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METAIRIE, La. -- Before I head over to the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility for the second day of minicamp, let’s take a look at the headlines from around the NFC South.

• Atlanta secondary coach Tim Lewis admitted he was surprised by how well cornerback Robert McClain played last season. McClain essentially was the fifth player the Falcons tried at nickel back. Once McClain got his chance, he thrived. But McClain is going to have to earn playing time all over again this season after the team used its first two draft picks to add cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford.

• New Orleans cornerback Keenan Lewis, who reportedly missed Tuesday’s minicamp sessions after being hospitalized briefly because of stomach pains, tweeted that he expects to make an appearance at minicamp Wednesday.

• New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham said he’s hungry to right the wrongs of last season. As I’ve said before, I think Graham is poised for a big year. He played with a wrist injury last season that undoubtedly led to him leading the league in drops. The wrist is healthy now, and Graham looked great in Tuesday’s minicamp.

• Tampa Bay defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who was limited by injuries in his first two seasons, said anything less than a double-digit-sack season will be a failure. I think that’s the way the Bucs look at it, too. They clearly are counting on big things from Bowers after letting Michael Bennett depart as a free agent. If Bowers can stay healthy, I think double-digit sacks are a possibility.

METAIRIE, La. -- It’s never too early to talk fantasy football, so let me throw you a little tip.

If you’re inclined to draft a tight end early, go grab New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham. Call it a hunch, but I’m expecting a monstrous season from Graham. It’s more than a hunch, really. My theory is based on how spectacular Graham looked in Tuesday morning’s minicamp practice.

It’s also based on the fact that Graham is back to full health after playing with a wrist injury, which I think was more serious than he ever let on, much of last season.

“Certainly getting him back from his offseason surgery and I know he’s anxious to get started on this year,’’ coach Sean Payton said. “But I thought his practice today stood out.’’

Graham didn’t have a bad season last year as he caught 85 passes for 982 yards and nine touchdowns. But he didn’t take the next step that many expected after he caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011.

I think a lot of that had to do with the wrist injury. Graham led the NFL with 14 drops last season.

“We had a handful of guys that played through some injuries,’’ Payton said. “We had a handful of drops. Certainly, his expectation level is high, just as ours is as well and I look forward to watching him this upcoming season and seeing him progress.’’

I think a healthy wrist will help eliminate most of the drops and I expect Graham’s numbers to be as good, or better, than they were in 2011.

Time for a look at some team-by-team highlights from Friday’s NFC South chat:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Jack (Atlanta, Ga.): Who's do you think would be the best free agent fit for Atlanta right now?

Pat Yasinskas: I'll go the popular route and say Richard Seymour. But probably not until after June 1 when they have more cap room.

Brad (Atlanta): Do you think Roddy remains the #1 WR as long as he is a Falcon? Or do you think Julio takes that role soon, and if so should there be a worry that Roddy would be too "diva-ish"?

PY: Think they're already kind of 1A and 1B. Roddy certainly has some diva tendencies, but he's a guy that wants to win first and foremost.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Rob (Houston): Pat - should the Panthers try to sign Quentin Jammer as a #1 CB? I'm surprised with the former Charger pipeline set-up that he hasn't at least been brought in for a visit.

PY: Probably a reason he's not already there. He showed signs of age last year.

Tyler (In Class): I used to think fairly highly of Marty Hurney. But the more research I do, the more I dislike him. He brought in some great players, even possible hall of famers. But when it came to the business side I think he really messed up.

PY: Well, they do have a cap mess now. But not sure Hurney deserves all of the blame. Think he might have been ordered by ownership to give some contract extensions that weren't all that prudent.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Mark (NH): What are the expectations for the Saints now that "Bountygate" is virtually behind them? Coach is back, players are back, and the team has changed a bit. What type of team will they field?

PY: Think just getting Payton back is going to help tremendously. But they still have to play some defense.

Scott (Northglenn, CO): Fair to say that injuries were the reason for Jimmy Graham's regression last year, and that if he's fully healthy, he should be dominant again?

PY: Think that's probably fair to say and I think the injuries also factored into his issue with drops.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Brenden (Florida) [via mobile]: Hey Pat, I know by some of your earlier articles that you were never a really big fan of Ronde Barber in the hall of fame and I was just wondering if you have changed your stance yet on wether Ronde should or could be in the hall and if so do you think he will make it on the first try? Also had Ronde played another year and pushed his career interception total to 50 and his career sack total to 30 he would have been a lock for the hall? Considering if he had gotten significant playing time.

PY: He's in the conversation for HOF. But I don't think it's the slam dunk that so many seem to think. Terrell Buckley had 50 INTs and nobody even thinks of him as a potential HOF. Aeneas Williams had over 50 INTs and he can't get into HOF. Ronde has a chance, but it's not automatic.

kyle (northampton, pa): do you see Doug Martin rushing for 1500 yds this year? with 8-10 TD?

PY: Think that's entirely possible. Having Nicks and Joseph in front of him for an entire season is only going to help his numbers.

Here’s the complete transcript of Friday’s NFC South chat.

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

Earlier, we told you about New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees being included on a list of America’s most influential athletes. Well, it looks like Brees doesn’t have as much influence with one group.

That’s the fine folks over at Pro Football Focus, who compiled a list of the league’s top 101 players. They have Brees at No. 79.

Brees as the 79th best player in the NFL? I have to respectfully dispute that. I know 2012 wasn’t his best season, but I think this guy belongs in any list of the top 10 (at very least top 20) players in the game.

But I think the rest of the NFC South players on the list came in at just about the right spots. Here they are:

• No. 17 Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan

• No. 20 Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy

• No. 27 Tampa Bay receiver Vincent Jackson

• No. 44 Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez

• No. 49 Atlanta receiver Roddy White

• No. 69 Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson

• No. 73 Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones

• No. 82 Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David

• No. 86 Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy

• No. 88 Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin

I think Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis, Carolina center Ryan Kalil and Tampa Bay guard Carl Nicks also belong on any list of top players, but they all missed most of last season with injuries. I’d say Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham and New Orleans guard Jahri Evans also belong on the list.

All this has me thinking ahead to my NFC South top 25 list that I’m planning to run when I take time off this summer. I’ve already started working on the list. It isn’t finalized yet, but I can assure you Brees is going to come in with a much higher ranking.

There has been a lot of talk about Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan eventually getting a contract extension.

It’s going to be an expensive proposition for the Falcons. But it shouldn’t be all that complicated. The Falcons want Ryan for the long term and he wants to stay in Atlanta. Thanks to Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, the parameters are in place for a potential Ryan deal.

My guess is the Falcons and Ryan will reach an agreement sometime between now and the start of training camp. Of the NFC South players heading into the final year of their contracts, Ryan is the biggest name.

But I just scanned through the contract situations of all four NFC South rosters and I’m seeing at least one player from every team that could be in line for an extension. Let’s take a look:

Atlanta Falcons. Ryan obviously is the priority. But there’s one other player to keep an eye on in Atlanta. Defensive tackle Corey Peters is heading into the final year of his contract. Peters has become a solid starter and he’s helped by the fact that fellow defensive tackles Jonathan Babineaux and Peria Jerry also are headed into the final season of their contracts. Babineaux is aging and I don’t see the Falcons extending him. Jerry’s career has been thrown off track by injuries, so I don’t see him as a candidate for an extension. It would be nice to have a little bit of long-term stability at defensive tackle. The Falcons likely will free up some cap room when they extend Ryan and that could allow them to give Peters a new deal.

Carolina Panthers. They’ve spent this offseason trimming salary-cap space, but it might be time to think about spending a little money. Defensive end Greg Hardy is heading into the final season of his contract. Hardy reached double-digit sacks last season and he and Charles Johnson give the Panthers one of the league’s top defensive end tandems. The Panthers might be wise to extend Hardy soon. If he turns in another big season, his price tag is only going to go up.

New Orleans Saints. They’ve worked their way through a difficult salary-cap situation this offseason, but it might be time to take care of the most underpaid guy on the team. Tight end Jimmy Graham is heading into the last year of his contract. In becoming one of the league’s best tight ends, Graham clearly has outperformed his rookie contract. Graham hasn’t complained about his relatively low salary, but it might be wise to make a pre-emptive strike and make him happy.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wide receiver Mike Williams is headed into the final season of his contract and there have been indications the Bucs want to extend him soon. That would be a smart move. The Bucs have enough cap room to give Williams a front-loaded contract. He and Vincent Jackson form a very good combination at receiver. If the Bucs wait too long and Williams puts up another big season, he could get huge money on the free-agent market.

With the NFL draft approaching, I’m going to kick off a series in which I rank the team needs at each position group. We’ll start with the tight ends.

The earlier the ranking, the greater the need.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: If the season started today, they’d be in big trouble at tight end. Dallas Clark, last year’s starter, remains an unsigned free agent. Luke Stocker isn’t suddenly going to turn into a stud. I think there’s a very good chance Tampa Bay tries to get a tight end fairly early in the draft. If that doesn’t happen, the Bucs might have to bring back Clark or find some other veteran.

Atlanta Falcons: Tony Gonzalez is back for one more year (at least). There’s a school of thought that the Falcons should draft a tight end early and use this year to groom him. That might not be a bad idea. But I think the Falcons have more pressing needs. They’re in a win-now mode and they’ll probably be in a similar situation next season. It’s not an absolute necessity for them to get a tight end now.

Carolina Panthers: There’s no need for the Panthers to consider drafting a tight end early because Greg Olsen is firmly entrenched as the starter. Carolina could look for some depth to go with Ben Hartsock and Richie Brockel later in the draft.

New Orleans Saints: I can’t see the Saints drafting a tight end because it’s one of their strongest positions with Jimmy Graham and Benjamin Watson in place.

Here is how I see the New Orleans Saints' starting lineup as they head toward the NFL draft:

OFFENSE

WR Marques Colston

LT Charles Brown

LG Jahri Evans

C Brian De La Puente

RG Ben Grubbs

RT Zach Strief

TE Jimmy Graham

WR Lance Moore

QB Drew Brees

RB Pierre Thomas and/or Darren Sproles

FB Jed Collins

DEFENSE

DE Will Smith

DT Brodrick Bunkley

DE Cameron Jordan

OLB Victor Butler

ILB Curtis Lofton

ILB Jonathan Vilma

OLB Junior Galette or Martez Wilson

CB Keenan Lewis

CB Jabari Greer

FS Malcolm Jenkins

SS Roman Harper

Notes: Brown is not a sure thing at all at left tackle. The Saints may draft a left tackle or sign one later in free agency. The team has high hopes for Wilson and Galette, but still could look to add a pass-rushing linebacker. The starting cornerbacks are probably set, but the Saints still could look to upgrade over Patrick Robinson as the No. 3 cornerback.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at the top under-the-radar move made by each NFC South team thus far this offseason:

Atlanta Falcons: Most of the attention has gone to the additions of running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Osi Umenyiora. But the re-signing of safety William Moore might have been just as significant. Moore is coming off his first Pro Bowl season and is just hitting his prime. He should only continue to get better. He and free safety Thomas DeCoud have a chance to become one of the best safety tandems in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers: The salary cap has prevented the Panthers from making any significant moves in free agency. But they’ve been active in signing some role players. One addition who should be a nice fit is linebacker Chase Blackburn. New general manager Dave Gettleman knows him well from their time together with the New York Giants. The Panthers are set with Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Jon Beason as their starting linebackers. But Blackburn will give them a top-notch backup, which is important because Davis and Beason have had injuries in the past. He also is likely to be a regular on special teams.

New Orleans Saints: Most of the moves this offseason have been focused on the defensive side of the ball. But the Saints quietly made a move that should make a great offense even better when they signed veteran tight end Benjamin Watson. They already have one of the game’s best tight ends in Jimmy Graham. But Watson also is a good pass-catcher. Coach Sean Payton is an innovator, and I have no doubt he’s going to have a lot of sets in which he’ll use both tight ends to create nightmare matchups for opposing defenses.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The signing of safety Dashon Goldson was Tampa Bay’s biggest move of the offseason, but the Bucs have done a nice job of bringing in role players. One of them is running back Brian Leonard. He’s a jack of all trades and should fill the role as the third-down back. Leonard played for Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers. The Bucs are so confident in Leonard that they released D.J. Ware, who was the third-down back last year.

Almost all of the offseason talk about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has focused on a defense that ranked No. 31 in the NFL last season. But there’s one huge need on the other side of the ball that hasn’t drawn a lot of talk.

The Bucs need a pass-catching tight end. All the other teams in the NFC South have one (Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta and Greg Olsen in Carolina) or two (Jimmy Graham and Benjamin Watson in New Orleans).

But the Bucs, who like to say one of their priorities is to surround quarterback Josh Freeman with talent, have a gaping hole at tight end.

They have not re-signed free agent Dallas Clark. They did add Tom Crabtree, but he never has caught more than eight passes in a season. Crabtree can compete with Luke Stocker, Nate Byham, Drake Dunsmore and Zach Miller for the role as the complementary tight end. But the Bucs need a pass catcher.

The problem is, there aren’t a lot of pass-catching tight ends left in free agency. Take a look at our Free-Agent Tracker. Clark is tied for the highest grade among the unsigned unrestricted free agents. And the guy he’s tied with is Kellen Winslow, who I highly doubt will be returning to Tampa Bay anytime soon.

The Bucs may have to bring back the aging Clark, who was decent last season, but not nearly as prolific as he was in his prime in Indianapolis. Unless some veteran gets released, there aren’t many other proven pass catchers on the market.

The draft features two premier tight ends in Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz. But it’s hard to imagine the Bucs using the 13th overall pick on a tight end when they have such big needs on defense.

Maybe the Bucs will draft a tight end after the first round. Or maybe they’ll find one somewhere else in free agency.

But the Bucs have to find a pass-catching tight end for Freeman somewhere.

The New Orleans Saints apparently view tight end Benjamin Watson as something more than just a backup.

The proof is in his pay.

In a twist of fate, Watson will make more than $700,000 more than what starter Jimmy Graham does in total cash this year. According to numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Watson will earn $2.15 million this season, while Graham will make $1.323 million in 2013.

Anyone else out there thinking about a possible holdout by Graham if he doesn’t get an extension (and a big raise) of a rookie contract he clearly has outplayed?

For the record, Watson’s three-year deal is worth $4.95 million. He got a $1.2 million signing bonus and a $950,000 first-year base salary. Watson’s 2014 salary jumps to $1 million and he has a $250,000 roster bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus.

In 2015, Watson’s salary will be $1.2 million and he also will have a $250,000 roster bonus and a $50,000 workout bonus.

I’ve also obtained the numbers on some other contracts recently signed by New Orleans players. Receiver/special teams player Courtney Roby got a one-year deal worth $905,000. But the Saints designated Roby as a veteran minimum benefit player, meaning his cap figure for this year is just $555,000.

The Saints did a similar maneuver with linebacker Ramon Humber. His one-year deal is worth $740,000. But the veteran minimum benefit puts his cap number at $550,000.

According to my calculations, the Saints are roughly $1.85 million under the cap.

Let’s take a quick trip through some headlines from around the NFC South:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Another step toward a new downtown stadium could come Monday afternoon. Atlanta City Council may vote on a hotel tax that would help finance stadium construction.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

The agent for defensive end Greg Hardy has approached the Panthers about a contract extension. Hardy finished last season with 11 sacks and seems to be a player on the rise. He’s under contract through the end of this season. But I’m not so sure this is the best time for Hardy to be looking for an extension. First off, the Panthers don’t much salary-cap room this year or next. Second, the market for defensive ends isn’t great right now. Former Tampa Bay defensive end Michael Bennett, who might be a more complete player than Hardy, just signed a one-year deal with Seattle for a reported $5 million. Hardy might be better off going out and having another big season and then talking about an extension.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

The team has added some depth by signing veteran tight end Benjamin Watson. Jimmy Graham is the main tight end on this team, but the depth was lacking after the release of David Thomas. Watson should fix that. He caught 49 passes for Cleveland last season. The Saints also announced they have re-signed backup linebacker Ramon Humber to a one-year deal.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

It has been widely reported that the Bucs are trying to trade backup running back LeGarrette Blount. But Stephen Holder wonders what happens if no team is willing to deal for Blount. Would the Bucs simply release him? It’s possible. The Bucs kept him around as a backup to Doug Martin last season, but Blount got very little playing time. It’s pretty obvious the coaching staff isn’t that sold on Blount.

New Orleans center Brian De La Puente, who quietly has become a very solid anchor of the offensive line, was the biggest winner on the Saints when it came to the performance-based pool for the 2012 season.

The performance pool is designed to reward players with low base salaries who get significant playing time. De La Puente earned an extra $289,000, according to league sources.

The other New Orleans players to earn at least $100,000 from the pool were safety Isa Abdul-Quddus ($232,000), cornerback Corey White ($196,000), tight end Jimmy Graham ($146,000), safety Rafael Bush ($135,000), fullback Jed Collins ($134,000), defensive tackle Akiem Hicks ($129,000), defensive tackle Tom Johnson ($114,000), defensive end Junior Galette ($114,000), defensive end Martez Wilson ($113,000) and receiver Joe Morgan ($111,000).

The “Madden NFL 25’’ cover voting has arrived with a twist.

Instead of including only current players, one “legend’’ from each team is included. One current player from each team also is on the ballot.

Let’s start with the NFC South legends. Former Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme is matched up against Joe Montana. Delhomme is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever covered, but he’s got no chance of getting by a guy that might be the best quarterback ever.

Speaking of unfortunate draws, former Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks, who might be the best player out of the NFC South, is matched against Baltimore’s Ray Lewis. The timing here is horrible for Brooks because Lewis’ final act before retirement was to lead his team to a Super Bowl championship and that makes him a sentimental favorite.

Retired New Orleans running back Deuce McAllister also ended up with a tough draw. He goes against former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman. Saints’ fans are passionate, so let’s see if they can pull off an upset against one of the brightest stars from America’s team.

The only NFC South legend that appears to be a favorite is former Atlanta cornerback Deion Sanders, who goes against former Seattle defensive lineman Cortez Kennedy.

Oh, and there’s one more total mismatch that’s tied to the NFC South in the legends division. Carolina coach Ron Rivera is representing Chicago against Detroit’s Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. No offense to Rivera, who was a nice player, but wouldn’t Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers or Walter Payton at least stand a chance to win against Sanders?

Switching over to the active players, two of the NFC South’s bright young stars are matched up. Atlanta receiver Julio Jones and New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham are paired against each other.

Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin is matched against Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford. Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly is up against Baltimore running back Ray Rice.

Go do your civic duty and vote.

Check out this Insider post with the league’s 24 most undervalued players.

It features a couple of NFC South players and both are excellent choices.

Let’s start with New Orleans’ Brian De La Puente. He was one of the league’s biggest bargains last year when he made minimum salary. He’ll remain a big bargain even though the Saints will have to put a restricted free-agent tender on him to keep him this year. De La Puente remains a year away from a big payday.

But he’s turned into a very good center and that’s important in New Orleans. The Saints build their offensive line around the middle and they’ve got De La Puente surrounded by guards Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs.

The other NFC South player to make the list is Atlanta punter Matt Bosher. He got off to a rough start as a rookie in 2011. But, in 2012, he became a very solid punter and kickoff specialists.

The one player I thought should have made the list is New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham. He has totally outperformed his rookie contract and is one of the league’s best tight ends. I’ve got a feeling Graham’s agent has expressed that point to the Saints.