ESPN NFL

The final injury reports of the week are out, so let’s take a quick run through the injuries that matter most across the NFC South.

Saints. Coach Sean Payton went ahead and already declared running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush out. Same for cornerbacks Randall Gay and Tracy Porter. What’s it all mean? Get ready to see a lot of Ladell Betts and Julius Jones at running back and rookie cornerback Patrick Robinson. On a positive note, linebacker Scott Shanle, who was added to the injury report during the week, is listed as probable.

Falcons. They only have two injuries of real note. Defensive end John Abraham is listed as questionable with a back injury and was limited in Friday’s practice. Abraham is a veteran guy and things like this are going to happen, but I think he’ll be on the field Sunday, if at all possible. On the flip side, rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon also is listed as questionable with a knee injury and did not participate in practice. The Falcons aren’t going to rush their first-round pick back onto the field and risk making the injury worse. That decision is made a little easier by the fact they have a very competent alternative in former starter Stephan Nicholas.

Eagles. We’re going to step outside the division on this one for obvious reasons. Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said quarterback Michael Vick (ribs) will not start against the Falcons, his former team. Kevin Kolb will get the nod. But it appears to be at least a possibility Vick still could play. Vick is listed as questionable and took part in Friday’s practice on a limited basis.

Buccaneers. As we’ve known for several days, center Jeff Faine is out and will be for at least a month. Rookie receiver Mike Williams (foot) returned to practice on a limited basis, but is listed as questionable. Cornerback Elbert Mack is questionable, which could mean some action for rookie Myron Lewis.

Panthers. They’ve got their bye this week. But the good news is we only have to wait another week for new receiver Devin Thomas to come in and carry this franchise to victories in its next 11 regular-season games and straight to the Super Bowl. In fact, I’m hearing rumblings that, now that the Panthers have Thomas on board, Jerry Richardson and John Fox are going to dinner tonight to hammer out a life-time contract for the coach. General manager Marty Hurney originally was supposed to attend, but he’s going to be on the phone with general managers in Chicago and New York. Apparently, upon hearing of the Thomas acquisition, Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins have demanded to be traded back to the Panthers. Also, linebacker Kevin Greene is pondering coming out of retirement to join the dynasty.

Time to check in on the injuries that matter most across the NFC South.

Buccaneers. Fullback Earnest Graham was added to the injury list with a hamstring problem and did not practice Thursday. This one’s a concern because Graham is one of the unsung players on this team and does a lot of different things. On the positive front, safety Sean Jones (back) returned to practice and went through the full session after missing Wednesday and most of Sunday’s game. Finally, tight end Kellen Winslow practiced fully, which I’ve said before, is kind of like icing on the cake any time that happens.

Saints. New Orleans has 19 guys on the injury report, so we’ll cut through the guys that have been participating fully and the third-string guys and the guys we already know are out (Reggie Bush and Tracy Porter) and focus on the significant ones. Running back Pierre Thomas (ankle) had another day where he didn’t participate in practice. Cornerback Randall Gay (concussion) continues to sit out. Linebacker Scott Shanle was added to the injury report with a hamstring and was limited in practice.

Falcons. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (knee) remained out of practice and it’s looking like Stephen Nicholas might get the start Sunday. The Falcons also limited defensive end John Abraham (back), but I think that’s just a case of going easy on a veteran.

Eagles. Yeah, we’re stepping outside the division on this one, but I think you’ll understand why. Quarterback Michael Vick (ribs) was held out of practice again Thursday. Vick said he has done some throwing, but coach Andy Reid has said it’s unlikely Vick will play Sunday against his former team, unless he’s able to practice this week. Friday is Philadelphia’s final full practice before they face the Falcons.

Panthers. They have their bye week and don’t have to provide an injury report.

The Atlanta Falcons will be without starting linebacker Sean Weatherspoon for today’s game with San Francisco.

Weatherspoon missed practice all week with an ankle injury and has been placed on the inactive list. Stephen Nicholas, who was a starter last year, will start in Weatherspoon’s place. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins (shoulder) will miss his fourth straight game.

Also inactive for the Falcons are cornerback Dominique Franks, running back Gartrell Johnson, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson and defensive tackle Trey Lewis. John Parker Wilson is the third quarterback.

Teams have issued their Friday injury reports, so it’s time to take a look at the significant injuries across the NFC South.

Falcons. Rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is listed as questionable after sitting out practice for the third straight day. I’d look for Stephen Nicholas, a starter last year, to be back in the lineup. Safety Erik Coleman is listed as questionable with a knee injury, but went through the full practice Friday. I’d still expect to see William Moore start at safety. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins is questionable with a shoulder injury that’s held him out since the preseason. He practiced on a limited basis. I think the Falcons are treating this as Jenkins’ preseason, and the goal is to have him ready next week. Cornerback Brent Grimes also missed practice due to a family situation, but is expected to play Sunday.

Saints. Coach Sean Payton said running back Pierre Thomas (ankle) and safety Roman Harper (hamstring) will be game-time decisions. Payton said he needs to see some improvement from Thomas and Harper before deciding to let them play. If Thomas is out, look for Chris Ivory and Ladell Betts to share the work at tailback.

Panthers. Right tackle Jeff Otah will miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury. On the positive side, defensive ends Greg Hardy and Tyler Brayton returned to practice on a limited basis and are listed as questionable.

Buccaneers. They’re off this weekend, so there is no injury report.

As always, we covered a lot of ground in Friday’s NFC South chat. Here are some highlights.

nisarg (tarboro, nc): I’ve heard that the panthers are trying to trade Steve Smith for some draft picks. Why [in] the world would the Panthers do that he is the only player we have at WR making plays. Please tell me that this won't happen.

Pat Yasinskas: I think fans are getting a little too worked up about this. It's been thrown out there as speculation by a couple writers. Could it happen? I wouldn't rule it out. But, to the best of my knowledge, the Panthers aren't actively shopping Smith and he has NOT asked to be traded.

Bill (Bellingham): What kind of year do you see Mike Williams (TB) having? He's a big-play waiting to happen, but is he a WR the Bucs can and will lean on this year?

Pat Yasinskas: Think he's pretty much already their No. 1 and he should only keep getting better.

Paulitik (Alexandria, VA): Hey Pat, any word on Sean Weatherspoon's ankle? The Falcons are so hush about injuries, we don't know what to think. As much as I'd like to see him Sunday, we might need to rest him to chase down Vick in 2 weeks.

Pat Yasinskas: Nothing new today yet. Will get report later this afternoon. But he hasn't practiced last two days, so I'm not optimistic. Tend to agree with you about resting him for Philly. Going back to Stephan Nicholas for this game is not a big drop off.

Joel (Endicott, NY): How did John Fox ever find Jeff Davidson, I had never heard of him before he became the OC in Carolina, If I believe he was with the Browns before Carolina.............WHY DID FOX GET THIS GUY?

Pat Yasinskas: Davidson was viewed as a Charlie Weis clone. I'm not sure that Fox gave in to fan pressure. But there was a lot of fan pressure to get rid of Dan Henning. Just curious what Carolina fans think about Dan Henning these days?

Joel (Endicott NY): I was one of the people who wanted Henning out a couple years ago, I thought his play call was very very bad, and what did we do, we went and got another bad play caller. There is no imagination in the offense and we are making no attempt to get the ball to our best reciever, if hes doubled, move him around, at least Henning was able to get Smith the ball.

Pat Yasinskas: Think a lot of people share your thoughts on that one. But I think what it tells you is the OC isn't really the problem. Fox gives the orders about what he wants the offense to be in general and that really limits the OC.

For the complete transcript of the NFC South chat, click here.

We already checked in on some key injuries for the Saints. Now, let’s check in on the Falcons, who had a bit of significant news on the injury front Wednesday.

Atlanta rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon sat out practice with an ankle injury. Weatherspoon was carted off the field in New Orleans on Sunday, but that was because he was experiencing cramps. Coach Mike Smith said the ankle pain surfaced the next day and that he’s hopeful Weatherspoon might return to practice Thursday. The Falcons have some solid depth behind Weatherspoon. Stephan Nicholas started in Weatherspoon's position last year and continues to get a fair amount of work.

On the flip side of the injury spectrum, it looks like a couple injured players are close to being ready to return. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who has missed the first three games with a shoulder injury, practiced on a limited basis. I think there’s a decent chance Jenkins might make his season debut Sunday against San Francisco. Safety Erik Coleman, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. But it remains to be seen if the Falcons will put Coleman back in the starting lineup or stay with William Moore.

PITTSBURGH -- The Falcons have listed three changes to their starting lineup, but none of them are unexpected.

Harry Douglas will start at wide receiver in place of the injured Michael Jenkins. Rookie Sean Weatherspoon will start at linebacker. That’s really no surprise because it had been pretty obvious the Falcons were headed in that direction, but they had continued to list veteran Stephen Nicholas as the starter.

There’s a similar situation at left defensive end. Kroy Biermann will get the start, although Jamaal Anderson had been listed with the first team on the official depth chart given out here at Heinz Field.

TAMPA, Fla. -- I’m sitting here looking at Tampa Bay’s unofficial depth chart for this week and it made me wonder how many rookies across the NFC South we’re going to see in the starting lineup in the opening week of the regular season.

Let’s take a look at the prospects for each team.

Tampa Bay: Currently, the Bucs list receiver Mike Williams and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as starters. We’ve also got to include punter Brent Bowden. I think those three are set as starters, but the Bucs may have even more rookies in the lineup. Defensive tackle Brian Price fell behind a bit because of an injury, but he could vault ahead of Roy Miller. Second-round pick Arrelious Benn has come along a bit slower than Williams. He could move into the starting lineup at some point later in the season, but it looks like the Bucs will open the season with Reggie Brown, Sammie Stroughter or Maurice Stovall as their other receiver.

Carolina: Even though they are having a youth movement, there’s a chance the Panthers could open the season without a rookie in the starting lineup. Receiver Brandon LaFell is probably the best bet, even though the Panthers have been singing the praises of Dwayne Jarrett lately. Second-round pick Jimmy Clausen has been good in camp and was very good in the first preseason game, but the starting quarterback job still belongs to Matt Moore. Greg Hardy and Eric Norwood have had great camps, but probably will open the season as situational pass rushers.

Atlanta: It looks like first-round pick Sean Weatherspoon will start, but it still is unclear if he’ll be taking the spot of Stephan Nicholas or Mike Peterson. Third-round pick Corey Peters has a very real chance to be in the starting lineup, with defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux suspended for the opener and Peria Jerry coming back gradually from injury. At the very least, Peters is going to get significant playing time.

New Orleans: It’s looking like the Saints won’t have any rookies starting anytime soon. That’s not the mark of a bad draft. That’s the mark of general manager Mickey Loomis doing a nice job keeping the Super Bowl champions pretty much intact. You’ll probably see some of cornerback Patrick Robinson, offensive tackle Charles Brown and tight end Jimmy Graham as the season goes on.

Let’s take a quick look back at Atlanta’s 20-10 victory against Kansas City on Friday night. As always, it is merely preseason football, so the score and a lot of other things don't really matter. But let’s sort through what does matter.

• The biggest question mark about the Falcons is the defense. Well, the early impressions were positive. The first-team defense held the Kansas City offense to just 15 yards on eight plays in the first quarter. Yes, it’s the Chiefs, but this was still a nice start for the defense.
• The pass rush is the portion of that defense that everyone’s most concerned about. The early results on that were good, too. Kroy Biermann had a sack/fumble against Matt Cassel and Kansas City’s first-team offense. The Falcons have been talking a lot about how they’re going to rotate defensive linemen a lot this season. Biermann might not be a starter, but I think he and John Abraham will be the defensive ends in most passing situations.
• Sticking with the defense, Cassel was accurate in the first quarter, completing six of eight passes. But that went for a total of 25 yards. In other words, Atlanta’s secondary wasn’t giving up any deep plays.
• Speaking of the secondary, there’s been a quiet buzz around Atlanta’s camp about safety Shann Schillinger. That got louder against the Chiefs as Schillinger intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards to set up Atlanta’s first touchdown. As a sixth-round pick, Schillinger was a guy the Falcons thought they might stash on the practice squad when they first drafted him. Now, they’re thinking he’s got a real shot at making the roster as a backup safety with a chance to be a real force on special teams.
• One subtle thing that I thought was a very encouraging sign was that the Falcons used the no-huddle offense on their second series. I don’t have stats to back this up, but my general sense is they used that system a fair amount in quarterback Matt Ryan’s rookie year and seemed to have success with it. Last season, the Falcons seemed to get away from using it. I think Ryan’s a very sharp guy and would like to see him allowed to run the no-huddle offense a lot more this season.
• Coach Mike Smith sounded happy with the debut of rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. He started on the weak side as Mike Peterson sat out. Weatherspoon has been working on the strong side also. Everyone keeps asking if he’ll take Peterson’s place or be on the strong side in place of Stephen Nicholas. I don’t think the Falcons have really decided yet. But I think you still will see a lot of all three of those guys, because it sounds like the Falcons plan to rotate linebackers just like they’re going to do with defensive linemen.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Time for some observations and notes out of Tuesday morning’s combined practice between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.

• Although defensive tackle Peria Jerry got some work, coach Mike Smith already has ruled him out for the preseason opener against Kansas City. Cornerback Brian Williams and receiver Harry Douglas, who also are coming back from knee injuries, also have been ruled out. Smith said he’s optimistic all three can play later in the preseason.
• Douglas didn’t take part Tuesday morning and starting receiver Michael Jenkins is out for four to six weeks with a shoulder injury. That paved the way for veteran receiver Brian Finneran to get a lot of work with the first team. This is situation obviously in flux with Douglas expected to keep getting more work as the preseason goes on. Rookie Kerry Meier also is getting lots of work and has responded well. But Finneran’s experience allows the first-team offense to get work done without a lot of disruption. He knows the system and, as a run blocker, is a reasonable facsimile of Jenkins.
• Cornerback remains an interesting position on this team. Dunta Robinson is set as one starter, but he’s not practicing, although he’s expected to return soon. The Falcons seemed to be using Christopher Owens and Brent Grimes as their first-team cornerbacks and Chevis Jackson as the nickel back against the Jaguars and I didn’t notice any of them getting beat regularly.
• Curtis Lofton got all the first-team work in the middle and rookie Sean Weatherspoon and Stephan Nicholas seemed to get most of the work on the outside. Veteran Mike Peterson sat out and Weatherspoon worked in his spot on the weak side. The Falcons have given Weatherspoon time at both outside spots and it doesn’t sound like they’ve made any firm decision on where they will use him. By the way, it’s only practice, but I did notice the Falcons sending linebackers on blitzes several times.
• Looked like quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Roddy White already have their chemistry down. They hooked up on a nice pass to the back of the end zone in a red-zone drill.
• It also looked like reserve quarterback John Parker Wilson and reserve receiver Eric Weems have their timing down. I saw them connect on a nice touchdown later in that same red-zone drill.
• People in Atlanta always get a little nervous anytime veteran defensive end John Abraham gets up slowly or doesn’t appear to be moving well. There was one slight scare Tuesday morning. At one point, Abraham stayed on the ground a little longer than usual and got up slowly. He came over to the sideline and talked to a trainer. But it appeared as if Abraham and the trainer adjusted his shoulder pads a bit and he returned to practice quickly.
• I didn’t see Atlanta owner Arthur Blank out at practice. But Warrick Dunn, who now owns a portion of the team, showed up and was making the rounds on the sidelines. Dunn played running back for Tampa Bay and Atlanta. I saw him catching up with Jacksonville quarterbacks coach Mike Shula at one point. Shula was offensive coordinator when Dunn was playing for the Buccaneers early in the Tony Dungy years.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons hosted a joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday morning. They have another session this afternoon and two more Tuesday.

I’ll have much more on the Falcons coming along and am waiting to sit down for an interview with coach Mike Smith sometime before the afternoon session in which I plan to gather stuff for our Camp Confidential segment on Atlanta, which is scheduled to run next week.

In the meantime, here are a few early observations on the Falcons.

• Rookie Sean Weatherspoon was working at weakside linebacker with the first team in the drills I saw this morning. That’s the position veteran Mike Peterson held last season. But I was told not to read too much into one practice. The Falcons also have been giving Weatherspoon a lot of work on the strong side, where Stephen Nicholas is the incumbent. It doesn’t sound like the Falcons have made a decision on an exact plan for Weatherspoon yet.
• Peria Jerry’s recovery from a knee injury that cost him most of his rookie year has been a topic of conversation throughout the offseason. Again, it was only one practice, but Jerry looked fine to me this morning. The Falcons are bringing him along cautiously and giving him some practices off. But all indications I’m getting are that he’ll be fully ready for the regular season.
• Another guy coming back from injury is receiver Harry Douglas. It now has been more than a year since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. I interviewed Douglas after practice for an upcoming post and he said he’s fine physically. More importantly, Douglas looked to be completely fine on the field and back to where he was before the injury.
• One rookie I’m watching closely is receiver Kerry Meier. He’s a fifth-round draft pick, so expectations are mild. However, the Falcons quietly are excited by what they’ve seen so far. One team official, who has been at every practice, told me he has yet to see Meier drop a pass.
• I’ll be back with more observations on the Falcons after the afternoon session.

ATLANTA -- As I look ahead to the start of the Falcons’ minicamp Friday, I’m not seeing a lot of glaring questions.

That’s a good thing. Aside from the draft and the signing of cornerback Dunta Robinson, the Falcons have had a peaceful and quiet offseason, on and off the field. They’ve focused on fixing some leaky areas of a team that went 9-7 despite plenty of injuries and bad luck last year. Their core is intact and getting healthy and the Falcons could be the top challengers to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.

But before they can truly fill that role, the Falcons have some questions to answer. Here’s a look at five things I’ll be watching in minicamp.

Is Matt Ryan ready for the next step? A lot of people say he had a sophomore slump. I wouldn’t say that. He had a decent year, but his own toe injury and Michael Turner's ankle problems made last season difficult. Ryan’s healthy now and the Falcons have to build this offense around him. Turner and the running game are hugely important, but the Falcons need to take the shackles off Ryan a bit and let him reach greatness. The return of receiver Harry Douglas from injury should give Ryan another target and another dimension (think speed) to the offense.

Is the secondary fixed? The Falcons signed Robinson and re-signed Brian Williams. They’ve also got safety William Moore coming back from injury. That should be enough to improve a group that took a lot of heat last year. Robinson slides in at one cornerback spot and Williams will compete with Christopher Owens, Chevis Jackson and Brent Grimes for the other. That’s not a bad collection of cornerbacks. Thomas DeCoud played well in his first season as a starter at safety, but Erik Coleman didn’t have a great year. Moore will be given every opportunity to beat out Coleman. On paper, this secondary looks good. But it could be a lot better if the Falcons can find a pass rush.

Where’s the pass rush going to come from? Atlanta’s coaches and front office will tell you the lack of a pass rush was the biggest problem for the defense last year. It’s good that’s recognized, but the Falcons haven’t made any dramatic moves up front. They’re hoping the return of defensive tackle Peria Jerry from injury can create a surge in the middle and help everyone else. But it’s pretty obvious the Falcons are counting on veteran John Abraham to bounce back from a quiet season and young defensive ends Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury to really step up.

Where does top draft pick Sean Weatherspoon fit? That’s something I’m curious to see in minicamp. The Falcons have quality starting linebackers in Curtis Lofton, Mike Peterson and Stephan Nicholas. Lofton’s not going anywhere and you don’t draft a guy in the first round to sit him on the bench. Weatherspoon’s going to get his shot at one of the outside spots. Peterson is getting older on the weak side and Weatherspoon might be his replacement. Nicholas had a decent season last year in his first season as a starter, but the Falcons could try Weatherspoon on the strong side and hope he’s more of a playmaker.

Who’s the kicker? This was a big issue last year and the Falcons finally parted ways with veteran Jason Elam after he lost his consistency. Atlanta believes it has the answer in veteran Matt Bryant, who joined the team late last year. Bryant used to be one of the league’s more reliable kickers. But his career got thrown off track in Tampa Bay by injuries and a family tragedy. The Falcons believe Bryant is healthy and ready to get back to being the kind of reliable kicker he once was.

» NFC Needs Revisited: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

» Draft Watch: Biggest needs (2/17) | Busts/gems (2/24) | Schemes, themes (3/3) | Recent history (3/10) | Needs revisited (3/17) | Under-the-radar needs (3/26) | History in that spot (3/31) | Draft approach (4/7) | Decision-makers (4/14) | Dream scenario/Plan B (4/21)

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: Biggest needs revisited.

Atlanta Falcons

After making their one splurge into free agency to get Dunta Robinson and re-signing veteran Brian Williams, the Falcons have done a nice job of addressing a cornerback position that once was a big area of need. With those moves, the Falcons have whittled down their significant needs considerably.

The most glaring need is at defensive end and that almost certainly will be addressed early in the draft. John Abraham had a quiet year as a pass-rusher last season and age could be catching up to him. Nobody else stepped forward as a pass-rusher and the Falcons realize they need to get more pressure on quarterbacks. General manager Thomas Dimitroff believes in basing his drafts on need and getting a pass-rusher is critical.

The only other area that can be considered a high need is outside linebacker, but that’s not as dramatic as defensive end. The Falcons have Mike Peterson and Stephen Nicholas as their starting outside linebackers. Peterson is getting older, but still played at a high level last year. Nicholas was solid in his first year as a starter, but the Falcons could consider an upgrade.

Carolina Panthers

Their needs have grown since the start of free agency. The purge of veteran players has left the Panthers with needs in a lot of places. Without a first-round draft pick, the Panthers probably won’t be able to fill all their needs in the draft.

The defensive line, once the cornerstone of a John Fox team, has been gutted. The Panthers have high hopes for Everette Brown and Charles Johnson, but still could look for another defensive end to replace Julius Peppers.

The more glaring need might be at defensive tackle, where starters Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were released. The Panthers have nothing but projects and journeymen at defensive tackle. Unless they suddenly get more active in free agency, they almost have to find one starting defensive tackle in the draft.

New Orleans Saints

They are the champions and, as a result, won’t draft until the final pick of the first round. The new free-agency rules prevent the Saints from doing much in free agency. Their roster is in good shape, but they still have some needs.

The defensive line is the most prominent need. Starting end Charles Grant was released after the season, and there is a possibility tackle/end Anthony Hargrove could be lost as a restricted free agent. The Saints would like to get a defensive end who can generate more of a pass rush than Grant, and they’d also like to find a solid starter to pair with defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis.

But the Saints can’t totally lock in on the defensive line with their first pick because they’ve also got a need at outside linebacker. With Scott Fujita leaving as a free agent, the Saints have some in-house candidates, but there’s no clear-cut replacement. Picking at the end of the first round leaves the Saints at the mercy of the teams in front of them, but it seems likely they’ll take the best available defensive lineman or outside linebacker.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are needs just about everywhere, and the Bucs are counting heavily on this draft to be a big part of their building process. They have 10 overall picks and five in the first 99. They’ve got the third overall pick in the first round and it seems almost certain they’ll take defensive tackles Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh, if either is available.

After that, they’ve got plenty of other directions they could go. They could take several wide receivers because there isn’t a quality starter currently on the roster. Defensive end also is an area of need because there is no clear starter opposite Stylez G. White.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

The Falcons just announced they have released linebacker Edmond Miles.

Although Miles had some past NFL experience with the Dolphins and Giants, he wasn't making much progress in a linebacker corps that has plenty of depth. After starters Curtis Lofton, Mike Peterson and Stephan Nicholas, the Falcons have quality veteran depth with Coy Wire and Jamie Winborn.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Time for the linebackers in our series of NFC South position rankings. I've lumped the outside linebackers in with the middle linebackers.

Four of the top five are middle linebackers with Carolina's Thomas Davis as the lone outside linebacker in the top five.

1. Jon Beason, Carolina. The best defensive player in the division.
2. Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans. Had a solid season last year, but should be much better with an improved defense around him.
3. Barrett Ruud, Tampa Bay. The only proven building block as the Bucs overhaul their once-great defense.
4. Thomas Davis, Carolina. Has emerged as a playmaker after a rocky start to his career.
5. Curtis Lofton, Atlanta. Stood out in the middle as a rookie and will be counted on as an every-down player this year.
6. Stephen Nicholas, Atlanta. I see this guy as one of the division's breakout players this season.
7. Scott Fujita, New Orleans. Nothing fancy about him, but he does what the Saints ask.
8. Mike Peterson, Atlanta. Getting up there in age, but has something to prove after last year's clash with Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville.
9. Angelo Crowell, Tampa Bay. Bucs went after this guy hard in free agency, so he must be in the plans.
10. Na'il Diggs, Carolina. Doesn't stand out in any area, except he rarely makes mistakes and that's why the Panthers keep bringing him back.