Ultimately, Bill Parcells is giving Taylor two choices: wear a Phins jersey in 2008 or retire. It’s not yet clear what Taylor will do. He wants to play football, at least this season, but he doesn’t want to do it with a non-contender like the Dolphins. But there’s nothing holding him back from retiring at the top of his game, either.

Regardless, no team really needs to make a move for Taylor now. Wait until August; at that point, other suitors will be more desperate and a decision of some sort will be reached. It will be interesting what the outcome is. 

This issue for the Falcons now, of course, is when should Ryan enter the lineup. The biggest problem teams face when dealing with rookies is this: the contracts given to rookies are worth too much and teams only have limited amounts of time to “get their money’s worth.” This often leads to thrusting a player into the lineup too early and underdeveloped and expecting them to perform. This is one of the biggest reasons the owners opted out of the league’s collective bargaining agreement today.

As far as concern for Ryan goes, the rookie quarterback will likely enter the lineup sometime during the season. Both he and Atlanta benefit from getting a deal done early, unlike Russell last year, who didn’t sign until after preseason concluded. This way, Ryan can get much-needed practice reps and something of a feel for the pro game.

AFC

AFC North 

• Baltimore Ravens
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers  

AFC East

• Buffalo Bills
• Miami Dolphins
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets  

AFC South

• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Tennessee Titans

AFC West

• Denver Broncos
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Oakland Raiders
• San Diego Chargers  

NFC

NFC North

• Chicago Bears
  
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings
  

NFC East

• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Redskins  

NFC South

• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  

NFC West 

• Arizona Cardinals
• St. Louis Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks  

First Impressions - The Redskins were busy in the second round loading up on big targets for quarterback Jason Campbell. Without a receiver over six feet tall in 2007, Campbell’s accuracy was tested time and time again. But by acquiring wide receivers Devin Thomas - 6′2 - and Malcolm Kelly - 6′4 - and tight end Fred Davis - 6′4 - the ‘Skins have provided Campbell with a bevy of young players he can work with. Great picks.

Then, in the third round, Washington wisely added some depth to the offensive line. Chad Rinehart is listed as a tackle, but he can play any position on the line and has a lot of versatility.

Sixth round selection Colt Brennan is an intriguing one. Campbell is clearly the team’s quarterback this year. If, however, things don’t work out, Brennan is an interesting option down the road. He slipped to the sixth round because of college injuries and his arm strength was called into question.

Fantasy Impact - This will be interesting because of that second round I mentioned earlier. Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly will both battle for the third wide receiver spot on the offense while Fred Davis will be used as a 1-2 combo with Chris Cooley. Of course, with Campbell throwing the ball, none of these “role playing” targets will get enough touchdowns to justify being drafted. Still, keep an eye on how things unfold, just in case.

First Impressions - Philadelphia entered the draft in an interesting position. With some picks in the draft that make a year one impact, this is a team that is good enough to win in 2008, perhaps enough so to make the postseason. And with Donovan McNabb’s days numbered, winning now may be even more of a priority.

But at the same time Philadelphia is in a rebuilding mode. The team drafted quarterback Kevin Kolb last season as McNabb’s apparent heir, and though the Eagles once had a stronghold on the division, both the Cowboys and Giants have surpassed them as the favorites while the Redskins are always a team that could surprise.

So when the team didn’t draft a dynamic receiver - something Donovan McNabb has lobbied for since the T.O. experiment failed - and instead traded its first round pick and wound up with 10 picks this year, it can be presumed that Philadelphia chose option B. And that’s not a bad thing.

Jack Ikegwuonu would have been a round one pick, had he not suffered an injury during the college season that will likely sideline him for 2008. Still, he’s a great cover corner who could help out this defense down the road.

And while DeSean Jackson isn’t necessarily a playmaker who will make an impact this year, he too will get the opportunity to sit back for a season and get acclaimated to the offense.

All things considered, the Eagles drafted for the future, adding depth that will eventually impact the team as veterans are nudged out the door in future years.

Fantasy Impact - As the only skill position player drafted by the Eagles in 2008, DeSean Jackson will probably make his biggest splash on special teams.

First Impressions - The defending Super Bowl champs won in the postseason, in no small part, because of great defense. But there were flaws and free agency created more. So the Giants did what all great teams do: they drafted the best available player on the board and, at the same time, managed to fill some holes.

The secondary was priority number one, and the Giants picked up players who can make year one impacts in the first two rounds. Kenny Phillips is a very versatile safety who can both cover and offer run support, making him a prototypical NFL safety.

Round two further added depth with the selection of Terrell Thomas. He too can tackle very well and has the potential to play safety if the Giants need him. He’s not fast - at least not in a “timed” sense - which was one of the Giants’ primary criticisms leading up to the Super Bowl in 2007, but he plays with football speed.

Then, in the third round, New York gave Eli Manning another target to throw the ball to. Mario Manningham is projected to start the season as the team’s number three target and likely won’t get past that, barring an injury to someone ahead of him on the depth chart. Still, he offers potential and gives the Giants some more depth at receiver.

The rest of the draft was devoted almost exlusively to defense, with the exception of quarterback Andre Woodson, who may not make the team. All things considered, this was a draft that makes the Giants a better team than they were last season and gives the franchise a bright future.

Fantasy Impact - Don’t expect any big impacts from offensive rookies, though the draft may have made the team’s fantasy defense stronger.

First Impressions - The Cowboys draft can be classified as one that hopes to get Jerry Jones’ franchise some year one results - and hopfully a Lombardi Trophy. Round One’s Felix Jones will complement Marion Barber and play a fairly important role in his first NFL season, his speed and quickness being a nice change of pace from Barber’s bulldozer style.

Mike Jenkins will also get playing time his rookie season. He’s a solid cover corner, though not necessarily a ballhawk (he had just six interceptions in 48 collegiate games). Still, he’s a good corner who can keep receivers locked down - and make tackles when necessary.

And in the second round the Cowboys drafted Martellus Bennett who will most likely get to make contributions in 2008. If nothing else, he’s a great blocker who needs to refine his abilities in the passing game. Still, a solid pick who will see some balls thrown his way in ‘08.

Fantasy Impact - Though Bennett might get some catches next year, Felix Jones is definitely the player to watch. He could potentially start the season as the team’s third down back and get a decent number of touches. He’s a top-notch receiver out of the backfield and it wouldn’t surprise me if he scored a few times this year.

But don’t forget about fourth round pick Tashard Choice, another running back. He could also end up as a third down back because he blocks like a fullback, thus offering pass protection, and runs with power, giving the Cowboys that option, as well.

First Impressions - The Jets have a long, storied history of drafting poorly. And ESPN reminded us of this repeatedly on draft day. Really. A lot.

But Jets fans can at least walk away from this draft with a good feeling. Will the picks work out? Who knows. But at least the team drafted smart, starting with first rounder Vernon Gholston. The linebacker/rush end hybrid is an astoundingly athletic playmaker who will make a year one impact. His one major criticism is that he doesn’t play at 100% every down and he’s prone to taking one off every now and then. At least he (and Jets coaches) can use that as motivation.

The rest of the picks were a little more vanilla. The most interesting pick was first round selection Dustin Keller. Drafting a tight end in the first round is typically reserved for the most elite, and even then, teams like New York - who have more pressing needs - should probably invest in players who are needed now. Still, looking at this as an optimist, Keller is receiving threat who will help open up the passing game. Interestingly, one of his strengths is his vertical speed, but the Jets run an offense that concentrates on short, effective passes.

Another guy to watch is Erik Ainge, the former Tennessee quarterback. He enters an offense that isn’t really set at quarterback, with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens being anything but guarantees.

Fantasy Impact - Unless Ainge somewhat miraculously wins the starting job, the Jets didn’t really have a draft that will impact fantasy owners. Watch Dustin Keller because he’s a prototypical receiving tight end. If the Jets use him liberally and feed him the ball, he has great potential. Unfortunately, he’s not a great blocker and that will keep him off the field on a significant number of downs.

First Impressions - The Patriots entered the 2008 NFL Draft with a top ten pick, despite finishing the regular season 16-0. It hardly seems fair. And the team did what it does best; it traded down and drafted a player who will make an impact at a position that needs it.

The Patriots have long had a very good corps of linebackers. But the depth chart is showing signs of age, and it is long overdue that some young talent be brought in to shadow the leaders like Tedi Bruschi and make contributions on defense. Enter Jerod Mayo, Shawn Crable, and Bo Ruud. Three linebackers with good character who can make plays. In other words, Patriots defenders.

And the team wisely picked up a pair of cornerbacks in Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite. Both will need to make year one contributions after the offseason depleted the Patriots depth and left the team with minimal starting talent.

Altogether, this was a smart draft for an already great Patriots team that needed to get younger and add talent at some key positions on defense. Consider it a success.

Fantasy Impact - N/A

First Impressions - Bill Parcells shows up and the Dolphins walk away with a legitimately impressive draft. Coincidence? I think not. The Dolphins had needs - and plenty of ‘em - which were addressed in each round.

First of all, it was nice to see the Dolphins take offensive lineman Jake Long with the first overall pick. With contracts and bonus incentives through the roof, Miami did the smart thing and drafted a player who can be part of the franchise’s cornerstone for years to come. Elite left tackles are difficult to come by and their importance when it comes to offensive success is arguably second only to quarterback. 

Then, in rounds two and three, the Dolphins wisely drafted a pair of defensive ends. With Jason Taylor’s future in South Florida in question it made sense to stock up on quality depth and young talent that can step in when the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year exits Miami.

And as for John Beck being the team’s future at quarterback? There are no guarantees. Drafting Chad Henne in the second round, one pick after Brian Brohm was taken by the Packers, brings competition to the table, which is never a bad thing for young quarterbacks. Expect Henne to challenge Beck for the starting spot. Note, however, that Beck does have the edge this season.

Fantasy Impact - Drafting three offensive linemen, Miami had its priorities in order (and Oakland’s Al Davis should take note). The added depth (and starting talent) will improve the line and bring it back to “pro” standard. Also, expect better production as the year goes on. Offensive linemen have a tendency to improve with experience, more quickly and noticably than any other position on offense.

The skill position players drafted - two running backs and Henne - likely won’t make a year one impact. Less directly, Henne might spark Beck into performing better by bringing competition. Still, Beck probably isn’t someone you’ll see on your fantasy team’s roster.