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There's little sense in taking the bait when San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh tells a radio program Michael Crabtree "has the best hands I've ever seen on a wide receiver."

Anyone with a strong grasp of NFL history would place Cris Carter, Raymond Berry and Steve Largent on a short list for receivers with the surest hands.

Hall of Famer Ken Houston, speaking for a 2008 piece on all-time great wideouts, stood up for AFL stars Otis Taylor and Lionel Taylor.

"Lionel Taylor, I mean, he would catch a BB," Houston said.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson, speaking for the same piece, said Randy Moss, then with New England, had the best hands in the NFL at that time (2008).

"A lot of guys can catch," Thompson said then. "He can catch on any platform, as we say in scouting. He can adjust and catch it over the top of somebody's head, catch it falling down, and it doesn't matter if he is covered."

With Moss now on the 49ers, it is possible Crabtree does not possess the best hands among wide receivers on his own team.

Oops. I wasn't going to take the bait on this one, but now it's too late. Time to regroup.

Bottom line, I suspect Crabtree has impressed Harbaugh this offseason, and Harbaugh would like that to continue for as long as possible. By offering such strong public praise for Crabtree, Harbaugh is setting a standard for Crabtree to meet this season. He realizes Crabtree has the ability to meet that standard, or else he wouldn't make the statement.

We should all recall Harbaugh's calling quarterback Alex Smith "elite" and promoting him for the Pro Bowl last season. Then as now, Harbaugh was standing up for his guy. Smith enjoyed the finest season of his career and even outplayed the truly elite Drew Brees at times during the 49ers' playoff victory over New Orleans. The way Harbaugh backed Smith played a role in that performance, in my view.

Back to Crabtree. He has the ability to rank among the most sure-handed receivers in the game. He has not yet earned that status, but now he has little choice, right?

As the chart shows, Crabtree finished the 2011 season with 12.2 receptions per drop, which ranked 28th in the NFL among players targeted at least 100 times. Larry Fitzgerald led the NFL with 80 receptions and only one drop. Those numbers are according to ESPN Stats & Information, which defines drops as "incomplete passes where the receiver should have caught the pass with ordinary effort."

Crabtree suffered six drops last season by that standard, a few too many for the player with the best hands his head coach has ever seen on a wide receiver.

The latest NFC West chat went into overtime, but there's more ground to cover.

Joe from Fort Worth asked about the Arizona Cardinals' chances for acquiring a second-round choice to replace the one they sent to Philadelphia in the Kevin Kolb trade.

"I'd like to hear your thought process regarding your answer -- the philosophy of the decision makers, needs of the team, depth and/or positional strength of this draft, etc.," Joe wrote.

The Cardinals hold the 13th overall choice, so we start there.

In 2001, Buffalo traded the 14th pick to Tampa Bay for the 21st and 51st picks.

In 2010, Denver traded the 13th overall choice (acquired from San Francisco) to Philadelphia for the 24th choice and two third-rounders (70th, 87th).

In other cases, teams moved back five or six spots from No. 13 for packages including a pick in the 70s or 80s overall, plus lesser considerations.

Sliding back five or six spots would be a realistic expectation for the Cardinals.

San Diego picks 18th and Chicago 19th, to name two potential trading partners in such a scenario. Both teams have acted aggressively and with urgency this offseason. That could indicate a willingness to move up in the draft for a specific player.

The Chargers' front office and coaching staff narrowly averted getting fired following a disappointing 2011 season. The Bears replaced general manager Jerry Angelo with Phil Emery, who traces some of his philosophy to New England's Bill Belichick via Atlanta's Thomas Dimitroff.

Dimitroff, who orchestrated the Falcons' bold trade to acquire the sixth overall choice of the 2011 draft, described Emery as "aggressive" and part of a new wave of GMs.

"I believe this is indicative of where we are as team builders in this league as far as making bold, aggressive moves if we deem they’ll be impactful for our team," Dimitroff told the Chicago Sun-Times, speaking of Emery's move to acquire receiver Brandon Marshall.

Arizona needs a tackle and might see little choice but to select one if, say, Riley Reiff or another highly rated prospect were available. But if the tackle-needy Bears were willing to part with the 19th and 50th choices for a chance to move up, would they consider it?

San Diego could use a guard to replace the recently retired Kris Dielman. Would the Chargers part with the 18th and 49th choices for a shot at, say, David DeCastro? Might they consider moving up for other players, as AFC West blogger Bill Williamson suggested they might? And what might they pay to do so?

We cannot answer such questions definitively. The teams themselves might not know the answers. But we can have fun considering the possibilities, and hopefully learn something along the way.

Thanks, Joe, for advancing the conversation.

Wide receivers Vincent Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne, Robert Meachem, Eddie Royal, Laurent Robinson, Josh Morgan, Eric Weems and Harry Douglas have found new homes after hitting the NFL's free-agent market.

Franchise tags essentially removed from consideration Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker and DeSean Jackson.

Others, such as Marques Colston, re-signed before free agency.

Teams still searching for help at the position -- that would be pretty much everyone but Seattle in the NFC West -- are left with a picked-over group of free agents.

Jerome Simpson, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Lloyd, Legedu Naanee, Devin Aromashodu, Roy Williams, Mario Manningham and Early Doucet are the only ones remaining to have played at least half of their team's offensive snaps during the 2011 season.

As the chart shows, Burress was particularly effective in the red zone for the New York Jets. He converted first downs 38 times in 45 receptions for the third-highest percentage among wide receivers with at least 40 receptions, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Burress is also up there in age. He's among 12 available wideouts already in their 30s: Hines Ward (36), Burress (34), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (34), Kevin Curtis (33), Patrick Crayton (32), Deion Branch (32), Rashied Davis (32), Donte Stallworth (31), Jerheme Urban (31), Bryant Johnson (31), Lloyd (30) and Williams (30).

Of them, Lloyd has visited the San Francisco 49ers.

Nine more are 29 years old: Greg Camarillo, Keary Colbert, Mark Clayton, Jerricho Cotchery, Roscoe Parrish, Michael Clayton, Courtney Roby, Michael Spurlock and Braylon Edwards.

Still interested?

OK, let's check out 18 others, all younger than 29: David Anderson, Legedu Naanee, Devin Aroshamodu, Donnie Avery, Anthony Gonzalez, Maurice Stovall, Derek Hagan, Mike Sims-Walker, Ted Ginn Jr., Andre Caldwell, Steve Smith, Doucet, Brett Swain, Chaz Schilens, Simpson, Manningham, Devin Thomas and Kevin Ogletree.

Schilens visited Arizona and San Francisco. Manningham visited the 49ers and the St. Louis Rams.

I've also broken down the available wideouts by drafted round:

• First: Williams, Burress, Ginn, Stallworth, both Claytons, Johnson, Gonzalez and Edwards
• Second: Avery, Thomas, Simpson, Smith, Parrish, Branch, Colbert
• Third: Roby, Doucet, Hagan, Stovall, Manningham, Caldwell, Curtis, Sims-Walker, Ward
• Fourth: Cotchery, Lloyd
• Fifth: Legedu Naanee
• Sixth: none
• Seventh: Houshmandzadeh, Crayton, Schilens, Aromashodu, Anderson, Swain
• Undrafted: Davis, Urban, Camarillo, Spurlock, Ogletree

Only a handful of the available receivers project as starters. None would qualify as an outright game-breaker.

The Rams in particular need playmakers, but in looking at what is available, how many would qualify as dramatically better than what they already have? Austin Pettis, Brandon Gibson, Danario Alexander, Dominique Curry, Greg Salas and restricted free agent Danny Amendola are their current wideouts.

Brandon Lloyd's trajectory has changed dramatically and so has that of his original team, the San Francisco 49ers. The parties will scarcely recognize one another when Lloyd pays a free-agent visit to the team Wednesday.

The 49ers won as many regular-season games last season, 13, as they did during the three seasons Lloyd spent on the roster beginning in 2003.

Lloyd, despite enjoying a bright moment or two, ranked only 93rd among NFL players with 2,370 yards receiving from 2003 through 2009, bouncing from San Francisco to Washington to Denver along the way. He improbably has 2,414 yards over the past two seasons, sixth-most in the NFL behind Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Wallace and Wes Welker.

Playing with a long list of sub-mediocre quarterbacks surely contributed to Lloyd's disappointing first seven seasons. Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, J.T. O'Sullivan, Cody Pickett and Chris Weinke were among the starters while Lloyd was with San Francisco through 2005. Jason Campbell, Mark Brunell and Todd Collins were the starters when Lloyd was with Washington.

Lloyd's two-year run of production has come with Josh McDaniels as head coach (in Denver) or offensive coordinator (in St. Louis). McDaniels is now in New England, but if Lloyd is going to follow him there, it will be after first giving the 49ers a look.

Michael Crabtree and the newly signed Randy Moss are the top two receivers on the 49ers' roster. Josh Morgan agreed to terms with Washington. Ted Ginn Jr. is testing the market and reportedly plans to visit the Detroit Lions.

Lloyd's reputation in San Francisco as an immature player unconcerned with winning appears outdated. He is now 30 years old and meeting expectations. The 49ers have largely new leadership, creating the opportunity for a fresh start.

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A Seahawks fan I know emailed to say he "fell out of his chair" after hearing how strongly Mike Greenberg was advocating Peyton Manning for the Seahawks.

The thought of a national radio host bringing up the NFC West without prompting did seem far-fetched (I kid, but only a little). This, I had to hear for myself.

Arizona Cardinals fans will want to listen in, too, as Greenberg and Herm Edwards considered the possibilities during "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on Wednesday morning, not quite 90 minutes into the show.

I'll break out one of the more pertinent exchanges below. First, though, I'll link to audio featuring my thoughts on Manning and Seattle after Sports 620 KTAR's Ron Wolfley asked with some skepticism why Manning would consider the Seahawks at all. You'll find that exchange at about the 27:24 mark of this clip.

Now, on with the exchange between Edwards and Greenberg.

Edwards: I think the spot, personally, it's going to be Miami.

Greenberg: Miami. What makes you say that?

Edwards: The situation they are in, I think he's walking into a situation where the fan base will be excited, he has a good wide receiver in Brandon Marshall, a pretty good tight end, a runner in Reggie Bush, defense pretty consistent. A team that maybe has a chance to win, to compete in that division. To me, that is the logical spot. You got a new head coach, you got an owner who wants to bring star power in there. They haven’t had a consistent quarterback since Dan Marino. I just think it would be a nice landing spot.

Greenberg: I don't see it. I disagree with you and I'll tell you why. I think Manning, at this stage in his career, there was probably a point in his career when Manning could basically run an organization. He played most of his career under Tony Dungy. Jim Caldwell slides in, it felt like it was an extension of Dungy on the staff and everything else, but Manning could run the show. If I am a GM, the one thing I am looking for more than anything is an established situation to walk into. You're going to go play for a guy who has never been a head coach before in his life in Joe Philbin. If you are Peyton, you don't get two chances to make this decision. This is it. It would be a disaster if he goes somewhere and after one year, he is looking for a new team like what happened with Donovan (McNabb). That is not what Peyton is looking for. He is looking for one more place to go, like (Joe) Montana did in Kansas City and take one more shot at this thing. I think it would be a real roll of the dice to go play for a coach who has never head coached the game before in his life. No disrespect to Joe Philbin. Maybe he'll wind up being the next Lombardi. But he has never been a head coach before. As much as I respect the Dolphins for hanging in there and fighting and scratching and clawing as they did last year and not giving up on the season, that season was hopelessly lost in October. It’s not like they are knocking on the door. If I am Peyton, I am looking for a team where I feel like they are real close and may just be a quarterback away. I’ll tell you where I would go.

Edwards: Where are you going to go?

Greenberg: I would give some serious thought to Seattle. I think Seattle has a lot of pieces in place. They’ve got a coach that everybody out there likes playing for, Pete Carroll. I know he hasn’t won much in the NFL, but he is firmly in place.

Edwards: Yeah.

Greenberg: I think if they would have had Peyton Manning last year, they would have been the goods. That division isn’t as bad as people like to make it out because San Francisco is as good as anybody. Arizona was on the come late last year. I think I’d give some serious thought to Seattle and I know I would give some serious thought to Arizona. I would definitely give some serious though to that situation.

Edwards: Arizona is another place. You've got Kenny Whisenhunt, that understands veteran quarterbacks. They had Kurt Warner down there.

Greenberg: Look how well that worked.

Edwards: It worked out well.

Greenberg: Play with Larry Fitzgerald. You want to talk about a dream situation.

Edwards: That is a good spot. Seattle is a good spot.

Greenberg: Seattle is not bad.

Edwards: No, not bad. For some reason, I've just got a feeling it's Miami. Those two spots you just mentioned, those are good spots.

A quick look at some of the more extreme measurables from the recently completed 2012 NFL scouting combine (asterisks show categories with multiple qualifiers) ...
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The NFC lost in the Pro Bowl by a 59-41 count Sunday despite three touchdown receptions by Larry Fitzgerald.

Consider it a sign of the times.

Thirty-three years earlier, Seattle's Steve Largent tied what was then a Pro Bowl record with five catches. Not five touchdown catches, but five catches of any kind. The NFC won that game, 13-7 -- the sixth consecutive Pro Bowl in which the losing team failed to exceed 20 points.

On Sunday, Fitzgerald's three scoring receptions weren't even the highest total for the game. The AFC's Brandon Marshall caught four.

The game doesn't really matter, of course. Players love the Pro Bowl because they love hanging out with their peers in Hawaii, without any pressure.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com breaks down Fitzgerald's contributions while noting that rookie Patrick Peterson also made an impact.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic explains why he does not expect Peyton Manning to play for the Cardinals. Bickley: "Assuming he becomes available, courting the future Hall of Fame quarterback will require breathtaking entrepreneurial spirit. Serious pursuit will be fraught with risk. It will require a ton of guaranteed money going out the door with no guarantees that Manning will last another season in the NFL. Sorry, that just doesn't sound like the Cardinals. This franchise hasn't changed that much. I welcome them to prove me wrong." Noted: The Cardinals would have a window in which to make a decision. The Colts have until March 8 to exercise a $28 million option on Manning. The $7 million bonus Arizona owes Kevin Kolb does not come due til March 17. The gap between those dates would give the Cardinals flexibility.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic has this to say about the Cardinals' refusal to let receivers coach John McNulty interview with Tampa Bay for the Bucs' offensive coordinator position: "McNulty is under contract, so the Cardinals can prevent him from interviewing for any job other than a head coaching position. That doesn't seem fair, as many of you have pointed out, but it's common in the NFL. A year ago, the Cardinals requested permission to interview Steelers' linebackers coach Keith Butler for a coordinator's position. They were denied."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times revisits the Seahawks' apparent aversion to selecting quarterbacks in first rounds of drafts over the last nearly two decades. O'Neil: "There have been 208 quarterbacks drafted into the NFL since then, 44 of them chosen in the first round of the draft. Washington has picked three quarterbacks in the first round in that time. So have the Oilers-turned-Titans. But the Seahawks are one of four teams who have not chosen a quarterback in the first round of any draft since 1993. The Cowboys, Saints and the Patriots -- who picked Drew Bledsoe in the slot before Seattle took Rick Mirer -- are the other three."

Brady Henderson of 710ESPN Seattle says Red Bryant wants to become a better all-around player. Henderson: "Along with emerging as a dominant run defender, Bryant has blocked four kicks and intercepted two passes, including one he returned for a score. Of course, defensive ends are supposed to rush the passer, and Bryant hasn't done much of that since moving over from defensive tackle following the 2009 season." Noted: The Seahawks value Bryant for his strength against the run. Rushing the passer has not been a priority for him.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times updates where St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke stands among other bidders to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leo Hindery and Tom Barrack have put together an offer. Shaikin: "Hindery and fellow New York financier Marc Utay lead one of at least eight groups that survived Friday's first cut among the bidders. That group had been one of the two prospective buyers known to remain in the bidding without a significant tie to Los Angeles. The other, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, has a residence in Malibu and could move the Rams back to Los Angeles as soon as 2015, depending on whether the football team and its St. Louis landlord can agree on stadium renovations." Noted: Whether or not Kroenke succeeds in purchasing the Dodgers, his flirtation with Los Angeles remains newsworthy amid the Rams' uncertain future.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers would be more apt to use the franchise tag on Dashon Goldson than Carlos Rogers if the team were unable to strike long-term deals with them. Maiocco: "The franchise tag for safeties is expected to be $6.2 million for one year. The tag for cornerbacks will be around $10.6 million. So it would cost more than $4 million extra for the 49ers to franchise Rogers over Goldson. Plus, the 49ers have nobody behind Goldson to take his spot. The 49ers' third safety this past season was Reggie Smith, who is also scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent."

Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News makes the case for former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Purdy: "DeBartolo doesn't belong in the Hall simply because the 49ers won five Super Bowls under his ownership, though that certainly gives him a leg up. DeBartolo also belongs because in the 1980s, he and coach Bill Walsh virtually invented the modern way of doing NFL business in terms of upgrading every aspect of an organization to eliminate excuses and promote winning. In that respect, I've always said, DeBartolo was the perfect fans' owner. The setup was perfect. Walsh would strategize and DeBartolo would authorize -- whether that meant implementing the latest scouting technology, or deciding to charter roomier jumbo jets, or traveling to eastern road games a day earlier for better time-zone adjustment. In exchange, DeBartolo expected victory. Period. It created a magnificent dynamic of creative tension under pressure." Noted: DeBartolo deserves tremendous credit for weathering a rough start as owner, growing into the role and identifying Walsh as the man to lead the franchise. Walsh's success reflects well on DeBartolo to an extent. Walsh was so good, however, that others don't always get as much credit. As for DeBartolo and the Hall, choosing worthy candidates is the easy part. Deciding which finalists to leave off the final ballot is the hard part when reducing to five modern-era candidates on the final vote.

Stephen from Allen, Texas wants to know why the Arizona Cardinals would rate Kevin Kolb over Kyle Orton as they consider quarterback options for the 2011 season. He would take Orton by a wide margin based on how well Orton has synced up with receivers such as Brandon Marshall and Brandon Lloyd.

Mike Sando: Marshall had 101 receptions for 1,120 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns with Orton as his primary quarterback in 2009. Lloyd set career highs with 77 receptions for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns with Orton as his primary quarterback last season. His production remained strong over the final three games, when Orton was no longer the quarterback.

To answer your question, first we must acknowledge that no one knows for sure how the Cardinals rate the quarterbacks. Next, we must realize each player's appeal would change based on what those quarterbacks' teams demanded in return. The Cardinals might have Kolb rated slightly higher, but they might prefer Orton if the price were a bit lower.

The fact that Orton has played considerably more than Kolb should, in theory, make him the safer selection. In reality, teams routinely pay a higher price when a player's ceiling has not yet been established. Orton had a winning record as a starter every season until 2010. His starting records were 10-5, 2-1, 9-6, 8-7 and then 3-10 last season. He has nearly twice as many touchdown passes (41) as interceptions (21) over the past two seasons. The man he replaced, Jay Cutler, has 50 touchdowns with 42 interceptions and a 17-14 record over the same span.

Part of Kolb's appeal lies in the fact that he hasn't played very much, and that he's put together a couple of impressive performances when he has played. Spending his career under an accomplished offensive head coach, Andy Reid, also enhances Kolb's pedigree.

To me, Kolb is intriguing enough to consider for a reasonable price, but not appealing enough to acquire at any cost. And I think there are strong enough differences between the Eagles' system and the one Arizona runs to call into question the fit. That is a subject I'd like to hear Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt address once the Cardinals do make a decision at quarterback.

Unless another NFC West team vastly outperforms expectations, I do not think the Cardinals need another Kurt Warner to win the division this season. Becoming competent at the position would put Arizona back in contention. If the Cardinals can do that without mortgaging too much of their future, this offseason will stand as a success. Gaining long-term security at the position would be nice, but there is no reason to force the issue in the absence such a solution.

Jim from Westfield, Ind., wants to know what I was smoking before agreeing that St. Louis Rams receiver Danny Amendola had a shot at 100 receptions in coordinator Josh McDaniels' offense. He thinks 70 receptions would be closer to the "ceiling" for Amendola.

Mike Sando: Amendola broke through that ceiling when he had 85 receptions last season. While I think Amendola will approach 100 receptions under McDaniels, I think he's unlikely to reach the milestone. The Rams should have more options at the position than they had last season. Also, only 26 players have reached 100 receptions in a season since 2000. Only 10 have done so over the past five seasons. It is difficult to do.

This discussion began when Ben from Toledo asked during the latest NFC West chat whether Amendola would become "the new Wes Welker" with 100-plus receptions per season. Welker reached 100 receptions in 2007, 2008 and 2009. McDaniels was his offensive coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Ben noted that Eddie Royal never reached 100 receptions under McDaniels in Denver despite expectations it could happen. Royal, after all, had caught 91 passes for 980 yards in 2008, the year before McDaniels arrived.

The Denver Post made Royal-to-Welker comparisons after Royal's reception total fell to 37 in 2009. McDaniels had this to say then:

"I know that I'm frustrated and disappointed that we couldn't do more in terms of using Eddie Royal. I've been asked that question a bunch. I know Eddie is frustrated with it, too. I'm not happy with that, and I don't want that to be the case. We're going to work hard to try to fix that and get that to change dramatically going into next season."

Amendola's teammate in St. Louis, A.J. Feeley, saw Welker-like potential in Amendola heading into last season. Feeley on Amendola then:

"He has polished his game. Some of these guys discover themselves after a year of playing and realizing what they can do. The guy is a special player. The guy is going to make plays and have a lot of catches this year ... a poor man's Wes Welker trying to establish himself. He fits that mold right now. The guy is cat quick."

As I mentioned during the chat, it seems as though Welker comparisons crop up everywhere. Amendola fits the profile in that he is also a slot receiver, and he did make 85 receptions last season (Welker had 86). McDaniels adds another link.

However, Roddy White and Reggie Wayne were the only 100-catch receivers in the NFL last season. Neither is a Welker type. And when Welker did catch 123 passes in 2009, he was very much the exception in terms of style. The other 100-catch receivers that year: Andre Johnson, Wayne, Brandon Marshall and the New York Giants' Steve Smith.

The most accurate read on Amendola would simply cast him as the slot receiver in McDaniels' offense, a role Welker once played and one that could lend itself to making lots of receptions.

As for reaching 100? Ten players have done it since 2006. The chart lists those players with their reception totals by season when reaching at least 100.

The Seattle Seahawks tried to acquire receiver Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos last offseason.

The price wound up being higher than expected, and the Seahawks wisely showed restraint. The latest off-field drama surrounding Marshall -- his recent stabbing, allegedly by his wife -- validates Seattle's decision to bow out of the running.

Signing Marshall to an offer sheet and acquiring him that way would have required parting with the sixth choice in the 2010 draft, a price far too high given the risks associated with Marshall. Matching the price ultimately paid by the Miami Dolphins also would have carried long-term negative ramifications for Seattle.

The initial sting associated with losing Marshall to the Dolphins went away more quickly than anticipated.

Mike Williams emerged as a far less expensive, lower-risk alternative. He did not produce as much as Marshall produced in 2010, but his best games lined up favorably with Marshall's best games. Both are big, physically dominant receivers at their best.

The charts show each receiver's four highest single-game receiving yardage totals, followed by their season stats.

Marshall and Williams finished with similar yards-per-catch and touchdown numbers. Injuries slowed both players in 2010. Marshall missed two games after suffering a hamstring injury. He also underwent a second hip surgery before last season. Williams missed two games and almost all of a third with a foot injury.

Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Roger Craig, Sean Morey, Sam Bradford and Takeo Spikes are among the NFC West players and alumni scheduled to appear at the NFL Players Association's draft-related festivities in New York beginning April 28.

Hall of Famer and current Seattle Seahawks radio analyst Warren Moon, who played for Seattle before the team's move back to the NFC West in 2002, is also on the guest list revealed Monday.

The NFLPA took criticism when news broke that it planned to discourage players from attending the draft itself, but these events have been scheduled to give players flexibility should they choose to attend both.

"The series of events is a celebration of legacy -- of past, present and future football players coming together to honor those making the journey from prospect to professional," the NFLPA said in a news release.

The NFLPA has scheduled a welcome meeting and dinner with families for 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, the first day of the draft, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. Draft prospects attending would then have time to appear at the draft, should they choose to do so, as both will be headquartered in New York.

The NFLPA has scheduled media access for Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, followed by a lunch and dinner with reception at 4:30 p.m. A fitness and skills clinic is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon in Harlem, followed by lunch and a party beginning at 9 p.m.

NFL teams generally fly first-round choices to their facilities in the day or two following the first round. Rules will allow that to happen again, despite the lockout. Players heading to their new teams' facilities for news conferences could miss NFLPA-sponsored events for Friday and/or Saturday.

The initial guest list, subject to change, features the following current and former NFL players: Charlie Batch, Cornelius Bennett, Dwayne Bowe, Bradford, Ahmad Bradshaw, Craig, Zak DeOssie, Dickerson, Eddie George, Faulk, Felix Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew, Dustin Keller, Brandon Marshall, Kevin Mawae, Willie McGinest, Brian Mitchell, Moon, Morey, Shaun O'Hara, Ray Rice, Tony Richardson, Spikes and Mike Vrabel.

The list of draft prospects includes Prince Amukamara, Marvin Austin, Adrian Clayborn, Marcell Dareus, Nick Fairley, Blaine Gabbert, A.J. Green, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, Corey Liuget, Von Miller, Rahim Moore, Cam Newton, Patrick Peterson, Robert Quinn, Aldon Smith, Daniel Thomas and J.J. Watt.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains why he thinks the Rams could come away with a defensive lineman in the first round of the 2011 draft. Thomas: "There shouldn't be a CB, LB or WR at No. 14 overall worth taking. (That's assuming WRs A.J. Green and Julio Jones are gone -- as they should be -- and corners Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara are gone -- as they should be.) Once Von Miller goes, and he could be a top five pick, there won't be any LBs worth taking at 14. So where does that leave you? There are no safeties worth taking there; in fact, there may not be a safety taken in the first round. Even if you felt TE was a big need, there are no TEs worth taking there and may not be a TE taken in the first round. So that leaves us with QB -- don't need one -- OT (don't need one), RB (maybe Mark Ingram) or defensive line (where there should be plenty of ends and a couple of tackles that could be in play at 14.) So why not take an end?"

Also from Thomas: Former Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe will earn $8 million from the Redskins this season.

More from Thomas: New offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels met with the Rams' offensive staff to watch the team's games from last season. Coach Steve Spagnuolo: "And basically, Josh just listened and absorbed. (Wide receivers coach) Nolan Cromwell might say, 'Here's how we did this. We thought this was pretty good.' Or (tight ends coach) Frank Leonard might say, 'We had our tight ends do this on this route.' Josh just kind of picked the things he saw that we did well here. It was like a clinic for him, and then we started to dig into the stuff that he's used to."

Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asks colleagues what's at stake for the Rams if a lockout erases much of the offseason. Bryan Burwell: "The inability to conduct the business of football -- recruiting and signing veteran free agents -- is the biggest problem for the Rams. Sam Bradford is an intelligent football mind and he will pick up on the new offense just fine. He might not be able to talk with McDaniels during the strike, but he knows other QBs who have worked in that system. They can help him in the interim. But the Rams need players to upgrade this roster and if that is restricted in any way, it outweighs whatever delay Bradford might experience in learning the playbook."

Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com checks in with general manager Billy Devaney for thoughts on the team's philosophy.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times says a cornerback drafted in the first round would not automatically start for Seattle opposite Marcus Trufant. O'Neil: "Automatically? No sir. Not with Walter Thurmond wanting to compete for that spot. And I would say that I wouldn't be so sure Marcus Trufant's starting job is written in with permanent ink. He would have to compete for that spot, too." Trufant's contract calls for him to earn $5.9 million in base salary for 2011, so if he's back under terms of that deal, he pretty much has to start. I'll be curious to see if the Seahawks bring back Trufant at that price. Trufant showed last season he can play at a high level when the defense is playing well, but the defense had issues as the season progressed and Trufant's performance fell off. Injuries might have been a factor, too, beginning with the one to his ankle suffered against San Diego.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt spent part of Tuesday working out Cam Newton at the Auburn quarterback's pro day. Somers: "The draft is seven weeks away, so things could obviously change. But I don't see the Cardinals taking Newton at No. 5, if he even drops that far. To take a quarterback that high, it would have to be someone such as Sam Bradford, Matt Ryan, etc. -- guys who were productive for more than one year in college and had no red flags when it comes to behavior, maturity, etc. Of course, Matt Leinart fell into that category."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says Auburn was one of several scouting stops planned for general manager Rod Graves. Urban: "Graves is scheduled to attend the pro days of TCU, LSU and Texas A&M over the next six days. There can only be four players taken before the Cards go. Someone high-profile is going to be sitting there at 5. Who that is, however, remains vague."

Brock Huard of 710ESPN Seattle expresses skepticism on Kevin Kolb as a quarterback prospect for the Cardinals. Huard: "Derek Anderson didn't work. Max Hall was abysmal. They've got the young guy, (John) Skelton, that's a good player from Fordham with some nice size but is certainly unproven. You go back and look at Kevin Kolb, if you didn't know all the hype and the hysteria and everything else and you just looked at the byline, you just looked at the raw numbers of what he's done in four years, he's got a QB rating in four years of 73.2. He has started, in four years, seven games. He got beat out by Donovan McNabb. They drafted him in the second round to replace McNabb; it never happened. He got beat out by Michael Vick, and granted, Michael Vick is a different guy and an All-Pro and everything else. Those are two really good players. But those are the facts."

Eric Branch of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat puts Michael Crabtree's first 27 games in perspective. Branch: "Consider that Crabtree has played 27 NFL games and has more catches (103) than Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (101), Green Bay’s Greg Jennings (98) and Miami’s Brandon Marshall (85) did at the same stage in their careers. It remains to be seen if Crabtree joins the NFL’s elite. He certainly won’t make the breakthrough due to breakaway speed. But it’s worth remembering his route running and inconsistency aren’t unusual for a 23-year-old wide receiver."

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers should be wary of drafting pass-rusher Von Miller seventh overall, according to former NFL scout Dave Razzano. Razzano: "He's got some Vernon Gholston in him. I'm not a big Von Miller fan. In looking at Big-12 tape, he does not have a motor. He doesn't chase hard. They run at him, and he doesn't fight off blockers. When he gets sacks, a lot of times he's not getting blocked. He's a one-move guy."

Also from Maiocco: thoughts on the 49ers possibly acquiring a veteran quarterback. Maiocco: "The Cardinals might be the 49ers' biggest competition to land a veteran quarterback. A lot of that has to do with the timing of the new CBA. If the new league year begins after the draft, it could have a major impact. If the Cardinals take a quarterback with the fifth overall pick, that would seem to rule out the possibility of them investing a lot to pursue a trade for Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer. The Cardinals might also go after 49ers free agent quarterback Alex Smith. Kolb seems to be a better long-term fit with the 49ers because he'd be coming from a West Coast system to another West Coast system. The Vikings, Redskins, Bengals, Seahawks, Titans, Panthers, Bills and Dolphins are among the teams that could use quarterbacks, too."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Miller would give the 49ers ample speed at linebacker. Barrows: "With Miller, who ran his 40 in a furious 4.51 seconds, the amount of speed the 49ers would have at linebacker would be eye-opening. The future would include him, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman at three of the four positions. The fourth? Fangio would have to decide among returnees Ahmad Brooks, Parys Haralson and Thaddeus Gibson as well as free agents Manny Lawson and Travis LaBoy."

ESPN.com's NFL writers rank the top 10 wide receivers in the league today. Next week: Running backs.

Randy Moss and Terrell Owens must be running fade routes.

Neither iconic receiver drew even one vote when ESPN.com asked eight panelists to rank the top 10 receivers in the NFL today.

"When three different teams can't use a player," AFC East blogger Tim Graham said of Moss in particular, "then he can't be considered elite anymore."

That's fine. Our top 10 list aspires to be one for the ages, not for the aged.

The Indianapolis Colts' Reggie Wayne, 32, was the only one in our top 10 older than 29. Owens, 37, and Moss, 34, could serve as chaperones for this bunch.

The Houston Texans' Andre Johnson, 29, edged the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald, 27, for the top spot. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky made it so by ranking Johnson first on his ballot and Fitzgerald only ninth, five spots lower than any other panelist ranked Arizona's five-time Pro Bowl wideout.

"I have nothing against Larry Fitzgerald -- I think he's fantastic," Kuharsky explained. "I just found so many receivers to love, and consider most of the guys I put ahead of him as having more upside."

Divergent views on Johnson and Fitzgerald made this a hotly contested battle for the No. 1 spot. Johnson might have won in a runaway if NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert and NFC South counterpart Pat Yasinskas hadn't ranked the Texans' five-time Pro Bowler only sixth.

"I’ve got nothing against Johnson," said Yasinskas, who joined AFC West blogger Bill Williamson in ranking the Atlanta Falcons' Roddy White first overall. "In fact, if I had to go out and start a team from scratch, he’d get very strong consideration to be one of my wide receivers. But the reason I went with White was because I went off statistics and I went off success of teams when I filled out my ballot. Sorry, but another mediocre Houston season really didn’t excite me."

That was a tough sell in the AFC South.

"Andre Johnson is an incredible combination of power and speed, and I think of him as at the forefront of an anti-diva wide receiver movement, which is refreshing -- though not a big factor in his being No. 1 on my list," Kuharsky said. "In three seasons of covering him, I've never heard anyone talk of the smallest hole in his game."

Some of our NFC West fans might poke a few holes in Kuharsky's ballot. Giving Fitzgerald even a No. 5 ranking from Kuharsky would have moved Fitzgerald into the top spot.

More from Kuharsky in a bit. First, let's take a closer look at the rankings.

How we scored it: First-place votes were worth 10 points, second-place votes were worth nine, and so on.

Sixteen receivers drew votes.

Close calls: The Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Wallace and the New England Patriots' Wes Welker each scored seven points, coming within three of tying the Miami Dolphins' Brandon Marshall for the 10th spot.

Seifert had Welker seventh. Williamson had him eighth. Yasinskas had Wallace seventh. I had Wallace ninth. John Clayton had him 10th.

"I like Mike Wallace’s game as much as anyone, but he only has one year as a starter and is still in the developmental stages," said AFC North blogger James Walker, who did not rank Wallace in his top 10. "Wallace’s route-running remains pretty raw, and he needs to continue working on his short and intermediate game to pair with his blazing speed. Once he does that, Wallace will be among the NFL’s best."

Honorable mention: Santonio Holmes (three points), Vincent Jackson (two), Miles Austin (one) and Marques Colston (one) also drew votes.

Holmes was ninth on Seifert's ballot and 10th on Graham's ballot. Kuharsky and Williamson had Vincent Jackson 10th.

"I think Vincent Jackson is a special talent," Williamson said. "Don’t be skewed by his holdout. This is a player who has a special blend of size and speed. He has terrific hands and he has a great chemistry with Philip Rivers. He can easily be a top-five receiver in a year."

Walker had Austin 10th. Yasinskas had Colston 10th.

"Miles Austin may be a forgotten player because he didn’t have his starting quarterback most of last season," Walker said. "But Austin still posted more than 1,000 yards receiving and his early numbers were off the charts when Tony Romo was healthy. Austin could have a big year in 2011 if everyone stays healthy."

Very shiny third wheel: The Falcons' White ranked among the top three on four ballots, matching the Texans' Johnson and trailing only Fitzgerald.

"I put White, who I thought had a shot at MVP in the first half of the season, No. 1 because I saw this guy single-handedly win games for the Falcons, who won 13 of them," Yasinskas said. "White’s numbers and Atlanta’s success speak for themselves, but White made perhaps the play of the season when he chased down San Francisco’s Nate Clements on an interception return and stripped the ball. That led to Atlanta’s victory. How many other wide receivers can win a game for you when they’re playing defense?"

I saw Arizona's Steve Breaston do it against St. Louis last season, but White is on another level as a receiver.

Do not forget about Calvin Johnson: The top four spots were clearly defined, with the Detroit Lions' dynamic wideout firmly in that group. He ranked among the top five on seven of eight ballots. Only Fitzgerald and White could make that claim.

Biggest debate: We're back to Fitzgerald versus Johnson, but not necessarily in that order. Seifert and Kuharsky in particular might need to borrow federal mediator George Cohen from the NFL labor mess to work through their differences.

Not really. Seifert put candor before rationalization.

"Andre who?" Seifert kidded. "No, seriously, sometimes in this job you can become narrowly biased toward the players you see most often. I believe I have covered one of Andre Johnson's 115 career games. That one was in 2003, I believe. You can watch all the highlights you want, but you tend to trust your instincts based on personal viewing. This was more a reflection of my own visual catalog than it was an assessment of Johnson's game."

Fitzgerald has spent more time than Johnson on the national stage, including when his 64-yard touchdown reception gave Arizona a late fourth-quarter lead against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald managed 90 receptions during the 2010 season despite playing for a struggling offense.

"Context has to be factored in and Fitzgerald has the worst quarterback situation of anyone in my top 10," Kuharsky said. "I also put a lot of weight in yards per catch -- the only guys lower than Fitzgerald on my list in 2010 were Roddy White and Reggie Wayne."

Speaking of Wayne: Kuharsky ranked the Colts' wideout only seventh while acknowledging Wayne's consistent production.

"He showed hints in 2010 of starting to slip -- more drops, and a career-low 12.2 yards per catch," Kuharsky said. "That's not entirely in his control, I know. But he's less threatening deep than he used to be and that moved him down my list."

Playing with a Brandon: The Dolphins' move to acquire Marshall from Denver gave them the second-best Brandon on our list. The Broncos' Brandon Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards while finishing with an 18.8-yard average and 11 touchdowns. He edged Marshall for the ninth spot.

Graham, our AFC East blogger, had Lloyd ninth. He did not include Marshall on his ballot, opting for Holmes in the 10th spot. Graham also left off Welker.

"Marshall and Welker had impressive reception totals, but it's difficult to put him in the top 10 when he scored only three touchdowns," Graham said. "The Dolphins had one of the NFL's worst red zone offenses. A top-10 receiver should be able to make a difference there. Marshall also had the lowest yards per catch of any receiver with at least 850 yards. Welker's average was lower even though half of his yards came after the catch. ESPN Stats & Information had him down for a league-high 11 drops."

Second opinion: Another Williamson -- not Bill, but Matt of Scouts Inc. -- liked our top 10 list overall, with a couple of exceptions.

"The one name that really seems to be missing to me is Hakeem Nicks," Matt Williamson said. "I can also understand why you guys would think it is just too early in his career to include him here, but I think I would take him over Dwayne Bowe or Brandon Lloyd, for sure. I also think Holmes would climb up this list in a different offense and Vincent Jackson and Miles Austin are much better players than this past season would indicate. I would also put Greg Jennings over Reggie Wayne."

Nicks nearly drew votes. Kuharsky had him ninth on an earlier version of his ballot. I would have ranked Nicks among the top seven if he hadn't missed three of the New York Giants' final six games last season. Maybe next year.

So, the San Francisco 49ers were unwitting victims of a Spygate-style taping scheme before their recent London game against the Denver Broncos.

My thoughts:

• Steve Scarnecchia, the person responsible for the illicit taping earlier this month, worked for New England when the Patriots allegedly taped St. Louis Rams practices before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. As a result, I'm more comfortable removing the word "allegedly" from the previous sentence. The Patriots employed cheaters. Scarnecchia's father, Dante, still works for the Patriots.
• The fact that a former Patriots employee would confess to spearheading similar efforts for the Broncos even after the massive Spygate fallout reveals a level of arrogance bordering on unfathomable. The NCAA phrase "lack of institutional control" comes to mind. Why would the Broncos hire Steve Scarnecchia in the first place if another Spygate-style scandal were even remotely possible?
• Josh McDaniels' run as Broncos coach was already unfortunate on numerous fronts even though Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall weren't blameless in their handling of events leading to their departures. I mean, what would the team's McDaniels-led leadership do differently if their primary job were to embarrass team owner Pat Bowlen? This videotaping fiasco leaves Bowlen with even more egg on his face.
• I realize NFC West teams can be intimidating -- wink, wink -- but what's so special about their walk-through practices? I'm sure a sharp coach could pick up some helpful information, but at what cost? Again, the level of arrogance astounds.
• McDaniels said he never watched the illicitly taped walk-through practice. We should not automatically trust him. The 49ers won the game, so the competitive-advantage angle isn't relevant. The Broncos are fortunate on that front. Any concerns the Rams might have had stemming from Spygate seem more credible following this repeat performance.

Niners coach Mike Singletary declined to discuss the incident when speaking with reporters following practice Saturday. He said he learned of the situation only Saturday and had not yet heard from McDaniels. The team issued a statement declining comment.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 6:

For the record. Steven Jackson needs 140 yards rushing against San Diego to match Eric Dickerson for the Rams’ career rushing lead. He gained 84 yards in his only previous game against the Chargers. How great was Dickerson? When he rushed for 103 yards against San Diego at age 32, the effort actually reduced his career average against the Chargers. (Dickerson rushed for 138, 115, 169 and 30 yards in four previous games against the Chargers.) Jackson is a workhorse back, no question. He has five career games with at least 30 carries and averaged 132 yards in those games, gaining at least 108 in each of them. Dickerson? The Hall of Famer had 21 games with at least 30 carries. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder averaged 148.6 yards in those games and rushed for at least 107 in all but two of them.

Stepping up. Mark Clayton's season-ending injury hurts the Rams' offense, but it should give others additional opportunities. Danny Amendola's 12 receptions against Detroit tied for seventh-most in Rams history. Amendola was already a preferred third-down target for rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. He is tied for the NFL lead with 11 receptions on third down. (Brandon Marshall and Roddy White are the only other wide receivers with as many.) Amendola has turned eight of those 11 receptions into first downs, most in the league among wide receivers. Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow is the only other player in the league with as many. (He also has eight.)

Running into a wall. The Chicago Bears' Matt Forte is coming off a career-high 166-yard rushing performance against Carolina. Seattle's Marshawn Lynch sounds rejuvenated after the Seahawks rescued him from a dead-end job in Buffalo. Both backs face tough challenges Sunday. Seattle and Chicago rank right behind league-leading Pittsburgh in fewest rushing yards allowed per game. Seattle is allowing 2.75 yards per carry, second only to the Steelers. The Bears are allowing 3.48 yards per carry, which ranks fifth. Forte had 66 yards and a 3.1 average against Seattle last season. Lynch has never faced Chicago. He last topped 100 yards in 2008.

Trending downward. The 49ers have a 5-15 record in the past 20 games Alex Smith has started at quarterback. Smith lost his final five starts of 2007 (four after suffering a shoulder injury). He missed the 2008 season, then went 5-5 as a starter in 2009 and 0-5 to open this season. Smith has 25 touchdown passes with 29 interceptions during those past 20 starts. The 49ers' offense has made statistical progress recently, but they need to win a game. So does Smith.

Needing to get hot. The 49ers have not lost three in a row at home under coach Mike Singletary, but they're riding a two-game home slide into this game against Oakland. The team needs to get hot to make up lost ground, but the 49ers own only one three-game winning streak since the 2003 season. That came when San Francisco defeated Minnesota, Detroit and Seattle midway through the 2006 season. The 49ers have not won four in a row since a five-game streak in 2001.