• More: NFC grades

Given that there wasn't a lot of great offensive talent at skill positions available this year, most teams in the AFC focused on upgrading their defenses in hopes of chasing down top quarterbacks Tom Brady of New England and Peyton Manning of Indianapolis. Either that or they spent high picks on offensive linemen in hopes of having the type of running attacks to keep the ball away from those quarterbacks.

In that vein, New York added pass rusher Vernon Gholston, an amazing physical specimen from Ohio State, while Jacksonville made two trades up to nab defensive ends Derrick Harvey of Florida and Quentin Groves of Auburn.

Not surprisingly, Miami and Kansas City took big strides toward rebuilding their depleted offensive and defensive lines. New England made key moves to improve their aging linebacking corps and Indianapolis made picks with an eye toward the future.

But the biggest move of the draft was Oakland taking Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the most

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Vernon Gholston has obvious intelligence. He also has manners to go with an understated way of talking that appeals to anyone with common sensibility.

But in the uncommon world of the NFL, where hyper-macho intensity mixes with manic emotional swings, listening to Gholston talk makes you wonder: Where is the fire?

On the surface, the talented Gholston certainly doesn't appear to burn hot. For a team that has put as much on the line as the New York Jets this offseason, drafting a player like Gholston with the sixth overall pick during the NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday could be the key to narrowing the chasm that currently exists between the archrival New England Patriots and the cross-town rival (not to mention reigning champion) New York Giants.

Or his selection could ultimately be the move that helps seal the fate of a front office that is clearly under pressure to make a drastic improvement. Taking the physically gifted Gholston (he had 37 reps on

The $16 million, $17 million or $18 million (depending on the contract) question that nobody could answer truthfully Thursday at the annual NFL draft luncheon: Which one of you top prospects wants to be a Raider?

Sadly for the once-proud Oakland Raiders, the answer is none of the five yet-to-be signed players in attendance (newly minted Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long is the exception) at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers really wants to join the franchise.

Or as one agent put: "Sure, somebody is going to want to go fourth overall because of the money, but they're not going to like the prospects once they get there."

There is no greater indictment of a team than the stricken look that comes upon a player's face when he realizes he must go to the Raiders, the NFL's wasteland. Sure, plenty of players, such as safety Gibril Wilson, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and running back Justin Fargas, lined up to take the money. That's why when the Raiders pick at No. 4

Leodis McKelvin doesn't take kindly to stereotyping.

McKelvin, rated as the No. 1 or No. 2 cornerback by most teams heading into this weekend's NFL draft, is offended when it's even hinted that his playing time at Troy University may not have been an adequate proving ground for his transition to the pros.

"To me, that's just people second-guessing themselves, being worried about how the fans will think about them if they take a player from a small school," said McKelvin, a 5-foot-11 defender who is regarded by Rivals as having the coverage skills to take on top-flight wideouts right now. "It's just an excuse. But if you really look at the tape and you watch me, you can see I can play."

McKelvin certainly talks like a top-flight NFL cornerback. Now, the question is whether he'll back it up once he's drafted Saturday, possibly as a top 10 selection. If that happens, McKelvin would rank as one of the highest-selected players from a school outside of the Bowl Championship Series' big 6

Gene Upshaw hears the complaints like clockwork.

"Every year at this time, I hear it again. They don't like how the rookies are paid," the executive director of the NFL Players Association said of owners and front-office personnel. " 'They need some kind of pay scale.' Well, I'm not going to limit how the rookies are paid because it has a huge impact on veterans. I'm not going to agree to it."

With the NFL salary cap continually growing, the pay scale for rookies drafted in the first few picks is increasing as well – at a pace seemingly uncomfortable for a number of franchises.

Last year, quarterback JaMarcus Russell eventually got a record $29 million in guarantees from the Oakland Raiders after being taken No. 1 overall. In order to keep from matching or surpassing that total this year, the Miami Dolphins have already begun negotiations with at least two prospects (offensive tackle Jake Long from Michigan and defensive end Vernon Gholston from Ohio State) and reportedly are close to

It is time for Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to listen to Jason Taylor.

In October 2007, when the Dolphins were in London for their game against the New York Giants, Huizenga opened the door for Taylor and then-teammate Zach Thomas to leave the team at season's end, if either so chose.

''That's really more up to them,'' Huizenga said at the time about the possibility of either Pro Bowl player being traded. "When the season is over we'll see how they feel about that. The trade deadline has passed so there's no sense discussing something that can't happen. But those guys aren't bashful. If they want to talk about it after the season, we'll talk to them."

Of course, a lot has happened to the Dolphins since then. Huizenga hired Bill Parcells to be the vice president of football operations. The Dolphins finished the season at 1-15 and Parcells went about gutting the coaching and personnel staffs. In addition, Thomas was released by the team after a concussion-filled season and because

Before we infuriate fans in almost every NFL season with our second annual list of the best and worst games of the 2008 season, we have one observation to make: New England is officially the first team in league history to have a two-month exhibition schedule. How's that? Well, after the annual parade of four non-counting games (We beg you Roger Goodell, please reduce that to two games ASAP), the Patriots have a decidedly easy first five weeks of the season. They open at home with Kansas City, travel to the New York Jets, host Miami, get a bye week (like they're even going to break a sweat in the first three weeks) and then go to San Francisco.

Subsequently, New England's first four games will be against teams with a combined record of 16-48 last season. Then they go to San Diego in what figures to be one of only four serious tests for the Patriots. Sure, there's another great matchup at Indianapolis set for Nov. 2, not to mention games with Pittsburgh and Seattle. But the Patriots

Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox turned almost wistful when University of Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey's name came up in conversation earlier this month at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla.

"He's not going to be there when we pick," said Fox, whose team has the No. 13 overall pick in the NFL draft starting April 26. Fox, who was the only NFL head coach to attend Harvey's pro day workout March 18, was almost forlorn, as if he was a teenage boy having just been turned down for a date by a pretty girl. Perhaps that seems extreme, but when you're one of 32 head coaches chasing the Lombardi Trophy, the subjects of your affection can sometimes get a bit out of kilter.

And while defensive linemen with pass-rushing abilities like Harvey have always been popular in the NFL, they may have reached a height this offseason after what the NFL watched the New York Giants do in the playoffs to the likes of Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, Brett Favre and Tom Brady.

The Giants turned four