We've gone through local draft reaction to the East and North divisions already, and this afternoon I'd like to take you through the South divisions.

Enjoy!

AFC SOUTH

ESPN.com divisional recap.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts beef up their offensive line.

Mike Hart makes the brass happy.

Houston Texans

Duane Brown, the first-rounder, has a long road to take to be a starter; Xavier Adibi from Virginia Tech and Antwuan Molden from Eastern Kentucky could contribute a while down the road.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Moves show that Jacksonville wants to win now. Like, right now.

The grades aren't so good, though.

Tennessee Titans

Titans GM isn't afraid of so-called small-school players.

Titans defend no-name draft.

Coach Jeff Fisher shrugs off the criticism.

NFC SOUTH

ESPN.com divisional recap.

Atlanta Falcons

Vick's done in Atlanta; is he done everywhere?

Falcons' draft, rebuilding process are low-key.

What did we learn from the Falcons' draft? Well, five things, in fact.

New Orleans Saints

They had an up-and-down weekend, especially the first day.

Carolina Panthers

Mel Kiper really liked their draft, save for that Jeff Otah trade.

I thought they had a great draft; Dan Connor in the third round? This writer says they've filled most of their holes.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

First-rounder Aqib Talib is making all the right moves.

Bucs do little to add juice to their offense.

Yesterday, we took care of the draft reaction from hometown papers from the two East divisions.

Today, we go North, young men and women.

Enjoy!

 

AFC NORTH

ESPN.com divisional recap.

Cleveland Browns

Missouri tight end Martin Rucker respects Kellen Winslow, it seems, but wants his job. Tough talk, for sure.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Team brass high on Limas Sweed.

Sweed, Mendenhall may open up the team's playbook a little.

Baltimore Ravens

Team's grade ranges from A- to D+. Ouch.

Low- or high-level competition, Joe Flacco can play.

Cincinnati Bengals

A lot will be expected of new linebacker Keith Rivers.

Yes, the selection of Jerome Simpson of Coastal Carolina was a bit ... puzzling.

 

NFC NORTH

ESPN.com divisional recap.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers, with Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn added in, have plenty of arms; but is that a good thing?

Ted Thompson trades down, drafts Jordy freaking Nelson.

Don't worry, Aaron, you're not the only one confused by the Packers' draft.

Minnesota Vikings

None of the team's picks projects as a 2008 starter. Ouch.

John David Booty COULD be, though, at some point.

Chicago Bears

Cedric Benson is now on the clock after Chicago drafted Tulane's Matt Forte.

Saw this live: Mel Kiper LOVED the Bears' draft.

Detroit Lions

This draft reveals the team is again rebuilding.

Coach Marinelli wants each pick to make the team.

Even the Wall Street Journal is picking on Matt Millen.

One day is all that's left until this much-anticipated NFL Draft, and we're excited. We've gotten our mock out of the way, and we're eagerly awaiting Sunday night's conclusion so we can get together and break it down.

Stay tuned for that on Monday morning.

Until then, one last pre-draft batch of links.

 

THE PROS
Peter King thinks, among other things, the Chiefs are suddenly very rich. I tend to agree. Five picks in three rounds? Not bad.

Well, someone doesn't like the Pacman trade: "D may stand for dumb."

When I heard somewhere that St. Louis wouldn't be allowed to negotiate with picks after Jake Long signed with Miami, I wondered why. Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com answers, and it's not a bad one.

Not a big fan of Jason Whitlock, but his 10 Truths are always good reads. This one doesn't disappoint.

The down-and-out tale of Tim Couch.

Speaking of the Browns, I did some work this week researching their all-time top draft busts and steals.

Personnel man maps out plans for New York, Denver, Oakland, New Orleans and Philadelphia. (A pretty good read!)

Favre on the cover of Madden '09? I may have to buy it. And never open it.

Pretty good stuff, here: Matt Millen makes every pick in the first round. (The Packers get Jason Street!! Woo hoo!!! Though, I'd almost prefer Matt Saracen.)

Interesting stuff from ESPN analyst Merril Hoge, who thinks Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall are better than Darren McFadden. What, no Anthony Thomas? Blair Thomas? Jason Wright?

Speaking of McFadden, his mama doesn't like NYC.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay was once a quarterback?

 

COLLEGES
ESPN.com's I-Formation: Barack Obama takes Happy Valley by storm.

ACC notes.

More good news for our Notre Dame fans: Another small-time school to lose to!

Tomorrow morning, we unveil the second part of our mock draft.

In the meantime, enjoy some links as pre-draft talk heats up!

 

THE PROS
I'm lifting my ban: NFL, former Patriots video nerd will meet about Spygate. Stop the presses.

See? I was ALMOST right in the first part of our mock draft!

Interesting note on Jared Allen, who's headed to Minnesota. TWO DUIs? Whoa. Kansas City got a nice haul for Allen, though: The 17th, 73rd and 82nd picks.

The overrated and underrated in this year's draft class.

Ten moves that should - but may not - happen on draft day. (Hey, one's already happened!)

How about a lottery for the NFL Draft?

The signing of Jake Long shows that Bill Parcells has his plan in place.

Another top-of-the-draft story: "You can't afford to make any mistakes."

 

COLLEGES
Something tells me Justin Boren, the dude who transferred when he found out about DickRod, will find the Ohio State "family" a little more friendly. (Especially with those cash payments, eh Buckeyes fans?)

Illinois is making a strong push into some unfamiliar recruiting territory.

How does West Virginia coach Bill Stewart win games and at the same time keep Pat White healthy?

Super-talented Illinois quarterback Juice Williams continues to learn. (I love watching that guy play.)

We're back after a couple-day hiatus, and the dropback is chock-full of good stuff today.

Read up!

 

THE PROS
Remember when I predicted in our mock draft that Chris Long would go No. 1? Well, I was half right on the name! Fox Sports' Jay Glazer breaks another one, Jake Long to Miami.

I've been saying this for a long time: The finances of top picks must be changed. Must be.

Courtesy of podcast producer Nick Seuberling, this is shocking: Bengals turn down a 2008 No. 1, 2009 pick for Ocho Cinco.

Speaking of the JailBengals, good news: Linebacker Odell Thurman reinstated.

MORE Bengals, and this one is sad: David Pollack will retire. I was in South Carolina at a paper that covered UGA when Pollack was in his prime, and he was dominant, it seemed. Tough break for him.

There may be a new backup for Joe Addai in Indianapolis this fall.

It'd have to be tough for any team in the top 5, like the Falcons, not to trade down: more picks and no reason to pay anyone a JaMarcus Russell-like $68 million.

Monday Morning Quarterback's Mock Draft.

Trade rumors dominate pre-draft mill.

No. 1 picks are quite hit-and-miss. ... The hits include Troy Aikman.

Good news - and by good I mean stupid - Packers GM Ted Thompson says the team could draft a quarterback.

Wow: Lions talking about trading Roy Williams?

Who are the biggest draft-day steals? How about busts?

 

COLLEGES
Hot topic for the Buckeyes: Fullback. Must be nice for that to be the big issue. (As an aside, I know that writer fairly well. He's a big-timer.)

News and notes from Spring Game Day.

How about some alma mater news? The defense dominates. Yikes. 7-3? Seriously?

Interesting reaction this columnist's assertion that West Virginia fans need to "let it go."

Off-field incidents, Paterno uncertainty turns Penn State into Laughingstock U.

One good thing about the now-non-daily Dropback is that when I do post it, it's full of awesomeness!

Be sure to tune in to our Mock Draft, Part One of which will be posted Monday morning and Part II on Thursday morning.

You won't want to miss it!

 

THE PROS
Steve McNair was an innovator at his position; I remember seeing him on TV against Youngstown State in the 1-AA playoffs. He was a warrior.

Good for T.J. Houshmandzadeh: "If (Chad Johnson's) not traded it's going to be a problem."

Good podcast from Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr.

Packers will retire No. 4 during the season opener.

Toughest schedules in the league (self-promotion alert!).

Latest Scout.com mock draft.

Is L.A. close to rejoining the NFL? Whoa.

Good question here: How do McFadden, Adrian Peterson stack up?

SI.com's latest mock, including a first-round trade and the appearance of Brandon Albert from Virginia. Where did that guy come from?!

How does former Louisville Cardinal Michael Bush affect the Raiders' plans?

On the clock: St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City.

 

COLLEGES
Notes from the Big East, SEC and Big 12.

DickRod, classing up Morgantown baby.

Nice BCS payday for Hawaii.

LSU's loaded, but has one major unknown. Any guesses?

This could be bad news for the Big 12: Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech has lofty, lofty goals.

Editor's note: In the coming weeks, the daily dropback may turn into a thrice-weekly dropback. We may change it back once the seasons and training camps get closer, but for now, we're going to scale back just a little bit.

Now, on to the links!

THE PROS
Browns, Packers get plenty on prime time as the NFL schedule is released. Do the schedulemakers think Favre is coming back?

The slate's top 40 games.

Predictably, gripes with the schedule.

For the love of God, make Pacman Jones go away. Please? OK, a decree. No more, after this link, Pacman Jones "news."

Will Chad Henne add to the legacy of successful Michigan quarterbacks?

Pretty neat: Ultimate Mock Draft, where each team selects its cornerstone player.

On the clock: Jets, Patriots, Ravens and Bengals.

 

COLLEGES
Former Oregon quarterback and one-time Heisman trophy front-runner Dennis Dixon takes a unique approach to restoring his injury-torn image.

A nice luxury for big-time teams: home games and weak nonconference schedules.

As you can tell from this morning's Podcast, I was struggling a little last night to get my voice to cooperate.

My brother's bachelor party went off with just a smidge of drama, and plenty of fun was had.

But now it's back to business, as we're less than two weeks away from the NFL Draft.

Let's get another week of NFL and college football links started right, which is impossible not to do, what with three days worth of news to which to link.

 

THE PROS
NFLDraftCountdown.com's Scott Wright reveals his latest mock draft.

This is really frightening: On the heels of LeCharles Bentley's staph infection trouble, a sixth Brown, receiver Joe Jurevicius, contracts an infection.

A classic clip of Bryant Gumbel, who will no longer do play-by-play on the NFL Network.

We talked a little about the Niners this morning, but what can San Francisco do to turn things around?

We also touched on this last night, but this is a very intriguing draft, because there's no real consensus on where this crop of players ranks. Peter King examines in Monday Morning Quarterback. (This column includes a note I've read elsewhere, on Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly opening his mouth and subsequently putting his foot in said mouth.)

Herschel Walker discloses a health ailment he has dealt with for eight years.

Pacman Jones will officially apply for reinstatement tomorrow.

Offensive studs and duds heading into the draft.

What will the Cowboys do with those two first-rounders?

Who are the top running backs in the draft?

 

COLLEGES
A buddy of mine and I have had a lively debate over this report on that UCF player's death. My contention centers on the fairly safe assumption that UCF and George O'Leary ain't the only ones pushing their players hard.

Our old friend Urban Meyer - did you hear I ... oh, nevermind - yet again connects with the fans.

Good read on the quarterback whose life was "ruined" by Mike Gundy, the Oklahoma State coach who so infamously said, I'm a man! I'm 40!"

Murray State quarterback pranks a cop, gets arrested. Oops.

Dear faithful readers:

There will be no Daily Dropback tomorrow, Friday, April 11. Your Dropback Doer, Joel, is hosting a bachelor party for his brother, and will be incapacitated.

That, however, certainly does NOT mean you can't enjoy today's links!

(SI.com was not loading from my machine today, so if the list seems bare, I apologize.)

 

THE PROS
Reports: Dolphins talking with Vernon Gholston, Jake Long.

Three years to evaluate a draft? Well, let's look back at 2005 then!

And, a 2005 re-do! Shawne Merriman is No. 1.

Despite another surgery, Kevin Everett seems to be doing well.

Ranking the draftable quarterbacks.

Speaking of, Matt Ryan would be a natural fit for Baltimore. But it's unlikely to happen.

 

COLLEGES
Does Urban Meyer have a new workhorse back? Of so, is he smart enough to learn the offense?

Good grief: Bethune-Cookman quarterback charged with attempted murder.

Kansas is prove positive that success in football and basketball is plenty possible.

Lots of good stuff from ESPN today, looking back on the 1998 draft. That year featured two quarterbacks whose careers were uh, different.

And, by the way, pretty ballsy move by Matt Stover, eh? Linked in yesterday's dropback, he is leading a movement to oust players union president Gene Upshaw.

Also, no college links today.

Enjoy!

Scout.com mock draft: Rounds 1 and 2.

And how about an SI.com mock draft? Why not?!

The draft by which all No. 1-vs.-No. 2 debates will be judged.

Speaking of, good for Ryan Leaf: It seems to me like he's over the whole thing and at peace with the world.

Speaking of, Part II: Mel Kiper breaks down Manning and Leaf.

Dear Brett: Please go away. Go to your farm and retire. Please.

What some also-rans should look for on April 26-27.

What's Colt Brennan up to?

Who's making the decisions for your team? Check here.

How will the failed drug test admissions affect two top prospects?

On the clock: Denver, Buffalo, and New Orleans.

I'm back in the saddle after a quick trip to Detroit.

Let's jump right in!

 

THE PROS
What coaches and execs need to nail the draft?

Speaking of, more coaches on the hot seat.

Whew. A nice rip-job on Andy Barch's boy, Terrell Owens.

There's some serious dissent in the NFL players' union.

I have little sympathy for NFL owners who aren't making enough money. Should I?

Monday Morning Quarterback: More labor talk.

MMQB Tuesday: Brian Brohm will go in the 20s.

Orlando Pace's health may mean St. Louis will take Jake Long at No. 2.

 

COLLEGES
Saw this video on possible corruption within the Oregon athletic department on Outside the Lines Sunday morning, and it's worth a watch. 

How about a 2009 mock draft?

Georgia's Knowshon Moreno isn't a surprise to some folks.

Paul Johnson brings the option with him to Georgia Tech.

Joel's off in Detroit watching the Tigers lose yet again.  That has to be a good feeling for you Tribe fans.  In the meantime, Seube here is going to post the Daily Dropback whether you like it or not.

THE PROS
David Garrard is finally shown the money.

Michael Vick is passing the time in jail by.....playing football?  Our tax dollars well spent.

Since when is Pacman Jones in the position to negotiate?

One of the most overrated linebackers in the NFL is unhappy about his pay.

How is it possible that a 2nd Year Offensive Lineman is the highest paid player at his position?  It must've been hard to give him the rookie treatment last fall.

Even practice facilities are making headlines these days.

COLLEGE
CBS's Gary Danielson believes it could be a long year in Ann Arbor.

It's not everyday that Texas gets bumped for their in-state rival.

Gamecock's Head Ball Coach is still in the rebuilding process at South Carolina.

If today's Dropback did not meet your standards well then....you can take it up with Joel.

Don't forget our third NFL Draft preview show, set for Monday morning, where we'll break down teams drafting from No. 19 to No. 9. We'll also discuss the conduct of Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, which is sure to elicit some strong opinions.

Don't miss it!

 

THE PROS
That marijuana Kevin Faulk had? It wasn't his. In other news, the world is flat.

Impact of the rules changes that did get approved.

Despite an off year, Julius Peppers is still planning on a big ol' payday.

What OTHER changes should be made? (For the love of God, why does the NFL keep tinkering with the most popular sport out there?)

Miscellaneous notes from the owners' meetings.

McNabb trade rumors are just that, says Peter King.

The Browns' secondary may lose another misbehaving member.

On the clock: Chicago, Carolina and Detroit.

 

COLLEGES
LSU quarterback Ryan Perilloux will rejoin the Tigers after the spring game. Should he, though?

DickRod is, say it with me, changing the culture at Michigan. (This link includes fun tales of resentment from West Virginia. Gee, ya think, Dick?)

Clemson's James Davis has surgery, will miss the rest of spring practice.

Ohio State's Beanie Wells is thinking Heisman. I bet his teammates love some of the quotes.

In honor of Jerry Seinfeld, who survived a rollover accident, I present to you a very real, and very spectacular, edition of the Dropback.

Also, happy birthday to my mother, who turns 49 today. She doesn't read this site, though, so it may be difficult for her to see these wishes.

It's the thought that counts, no?

Enjoy! 

 

THE PROS
A couple of owners are feeling vindicated for their initial opposition to the league's most recent collective bargaining deal.

More good news for Cincinnati: Chris Henry has run out of chances.

Remember the hullabaloo over the discrepancy between the treatment of Steeler teammates Cedrick Wilson and James Harrison? Well, the charges against Harrison were dropped. Vindication for Dan Rooney?

Would the Matt Leinart bashers prefer that he was doing what Pacman Jones does?

Jack Del Rio, proud owner of a new contract

Five draft questions, including whether Matt Ryan is worthy of No. 1.

A wide receiver debate: Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas?

In a pressure-packed NFC East, Wade Phillips is feeling the heat.

News flash: Chad Johnson will not sit out 2008. I'm shocked, I tell you.

Forbes' 10 "super stadiums" includes the Colts' new home.

Speaking of stadiums, the Cowboys are looking at record profits from selling the naming rights to their new stadium.

 

COLLEGES
DickRod now claims he was fraudulently forced to sign that contract with the $4 million buyout. It just keeps getting better!

Hofstra coach suspended over touch-football fight. No, I'm not making that up.

Another slow news day, though we have added a fifth (or as Dave Chappelle might say, "fif") member to our staff.

Read up!

 

THE PROS
How do long-haired players like the hair talk? Take a guess.

Todd McShay's latest mock: Jake Long, tattoos and all, No. 1.

Is Lane Kiffin one of the league's most interesting figures these days, or what?

Broncos QB Jay Cutler with some strong words for one of his wideouts.

Owners table re-seeding rules. (Shameless plug: The Browns' stance on this has been laughable.)

Matt Leinart, obviously, is loving the celeb life. (Can you blame him?)

Is it wrong to suggest that Falcons owner Arthur Blank gets a grip on reality? Letters to Michael Vick? Puuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhlease.

The NFL, by all accounts, is dropping the marketing ball with this Jason-Taylor-Dancing-With-the-Stars thing.

Interesting that the Pats aren't on the league's opening-weekend national TV schedule, eh?

 

COLLEGES
How do LSU players feel about embattled QB Ryan Perrilloux?

Tim Tebow adds another trophy.

How close is Florida State to a return to glory?

Sort of a slow day here at Dropback HQ, but with the owners' meetings in full force in sunny Florida, there's a few juicy nuggets.

I restrained myself from making a bad April Fools' Day joke here, so let's get right to it!

 

THE PROS
Many are resigned to the fact that this playoff reseeding hullabaloo will fail. To that, I say, hallelujah.

Interesting thought, here: all this Pacman talk, but the dude hasn't even been reinstated yet.

Lane Kiffin: The Raiders won't take McFadden.

Belichick fairly certain Spygate is over. Suuuuure.

Pretty neat Excel file linked here with a sortable draft order. Browns fans, search for "fourth round."

Speaking of, here's a rundown of the compensatory picks.

On the clock: Minnesota, Arizona, Houston and Philadelphia.

 

COLLEGES
The last of FoxSports.com's fantastic "20 questions" series: Who plays for the title? The answer looks a little familiar. ...

That Percy Harvin injury we mentioned a while back? It's back in the news.

The NCAA strikes again, canceling those "Gridiron Bash" concerts.