2008 NFL Preseason Power Rankings

Rick Serritella unveils his NFL Power Rankings, preseason edition.

THE CONTENDERS

1. San Diego Chargers
The most complete all-around team, Tomlinson runs for greatness.

2. New York Giants
The defending Super Bowl Champs, period.

3. New England Patriots
Subpar offensive line, swiss cheese secondary big problems to overcome.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars
This is the year they overtake the…

5. Indianapolis Colts
Lingering injuries to vets Manning, Harrison, Freeney etc., cause for concern.

6. Dallas Cowboys
Enough firepower to take NFC crown.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers
Veteran team with few weaknesses.

CINDERELLA HOPEFULS

8. Cleveland Browns
Knocking down the door on AFC elites.

9. Minnesota Vikings
Production from quarterback position could make them Super Bowl bound.

10. Philadelphis Eagles
Creeky on the offensive side but defensive secondary amongst league’s finest.

11. New Orleans Saints
If backfield holds up, offense will be hard to stop.

12. Buffalo Bills
Call me a Trent Edwards believer; this is an underrated defense.

MIDDLE OF THE PACK

13. Houston Texans
Will be sitting on playoff doorstep in tough division.

14. Washington Redskins
Team will only go as far as quarterback can carry them.

15. Green Bay Packers
With Favre as starter, ranking jumps up ten spots.

16. New York Jets
Have all the pieces except a capable quarterback who can move the offense.

17. Arizona Cardinals
Unpredictable team who can slide up or slide down five spots in the pecking order.

18. Seattle Seahawks
Holmgrem/Hasselbeck duo run out of gas on likely last run together.

19. Tennessee Titans
Fisher always make most with limited talent.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gruden-led team has chance to sneak into playoffs if everything clicks.

21. Detroit Lions
New offense scheme doesn’t suit team’s talent, defense still a work in progress.

22. Denver Broncos
Shanahan era looking stale.

23. Cincinnati Bengals
Overhaul much needed here.

BOTTOM OF THE BARRELL

24. St. Louis Rams
Still a year away from turning it around in the right direction.

25. Carolina Panthers
Huge question marks at quarterback and running back perfect recipe for disappointment.

26. Miami Dolphins
New regime has enough tricks up its sleeve to win more games than you think.

27. Kansas City Chiefs
Rebuilding phase heading in right direction but quarterback play reason to worry.

28. San Francisco 49ers
Team takes on new identity every year but still can’t get it right.

29. Oakland Raiders
D-Mac enough of difference maker for a few wins.

30. Chicago Bears
Disaster season will be Lovie’s last.

31. Atlanta Falcons
Will show flashes of potential but not enough talent to win yet.

32. Baltimore Ravens
Team headed in the wrong direction in all areas.

SMALL SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: VOL XVIII

Over the next few weeks I will highlight some small school players to watch for next season that scouts have already taken notice of. In each installment I will highlight some names who will be on the NFL radar this coming season.

ILB LEE ROBINSON, ALCORN STATE, 6021, 246, 4.65E
Robinson somehow went unnoticed by the SWAC coaches and didn’t earn All-SWAC honors after piling up 82 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He can run, hit, and appears to be in better shape this year. The coaches are moving him from OLB to ILB and letting him roam sideline to sideline more. He does need to play with more pad level due to being so big but if he can polish his technique he has the potential to move up boards. He is rated as a late rounder by many NFL insiders at this point.

WR QUINTEN LAWRENCE, MCNEESE STATE, 5115, 179, 4.35
Looking for this year’s version of Dexter Jackson? This could be the one. Lawrence is bigger and slightly faster than Dexter and he brings more versatility. He will play all three ways this year as the coaching staff is expected to try him out at CB. He had 31 catches for 645 yards and 6 touchdowns last year to earn Second team All-Southland honors due to his speed and versatility. He could rise up draft boards like teammate Bryan Smith did last year and top out in the 2nd-4th round range but is considered a 5th-6th round value heading into the season.

K JARED KEATING, MESA STATE, 5094, 192, 4.85E
Keating finished last year as a First team All-American and RMAC Special Teams POY after hitting 22 of 33 FGs and a long of 53 yards. Most of his missed kicks are blocks due to poor protection but he is money from the 44 and in and has the leg strength to hit past 50. He has hit from 60 in practice before as well. He is a great kid and hard worker. He has the potential to earn a late round grade and is the top small school kicker heading into the season.

OG DAKARAI GRIMSLEY, MORGAN STATE, 6040, 363, 5.70
Grimsley has started the last two years at LT but is moving to LG in ’08. he brings good size and strength for the guard spot and is more suited for the position. He is a good run blocker and tough kid. He is overweight and needs to get down in the 340-350 range. He has natural strength and some feel that when the light bulb turns on he will surely make leaps up the draft board. He is a 6th-7th rounder at this point who will either move quickly up the board or fall down purely on how hard he works, according to insiders in the NFL.

ALL ACCESS FOOTBALL UPDATE: JUNE 13, 2008

It may be the football off-season but the weather is not the only thing heating up. Check out the latest happenings at All Access Football:

* Former Florida Gator and current Jacksonville Jaguar Jeremy Mincey has drawn rave reviews thus far in training camp and there is talk that his improved performance could thrust him into a starting role this season. Check out Daniel Mogollon's one-on-one interview with the emerging defensive end in a Mini-Camp Edition of our Player Spotlight Show.

* Now Airing on All Access: Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning was on hand at Club 21 last week to announce the launch of the National Football Foundation's Club of New York. You can watch the exclusive video here.

* In case you missed it, the All Access Football panel of experts debated the Top 10 Greatest NFL Quarterbacks of All-Time. Tune-in to our All Access Football Radio Channel on Blog Talk Radio to hear who made the cut.

* The debut of The Legal Line Show was a great success. Legal Line Co-Founder Scott Daniels was joined by Fantasy Sports Trade Association President and Sports Buff CEO Jeffrey Thomas as they analyzed the impact of the recent fantasy sports industry victory over MLB in Supreme Court.

* The 2009 NFL Draft Watch has already begun. Log-on to the NFL Draft Bible for Josh Buchanan's latest installment of our Small School Spotlight.

* Want to be brought up to date on the latest breaking news? Our new All Access Football Blog is up and running. Still want more? Other blogs that are being constantly updated include College Football Insiders and the rebirth of Fantasy Football Insiders, which will also debut a premiere radio show on Saturday. Updates to be posted here.

* Coming Soon: The All Access Football Network will be expanding its coverage into the world of Arena Football and the Canadian Football League. Stay tuned for more details...