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Rookie minicamps start on Friday for three teams that missed the playoffs in 2012: San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets.

It’ll be the first look at two of the more high-profile quarterbacks from this year’s draft class, Geno Smith and Matt Barkley, but there are other storylines worth keeping an eye on.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
The Chargers are one team that does not have a question at quarterback. Philip Rivers has started every game in San Diego since the start of 2006.

However, Rivers was sacked a franchise-record 49 times in 2012. That’s one reason the Chargers selected OT D.J. Fluker in the first round. It marks the first time the Bolts drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since taking James Fitzpatrick in 1986. From 1987-2012, San Diego was the only team that did not draft an offensive lineman in the first round.

Protecting Rivers isn’t the only reason the Chargers drafted Fluker. In 2012, San Diego was tied with the Detroit Lions for the fewest 20-yard runs. The Chargers also were one of two teams that averaged less than 2.0 yards per rush before contact.

In the second round the Chargers traded up to draft Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. The 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up intercepted seven passes in 13 games, the most by a linebacker since 2006.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Eagles drafted offensive players with their first two picks (OT Lane Johnson, TE Zach Ertz). In Andy Reid’s 14 seasons with the Eagles, they drafted offensive players with their first two picks only once (2009, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy).

In 2012, the Eagles used nine different starters on the offensive line, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. That inconsistency on the offensive line is one reason the Eagles allowed the most quarterback pressures (239) last season.

Only one offensive lineman, left guard Evan Mathis, start all 16 games last season for the Eagles.

With Michael Vick a free agent after next season, the Eagles drafted QB Matt Barkley in the fourth round. Barkley was the third QB selected by the Eagles in the first four rounds of the last four drafts (Nick Foles in 2012, Mike Kafka in 2010).

Two areas where Barkley excelled at USC were passing against the blitz and deep passes. Both are areas that Philadelphia’s quarterbacks struggled in last season.

NEW YORK JETS
The Jets have not been stellar at the quarterback position over the last few years. Mark Sanchez has the lowest Total QBR in the NFL since 2009.

In the second round, the Jets drafted Geno Smith out of West Virginia to compete with Sanchez and newcomer David Garrard for the starting QB job. Smith is the fourth QB the Jets have drafted in the second round in the Common Draft Era (since 1967). The first three went a combined 12-29 in starts with the Jets.

At West Virginia, Smith relied on screens (34.2 percent of his passes were at or behind the line of scrimmage in 2012) and shotgun passing (over 96 percent of his passes out of shotgun during his college career). The Jets were one of the league’s worst teams on screen passes last year.

The Jets offense ranked among the bottom five in the league in points, yards and turnovers last season. They’re hoping that Smith can help drastically improve their offense in the future.

The NFL began to look more like the college game last season with mobile quarterbacks, zone-read options and spread passing attacks. With some work, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel has the tools to continue the evolution.

Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick transformed the game with their speed and versatility, forcing defenses to adapt to a new style of play.

All three of those quarterbacks were also proficient passers. They each possess four qualities necessary to be a successful quarterback in the NFL: overall accuracy, ability to handle the blitz, downfield precision and composure under duress.

Manziel is skilled in all four categories, but he could improve in each next season to boost his draft stock if he decides to declare for the draft.

Overall accuracy
In 2012, Manziel completed 68 percent of his passes, which ranked ninth among FBS teams. He was at his best on short and intermediate passes, completing more than 76 percent of his throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

One of his greatest strengths was putting the ball in spots that enabled his receivers to run after the catch. Texas A&M ranked sixth among colleges in AQ conferences in yards after the catch, averaging 6.5 yards after the catch per reception.

Ability to handle the blitz
Opponents blitzed Manziel on fewer than 30 percent of his dropbacks last season.

Although Manziel’s completion percentage was significantly lower against the blitz, he exploited blitzing defenses with big plays.

Manziel averaged a play of 20 yards or more once every 6.4 dropbacks when opponents blitzed, compared with once every 8.5 dropbacks when they sent standard pressure.

His biggest plays came when scrambling, with him rushing for 389 yards and seven touchdowns on 32 scrambles against the blitz.

Downfield precision
This is probably the one area Manziel could improve the most. Last season, he completed 38.7 percent of his passes of 20 yards or longer with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

To put that into perspective, Griffin III, Wilson and Andrew Luck all completed a higher percentage of their passes on throws of this distance in their final year of college.

Manziel can learn from those quarterbacks, who all increased their completion percentages on throws of at least 20 yards downfield in their final college seasons.

Composure under duress
Last season, Manziel completed 51.4 percent of his passes when under duress, about 11 percentage points higher than the FBS average.

He was at his best when forced to improvise. Manziel ran for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on 86 scramble attempts in 2012. He also threw for 581 yards and eight touchdowns when forced to throw from outside the pocket.

Many question whether this aspect of Manziel’s game will translate to the NFL, given his size and the speed of NFL defenses. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Manziel is small for an NFL quarterback. Of the 49 NFL quarterbacks who attempted at least 30 passes last season, only three were 6-1 or shorter, and only one weighed 200 pounds or less.

In terms of the speed of NFL defenses, Texas A&M faced its share of NFL talent last season; 26 opposing defensive players were taken in the 2013 NFL draft.

Last season against Alabama, the top defense in the nation, Manziel ran for 92 yards. It was the most rushing yards the Crimson Tide had allowed to an opposing quarterback since Nick Saban became Alabama's coach in 2007.

The biggest surprise of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft may have been the Buffalo Bills trading back and selecting Florida State QB EJ Manuel with the 16th-overall pick.

According to Scouts Inc., Manuel was the sixth-ranked quarterback entering the draft, which begs the question:

What did the Bills see in him?

Bills’ general manager Buddy Nix and head coach Doug Marrone conducted a post-draft interview and defended their pick, pointing to Manuel’s tremendous upside and athleticism.

When asked to size up Manuel’s best attributes, Marrone stated:

“Well I think you could start listing many things. He can throw the football vertically down the field, he has a good arm, he can get himself out of trouble, he can create things with his feet, he has good presence in the huddle, he’s accurate and we are excited to have him.”

Let's break that quote down to show you what Marrone was looking at.

He can throw the football vertically down the field
Manuel improved his completion percentage on passes of 20 yards or longer in his junior and senior seasons. In 2012, Manuel completed 49.2 percent of his passes of 20 yards or longer, the highest completion percentage of any of Scouts Inc.’s top six quarterback prospects.

He can get himself out of trouble
In 2012, Manuel completed 55.8 percent of his passes when under duress, a higher completion percentage than Geno Smith (49.3), Matt Barkley (49.3) and Landry Jones (37.1).

Marrone pointed to Manuel’s ability to keep his eyes downfield when flushed out of the pocket. In the past three seasons, Manuel actually was more accurate when outside the pocket than inside it.

When forced out of the pocket, Manuel completed 60 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

He can create things with his feet
In addition to passing on the move, Manuel scrambled for first downs when he chose to. In 2012, Manuel scrambled for 199 yards and 10 first downs on 28 scrambles, averaging 7.1 yards per scramble. On third downs, Manuel scrambled for six first downs and averaged 7.7 yards per scramble.

He also rushed for 208 yards on designed running plays, including six rushes for 45 yards on zone-read options. Comparatively, Geno Smith gained 27 yards on designed rushes in 2012.

Good presence in the huddle
There is no statistical measure of leadership, but Marrone pointed to Manuel’s superior record as a starter.

Manuel led the Seminoles to a 25-6 record as a starter, including four straight bowl wins. No other top QB prospect had a better win percentage as a college starter than Manuel.

He’s accurate
Manuel completed more than two-thirds of the passes he threw in his career.

In his last three seasons, 81 percent of his passes were on target (passes that were not overthrown, underthrown or wide of his receiver), comparable numbers to Smith (83.4) and Barkley (80.3).

The 2013 NFL Draft concluded Saturday night and now a great deal of analysis will begin on which teams fared best and worst.

But before you get to that, here are the most notable facts and figures we could find on this year's selections.

SEC: The dominant conference
Of the 254 picks, about one quarter (63), were drafted out of SEC schools. That’s eight more picks than any other conference in a single draft ever.

It’s the seventh straight draft the SEC has led all conferences in players selected.

The SEC had four more defensive players drafted than any conference had total players drafted.

LSU, Alabama, Florida and Georgia combined for 34 players drafted. No other conference had more than 31.

LSU had eight defensive players drafted (all in the first five rounds of the draft). Only Texas in 1984 had more defensive players taken in any draft.

The SEC had 32 more players drafted than the second-ranked conference (ACC). That is the biggest disparity in picks between the top two conferences in any draft.

The previous high was 19 when the Pac-10 had 55 picks and the Big Ten had 36.

But it was Florida State from the ACC that led all schools with 11 picks, the most in school history. Rutgers had the next-most among non-SEC schools with seven, more than any other school in the conference it will eventually join, the Big Ten.

You build it through the draft
Of the 254 picks in the 2013 draft, the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers each made 11, tied for the most by any team.

Those three franchises all reached the Divisional Playoffs in 2012.

The Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, none of whom made the playoffs in 2012, each made just five picks, tied for the fewest of any team.

Quarterbacks not highly wanted
There were three quarterbacks drafted in the first three rounds, the fewest since 2000.

Four quarterbacks were drafted in the first 18 picks on Saturday and then none were taken until the seventh round, when four more were selected.

In all, 11 quarterbacks were drafted, the same total as last season.

A weekend for veteran movement too
Several accomplished veterans were traded during the 2013 draft.

Chris Ivory, who led the New Orleans Saints in rushing in 2010 and has a career average of 5.1 yards per rush, was dealt from the Saints to the New York Jets.

LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 1,007 yards as a rookie in 2010, was acquired by the New England Patriots" target="_blank">New England Patriots.

Davone Bess, who has recorded at least 50 catches and 500 receiving yards in each of his five seasons, was traded to the Cleveland Browns" target="_blank">Cleveland Browns from the Miami Dolphins.

Undrafted doesn’t mean undesired
If a prospect wasn’t among the 254 players selected during the draft, he can now sign with a team as an undrafted free agent.

Thirteen players who entered the league as undrafted free agents made the Pro Bowl in 2012, and four undrafted free agents to enter the league in the Common Draft Era are enshrined in the Hall of Fame (John Randle, Warren Moon, Jim Langer, Larry Little).

Much like the past few college football seasons, the first three rounds of the NFL Draft were dominated by the SEC -- 32 of the 97 draftees have come from the SEC, the most from one conference in a single draft (the previous record was 25 from the ACC in 2006).

Last year there were 16 SEC players drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.

Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu was one of six LSU players drafted -- all from the defense -- the most defensive players ever drafted from one school the first three rounds in a single draft.

LSU’s six players drafted are just one fewer than the entire Big Ten Conference.

The rest of the Day 2 roundup:
• The Cincinnati Bengals chose North Carolina RB Giovani Bernard with the 37th pick. That’s the latest the first running back has been chosen in the Common Draft Era.

• Then Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o was selected 38th overall by the San Diego Chargers, the first Notre Dame linebacker to get picked in the first two rounds since Courtney Watson (to the New Orleans Saints) in 2004.

The last Fighting Irish linebacker to go as high as Te’o was Demetrius Dubose (34th to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) in 1993.

• With the next pick, the New York Jets chose West Virginia QB Geno Smith. The Jets had a 24.7 Total QBR last season, 2nd-lowest in the NFL (only the Arizona Cardinals were worse). Since drafting Mark Sanchez, the Jets have not finished a season ranked higher than 16th in Total QBR.

It’s the highest a West Virginia quarterback has ever been drafted.

A few things to note about Smith’s college experience:

1) He attempted more than 96 percent of his passes out of a shotgun or pistol formation in his career. Dana Holgorsen introduced Smith to the pistol in 2011, and he threw 42 touchdowns and four interceptions out of that formation.

2) He threw 177 of his 518 passes (34.2 percent) at or behind the line of scrimmage last season, including a BCS AQ-high 112 screen passes. As a result, Smith’s average pass traveled only 7.7 yards past the line of scrimmage, the fewest air yards per attempt of any top QB prospect.

• Boise State has had six defensive backs drafted in the past seven years -- they had six drafted in the previous 40 years combined.

Since Chris Petersen took over as head coach in 2006, the Broncos have had eighth players selected in the first two rounds. Before 2006, Boise State had just two players ever chosen in the draft’s first two rounds.

• If we need more evidence that this is a passing league, there have been 16 cornerbacks selected and 11 wide receivers, the most of any position, and there have been nine safeties taken, tied for fourth-most.

• The 55 defensive players drafted is the most ever through three rounds.

• The 25 defensive backs taken is the most ever through three rounds.

• The six running backs is tied for the fewest through three rounds.

The big boys ruled the top of the 2013 NFL draft as offensive lineman were taken first, second, fourth and seventh overall. This is the first time in NFL Draft history that four offensive lineman have been taken within the first seven picks.

Eric Fisher was taken first overall, becoming the fourth offensive lineman drafted first overall, joining Ron Yary (1968), Orlando Pace (1997) and Jake Long (2008). Those three other players were each selected to at least four Pro Bowls.

Fisher is also the first player from the MAC to be selected first overall. The previous highest MAC player selected was Byron Leftwich, who was the seventh pick in 2003.

With Luke Joeckel going second, this is just the second time that offensive linemen have been taken first and second overall in the draft. The other time it happened was in 1968, when Yary was taken first and center Bob Johnson was taken second.

And when Kyle Long went to the Chicago Bears at No. 20, that made it eight offensive lineman taken in the first 20 picks for the first time in NFL Draft history.

Where are the skill players?
Wide receiver Tavon Austin was the first skill player taken with the eighth pick overall by the St. Louis Rams. This is the latest that the first QB/RB/WR has gone off the board since 1991 when Herman Moore was selected 10th overall.

The next skill player was not taken until the 16th pick when EJ Manuel was chosen by the Buffalo Bills, making this the first time with only one QB/RB/WR taken within the first 13 selections.

Only one quarterback (EJ Manuel) was taken in the first round. That breaks a streak of 11 straight drafts with multiple quarterbacks being selected in the first round, which was by far the longest such streak in NFL Draft history.

Also, no running back was taken in the first round for the first time since the 1963 draft.

Overall, just four skill players were taken in the first round, matching the 1975 draft for the fewest QB/RB/WR selected in the first round.

Roll Tide
Last year Alabama dominated the top of the draft board, with Trent Richardson and Mark Barron going third and seventh overall, respectively.

This year the first Crimson Tide player wasn’t taken until the New York Jets selected Dee Milliner at No. 9 overall. This is the latest that the first Alabama player was been selected since 2007.

However, Tide fans didn’t have to wait long for their next player chosen. Chance Warmack (No. 10) and D.J. Fluker (No. 11) were chosen with the next two picks. This is the first time ever in the first round that teammates were taken with three straight picks.

This also marked the third straight year that Alabama has at least three first-round picks. Only Miami (2001-04) and USC (1980-83) have done before in NFL draft history.

NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, all notes refer to the Common Draft Era (since 1967) only. 1967 is the first year the NFL and AFL drafted from the same pool of players. Prior to 1967, a player could be drafted by both an NFL team and an AFL team.

The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2013 NFL Draft with 13 draft picks, the most of any team. If they make all 13 picks, it will be the most for any team in the draft since the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles made 13.

Home Grown Team

The 49ers are looking to build on recent draft success and a mostly home grown team. Five of their 10 first-round selections since 2006 have made at least one Pro Bowl, tied for most in the league with the Washington Redskins. By comparison, 30 percent of the first-round selections by other teams since 2006 have made at least one pro bowl (An average of two per team).


Fifteen of the 49ers’ 22 offensive and defensive starters on last season’s Super Bowl roster were drafted by San Francisco, and seven of them were drafted in the third round or later. They have 10 picks in the third round or later this season.

Tough in the Trenches

The 49ers have built their team in the draft starting with the front lines. They started the same offensive line group in all 16 games in 2012 and were the only group to feature three first-round draft picks as their most frequent line combination (Joe Staley, Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati).

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers beef up their defensive line in this year’s draft. With Justin Smith suffering an injury late last season a lack of depth along the defensive line was exposed. The 49ers recorded a sack once every 16.2 dropbacks and allowed a 57.8 Total QBR with Smith on the field last season. With Smith off the field, the 49ers recorded a sack once every 29.4 dropbacks and allowed a 75.2 QBR.

Moving Up?

Will they move up in the draft order to secure one of this year’s top defensive lineman? San Francisco especially needs depth at the position after they lost starting lineman Isaac Sopoaga and backup Ricky Jean Francois in free agency (although they did sign Glenn Dorsey).

Trading up has worked for them in the past. The 49ers moved up in the 2011 Draft to the No. 36 pick and selected quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The first selections of the NFL Draft are just a day away. Here are our Top 10 overall stats to know on this year’s selections.

A lineman is likely No. 1
Luke Joeckel is primed to become just the fourth offensive lineman drafted first overall since the AFL and NFL held their first common draft in 1967. Each of the first three, Ron Yary in 1968, Orlando Pace in 1997 and Jake Long in 2008, made at least four Pro Bowl trips and were named 1st-team All-Pro a combined 10 times.

49ers will be a prominent factor, but will their draftees be prominent factors?
The San Francisco 49ers enter the draft with a league-high 13 picks and could become just the second team to make 13 or more picks in a draft in the last eight years, joining the 2010 Eagles. But the odds of any 49ers rookie making a major impact in 2013 are slim. The 49ers won the NFC last year despite getting only 12 games (and no starts) from their 2012 draft picks, both NFL lows.

Minimal skill position talent in top 10
The top of the 2013 draft class is expected to be heavy on linemen, with some draft experts projecting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith as the only quarterback, running back or wide receiver to go in the top 10. The fewest offensive skill position players picked in the top 10 in the common draft era is one, done four times with the last in 1997. That year, it was all offensive linemen and defensive players before the Giants drafted WR Ike Hilliard seventh.

An Irish defender in the top 20
Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o could become the first Notre Dame defensive player to go in the top 20 since defensive tackle Bryant Young was drafted seventh in 1994. From 1995-2012, 59 different schools have had more defensive players drafted in the top 20 than Notre Dame, including New Mexico, Tennessee State and Division II Kutztown (Pa.).

Top-10 trades are frequent
Is your favorite team picking at the back of the draft? Don’t wait to tune in, as the rookie salary scale has made top picks tradable again. In the two drafts with the rookie scale (2011-12), teams have made six trades involving top-10 selections, including five on the day of the draft. There were four trades of top-10 selections in the previous six drafts combined (2005-10).

Raiders have missed out on some good ones
The Oakland Raiders are slated to pick third overall after not having a first-round pick in 2011 and 2012. But Oakland hasn’t had much success in the first round in recent years, drafting the likes of Rolando McClain, JaMarcus Russell, Fabian Washington and Robert Gallery, none of whom are currently with the team.

However, the players drafted with the pick AFTER McClain, Russell, Washington and Gallery have combined for 14 Pro Bowl selections. That would be C.J. Spiller, Calvin Johnson, Aaron Rodgers and Larry Fitzgerald.

The Raiders tend to like them fast
The Raiders have taken the player with the best 40-yard dash time in three of the last four drafts. From 2009-11, the Raiders selected Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Demarcus Van Dyke, all of whom were fastest in their combine class. Of those three, only Ford is still a Raider. Last year’s fastest player (cornerback Josh Robinson) was taken by the Vikings 29 picks before Oakland’s first selection. This year’s fastest player was Texas wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the combine.

NFC East teams could use help halting deep threats
All four NFC East teams were ranked in the bottom six in Total QBR on defending throws deeper than 15 yards downfield. Of the eight free agent secondary signings by NFC East teams so far, only Philadelphia’s Cary Williams (four) had more than two interceptions last year.

The NFC East has the NFL’s touchdown leader (Tony Romo, 14) and completion percentage leader (Robert Griffin III, 55.7 percent) on throws at least 15 yards downfield. Eli Manning also had 22 plays of at least 30 yards on those throws, tied for second most in the league.

The Cardinals have many needs
How bad was it in Arizona last season? Four different quarterbacks had at least 50 dropbacks for the Cardinals, the most of any team. The Cardinals were the only team in 2012 without a receiving touchdown by a tight end. The Cardinals’ offensive line allowed ball carriers to be hit in the backfield on a league-high 22.4 percent of rushes, and none of the four Arizona backs with at least 50 rushes gained more yards per rush after contact thanthe league average (1.6). The Cardinals added Carson Palmer and Rashard Mendenhall this offseason.

Broncos could use Manning protection
The Broncos ranked 25th in the league with a 3.8 yards per rush average last season. Peyton Manning was sacked every 29.7 dropbacks last season, best among qualified quarterbacks, but four of the seven Broncos linemen with at least 250 snaps have had surgery since October and another (center Dan Koppen) is an unrestricted free agent. Only guard Louis Vasquez has been added so far in free agency to a Broncos’ line that could seek reinforcements at the draft.

The Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens have 12 picks in the NFL Draft. Based on what they lost in free agency, the Ravens may need every one.

Baltimore’s defense has lost six of 11 Super Bowl starters, in addition to pass-rushing specialist Paul Kruger (who did not start the game). Three of the four starting defensive backs are gone, as are three members of the front seven.

Though Joe Flacco returned, the offense will have to replace a pair of reliable veterans.

Here’s a closer look at the numbers behind Baltimore's departures:

-- New Houston Texans’ safety Ed Reed had seven interceptions and seven passes defended in 1,991 regular-season plays in the past two seasons with the Ravens, compared to eight interceptions and six defended passes in just 639 plays in 2010.

Still, Ray Lewis and Reed were the only two players on the Ravens defense to play all 333 postseason snaps (including penalties) during Baltimore’s Super Bowl run.

-- New Tennessee Titans’ safety Bernard Pollard (played 94 percent of snaps last season) and Sean Considine also left in free agency, leaving one player on the roster who took a snap at safety for Baltimore last year (James Ihedigbo). Michael Huff was signed from Oakland, but there’s still a sizeable hole at the back of the Baltimore defense. Scouts Inc.’s Todd McShay has the Ravens addressing this by taking Eric Reid from LSU with their first-round pick.

-- New Philadelphia Eagles’ cornerback Cary Williams had 17 passes defended and six interceptions last season (including the playoffs).

Williams recorded 24 disrupted dropbacks (sack, pass defended or interception), trailing only J.J. Watt and Richard Sherman. Williams disrupted three percent of dropbacks the Ravens faced, fifth highest among defensive backs.

-- Ray Lewis’ replacement may improve the Ravens pass defense right away. Opponents’ yards per pass attempt rose from 5.9 in 2008 to 7.7 last season with Lewis on the field.

-- From Week 10 to the Super Bowl, no one had more sacks than new Cleveland Browns’ pass rusher Paul Kruger (12). Kruger, who posted as many sacks as Mario Williams and Jared Allen combined, had 4.5 sacks during Baltimore’s playoff run.

The Ravens signed Elvis Dumervil to replace Kruger. Dumervil had 11.5 sacks with Denver last year.

-- Anquan Boldin, who was traded to the San Francico 49ers, led the Ravens with 43 targets on third down this season (including playoffs), and ranked seventh among all wide receivers with 29 catches on third down.

Boldin was excellent during Baltimore’s postseason run, and had 6 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

-- Center Matt Birk, who made 187 regular-season starts in his 15-year career, retired in the offseason. Birk was a constant presence on the Ravens’ offensive line. From Week 1 of 2008 to Super Bowl XLVII, the only player in the league with more offensive snaps than Birk was his quarterback, Joe Flacco.

After 13 seasons, 189 games and eight Pro Bowl selections, the Chicago Bears elected not to re-sign Brian Urlacher this offseason, leaving a big hole in the middle of the defense.

The Bears signed two linebackers in the offseason – D.J. Williams from Denver and James Anderson from Carolina – but both have primarily played on the outside and neither played more than half of their team’s defensive snap last season.

The Bears currently have five picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, tied for the fewest in the league. If they do try to replace Urlacher in the draft, should they do it in the first round (20th overall)?

Any replacement for Urlacher – selected ninth overall in 2000 – will need to be able to impact both the run game and passing game.

Over the last five seasons, the Bears have allowed 16 more touchdowns than interceptions with Urlacher off the field, compared to 12 more interceptions than touchdowns with him on the field. They have also allowed half a yard more per rush with Urlacher off the field.

Urlacher is also one of four players in NFL history with 40 sacks and 20 interceptions. Sacks became an official stat in 1982.

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent mock draft, he has the Bears selecting Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o 20th overall.

Te’o defended 11 passes last season. Only two other inside linebackers were rated 80 or higher according to Scouts Inc. (Alec Ogletree, Georgia and Kevin Minter, LSU), and they combined to defend 12 passes last season. Te’o’s seven interceptions last season were also most by a linebacker since 2006.

Todd McShay sees inside linebacker with the same level of concern for the Bears. In McShay’s most recent mock draft, he has the Bears selecting Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree.

The Bears do have other needs, however, and could delay selecting a linebacker.

The Bears did add Martellus Bennett in free agency, but tight end was a major weakness for Chicago last season.

No team finished with fewer receptions from the tight end position than the Bears in 2012. Bears tight ends also dropped 15 percent of their targets last season, the highest drop rate in the NFL and nearly triple the league average at the position (5.4 percent).

Protecting Jay Cutler may be even a bigger priority than giving him someone to throw to though.

Chicago signed left tackle Jermon Bushrod in free agency, but still has a hole at right tackle. The Bears have allowed a sack once every 11.9 dropbacks since the start of 2011, the second-worst rate in the NFL.

The five teams at the top of the draft went a combined 16-64 last season (.200 win percentage). A top-5 overall draft pick used right will yield a blue-chip addition, but teams with seasons that bad need more than one player.

Here is one statistical area to improve for each team with a top-5 natural draft selection, in addition to one addressed by Todd McShay’s most recent mock draft.

1. Kansas City Chiefs
McShay’s 1st-round projection: Luke Joeckel, OT

Joeckel fills a need right away, as two of the Chiefs’ three linemen to play more than 1,000 snaps left in free agency.

On Day 2, Kansas City would seem to need to address a defense that allowed an NFL-most 893 rush yards after contact. Only the Colts (21) allowed more rushes of at least 20 yards than the Chiefs (19).

Inside linebacker Brandon Siler appeared in all 16 games and is an unrestricted free agent, and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey signed with the 49ers.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars
McShay’s 1st-round projection: Eric Fisher, OT

Defensive line help is a necessity for the Jaguars. Jacksonville averaged a sack every 32.9 dropbacks with a standard rush, worst in the league. Once the pass was off, the secondary struggled. No team had fewer interceptions outside the painted field numbers than Jacksonville, and only the Lions’ defense (86.2) had a worst Total QBR allowed on those throws (82.9).

The Jaguars lost four defensive backs in free agency who played at least 40 percent of snaps last season, including starting safety Dawan Landry.

3. Oakland Raiders
McShay’s 1st-round projection: Sharrif Floyd, DT

No Raiders defender recorded more than two interceptions last season. Fifty-nine players recorded at last three interceptions in the NFL last season. Oakland’s two free-agent acquisitions at cornerback (Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins) had one combined interception last year.

Additionally, excluding now-Giant Brandon Myers, the Raiders got nine receptions and 101 yards from tight ends last season. Oakland averaged 4.2 yards per rush from multi-tight end sets (fourth worst in NFL), and has not yet signed a tight end to replace Myers.

4. Philadelphia Eagles
McShay’s 1st-round projection: Lane Johnson, OT

The Eagles’ most-used offensive line combo played together on 41 percent of plays in 2012, 12th among 16 NFC teams in top-line consistency.

Johnson will help stabilize the line, but the Eagles need secondary help. The Eagles allowed a league-high 14 touchdown passes at least 15 yards downfield last season, and two of their three interceptions on those throws were by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, now a Bronco.

5. Detroit Lions
McShay’s 1st-round projection: Ezekiel Ansah, DE

Ansah will help replace Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, who played the second and third-most snaps, respectively, for the Lions lsat season and left in the offseason.

Fisher will help stabilize the Lions’ fluid offensive line situation. Mainstay tackle Jeff Backus retired and former first-round pick Gosder Cherilus signed with the Colts.

After Day 1, Detroit may want to add another wide receiver. Calvin Johnson was targeted 144 more times than the next highest Lions’ wide receiver last season, the largest gap between the number one and two wide receiver options in the league.

Wide receivers currently on the Lions’ roster had 62 total receptions last year, or 30 fewer than Johnson had first downs.

The New York Jets have agreed to give up a game-changing (if fully healthy defensive player to a team that showed last season that it desperately needed one.

Let’s run through the key stats to know on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers significant acquisition-to-be -- cornerback Darrelle Revis.

The accolades
Revis is a four-time Pro Bowl selection who was selected AP All-NFL first team three years in a row from 2009 to 2011.

Revis’ individual numbers might not impress (his 19 interceptions since his rookie season in 2007 are tied for 13th-most in the NFL), but the Jets numbers when he is on the field are much better than when he is not.

In the last two seasons, the Jets defense allowed 15 touchdown passes but had 23 interceptions in the 1,066 plays with Revis on the field.

With him off the field (945 plays), they allowed 20 touchdown passes and had only seven picks.

Why the Buccaneers need Revis
There are many reasons why the Buccaneers would have a need for Revis. To run through a few:

The Buccaneers allowed the second-most passing yards per game for a season in NFL history (297.4).

More than that, they allowed 203.7 yards per game specifically to opposing wide receivers last season- most in the NFL.

The Buccaneers secondary repeatedly got burned deep last season, yielding 15 completions on throws traveling more than 30 yards in the air that were outside the painted numbers (in other words, plays a cornerback should handle). Only one team (the New York Giants) allowed more than that.

This has been a two-year decline for Tampa Bay’s defense. Opposing quarterbacks have a 65.7 Total QBR against them in that span. The only team whose pass defense rates worse is the Minnesota Vikings (67.4).

The value of the draft picks
If the trade goes through, the Jets go into the 2013 NFL Draft with 2 1st-Round picks, their own No. 9 and the Buccaneers’ No. 13

The last time they had two of the first 13 picks of the draft was 2000, when they picked two very good defensive players-- Shaun Ellis 12th and John Abraham 13th. That was one of the franchise’s best drafts, one that also netted them quarterback Chad Pennington with the 18th pick and tight end Anthony Becht with the 27th pick.

This would actually mark the first time that any team had a pair of picks in the top 13 since 2000 when the Jets, Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Redskins all did.

Revis is the fourth veteran defensive player traded for a first-round pick in the last 10 years. The draft picks in each of those trades (in which the players given up were John Abraham, Jared Allen, and Richard Seymour) netted a good return. When the Jets dealt Abraham in a three-team deal to the Atlanta Falcons, it got them back center Nick Mangold.

They’ll meet again…
As luck would have it, the Jets and Buccaneers are scheduled to meet in Week 1 in New York.

The Jets are 6-0 in home games against the Buccaneers and have outscored them 189-70.

With the NFL Draft looming, here’s a look at the top things to know related to depth at notable positions.

QB class lacking a megastar
There have been four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL Draft each of the last two seasons. This year, Geno Smith is the top-rated quarterback in the class, but he has the lowest Scouts Inc. grade (91) of any top quarterback in the last nine seasons.

QB class has lots of shotgun/pistol experience
The NFL is trending toward spread tendencies, but the average NFL quarterback still attempted less than two-thirds of his passes after taking a snap from shotgun last season.

Four of the top quarterbacks in this draft class -- Landry Jones, Geno Smith, Ryan Nassib, and EJ Manuel -- attempted at least 88 percent of their pass attempts last season from either a shotgun or pistol formation.

Lacy leads a light-RB class
Eddie Lacy is the only running back projected to go in the first round by both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay. This would mark only the second time since 1985 that only one running back was drafted in the first round. It also happened in 2011.

In fact, since 2005, every NFL Draft but the 2011 one has had a running back drafted within the top 12 picks.

Lacy is the top running back prospect of the 2013 class according to Scouts Inc., but he was the beneficiary of one of the top offensive lines in football. Lacy gained 65 percent of his yards before initial contact and averaged 4.1 yards before contact per rush.

Receivers with lots of different skills available
An average of three wide receivers have been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last five seasons. Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft has four. Todd McShay’s latest one has two.

Among the most notable leaders among wide receivers, Tavon Austin led AQ-school receivers with 947 yards after the catch, Terrance Williams led FBS receivers with 27 receptions on passes thrown 20 yards or longer, and DeAndre Hopkins and Stedman Bailey led FBS with 10 touchdown receptions on throws 20 yards or longer.

Teams looking for multi-purpose receivers should know that Austin and Cordarrelle Patterson were the only players in FBS with at least 300 rushing yards, 600 receiving yards and 500 return yards in 2012.

Tight ends that can go long
Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz highlight a tight end class with the ability to stretch the field vertically.

Eifert and Ertz combined for 45 receptions on passes thrown 15 yards or longer over the last two seasons, including five deep touchdowns.

A rich defensive draft
According to Scouts Inc., defensive players make up 19 of the top 32 overall prospects. Todd McShay’s latest mock draft has 12 defensive front seven players taken in the first round of the draft, one behind the 2011 and 1974 NFL drafts for the most in the common draft era.

A look at some of the collegiate leaders in some notable areas:

LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery had three sacks against a double team, most among the 35 defensive FBS prospects rated 80 or higher.

Among the top-10 defensive end prospects as rated by Scouts, Inc., Florida State's Bjoern Werner had the most sacks on a standard pass rush (12) and Georgia's Jarvis Jones had the most from a blitz (7).

Purdue's Kawann Short led all FBS defensive tackle prospects rated 70 or higher with seven sacks and 13 run stuffs last season. A “run stuff” is a tackle on a rushing play that ends up in negative or zero yardage.

Eddie Lacy
Lacy was the beneficiary of one of the top offensive lines in football. Lacy gained 65 percent of his yards before initial contact and averaged 4.2 yards before contact per rush. He made it at least five yards past the line of scrimmage without being touched on 35.8 percent of his rushes.

Lacy runs downhill with 64.7 percent of his rushes coming between the tackles. Lacy averaged 7.6 yards per carry on such running plays with about one in every four attempts going for at least 10 yards.

In comparison to former Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Lacy averaged 2.5 more yards per rush inside the tackles in his final college season.

Montee Ball
Ball was undoubtedly the most productive back in FBS over the last two seasons. Ball led FBS in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and rushes of 15 yards or longer since the start of the 2011 season.

Ball gained 36.1 percent of his FBS-leading 3,750 yards on rushes outside of the tackles over the last two seasons. Ball averaged 7.1 yards per carry on such running plays with at about one in every four gaining at least 10 yards.

Andre Ellington
Ellington gained over 40 percent of his yards after contact in 2012 but struggled to gain tough yards against top competition. Ellington averaged twice as many yards after contact per rush against teams that did not finish the season ranked in the top 50 in total defense than he did against the five top-50 defenses that he faced.

Le’Veon Bell
Bell gained over half of his yards after contact and led BCS-AQ running backs with 921 yards after contact.

Marcus Lattimore
Lattimore gained 41 percent of his yards after contact in his career. Against SEC opponents, Lattimore was even better, gaining 43 percent of his yards after contact and averaging 2.0 yards after contact per rush.

Lattimore ran between the tackles on 78.9 percent of his career carries. He averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry inside the tackles in every season of his career. Lattimore was at his best in the fourth quarter, averaging 5.5 yards per run inside the tackles with 54.2 percent of his yards coming after contact.

Rob Gronkowski will likely require a fourth surgery on his left forearm, according to sources, which would mean 10 additional weeks of recovery and would put his availability for the start of the 2013 season in question.

Why the surgery hurts the Patriots
This would be a significant blow for a New England Patriots team that already lost leading receiver Wes Welker, who signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason.

No team relies on its tight ends more than the Patriots. Since 2010, when the Patriots drafted Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, New England has the highest percentage of receiving production coming from tight ends in the league.

When Gronkowski is healthy, he has proven to be one of the most productive receivers in the league.

His 38 career touchdowns are the third-most by any player in his first three seasons in NFL history. Only Randy Moss (43) and Jerry Rice (40) had more. Grownkowski is also the first tight end in NFL history to have at least 10 touchdown receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons.

Gronkowski has been Brady’s favorite target in the end zone over the last two seasons.

Brady has completed more than two-thirds of his throws to Gronkowski since 2011 and less than a quarter of his passes to all other Patriots.

Gronkowski’s 20 touchdowns on throws to the end zone since 2011 are by far the most of any player in the league.

Gronk was also one of the most valuable members of the Patriots offense last year. When Gronkowski was on the field during the regular season, the Patriots averaged more yards per play (6.1 vs 5.4) and the quarterbacks had a better completion percentage (66% vs 58%) compared to when he was off the field.

Why the Patriots can survive without Gronk
The Patriots have prepared for life without Gronkowski, after he missed five regular season games last year along with the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Even though Gronkowski may miss some time, it doesn’t mean the Patriots' two-tight-end offense will go away. In Weeks 11-15 last year without Gronkowski, the Patriots used multiple tight end sets on 55 percent of their plays, which was actually higher than the 42 percent rate in Weeks 1-10 with Gronkowski.

New England also signed wide receiver Danny Amendola in the offseason to replace Welker. Amendola has the skills to fill the slot receiver role that Welker perfected in the Patriots passing game.

His average target distance over the last four seasons is the shortest in the league and he nearly matched Welker's per-game production when lined up in the slot last season.

Amendola is also much more sure-handed than Welker, who’s 11 drops last season were the second-most in the NFL. Since 2010, Welker has caught passes at a rate of 12.5 receptions for every drop. Amendola’s success rate is considerably better at 21.9 receptions per drop.