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Now, that the NFL draft is over, let’s have some fun. Let’s start looking ahead to next season with team-by-team looks at what I project as the opening day lineups for each of the four NFC South teams.

Let’s start with the New Orleans Saints, who might not have any rookies open the season as starters because they didn’t have a draft pick until the third round. Also, let’s keep in mind that the Saints could be dealing with some suspensions from their bounty program. We won’t speculate on possible suspensions. We’ll just go with the depth chart as I see it now and I’ll throw in comments where there could be competition.

OFFENSE

• QB Drew Brees (assuming his contract situation gets straightened out)
• RB Pierre Thomas (you can also count Darren Sproles as a starter)
• FB Jed Collins
• WR Marques Colston
• WR Devery Henderson (Lance Moore will play as much as the starters)
• TE Jimmy Graham
• LT Jermon Bushrod
• LG Ben Grubbs
• C Brian de la Puente
• RG Jahri Evans
• RT Zach Strief

DEFENSE

• DE Will Smith
• DT Sedrick Ellis
• DT Brodrick Bunkley
• DE Cameron Jordan
• LB Curtis Lofton
• LB Jonathan Vilma (it remains to be seen if Vilma or Lofton will play in the middle)
• LB Scott Shanle
• CB Jabari Greer
• CB Patrick Robinson
• FS Malcolm Jenkins
• SS Roman Harper

SPECIALISTS

• K Garrett Hartley (assuming he wins training camp competition with John Kasay)
• P Thomas Morstead
• PR Darren Sproles
• KR Darren Sproles

It’s time to unveil my All-NFC South team for the 2011 season. We’ll have selections for the offense, the defense and a post that includes division-wide honors and bests and worsts. The offense and defense will come later Tuesday and the honors and bests and worsts will come Wednesday.

But, for now, let’s start with the special teams.

Kicker: Matt Bryant, Falcons. He missed only two field goal attempts all season. New Orleans’ John Kasay also had a fine year. But if the game is on the line, Bryant’s the one kicker in this division I want on the field.

Punter: Thomas Morstead, Saints. If San Francisco’s Andy Lee didn’t have one of the best seasons ever by a punter, Morstead probably would have been in the Pro Bowl. He also does a nice job kicking off.

Return man: Darren Sproles, Saints. Was dangerous whenever he touched the ball as a running back, receiver or a return man.

Long-snapper: Joe Zelenka, Falcons. There’s probably a fair amount of you who have never heard of Zelenka. That’s one of the best things you can say about a long-snapper. It means he’s not making mistakes.

Holder: Michael Koenen, Buccaneers. I usually don’t include a holder on awards for special teams. But I’m making an exception here. It’s a rare chance to give Tampa Bay representation on the All-NFC South team. I’m still debating a couple spots on the offense and defense and it’s looking like Tampa Bay may have one or two other representatives or Koenen might be the only player from the Buccaneers.

Most of the talk about Saturday’s playoff game between the Saints and 49ers has centered on New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees going against a San Francisco defense that ranked No. 4 in the NFL during the regular season.

But there’s another matchup of strength against strength. That’s the two punters in this game.

San Francisco’s Andy Lee and New Orleans’ Thomas Morstead have two of the strongest legs in the league.

Lee made the NFC Pro Bowl squad as he posted league highs with a 50.9-yard gross average and a 44-yard net average. Morstead might have had a shot at the Pro Bowl if Lee hadn’t had such a big season.

Morstead finished second to Lee with a 43.1-yard net average. Morstead didn’t have to punt a single time in the playoff victory against Detroit. But he knows things might be different this week.

“I can tell it has been a point of emphasis this week,” Morstead said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. They rated out as the No.1 special teams unit in the NFL this year. I’m excited about that.”

Morstead also had some flattering words for Lee, but pointed out the Saints can make things happen in the return game.

“He’s a Shane Lechler-type,” Morstead said. “He’s just going to bang the ball as far as he can down the field. I hope he does that this week. We have a pretty good returner (Darren Sproles).”

The results of the fan voting for the Pro Bowl are in and the NFC South didn’t fare very well.

New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham and strong safety Roman Harper were the only players to lead the NFC at their positions. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees finished third overall in league-wide voting, but Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers was the league’s top vote-getter.

Fan voting counts for one-third of the final tally. Votes from coaches and players make up the rest. The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Tuesday night.

I was able to obtain the top five in fan voting at each position and I’ll run down the NFC South representatives. Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton was third behind Rodgers and Brees.

Atlanta’s Michael Turner was No. 5 among running backs and New Orleans’ Jed Collins was No. 3 among fullbacks.

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez was second to Graham among tight ends and Carolina’s Steve Smith was fourth among receivers.

New Orleans’ Jahri Evans was third among guards and teammate Brian de la Puente was No. 4 among centers.

On defense, Atlanta’s Sean Weatherspoon (No. 5 at outside linebacker) was the only NFC South player besides Harper to finish in the top five.

New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead finished fifth, return man Darren Sproles was No. 4 and Courtney Roby was No. 5 among special-teams players.

A quick reminder that the fan portion of voting for the Pro Bowl ends Monday.

Here’s the link to the ballot if you want to hit the polls at the last minute.

I won’t tell you who to vote for, but I’ll throw out some names I think are worthy of consideration. On offense, I’d think about New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, Atlanta running back Michael Turner, Carolina receiver Steve Smith, Atlanta receiver Roddy White, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham, Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, Carolina tackle Jordan Gross, New Orleans guards Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans and Carolina center Ryan Kalil.

On defense, I’d consider Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson, Atlanta defensive end John Abraham, Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, Atlanta linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton, New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer and New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins.

On special teams, I think New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead, Tampa Bay punter Michael Koenen, Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant and New Orleans return man Darren Sproles are worth considering.

If the Pro Bowl were held now and selected only by what has taken place so far in fan balloting, the NFC South would not be sending much of a contingent to Hawaii.

The NFL makes periodic announcements about who is leading the fan voting and the latest one showed New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham was the only NFC South player leading at any position.

I was able to obtain a little more information and got the list of the top five vote-getters at each position, according to results through Wednesday night. Even on that list, the NFC South isn’t having a very good showing. At the moment, the NFC roster would be dominated by players from Green Bay, San Francisco, Chicago and the always-hyped NFC East teams.

Let’s take a look at the sparse group of NFC South players, who are in the top five at their positions.

Tight end actually is the NFC South’s strongest position. One spot behind Graham is Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez.

Next, we’ll move to the quarterbacks, partly because everybody cares about quarterbacks and partly because that’s the only other position where two NFC South players showed up in the top five. New Orleans’ Drew Brees is No. 2 (behind Aaron Rodgers, of course). But here’s the surprise. Carolina rookie Cam Newton is third on the list, slightly ahead of Detroit’s Matthew Stafford.

The only other NFC South players even in the top five on the rest of the offense are Atlanta running back Michael Turner (No. 5), Carolina receiver Steve Smith (No. 3), New Orleans fullback Jed Collins (No. 3) and New Orleans guard Jahri Evans (No. 4).

On defense, it’s even worse. Carolina’s Charles Johnson is No. 5 among defensive ends. Atlanta’s Sean Weatherspoon is fifth among outside linebackers and New Orleans’ Roman Harper is No. 2 among strong safeties. That’s it on defense.

Even the special-teams voting is disappointing, especially because New Orleans kick returner Darren Sproles and punter Thomas Morstead are having huge years. But you wouldn’t know it from the voting. Morstead is fifth at his position and Sproles is No. 4.

If you feel outraged by any of this, go over and vote. If not, the NFC South will have to get a lot of support when coaches and players vote (each counts one-third) later in December.

We already have shown you the midseason All-NFC South teams for offense and defense. Now, let’s move onto the specialists and a few individual awards.

Kicker: Matt Bryant, Falcons. The guy has not missed a field-goal attempt this season. Over last season and this one, Bryant is 40-of-43.

Punter: Thomas Morstead, Saints. This was a very tough call because Tampa Bay’s Michael Koenen also is having a very nice year. But Morstead has better numbers. He has a 49.7-yard gross average and a 43.7-yard net average with five punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

Return man: Darren Sproles, Saints. He already made the team as a running back. But, if anyone deserves to be on the team twice, it’s Sproles. He’s doing a little bit of everything for the Saints.

Coach of the midseason: Sean Payton, Saints. He endured a sideline crash that caused major damage to his knee and leg. But Payton has the Saints at 6-3 and atop the NFC South.

Assistant coach of the midseason: Rob Chudzinski, offensive coordinator, Panthers. After years of watching John Fox keep handcuffs on coordinators Dan Henning and Jeff Davidson, Carolina fans are finally getting to see an offense that’s fun to watch.

MVP of the midseason: Drew Brees, quarterback, Saints. If you were hoping to see something outside the box, you’re not getting it. Brees is on pace to set the record for yards passing in a season. He also is making a strong case to take over Derrick Brooks’ place as the best player in the history of the NFC South.

Rookie of the midseason: Cam Newton, quarterback, Panthers. Several rookies, like Tampa Bay’s Adrian Clayborn and Mason Foster, Atlanta’s Julio Jones and New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan, are playing well. But none of them have come in and, on their own, changed the climate of a franchise. That’s what Newton has done.

General manager of the midseason: Marty Hurney, Panthers. He took what many thought was a huge risk when he drafted Newton with the top overall draft pick. Maybe it was a gamble, but Hurney won because he got a franchise quarterback.

John Kasay is 41, which is one of the major reasons the Carolina Panthers released the kicker last month. But as Kasay met with the New Orleans media after signing with the Saints on Tuesday, he said he feels like he still can be productive.

“I am not as young as I use to be,’’ Kasay said. “I am not fooling anybody with that but there have been a handful of guys who have done very well playing into their 40’s. Morten Anderson, John Carney, Gary Anderson, Matt Stover, Jason Hanson. It’s a privilege to be able to play and to do the same thing I was doing as a kid.”

Kasay said he had continued working out, even though he wasn’t sure he would get another chance to kick in the league. That changed quickly after New Orleans kicker Garrett Hartley suffered a hip injury in Sunday night’s preseason game.

“This came together obviously very quickly based on what happened to Garrett,’’ Kasay said. “That’s just the nature of the league. I am married. I have four children and school started last week. I was back-to-school-night last night. That’s how fast life changes.”

Coach Sean Payton wouldn't go into specifics about the severity of Hartley's injury and it's unclear if the Saints think they'll be going with Kasay for the long term or only the short term. Payton said familiarity with Kasay is one reason the Saints chose him.

“With his experience, we know the player a little bit more than some of the others because he’s been in our division,'' Payton said. "He’s consistent. He’s a veteran player and we just started getting some work with him today. Really the adjustment is in the hold because he’s a left-footed kicker.”

Punter Thomas Morstead and backup quarterback Chase Daniel worked as holders with Kasay in Tuesday's practice.

“That’s a good question,'' Payton said when asked who will hold. "I think we’ll go with the holder that is most apt at doing it. Both of them, Chase right now and Thomas Morstead, are getting comfortable doing that and working through the kinks.”

As friend and former co-worker Scott Fowler first reported earlier Tuesday, John Kasay is staying in the NFC South.

He has signed with the New Orleans Saints. The team just sent out the official announcement. Kasay’s signing comes after kicker Garrett Hartley injured his hip in Sunday’s preseason game. We still don’t know how serious Hartley’s injury is and if Kasay’s stay will be for the short term or the long term.

Kasay hit 86.2 percent of his field-goal attempts last season and was the last remaining player from the 1995 expansion Panthers. He was released partly because the Panthers didn’t want to carry a kickoff specialist and Kasay hadn’t handled kickoffs in several years. The Panthers brought in Olindo Mare to handle place-kicking and kickoff duties. Kickoffs won’t be a problem for the Saints because punter Thomas Morstead can do that.

The Saints also confirmed the release of defensive end Alex Brown. In other moves to get down to Tuesday’s 80-man roster limit, the Saints waived the following players and designated them as injured – guard Roger Allen, linebacker Ezra Butler, receiver Jarred Fayson and running back Chris Taylor. The Saints also waived receiver John Chiles, tackle Dan Gay, fullback Kolby Hurt, safety DeAndre McDaniel, cornerback Mark Parson and center Ryan Taylor.

John Kasay, who was released by the Carolina Panthers just before training camp, appears to be headed for another NFC South destination.

Scott Fowler reports the kicker is close to signing with New Orleans. Garrett Hartley is the Saints’ kicker, but he injured his hip in Sunday’s preseason game with Oakland. The severity of Hartley’s injury isn’t clear, but the Saints must expect him to miss some time if they’re bringing in Kasay.

At 41, Kasay had been the last member of the 1995 expansion Panthers with the team. But Carolina elected to let Kasay go and bring in Olindo Mare. The rationale was that Mare had a stronger leg and could handle kickoffs, something Kasay hadn’t done in recent years.

That shouldn’t be an issue in New Orleans, where punter Thomas Morstead serves as the kickoff specialist. Kasay remains a reliable field goal kicker. He connected on 86.2 percent of his attempts last season.

METAIRIE, La. -- Jonathan Vilma grabbed the question and treated it much the same way he would a running back.

He grabbed it forcefully and drove it straight to the proper destination.

“It’s really very, very simple,’’ the middle linebacker for the New Orleans Saints said. “If we want to get back to being the Super Bowl champions, we have to play defense the way we played it in 2009, not the way we did in 2010. We have to go out there and start making turnovers happen again.’’

It's not as though the 2010 season was a complete disaster for the Saints. They went 11-5 and made the playoffs. But they went out to Seattle for the first round of the postseason and got upset by a team that didn’t even have a winning record. That ended New Orleans’ defense of its first Super Bowl championship, and Vilma put the reason for that squarely on the defense.

“Look, we still had [quarterback] Drew Brees and all sorts of weapons on the other side of the ball,’’ Vilma said. “Last year’s problem wasn’t our offense. It was our defense. We just didn’t make things happen the way we did in 2009. We played well at times, but we also left a lot of big plays on the field because, for whatever reason, we just didn’t make the same plays we did the year before.’’

Vilma pointed to one statistic to demonstrate his point. In 2009, the Saints were plus-11 in turnover ratio. In 2010, they were minus-6.

They have the personnel to reverse that trend, and Vilma said a little more help from the defense could be all it takes to get back to the Super Bowl.

“You think of McDonald’s and you think of Burger King, you know what you’re going to get across the world,’’ Vilma said. “So we want people to think of Saints defense, you know what you’re going to get. You’re going to get takeaways, hitting, relentlessness, running to the ball. I think we’re starting to build that brand, we are still working toward it, and one thing we won’t do is take a step back.”

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Can the defense really get back to 2009 form? Yes, it’s very possible. Gregg Williams is one of the league’s best and most aggressive defensive coordinators. When I visited camp recently, the defensive players were picking up every loose ball, even well after plays were done. That’s something Williams brought when he arrived in 2009. It didn’t really stop in 2010. But you can tell the Saints are approaching loose balls with much more gusto in this camp.

That’s great, but just taking that mental approach won’t be enough. The Saints have made some personnel moves that should make the overall defense better and should help produce turnovers. The Saints added defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin and suddenly are much bigger on the defensive line. Rotate Rogers and Franklin with a healthy Sedrick Ellis, and the Saints suddenly could be much stronger than they’ve been in the middle of the line in recent years.

That should help the pass rush, particularly Will Smith, Alex Brown and rookie Cameron Jordan. Smith and Brown didn’t get as much pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the coaches would have liked last season. Pressure is the key to a Williams’ defense. If the Saints can get pressure, the turnovers will come naturally.

2. Is the defense really to blame for last year? Not quite as much as Vilma claims. He’s right that the defense wasn’t the turnover machine it was in 2009. But the offense wasn’t exactly the perfectly tuned machine it was in the Super Bowl season. The Saints scored 64 touchdowns in 2009 (and five of those came on interception returns by the defense), but that number dropped to 44 last season. Maybe the defense could have helped a bit more with field position, but this offense had some flaws.

It’s tough to criticize Brees, who has carried the Saints since his arrival in 2006. But numbers don’t lie, and they’ll tell you Brees had an off year last season. His passing yardage and touchdowns were similar to 2009, but the huge difference was interceptions.

Brees threw only 11 interceptions in 2009 but had a career-high 22 last season. He never missed any playing time or complained about it, but Brees never seemed to be quite the same after injuring his knee in a Week 3 game with Atlanta. That might have had more to do with his "slump'' than we'll ever know.

But Brees has had a whole offseason to recover, and I expect him to bounce back. His cast of receivers remains largely the same, and replacing center Jonathan Goodwin with Olin Kreutz should not hurt an offensive line that already is very good.

3. How will the Saints use their running backs? Whether you loved him or not, Reggie Bush is gone, and that’s going to have an impact. Although he never put up huge numbers, Bush was the kind of player who made defenses account for him every time he was on the field.

It’s easy to say the Saints will try to replace Bush by committee and, to some degree, that’s true. They brought in Darren Sproles to do a lot of what Bush did -- run outside, catch passes out of the backfield and work as a return man. They also have Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, who are pretty solid all-around backs.

But the biggest offensive move the Saints made this offseason was drafting Mark Ingram. He’s a running back who can do everything well, and he'll probably be used the way Deuce McAllister was in the early years of coach Sean Payton’s tenure. Sproles will inherit the packages Bush was in on, but Ingram’s going to get most of the playing time -- and carries.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Nobody got very excited when the Saints added Will Herring. That’s understandable, because he spent four seasons in Seattle as a backup linebacker and special-teams player. Herring has only seven career starts, but a coaching staff and front office that have been known to find some steals might have another one. Herring has been getting most of the first-team work on the strong side in training camp, and the coaches have been raving about him. He’s quick and he’s smart, and the change of scenery apparently has him playing better than ever.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

When he’s healthy and on the field, Tracy Porter is a solid cornerback. But Porter hasn’t been on the field this training camp. He’s been walking around the sidelines with his left knee wrapped as he recovers from offseason surgery. There’s hope Porter will be ready for the regular season, and there is even higher hope he’ll be motivated to have a huge year because he can become a free agent after the season.

But there’s also some skepticism, because this isn’t the first injury for Porter. He missed four games last year and four the year before. Fellow starter Jabari Greer also has a history of injury problems. If Porter and Greer have more problems, the Saints could be thin at cornerback. They signed veteran Fabian Washington, but he has missed some camp time with an injury.

The upside is the absence of Porter and Washington has given second-year pro Patrick Robinson and rookie Johnny Patrick more work. Williams has been praising both of them. If either or both continue to impress and Porter’s recovery lingers, we could see a change in the lineup. That also wouldn't help Porter's chances of earning a big contract and staying with the Saints next season.

OBSERVATION DECK

• Wide receiver Robert Meachem was a close runner-up for the biggest-surprise category above. Meachem is coming off ankle surgery for an injury that slowed him last year, and he's having an excellent camp. He has caught just about every pass thrown his way and seems to be moving much better than a year ago. Meachem was a force as a deep threat in 2009, and it looks as if he might be returning to that form.
• Herring has been working on the strong side and Scott Shanle on the weak side. But nothing’s settled yet. Herring appears headed for a starting job, but Shanle is aging. The Saints have liked what they’ve seen from Clint Ingram and Jonathan Casillas, and they know what they have in Jo-Lonn Dunbar. They’ll probably go through several preseason games before deciding firmly on their starting linebackers. Even then, they could still rotate linebackers because the coaches view all of them as pretty close to equal.
• One linebacker who is struggling a bit is third-round pick Martez Wilson. You can see he has good athleticism, but he looks lost at times during team drills. The Saints aren’t anywhere close to being ready to give up on him, because he has lots of upside. But a lot of fans thought he’d be an instant starter. That’s not going to happen.
• The Saints never have been afraid to take a shot on a reclamation project, and that’s what they did with Rogers at defensive tackle. He came into the league with a lot of hype back in 2001 but has spent his career stuck with some pretty bad teams in Detroit and Cleveland. Rogers even lost his starting job with the Browns last year, and there have been questions about his conditioning and attitude throughout his career. But this might be a perfect fit. Rogers is on a good team for perhaps the first time in his career, and Williams is a master motivator. Even if Rogers doesn’t work out, I like how the Saints hedged their bet by bringing in Franklin.
• The Saints also took a shot on another former first-round pick. That’s offensive tackle Alex Barron. But he’s not off to a great start. He has been sidelined by injury, and unless he comes back soon and makes a big impression, he probably won’t make the roster.
• Since entering the league in 2009, punter Thomas Morstead has been known as a guy with a big leg. That hasn’t changed. But Morstead put in a lot of work on his directional punting in the offseason, and you can see the results in practice. That should help the defense with field position.

The voting for our Dream Team of Tomorrow has ended and the NFC South didn’t fare all that well.

Only three division players made the team, which consists of players who voters believe will be dominant at their positions from 2014 through 2016. All three players are from the New Orleans Saints.

Jahri Evans won the voting at one guard position. Garrett Hartley is the kicker and Thomas Morstead is the punter. That’s it, but I think there were some oversights. Carolina center Ryan Kalil finished fifth. He’s already one of the best centers in the game and should continue to get better.

I’m also a little disappointed, but not shocked, at how the voting went at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers won and that’s not surprising. He’s coming off a Super Bowl win and he plays for a Green Bay team that has a huge national fan base. But I find it a bit strange that Atlanta’s Matt Ryan finished third and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman was No. 5. Ryan finished a spot behind St. Louis’ Sam Bradford, who I think will be a good quarterback. But Ryan already is a good quarterback. Freeman finished one spot behind Andrew Luck, who is still in college. Luck may be the next great quarterback, but we don’t know anything for sure about how he’ll fare in the NFL. We’ve already got tangible evidence that Freeman is good.

On defense, the NFC South didn’t fare well at all. New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins and Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson each finished fourth at their positions. I could be wrong, but when we get to 2014, 2015 and 2016, I’ve got a hunch Jenkins and Johnson will be among the best at their positions.

By the way, I'll have an item Tuesday in which I'll write about the NFC South team I think will be dominant from 2014 through 2016.

I just took a look at some early results of the voting in our Dream Team of Tomorrow project and have to say I’m more than a little surprised at where most NFC South candidates stand.

Yes, New Orleans’ Jahri Evans was ranked first among all guards as we look ahead to the 2014 to 2016 time period. New Orleans kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Thomas Morstead are also atop their position groups.

But that’s it. I’m not seeing another NFC South player ranked No. 3 or better at his position except Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and kick returner Eric Weems. There are only three kick returners on the ballot.

I’m wondering how Ryan ranks third and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman ranks fifth? They’re two of the best young quarterbacks in the game. I don’t expect them to win a popularity contest over Aaron Rodgers because Green Bay fans have a way of controlling anything that comes to a vote. But Ryan’s a spot behind Sam Bradford and Freeman’s a spot behind Andrew Luck.

I’ll take Ryan and Freeman over Bradford, who has played one season, and Luck, who is still in college any day. I also find the fact that Carolina center Ryan Kalil is No. 5 and New Orleans guard Carl Nicks is sixth more than disappointing. These guys are already considered among the best two or three at their positions by a lot of scouts and they should only get better by 2014.

Individual talent on defense isn’t an NFC South strength. But, even on that side of the ball, I think some guys are getting taken for granted. New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins flashed signs of brilliance last season, his first as a starter. Also, guys like Atlanta safety William Moore, Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson have a chance to be very good players within a few years.

I’ll have a column Thursday in which I’ll write about one player from each team who I think will be dominant from 2014 through 2016. I’m still kicking around a lot of options because I see a lot of options. Hopefully, you do, too, and you’ll hop over and vote for them.

Marty Hurney and Rich McKay, a couple of general managers I covered back in my newspaper days, used to always say "You don’t judge a draft for at least a couple of years."

I agree with that, even if it means those grades we in the media all do on draft day or the day after are meaningless. You don’t really know what you’ve got for a couple of years. In that spirit, let’s take a look at the 2009 NFC draft classes, rank them and grade them.

Tampa Bay. If you draft a franchise quarterback, you’ve hit it out of the park. A lot of people didn’t think Josh Freeman was a franchise quarterback when the Bucs drafted him. Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik believed in Freeman and it turns out they were right. That’s why they turned their franchise around. By the way, defensive tackle Roy Miller (third round) and Sammie Stroughter (seventh round) also have turned out to be solid picks. Grade: A+

New Orleans. The Saints only had four picks in this draft and two of them, linebacker Stanley Arnoux (fourth round) and safety Chip Vaughn (fourth round) haven’t been factors due to injuries. But the Saints got it right on their other top picks. First-rounder Malcolm Jenkins showed big-time skills in his first season as a starting safety. Thomas Morstead (fifth round) quickly has become one of the league’s best punters. Grade: B+

Carolina. Second-round pick Everette Brown, who was drafted to be the next Julius Peppers, has produced 6.5 sacks in two years and hasn’t had a big impact. But defensive backs Sherrod Martin (second round) and Captain Munnerlyn (seventh round) have made impacts. Running back Mike Goodson (fourth round) played better than anyone thought he could after injuries to Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams last season and fullback Tony Fiammetta (fourth round) is a starter. Grade: C+

Atlanta. William Moore, who has become a solid starter at safety, saves this class from getting a really bad grade. First-round pick Peria Jerry had a knee injury as a rookie and didn’t have much impact last season. There’s still hope Jerry will come on next year, but he hasn’t done much yet. Neither have cornerback Christopher Owens (third round) or defensive end Lawrence Sidbury (fourth round). Grade: C-

We'll continue to unveil our All-NFC South team for the regular season. This time, let's turn to special teams.

Kicker: Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons: Easy choice here. Bryant missed only three field goals in the regular season. After going through tough times in his personal life, Bryant has bounced back and put his career on very solid ground.

Punter: Thomas Morstead, New Orleans Saints. His 45.9-yard gross average and 38.4 net were tops in the NFC South.

Return man: Eric Weems, Atlanta Falcons. He went from being a steady performer to suddenly making some huge plays. That's why Weems was selected to the Pro Bowl.