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Atlanta Falcons

Coach Mike Smith reveals the process of persuading Tony Gonzalez to return to the Falcons for one more season, including a personal visit to Gonzalez' home in California.

Five finalists, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, are in the running to build the new $1 billion stadium for the Falcons.

Which player is the wildcard to boost the Falcons' pass rush? Jay Adams, of the team's website, says look no further than Stansly Maponga.

Central Florida’s Kemal Ishmael "looks to have all the potential in the world on paper, and comes into next week’s start of OTAs with a solid college career," Adams reports.

Carolina Panthers

On Tuesday, the Panthers begin their first of 10 OTAs, and CarolinaPanthers.com writer Max Henson lists five storylines to watch, focusing on Mike Shula running the offense and cornerback depth. Also, the Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person lists his own OTA storylines, including Jon Beason's status, and areas for Cam Newton to work on.

The Salt Lake Tribune profiles Panthers' first-round pick Star Lotulelei, who was "once a 'lazy' student, by his coach’s account, Star is now a husband, father and good example to a brother, Lowell, who will follow him in the University of Utah’s program. Lotulelei also is about to become only the sixth first-round draft choice from a Utah high school."

Defensive tackle Colin Cole, who signed with the Panthers in February, is working hard to return from injury and show he can be a starter again.

New Orleans Saints

A potential bidder for Super Bowl LII in 2018 includes New Orleans. The Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan writes "New Orleans is expected to go 'all in' for the event, which would highlight the city's yearlong tricentennial celebration."

The Saints began their transition to a 3-4 defense with defensive captain Will Smith working at outside linebacker, rather than the defensive end spot.

New Orleans has waived defensive end Braylon Broughton. His roster spot will be filled by defensive tackle Isaako Aaitui.

How Sean Payton's third defensive coordinator in three seasons handles the defense after last season is one of the major questions on the field as the Saints begin OTAs Tuesday, according to the Times-Picayune's Larry Holder.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis talks with NFL.com's Andrea Kremer about his attitude toward returning to the field with a new team and in a new city. Revis: "This ain't like New York. Sunny all day, every day."

Following the first practice of OTAs on Monday, Bucs coach Greg Schiano told local reporters that there is no quarterback controversy in Tampa Bay. “We have our starting quarterback. It's Josh Freeman,” Schiano said.

This is the age of the young quarterback, writes NFL.com, which is counting down the top 10 quarterbacks 25 or under during the next two weeks. The series kicks off Tuesday with Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman, who is a talented quarterback, but "can be a different player from quarter-to-quarter, game-to-game."

Atlanta Falcons

General manager Thomas Dimitroff tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the Falcons are not in a rush to get a contract together for quarterback Matt Ryan because, "We all know that Matt is going to be here for a long time."

For those who are interested in the Falcons' new stadium, the Atlanta Business Chronicle presents two slideshows that illustrate the proposed designs, as well as an illustration of how the stadium could spur more development.

Carolina Panthers

Can Panthers quarterback Cam Newton continue to evolve into a marketing star? ESPN.com's Kristi Dosh examines where Newton stands and what it will take to cash in on more endorsements.

"Regardless of what type of season (Jon Beason) has, the Panthers should cut him at the end of the season. He won’t help them, so they shouldn’t help him," writes Brett Jensen of CBS Charlotte.

New Orleans Saints

Defensive tackle Tom Johnson tells the Sun Herald he's primed for a new position in the Saints' new defense, and he's ready for his role to expand.

Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt was one of many current and past Saints coaches and players who took part in the Black & Gold Classic on Friday, the Times-Picayune reports. "I came to support the cause and these great players," Vitt said of the event, which benefits the Green Beret and Navy Seal Foundation.

Cameron Jordan is ready to take on new coordinator Rob Ryan’s 3-4 defense, a change from last season’s 4-3 alignment under Steve Spagnuolo that led to historically infamous results.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is Josh Freeman feeling the pressure to win in 2013? If he's not, the Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufman writes the veteran quarterback should be.

Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon talks about his goals for his first season with the Buccaneers.

Shelton Quarles, Jon Gruden, Josh Freeman and Doug Martin were just a few of the participants in a Celebrity Waiter Night to benefit Quarles' IMPACT Foundation.

We haven’t heard much about Cam Newton lately.

Since early last season, it seems Newton has been overshadowed by a bunch of young quarterbacks. Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III started winning and took a lot of attention off Newton, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011.

But it would be a huge mistake for anyone to overlook Newton. Call it bouncing back, breaking through or whatever you want, but I’m predicting a big 2013 season from the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. Yeah, I’ll even step out on a limb and say he has a better 2013 season than Wilson, Kaepernick, Luck and RG III.

Why?

Several reasons pop to mind, but let’s start with this -- Newton has more all-around talent than any of those guys.

Luck can pass nicely, but opposing defenses don’t have to game plan for his running ability. Wilson, RG III and Kaepernick each have some throwing ability, but they aren’t pure pocket passers, and their big 2012 seasons came largely because of their mobility.

Newton is capable of more than any of those guys, because he’s as mobile as RG III, Kaepernick and Wilson. At the same time, he’s as good a pocket passer as Luck.

A lot of people think Newton slumped in 2012. But that’s not necessarily true. His numbers were comparable to his rookie season, but his visibility lessened because the Panthers didn’t take the leap many expected.

They went 7-9 and were largely overlooked.

But you can’t overlook Newton and the Panthers headed into the 2013 season, and that takes us back to Newton’s rare ability. He is so talented, I don’t think Carolina’s coaching staff really knew how to maximize his ability in his first two seasons.

For reasons that never have been explained and I sure as heck can’t figure out, the Carolina coaching staff didn’t take advantage fully of what Newton brings or what else was on the roster at the start of last season.

Although the Panthers had a talented (and very pricey) backfield with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert, they barely used that trio at the start of last season. Instead, they featured Newton heavily in the read-option early last season.

In other words, they turned their quarterback into a running back.

Opposing defenses didn’t have to worry much about Newton’s passing, and that was one of the major reasons the Panthers got off to a 2-8 start.

That changed down the stretch. The Panthers got back to using a power running game, and they let Newton be a pocket passer. They won enough games to save coach Ron Rivera’s job.

Rivera and his staff took notice of what happened late in the season, and that is another reason I think Newton is in for a big season. Rivera has said he wants to rely more heavily on the power running game in 2013.

In other words, it sounds like the Panthers are going to let their running backs be running backs, and they’re going to let Newton be a quarterback. That sounds to me like a formula for success.

Carolina is going through a change. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and former quarterbacks coach Mike Shula is taking over the play-calling duties.

Shula had a reputation for being too conservative when he was the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, and the head coach at the University of Alabama. But, like Newton, I think Shula is ready for a breakout season.

Part of the reason Shula was so conservative in previous stops was because he didn’t have big-time talent at the skill positions. He has that talent now with Newton, the running backs, receiver Steve Smith and tight end Greg Olsen.

I still expect Shula to be a bit more of a traditionalist than Chudzinski, but I think that’s a good thing. He’s going to rely on that running game more, and that’s going to open up the passing game for Newton.

Newton threw for more than 7,900 yards in his first two seasons. He also rushed for more than 700 yards in each of his first two seasons.

Newton’s legs are a valuable asset, and the Panthers can’t ignore that. The Panthers can use the threat of Newton’s running skills to keep defenses off balance, but they also need to keep their offense balanced.

I think they need to adjust things a bit and take an approach similar to what they were using at the end of last season. Scrap the read-option, or at least cut way back on it. Let Newton use his legs to scramble and keep plays alive.

But, first and foremost, let Newton be a passer.

There aren’t many quarterbacks in the league with Newton’s arm strength. The Panthers need to play to that strength.

If they do, Newton won’t be overlooked anymore, and this team could be in the playoffs.

After spending the last two seasons as the quarterbacks coach, Mike Shula has stepped up to the role of offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. But it sounds like he also is prepared to be a psychologist of sorts.

Shula said it’s important for third-year quarterback Cam Newton to do a better job of keeping his emotions in check.

"The more you can continue to stay on an even plane and lead the group of guys around you, the more effective you are going to be as a quarterback," Shula said.

In his first two seasons, Newton has drawn criticism from fans for showing his emotions when things haven’t gone well. Even wide receiver Steve Smith once called out Newton for pouting on the sidelines. Shula said Newton has to stay on a more even keel.

"Probably the biggest thing for him is maintaining that balance," Shula said. "Because everything around you during the football season is going to be up and down."

Shula has plenty of other things to worry about as he puts his stamp on the offense. But helping Newton with his poise is a big part of the job.

The good news is that Shula and Newton already have a good relationship. Now that Shula has a bigger title, he might have even more influence, and Newton might be more open to trying to control his emotions.

Matt McGloin is going to this weekend’s Carolina Panthers minicamp on a tryout basis. He is a long shot to even get a roster spot.

But I’m not going to write off McGloin because way too many people have done that in the past and ended up being very wrong.

If you don’t know McGloin’s story, it’s worth running through now. Since high school, people have been telling McGloin he doesn’t have the necessary arm strength or size.

I don’t know McGloin, but I’ve followed his career closely since his days at West Scranton (Pa.) High because that’s about 15 miles from where I grew up. My nephew was a class behind McGloin in high school.

When McGloin went to Penn State University as a walk-on, I, like a lot of people, thought that would be the last we’d ever hear of him. Fact is, he is short and the arm strength isn’t great.

But there’s something special about McGloin. Call it intangibles, call it moxie or whatever you want. The guy somehow worked his way into the starting quarterback job at Penn State, something never before accomplished by a walk-on at that school.

McGloin was pretty ordinary at first. But when things started crumbling at Penn State due to the Jerry Sandusky scandal, McGloin became a rock. As other highly-touted players were transferring away and Penn State was going through its first coaching change in about 50 years, McGloin held the program together. He turned in a record-setting senior year as Penn State recorded a very respectable season.

With the Panthers, McGloin’s walking into a situation where Cam Newton is the unquestioned starter. The Panthers also have veteran backups in Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen. They also have Colby Cameron.

The odds are long. But the Panthers have salary-cap issues and Anderson and Clausen are making decent money. If McGloin can show a little of the heart he showed at Penn State, maybe the Panthers will decide to keep him around and give him a shot to stick as the third quarterback or on the practice squad. His chances aren't great, but McGloin has overcome longer odds in the past.

Time for a run through the morning headlines from around the division:

ATLANTA FALCONS

General manager Thomas Dimitroff believes in drafting guys that were team captains in college because he thinks it brings leadership and character. Daniel Cox points out that six of the eight players drafted by Dimitroff this year were team captains in college. Since his arrival in 2008, Dimitroff has drafted 23 team captains. He’s not the only NFC South general manager to subscribe to this theory. Tampa Bay’s Mark Dominik also is a big believer in drafting captains.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Max Henson takes exception to the argument that Cam Newton isn’t an elite quarterback by pointing to stats from his first two seasons. Is Newton elite? I don’t think he has been yet, but I think he has the talent to get there.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Although it could mean direct competition for his starting spot, Roman Harper said he’s happy the Saints used their first-round pick on Kenny Vaccaro. I’m not sure exactly how they’re going to do it, but I think the Saints will juggle Harper, Vaccaro and Malcolm Jenkins enough to give all three safeties a good amount of playing time.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Martin Fennelly calls Ronde Barber’s interception return for a touchdown against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game the biggest play in franchise history. No argument here. Although Barber officially will announce his retirement Thursday afternoon, that play is going to stay with Tampa Bay fans forever.

Let's take a look at some odds and ends from around the division:

ATLANTA FALCONS

John Manasso throws out the possibility of defensive end Kroy Biermann getting some playing time at outside linebacker, particularly when the Falcons use a 3-4 set. The coaching staff hasn’t mentioned anything about this yet. But it makes plenty of sense. Biermann is very versatile and could bring the threat of a pass rush from an outside linebacker spot.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Cam Newton said he’s not envious that Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick took the spotlight off him. Instead, Newton said the success of the other young quarterbacks helps to motivate him. Newton is as talented as any of those guys. If the Panthers can figure out the right way to use him, Newton will be back in the spotlight in a hurry.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

In this lengthy feature on rookie John Jenkins, Larry Holder points out that the defensive tackle’s weight has fluctuated to as high as 360 pounds. Coach Sean Payton already has said he wants Jenkins to play at about 340 pounds. That could provide a very nice anchor to the middle of the Saints’ new 3-4 scheme.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The big news here, of course, is that defensive back Ronde Barber has decided to retire. But, in other news, Mark Cook reports that the Bucs are not interested in veteran defensive ends Dwight Freeney or John Abraham. I think there was a lot of wishful thinking about those two from fans. But bringing in veterans doesn’t fit the Bucs’ profile, especially at defensive end where they have high draft picks invested in Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers.

It’s time for one of our periodic salary-cap checks for all four NFC South teams. But let’s take this one a little further than usual.

Let’s look at where each team stands in relation to the cap for three years.

Atlanta Falcons: They’re $2.183 million under this year’s salary cap and they still have to sign their draft picks. But the Falcons will get $4.5 million in cap relief after June 1 when Tyson Clabo’s hit gets divided over two years. The Falcons already have $101.6 million in cap space committed for 2014 when the cap is expected to be slightly more than $120 million. That means the Falcons have some room to work with as they attempt to sign quarterback Matt Ryan to a contract extension. The good news is the Falcons have plenty of flexibility going forward because they only have $59 million committed toward the 2015 cap.

Carolina Panthers: At the moment, the Panthers are $5.28 million under the cap. That gives them room to sign their draft picks and enough room to sign some players if injuries come during the season. But the Panthers, who had to work hard to get under this year’s cap, are going to face similar obstacles going forward. They already have $125 million committed toward the 2014 cap. Perhaps more importantly, they have $109 million committed toward the 2015 cap. Carolina has only 21 players under contract through 2015 and quarterback Cam Newton isn’t one of them. General manager Dave Gettleman still has a long way to go to get out of the cap nightmare predecessor Marty Hurney left behind.

New Orleans Saints: They’re $3.1 million under this year’s cap after restructuring a bunch of contracts. But the downside to the restructures is that the Saints have pushed a lot of cap room into future years. They have $140.5 million (second only to Dallas at $145 million) already committed to the 2014 cap. The Saints only have 23 players under contract through 2015 and they already have $113 million in cap space committed toward that year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They still are $19.2 million under this year’s cap. It’s likely a good chunk of that will be carried over to next year. That’s a good thing because the Bucs already have $117.9 million committed to 2014 and they might have to sign quarterback Josh Freeman to a big contract extension. The Bucs have $99.7 million in cap space committed to 2015.

Time for a morning run through the headlines from around the division:

ATLANTA FALCONS

With the retirement of center Todd McClure and the release of right tackle Tyson Clabo, the Falcons have to revamp their offensive line. D. Orlando Ledbetter writes that it looks like Peter Konz will move from right guard to center. That’s an obvious move since Konz was a center in college. But the other two moves aren’t quite as clear and Mike Johnson could end up being the deciding factor. He could end up challenging Lamar Holmes at right tackle or Garrett Reynolds at right guard.

Quarterback Matt Ryan, who went to Boston College, threw out the first pitch at Tuesday night’s Gwinnett Braves’ game as part of the team’s Boston Strong night.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

David Monroe, one of the few people to be employed by the Panthers longer than John Kasay, has a fine tribute to the retiring kicker. Monroe had an inside view of Kasay’s career and he knows that it was about a lot more than what the kicker did on the field. During Kasay’s time in Carolina, he might have had more of an impact on the locker room than any kicker ever has.

Quarterback Cam Newton had been bouncing back and forth between the team’s offseason program and classes at Auburn in recent weeks. But Newton recently took his final exams and is now focused solely on football.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Nakia Hogan has an in-depth profile of rookie offensive tackle Terron Armstead. The thing that stood out to me most was Armstead’s performance at the college scouting combine. His numbers were off the charts and he ran the 40-yard dash faster than any offensive lineman in the history of the event (4.71 seconds). I think Armstead is going to get a long look in training camp and could have a shot to beat out Charles Brown and Jason Smith at left tackle.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Defensive end Da’Quan Bowers said he’s focused on becoming a dominant player. He hasn’t been that in his first two seasons, but Bowers refused to blame that on injuries. He said it’s time to step up in his third season. That’s what the Bucs are counting on. They let Michael Bennett, who led the team in sacks last year, leave via free agency because they believe Bowers is ready to take the next step.

It’s that time of year when everyone is making lists about various topics, so let’s turn to another one.

Matthew Berry ranks the 200 best fantasy football picks for 2013. The best fantasy player in the NFC South?

According to Berry, it’s Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin. Berry ranks Martin as the No. 5 player, behind only Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, Ray Rice and Marshawn Lynch. They’re all great running backs, but I think Martin has a chance to climb a spot or two on the list once the season gets rolling.

People tend to forget that Martin played his entire rookie season without guard Davin Joseph and about half of it without guard Carl Nicks. Put those two back in the middle of the line and it’s not hard to imagine Martin putting up numbers even better than he did in his first season.

Fantasy football tends to put a lot of value on running backs and Atlanta’s Steven Jackson also comes in with a high ranking. Berry put Jackson at No. 12.

Now, let’s leave it up to Berry to bring back up the spirits of those Saints fans that took a hit earlier when Pro Football Focus ranked Drew Brees No. 79 on its list of the NFL’s top 100 players. Berry has Brees at No. 15 overall and second among quarterbacks (behind only Aaron Rodgers).

Brees is always a good fantasy pick, but I think he could be better than usual this year. Coach Sean Payton had a full season off to come up with new wrinkles for his offense, and that can only help Brees’ numbers.

Berry also scored some points with New Orleans fans by rating Jimmy Graham as the league’s top tight end (No. 20 overall).

Some other NFC South players on Berry’s list:

• No. 25 Atlanta receiver Julio Jones

• No. 28 Atlanta receiver Roddy White

• No. 31 Carolina quarterback Cam Newton

• No. 33 Tampa Bay receiver Vincent Jackson

• No. 45 New Orleans receiver Marques Colston

• No. 56 New Orleans running back Darren Sproles

• No. 57 Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez

• No. 59 Carolina receiver Steve Smith

• No. 64 Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan

• No. 76 New Orleans receiver Lance Moore

• No. 86 Tampa Bay receiver Mike Williams

• No. 103 New Orleans running back Mark Ingram

• No. 104 Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart

• No. 110 Carolina tight end Greg Olsen

• No. 118 Atlanta running back Jacquizz Rodgers

• No. 141 Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman

• No. 144 New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas

• No. 164 Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams

• No. 174 Carolina receiver Brandon LaFell

• No. 191 Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant

Their offseason program barely has begun but the Atlanta Falcons already are devising game plans for the upcoming season.

“We’ve already put one day in the books, where it was pretty much just about the way we are defending the read-option,” linebacker Sean Weatherspoon told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’re heading in that direction.”

It already was widely reported that Atlanta’s defensive staff spent some time at Clemson studying the read-option offense in March. But it’s worth exploring this matter a little further.

The read-option and the pistol are the hot offensive trends in the NFL and the Falcons had mixed results against them last season. Carolina’s Cam Newton put up big numbers against the Falcons using the read option in two regular-season games. Atlanta had some success against Washington’s Robert Griffin III.

But the Atlanta defense had problems with Seattle’s read-option and San Francisco’s pistol offense in the postseason. All four of those teams are on Atlanta’s schedule in 2013.

Clemson’s offense employs aspects of the read-option and the pistol, so it was a good idea for Atlanta’s defensive coaches to exchange ideas with the college’s offensive coaches. If the Falcons are going to have success in the upcoming season, they’ll have to defend the read option and the pistol.

“The Wildcat was rolling for a while,” Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “Then I think it changed. There are some incredibly intelligent defensive coordinators and driven head coaches who are telling their defensive coordinators, 'Figure it out and figure it out now.'"

Count Atlanta coach Mike Smith and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan among that group. The real proof will come on the field, but Smith and Nolan already are getting their team ready for the read-option and the pistol.

Time for a morning run through the headlines from around the NFC South:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Jay Adams has the list of numbers Atlanta’s draft picks will wear. First-round pick Desmond Trufant will wear No. 21.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Quarterback Cam Newton is branching out into the fashion world. Newton will have his own line of clothing with a major retailer.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Former Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas wasn’t drafted. But he has one advantage after signing with the Saints. Thomas has plenty of experience in the 3-4 scheme the Saints are switching to. That could give him a shot at landing a roster spot.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Martin Fennelly writes that there’s no way the Bucs should bring in Tim Tebow because they don’t need the distraction. I wouldn’t worry too much about the former University of Florida star landing in Tampa Bay. The Bucs, like a lot of other teams, have no interest in Tebow.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

The NFC South might be the only division in the NFL with four franchise quarterbacks, assuming Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman can be just a little more consistent.

When Freeman is on his game, he joins Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Carolina’s Cam Newton to give the division four high-octane offenses. In recent years, defense has become something of a lost art in the NFC South. But that may be about to change.

The division-wide theme to the 2013 NFL draft was to load up on defense, even to a point where it looked like teams were overcompensating at what had been problem spots.

Carolina used its first two picks on defensive tackles (Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short). Atlanta used its first two picks on cornerbacks (Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford). Even after trading for cornerback Darrelle Revis, Tampa Bay used its first pick on cornerback Johnthan Banks. And New Orleans, the league’s worst defense last season, used its first pick on safety Kenny Vaccaro.

Will that be enough to shut down Ryan, Brees, Newton and Freeman? Probably not. But all four NFC South defenses suddenly got better over the past few days.

BEST MOVE

This wasn’t a flashy draft for the division. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Teams focused on the basics, and no team did a better job of that than Carolina.

New general manager Dave Gettleman apparently believes that everything starts up front. His selection of Lotulelei was a stroke of intelligence and a little bit of luck. By all rights, Lotulelei shouldn’t have been available at No. 14. Just a few months ago, people were talking about him as perhaps the No. 1 overall pick.

But a pre-draft medical scare caused Lotulelei’s stock to fall. He checked out fine medically, and I’m sure the Panthers did plenty of homework on his health situation. They ended up getting the best defensive tackle in the draft. Put Lotulelei in a rotation with Short and Dwan Edwards, and defensive tackle suddenly becomes a strength for Carolina. With the infusion of talent in the middle of the line, a Carolina front seven that’s good everywhere else could become a real force.

RISKIEST MOVE

I’m not knocking the Saints’ selection of Vaccaro. He has a great skill set, and he’s going to make a secondary that needed help much better. But I do have to question the wisdom of taking a safety with their first pick.

New Orleans is in the process of switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme. That means you have to have the right personnel for the 3-4, and I’m not sure the Saints have that. The key to a 3-4 scheme is having an edge pass-rusher. The Saints could have had outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, who was a productive rusher in college, at No. 15, but they passed on him and took Vaccaro. That was New Orleans’ one big chance to get a pass-rusher because the Saints have been limited as to what they were able to do in free agency by the salary cap.

Maybe Victor Butler, Martez Wilson and Junior Galette will provide a strong pass rush. But they’re all unknown commodities. If the pass rush doesn’t make an impact, life isn’t going to be easy for Vaccaro and the secondary.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

Immediately after the season ended, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano talked about how he wanted to bring in someone to compete with Freeman for the starting job. That caused a bit of a stir in Tampa Bay, but the coach backed away from that statement several times, saying he simply meant he wants to improve the competition at all positions. In other words, Freeman is the starter as he heads into a contract year.

But Schiano, who wasn’t around when Freeman was drafted, opened the way for a quarterback controversy the first time Freeman struggles by drafting NC State quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round. The Bucs had more pressing needs, such as tight end and depth on the defensive line, at that point in the draft.

Yet they took Glennon, who might have stuck around for another round or two. Freeman still is the starter, and maybe everything will work out fine for him. But he suddenly is on a short leash. Schiano now has a quarterback that he drafted and could turn to if Freeman has a few bad games.

FILE IT AWAY

Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo, taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round, can be a better NFL player than his draft position and college numbers would indicate. Toilolo was overshadowed by Coby Fleener and Zach Ertz.

In 2010, Toilolo beat out both of them for the starting job. That lasted for only one game as Toilolo suffered a knee injury in the first game of the season. He came back but took on a secondary role.

He doesn’t stand out as a receiver or a blocker, but he’s decent in both areas and has lots of upside. Toilolo could be coming into an ideal situation in Atlanta. He’ll get to learn from Tony Gonzalez for a year. After that, Toilolo could become the starter.

I’m not saying he’ll turn into the second coming of Gonzalez. But Atlanta has so many other offensive weapons that Toilolo could end up being a productive tight end.

Time for an afternoon run through some odds and ends from around the division:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Quarterback Matt Ryan said he’s not worried about a timetable on a contract extension. I don’t think there’s much to worry about here. The Falcons are intent on getting Ryan locked up for the long term and I think they’ll turn their focus to a deal soon after the draft is over.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Joseph Person reports that quarterback Cam Newton will be bouncing back and forth between Charlotte and Auburn University, where he has been taking classes, for the first few weeks of the Panthers’ offseason program.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

The team has signed veteran quarterback Seneca Wallace. He is expected to compete with Luke McCown for the backup job behind Drew Brees. I still wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints add a young, developmental quarterback at some point.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Amid reports that the New York Jets have hit the “pause button’’ on a potential trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis, coach Greg Schiano would only say the Bucs always are looking for ways to improve their team. Schiano can’t talk about players currently under contract with other teams. But I’m pretty sure the Bucs remain very interested in Revis. I also think the Jets are simply negotiating to try to get the best deal possible and I think the Bucs are taking a similar approach. Stay tuned because I think this one is far from over.

The ESPN Blog Network mock draft is coming next week and I’ve got some good ideas of what I plan to do for all four teams.

But this isn’t like the 2011 draft when I knew weeks in advance that I’d be taking Cam Newton for the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 overall.

Without an NFC South team picking until nearly the middle of the first round, I’m going to be at the mercy of those picking above me.

I’m going to run through the four teams and share with you what scenarios I’m thinking about and invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Let’s start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the No. 13 overall pick.

A lot depends on whether the Bucs pull off a trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis. Although I think that trade is likely, I have to prepare with the assumption it will not happen.

Without Revis, there’s a glaring need at cornerback. My leading scenario at the moment would be to have the Bucs trade up (probably into the top five) to get Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner. He’s the only sure-thing as a cornerback in the draft, and I think it makes sense to go get him.

If the Bucs stay put at No. 13, I’m not feeling great about the cornerback options. I would consider Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes and Washington’s Desmond Trufant. But my personnel thought is that No. 13 is too early to take either player. However, there are rumblings the Bucs are really high on Rhodes.

Although I’m not as high on Rhodes, I might take him if the rumblings continue to get stronger.

But I’m also considering a few other options beyond cornerback. Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was considered as a possibility for the No. 1 overall pick before a medical concern was raised. Lotulelei reportedly has been medically cleared, but you see him all over the board in mock drafts.

If he’s available at No. 13, I’ll consider him. Once upon a time, the Bucs took a shot on a defensive tackle whose stock had fallen. That was Warren Sapp in 1995 and he’ll be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. I might also consider Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson for the Bucs.

I also may consider West Virginia receiver Tavon Austin. Although I don’t think the Bucs really need him, there’s been some buzz that the team is enthralled with him. If I get more indications that’s true, I might go with Austin.

And I’ll end it with one scenario that’s received almost no attention. Under the right circumstances, I might even consider Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. This might be a little early for a tight end, but Eifert has the potential to be a great one. At the moment, the Bucs have nothing but mediocrity on their roster at tight end.