Martin (5-11, 194) appeared in 48 games with the Spartans, including 16 starts. He was taken 121st overall out of Michigan State. Martin had 127 career receptions for 1,714 yards and 10 touchdowns. Martin set career highs with 66 receptions and 777 yards receiving in his senior season. Martin was on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award and he also earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades.

Crick (6-4, 276) appeared in 42 games, starting his final 33 games at defensive tackle for the Huskers. He was selected with the 126th overall pick out of Nebraska. He ranks eighth on the Huskers’ all-time list with 20.0 career sacks and has recorded 167 tackles (75 solos) in his career. Crick was a two-time member of the Brook Berringer Citizenship Team and he was the recipient of the Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Award. He was a winner of the Brook Berringer Memorial Scholarship as well.

Jones (6-3, 303) earned All-SEC first-team honors his senior season and he was selected with the 99th overall pick out of Georgia. He was the recipient of the team’s Vince Dooley Most Valuable Player Award, he was named to Georgia’s Team of the Decade and he was finalist for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top center. With 49 career starts, Jones ranks third all-time among Georgia offensive linemen.

Bullock (5-9, 208) was taken with the 161st overall pick out of Texas A&M and he became the first kicker ever drafted by the Texans. With 365 career points, he left A&M as the school’s all-time leading scorer. His 142 points scored in 2011 ranked second all-time among Big XII kickers. Bullock earned All-America first-team honors. He won the 2011 Lou Groza Award and he was named to the All-Big XII Conference team. He set single-season school records for points scored (142), field goals made (29) and extra points (55) and connected on 87.9 percent of his field goal attempts.

Mondek (6-5, 304) started 25 consecutive games at guard and tackle during the course of his junior and senior seasons at Purdue. He was taken with the 195th overall pick. before transitioning to the offensive line in 2010, he spent the first two years at Purdue as a defensive tackle.

49ers did not get Peyton Manning. Alex Smith will once again be the starter. He flourished for the first time in his career under Harbaugh. To help him, the team signed wide receivers Mario Manningham and Randy Moss. They brought back running back Brandon Jacobs. The 49ers are not perfect, although they may be the favorites in the NFC for 2012.

Here are the positions they should look to improve in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft:

Defense: DL, CB

The 49ers need to pick up another defensive lineman, primarily at defensive end, in order to rotate the line and keep players fresh. Starters Ray McDonald, Isaac Sopoaga and All-Pro Justin Smith will need to rest occasionally. The risk of an injury is always present. the signings of Carlos Rogers and Perrish Cox at cornerback and C.J. Spillman at safety do not make this a concerning need, although the 49ers could use an additional defensive back as well.

The 49ers still have depth concerns at corner and are a bit long in the tooth at this position to a lesser degree. They should play it safe and add some depth at some point in the draft; therefore, they have had secondary issues in the past and are just shoring that up.

Offense: OL, WR

The 49ers are set at all the skill positions on offense. Their only true need is the offensive line with the loss of guard Adam Snyder in free agency. In order to have success, Smith and running back Frank Gore are going to need solid blocking, especially in the red zone, an area that the offense performed poorly in last season. They could look at Georgia’s Cordy Glenn or Wisconsin’s Kevin Zeitler to fill the gap at guard, with the pick No. 30 in the draft.

Due to the addition of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham via free agency, wide receiver is not a major concern now. However, Michael Crabtree has not proven to be a consistent threat yet and Moss is 35 and on a one-year deal. In the middle rounds, look for them to snag a receiver to mold. Tommy Streeter or Chris Givens are two names that pop out that could be around.

The New Orleans Saints (13-3) travel to Candlestick Park to take on the surprising San Francisco 49ers (13-3) Saturday January 14 and this game could bring unexpected results. The Saints are full speed ahead but a week long layoff and a weak offense could do them in.

The other NFC Division Playoff is just as interesting with the defending Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers (15-1), playing host to the New York Giants (9-7). The Giants are a scary team for the Packers to face. The G-Men have a history of knocking out great teams out of the Super Bowl tournament.

The Saints are favored by 3 points on the posted Pointspread as the visitor and that number looks perfect. The Niners are solid defensively but the offense leaves much to be desired. The money is landing large on the Saints with 66% of the bettors hammering the Saints.

The Packers are a huge 9 point favorite over the New York Giants and that number looks beatable with the Packers weak defense on display. The Packers have given up more passing yards than any other team this year and the Giants are bringing an explosive offense to Lambeau Field. The money is flooding in on the Giants at a rate of 67% as bettors look for value on this game.

The Total on the Niners game is 47 points and the money is leaning slightly towards the Over with 55% of the bettors slamming the over. The Total on the Packers and Giants game is a big number at 51 points. The money is overwhelmingly on the Over with 76% of the money landing solidly Over with a big number in play.

The Moneyline is another aspect to watch this weekend. The 49ers are a +160 dog at home and the public is hammering them at a rate of 71%. The Giants are an even better Moneyline dog at +350. Many experts already feel the Giants have the edge going into this game.

During the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Michael Vick suffered cracked ribs but his injury was not the only one to cause concern for Andy Reid for the upcoming week. Struggling with injuries, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson may also miss the upcoming NFC battle.

On the verge of elimination from the NFL playoffs everyone anticipates that Vince Young gets the start and has the game of his life as the Eagles ride their thoroughbred hard this week. First half MVP for this team LeSean McCoy will be the X-Factor against the Giants defense.

The Giants will need to comeback from a lack lustre performance against the San Francisco 49ers. While playing inconsistently this year, the Giants front line can force a rusty quarterback like Young to make mistakes, but they got to be on their game to make that happen.

The Giants should look to pressure Young early and often during this game utilizing safety blitzes along with linebackers moving up on the line. On most snaps Young should see eight defenders until he proves he can chuck that ball down field.

So what about the Giants offense and Eli Manning who has quietly become a top ten quarterback ion the National Football League. More and more teams around the NFL now have to take him seriously when planning for games against the Giants. Manning will be the player who wins this game for the Giants.

If Vick can’t go, the Eagles will send Mike Kafka out once again to run this offense. While everyone is focuses on the Eagles offense, the defense is undergoing massive changes over the middle.

Rookie Casey Matthews has failed to shine in the middle linebacker position and he is now shifting over to weak side linebacker. Jamar Chaney will step into the inside linebacker spot and Moise Fokou takes over the strong-side linebacker position.

The Eagles are giving up 146 yards per game after two games and they rank 30th in the NFL against the run. The blame lies squarely on the linebacker corps and poor tackling. The unintended consequence with Asomugha’s arrival is the Eagles’ opponents concentration using the middle passing lane and a concentration on the running game by Eagles opponents.

The New York Giants may have won on Monday Night Football but they did not look good in the process. Eli Manning and the offense were out of sync the entire game against the St. Louis Rams and despite the win, the Rams and Sam Bradford had plenty of opportunities to win the game.

The Giants are the opposite of the Eagles. They are stifling the run this year. The Giants rank third in the NFL against the run but they are getting burned deep. The Giants corners and pass defense rank 24th in the NFL.

Final Verdict: The Eagles will start Michael Vick and they will destroy the Giants in this critical NFC East game. Of course this prediction does not take into consideration the NFL point spread for this game.

Sure, they don’t have a loveable quarterback as Jay Cutler’s smug look and his shaky injury questions from last season’s playoff loss leave a lot to be desired from the public eye. They also have Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator, who basically everyone dislikes at a strong level.

But Matt Forte is good, and they acquired a big target at WR in Roy Williams this off season. Jay Cutler has the talent to be a Top 10 quarterback in this league if he could even minimize his mistakes – something Mike Martz QBs rarely do, but still, the talent is there.

The Tennessee Titans have spent more time being in the news for Chris Johnson’s holdout and Kenny Britt’s legal woes than the projections of their season – but the latter isn’t too promising. Sure, they boast a great running back in Chris Johnson, and Britt is talented, but new QB Matt Hasselbeck is over the hill and they haven’t been an elite defense since Albert Haynesworth.

This game will be hard hitting, that’s for sure, but maybe it will show some offense from a Bears team that hasn’t had much to celebrate through the first two weeks of the preseason.

Which team’s players has more to prove? Sportsbooks don’t always pay attention to this little tidbit of information when they’re putting the lines out for preseason games. Teams with big names, good teams, those are the favorites in the pre-season. But sometimes there are big battles going on in camp between talented players. Quarterback battles are big, because coaches often like to give both QBs time with the starting offense. That means their #1’s will play longer. That team has an advantage.

Which team is deeper? Sports betting doesn’t always rely on how solid the back-ups are. Sure, depth is a good thing, but in the preseason, it’s a HUGE thing. Think about it like this. In the first preseason game, starting offenses might play 2 different series. Sometimes it’s just one. Back-ups will be playing most of the game.

Know which coaches care about preseason games. There are coaches that don’t care like Andy Reid (18-30), Ken Whisenhunt (5-11), and Jim Caldwell (1-7, which he learned from Tony Dungy (10-20). And there are coaches that think it’s important to win every game they coach like Mike Shanahan (43-21) and Jack Del-Rio (20-12). Then there are coaches that just win like Mike Tomlin (13-4) and Bill Belichick (25-20). First time head coaches seem to have a little more to prove in their first couple seasons of action.

These are all things to consider when handicapping on preseason football.

Green Bay Packers could pick Kelechi Osemele in 2012 NFL Draft. He is the best player on Iowa State this year, even though he is not that well known at present. Osemele is a big, powerful offensive tackle at 6’4″, 325-pounds, and he is expected to play on the right or kick inside. He has the potential to be a starter for a long time and he has good intuitions, which will only get better.

Luke Kuechly could fall to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 NFL Draft. Luke Kuechly tackles all over the place and has the ability to soar over the football field. The Boston College linebacker has unbelievable instincts and he has become one of the best in the nation. To get after the ball, he does not miss tackles and he is well known to work like a maniac. Again this year, he will make an impression by making things happen again at Boston College.

Seattle Seahawks could select Landry Jones at QB in 2011 NFL Draft. Landy Jones has the size, arm and has the understanding to be a great player in the NFL. He is a fascinating quarterback prospect. When Sam Bradford went down at Oklahoma, he showed from his early days that he was talented, and he has continued to dictate in the Big 12. As a number of quarterbacks have put up similar stats in Norman, Jones’ numbers may be a product of the system.

According to various sports betting sites, there is still no consensus on who will be the top picks in the draft, or in NFL Draft Betting Odds, although most feel Cam Newton will go first. The Carolina Panthers hold the first pick, and many feel they will take the Auburn Tigers standout quarterback, but there has been no word from the Panthers on that.

Here’s a look at how the top teams may draft this week.

1. Panthers. Even with no confirmation, Carolina will likely take Newton. DT Marcell Dareus is also a possibility.

2. Denver Broncos. If Carolina takes Newton, the Broncos will likely pick Dareus. Denver would do well taking the top defensive player in the draft.

3. Buffalo Bills. Many feel the Bills will go with LB Von Miller, a former standout with the Texas A&M Aggies.

4. Cincinnati Bengals. Wide Receiver A.J. Green is the likely pick for the Bengals.

5. St. Louis Cardinals. None of the football writers who cover the Cardinals think the team will take QB Blaine Gabbert of the Missouri Tigers, but nearly everyone else thinks they will.

Mallett, considered by many to be the best pure passer in this year’s NFL draft, will hold a private workout with the Dolphins and have a two-day visit with the Bengals this week.

Miami is at 40-1 and the Bengals at 100-1 in NFL Futures Betting to win the 2012 Super Bowl.

The Dolphins don’t pick until No. 15 while the Bengals are at No. 4. The other top five 2011 NFL Draft first round order is: 1. Carolina Panthers; No. 2. Denver Broncos; No. 3 Buffalo Bills; No. 5 Arizona Cardinals.

Dolphins officials will run the 6-foot-6, 238-pound Mallett through drills and take a long look at the quarterback, as the Dolphins’ quarterback position is up in the air because of the inconsistency of starter Chad Henne. The Dolphins also will host an additional two-day visit with Mallett on April 14-15 in Miami.

After the Dolphins workout, Mallett will visit the Bengals in Cincinnati for a two-day visit on Thursday and Friday. No surprise in the Bengals’ interest with Cincinnati’s quarterback position up for grabs after starter Carson Palmer demanded to be traded and threatened to retire.

Mallett threw for 3,869 yards, 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season for the Razorbacks. At his pro day, Mallett ran the 40-yard dash in 5.37 seconds, and posted a vertical jump of 26 inches and a broad jump of 8 feet, 7.25 inches.