Teams with most riding on draft; retired QBs; more

Donovan McNabb and the Eagles ran off three straight wins to end the 2007 season. John Biever/SI

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Thanks to its wheeling and dealing ways, Cleveland essentially won't have a draft this year. San Diego's roster is so well stocked it doesn't really need one. But those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Here's my quick take on the five teams that have the most riding on the 2008 NFL draft. These are teams that absolutely have to get it right two weekends from now when the league commences its annual version of high-stakes poker:

1. Denver -- Two consecutive non-playoff seasons is an obvious factor adding to the sense of urgency in Bronco-land. The surprising and relatively late-in-the-draft-season departure of general manager Ted Sundquist is another, because now there's no one else to blame but coach Mike Shanahan if things don't work out on the personnel front.

Denver's recent track record is spotty at best when it comes to identifying talent and building a roster. All those swings and misses on the defensive line. All those chances taken on players who came with some baggage in tow. The Broncos have nine overall picks, including two in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds, but how they use their first two selections (No. 12 and 42 overall) will be huge.

They have to replace retired offensive tackle Matt Lepsis if they hope to re-solidify their line and keep quarterback Jay Cutler's development going. And they have to again shop for an impact player in the middle of their defensive line, which is a key to their defensive improvement. In addition, the offseason arm injury suffered by No. 1 receiver Brandon Marshall could force the Broncos to spend their second-round pick on another pass-catcher.

With the talent gap only widening between two-time defending division champion San Diego and the rest of the AFC West, the Broncos and Shanahan don't have any margin for error.

2. Philadelphia -- With a league-high-tying 11 picks, including eight in the final four rounds, the Eagles could undergo quite the roster makeover with coach Andy Reid's 10th draft in Philly. They could make that a whopping dozen selections if they deal veteran cornerback Lito Sheppard on draft weekend as expected. If the last-place Eagles hope to keep pace with the Giants and Cowboys in the hypercompetitive NFC East, they've got to make the most of the second-day bonanza they're sitting on.

Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb staved off the critics calling for the end of their era in Philadelphia with those three season-ending wins last December, but it's a tenuous situation at best, and there's a palpable sense time is running out on the Eagles' window of Super Bowl opportunity.

The Eagles are getting old in some key spots such as offensive tackle, where Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas are still on duty, and safety, where Brian Dawkins can't be counted on indefinitely. In addition, Philly needs more options at defensive end, and its eternal search for impact receivers continues.

For inspiration, the Eagles need only look at the Giants, who rebounded from an 8-8 finish with an embattled coach in 2006 to win it all last season. But the impetus for New York's success was that spectacular 2007 draft class. If Philadelphia wants to copy the Giants, the imitation best start in late April.

3. Atlanta -- The Falcons won't have to wait long to see new general manager Thomas Dimitroff do his stuff on draft weekend. The former Patriots director of college scouting has six selections to play with in the first three rounds (three seconds and two thirds), and 11 overall. Obviously all eyes will be on Atlanta's first pick, No. 3, to see whether the Falcons make the splashy franchise quarterback call in favor of Boston College's Matt Ryan, or go the less-sexy route in tabbing LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

With so many needs to fill, look for Dimitroff and new head coach Mike Smith to go for solid, proven collegiate performers and leave the projects and players with big boom-bust potential on the board. My sense is the Falcons defense will get the majority of the attention, because until the team's quarterback of the future arrives and develops, Atlanta is probably going to have to win games with its defense and its Michael Turner-led running game.

For the Falcons, the ignominious year that 2007 was has to represent rock bottom. The climb back to respectability starts with the possibility of this draft, and all the fresh faces who will hopefully help the franchise finally turn the page on its darkest chapter yet.

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