TIER 2: Solid starters
10) Paul Kruger, OLB/DE, Baltimore Ravens: Be leery of paying a Dexter Jackson-like Super Bowl-run tax to Kruger. (Especially when he mostly sat in the Super Bowl in favor of Courtney Upshaw for run-defense reasons.)
11) Jake Long, OT, Miami Dolphins: Will a team get early-career Jake Long or late-career Tony Boselli? Long is a prime candidate to get overpaid.
12) Sean Smith, CB, Miami Dolphins: A physical player who occasionally looks like a true No. 1 cornerback. (At least for a few games at a time.)
13) Brent Grimes, CB, Atlanta Falcons: He'd be among the top 10 players if not for the torn Achilles' tendon suffered in Week 1 last year. That's a big "if," though. Grimes could sign a short-term deal, but his talent is worth the risk.
14) Aqib Talib, CB, New England Patriots: I'd take my chances with Grimes over Talib, whose on-field play can be as erratic as his off-field behavior.
15) Phil Loadholt, OG, Minnesota Vikings: Loadholt is a throwback to the days when right tackles were maulers in the run game and not great at protecting the quarterback. Hidden value: His name is Loadholt.
16) Dannell Ellerbe, LB, Baltimore Ravens: The Ray Lewis-sized hole at the core of Baltimore's defense makes the versatile Ellerbe a priority to re-sign. He can rush, cover and stop the run.
17) Chris Houston, CB, Detroit Lions: The cornerback market is deep this year, and there's not a huge gap within the top seven guys at the position.
18) Keenan Lewis, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Lewis quietly stepped up as Pittsburgh's best cover corner in 2012 at age 26.
19) Dustin Keller, TE, New York Jets: Yes, there's a chance he gets a whole lot better away from Mark Sanchez, Tony Sparano and the rest of the Jets' offensive morass.
20) Ed Reed, S, Baltimore Ravens: His post-Super Bowl/Oscars hangover could be mitigated if picked up by the Colts (Chuck Pagano) or the Patriots (Bill Belichick).
21) Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams: OK, here's a receiver who should be compared to Welker. This former "Hard Knocks" hero in Dallas is a great slot man who can't shake the injury bug.
22) Glover Quin, S, Houston Texans: Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was smart to make Quin's cover skills at safety a huge part of his defense. Now the Texans will have to pay to keep him.
23) Fred Davis, TE, Washington Redskins: Davis was one of the league's most promising young tight ends before tearing his Achilles' tendon. He could be a great bargain.
24) Michael Bennett, DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Martellus' brother quietly emerged as a difference maker in Greg Schiano's defense.
25) Kenny Phillips, S, New York Giants: Injuries have sapped Phillips' reliability, but he's proven to be a plus starter when he's on the field.
26) Brandon Moore, OG, New York Jets: He's so much more than one-half of the "Butt Fumble." Moore can upgrade a lot of starting units.
|