Chiefs sign Zach Thomas

[Just Passin' By]

As one league source explained it, there are three issues making the top-ten teams want to get out, and keeping other teams from wanting to get in.

First, the money paid at the top of the draft has gotten out of hand. Even hard-core agent types who previously have argued with us about this issue are now admitting that the values of the contracts at the top of the process are too high.

Second, there’s no “bell cow” in the draft — no must-have player in the view of one or more teams.

Third, there’s no real separation between the top players at each position. For example, Michael Crabtree isn’t $20 million better than Hakeem Nicks. But if Crabtree goes within the first seven picks of the round and Nicks goes in the last ten, the dollar value of their respective contracts will entail a gap potentially that large, if not larger.

Ditto for the tackles and the quarterbacks.

So why take a guy at No. 2 when a comparable player can be gotten — for much less money — at No. 20?

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/...f-the-top-ten/