Georgia
4. Aaron Curry, OLB- Wake Forest
5. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College

St. Louis Rams (#2)
1. Jason Smith, LT- Baylor
2. Eugene Monroe, LT- Virginia
3. Aaron Curry, OLB- Wake Forest
4. Michael Crabtree, WR- Texas Tech
5. Matt Stafford, QB- Georgia

NFC North Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Minnesota Vikings (#22)
1. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina
2. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
3. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC
4. Percy Harvin, WR- Florida
5. Everette Brown, DE- Florida State
6. Vontae Davis, CB- Illinois

Chicago Bears (No Picks)

Green Bay Packers (#9)
1. Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB- Penn State
2. Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB- Texas
3. B.J. Raji, DT- Boston College
4. Tyson Jackson, DE- LSU
5. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State

Detroit Lions (#1)
1. Matt Stafford, QB- Georgia
2. Jason Smith, LT- Baylor
3. Eugene Monroe, LT- Virginia
4. Aaron Curry, OLB- Wake Forest

Detroit Lions (#20)
1. Peria Jerry, DT- Mississippi
2. Clay Matthews, OLB- USC
3. Michael Oher, LT- Mississippi
4. Robert Ayers, DE- Mississippi
5. Everette Brown, DE- Florida State
6. Eben Britton, LT- Arizona
7. Rey Maualuga, ILB- USC
8. Brandon Pettigrew, TE- Oklahoma State
9. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
10. Larry English, DE- Northern Illinois

NFC South Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

Carolina Panthers (No Picks)

Atlanta Falcons (#24)
1. Peria Jerry, DT- Mississippi
2. Darrius Butler, CB- Connecticut
3. Brandon Pettigrew, TE- Oklahoma State
4. Vontae Davis, CB- Illinois
5. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#19)
1. Josh Freeman, QB- Kansas State
2. Robert Ayers, DE- Tennessee
3. Rey Maualuga, ILB- USC
4. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC
5. Malcom Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
6. Peria Jerry, DT- Mississippi
7. Everette Brown, DE- Florida State
8. Mark Sanchez, QB- USC

New Orleans Saints (#14)
1. Malcolm Jenkins, CB- Ohio State
2. Brian Cushing, OLB- USC
3. Rey Maualuga, ILB- USC
4. Vontae Davis, CB- Illinois
5. Chris Wells, RB- Ohio State

NFC East Potential First Round Draft Pick Rankings

The Eagles potential picks are ranked according to who will most likely be picked at any point:

New York Giants (#29)
1. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
2. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina
3. Alex Mack, C- California
4. James Laurinaitis, LB- Ohio State
5. Darrius Butler, CB- Connecticut

Philadelphia Eagles (#21, #28)
1. Brandon Pettigrew, TE-Oklahoma State
2. Chris Wells, RB- Ohio State
3. Knowshon Moreno, RB- Georgia
4. Kenny Britt, WR- Rutgers
5. Eben Britton, LT- Arizona
6. Hakeem Nicks, WR- North Carolina
7. Robert Ayers, DE- Tennessee
8. Everette Brown, DE- Tennessee

Dallas Cowboys (No picks)

Washington Redskins (#12)
1. Michael Oher- LT, Mississippi
2. Robert Ayers- DE, Tennessee
3. Andre Smith- LT, Alabama
4. Everette Brown- DE, Florida State
5. Brian Cushing- OLB, USC

Laurent Robinson To The Rams

The Falcons traded third year WR Laurent Robinson to the Rams today and in return they switched their draft positions in the 5th and 6th rounds. This was a huge move for the Rams as they continue to provide QB Marc Bulger with receiving options along side second year WR Donnie Avery. Laurent Robinson is a very talented young receiver who has a great size/speed combo. At 6'2" he clocked a 4.38 in the 40 yard dash in the 2007 NFL combine and was then selected in the third round by the Falcons that year. In his rookie year, he managed to gain 437 yards off 37 receptions after appearing in 15 games, and only starting 6 of them, for the anemic 2007 Falcons offense which featured 3 different starting quarterbacks. It is quite an achievement for any rookie to put up those numbers in only 6 starts, especially on an offense that was as bad as the Falcons two years ago. Unfortunately, he was buried in the depth chart last year due to a lingering hamstring injury, WR Michael Jenkins' career resurrection, and head coach Mike Smith favoring his draft pick WR Harry Douglas over him.

With Robinson going into that magical third year where receivers normally break out, and on a team where he will undoubtedly be a starter, and maybe even the first receiving option, I expect him to be a fantasy sleeper. A few pieces will have to come into place for the Rams offense this year though for Robinson to have a productive year though. Bulger struggled last year with rookie receiver Donnie Avery as his top option and an offensive line that offered no protection for him. The Rams are expected to draft either LT Jason Smith or LT Eugue Monroe second overall in this years draft to give Bulger the protection he needs to be the effective quarterback that he is. This selection will also help out RB Steven Jackosn put up his typical big numbers to help support the passing game too. Not to mention the signing of the elite interior lineman Jason Brown will also only help this offense get back to where they used to be a few years ago. It seems that all of the pieces are being put in the right places to allow for Robinson to continue from his 2007 success and be a legit fantasy contributor for the 2009 season.

Jeff Garcia To The Raiders

The Oakland Raiders signed QB Jeff Garcia today to a one year contract to back up QB Jamarcus Russell. The interesting thing is that right now Garcia is better than Russell and will probably end up replacing him as the starter at some point this season. The Raiders are expected to take a WR in the first round of the draft though, which could help with Russell's development, but many have already attached the bust label to him. Also, teams do not usually sign backup QBs to a one year deal. They already have a backup in Andrew Walter who is signed on to stay with the team for multiple years. As much as the Raiders will claim they plan to use Garcias as a backup, I firmly believe he is more of an insurance policy who will most likely step in at some point this season.