Besides a few lawsuits and realignment discussions, it is fairly quiet on the NFL front these days. Many of the prized free agents have already been signed, and most clubs, with the exceptions of Cleveland and Cincinnati, find themselves tight against the salary cap.

Teams are now focusing their attention on the NFL draft to fill out their rosters. Scouts around the league are traveling throughout the country to attend private player workouts. Team executives are spending long hours in their war rooms, updating their draft boards and planning their strategy. Of course, all parties involved remain tightlipped about their draft-day intentions, and they are not above spreading bits of misinformation to the press.

With the draft less than two weeks away, I have sized up the prospects, and present you with an overview of the 2001 draft class. For each position, I have discussed the brightest prospects and ranked the players (a total of 230) who have the best chances to be drafted. My top-100 players, those that are highlighted in blue, have first-, second-, or third-round potential. I have also included an overall position grade, which is based on depth and quality.

Quarterbacks (Grade: C-)

A number of teams in the league have waived, released, or traded a quarterback during this offseason, and many clubs cannot be satisfied with the talent and depth they have at the position. The salary cap has spread out the talent base, and only the Broncos, Rams, Saints, and Titans can claim that they have two capable starters. With Troy Aikman, Steve Beuerlein, and Trent Dilfer the only viable free agents, many clubs hope to find a quality QB in the draft, but this year’s class is not well stocked with top prospects.

Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick is generally considered the best player available and is expected to be the first overall pick. Vick has gotten this status based more on potential than production. He has exceptional athletic ability, a strong arm, and can run faster than many of the running back prospects, but he is undersized, has limited experience, and has yet to prove that he can be a consistent passer. Purdue’s Drew Brees will draw serious consideration in the middle of the first round, but he really should be no more than a second-round pick. Brees has all the intangibles -- leadership, competitiveness, and savvy, but he, too, is undersized, and he lacks big-time arm strength. Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke should be gone by the end of the third round. He’s a dropback passer with ideal size and a live arm, but I question whether he has the same subjective qualities that make Brees attractive. Georgia’s Quincy Carter has many of the same attributes as Vick, but he is raw and considered a project. This group is followed by four to eight prospects that could be on NFL rosters come September.

Running Backs (Grade: B)

A total of 23 players rushed for over 1,000 yards last season in the NFL, but only eleven of them were selected in the first round of their respective drafts. In fact, many of last year’s productive backs, such as Lamar Smith (Miami), James Stewart (Detroit), Ahman Green (Green Bay), and Tyrone Wheatley (Oakland), were playing for their second or third franchise. Obviously, there are many different paths you can take to success as a featured back in the NFL, and being a productive college back or even having your name called in the top 31 picks does not always equate to being a great pro back. Too many times, a rookie back can be prone to fumbling or unable to pick up the blitz, and therefore, he finds himself on the bench for most of the season.

Versatility is what all teams crave these days. Players like Marshall Faulk (St. Louis), Edgerrin James (Indianapolis), and Ricky Watters (Seattle) are fantastic all-around offensive weapons as both runners and receivers. The class of 2001 features as many as eight potential starting backs, and there are several others who should contribute as third-down backs or as quality reserves.

There are three prospects that I would consider first-round material -- Deuce McAllister, LaDainian Tomlinson, and LaMont Jordan. All three weigh over 220 and run the forty in the 4.3 range. McAllister would appear to have the most big-play ability and to have the best receiving skills of the three, and he can also be used as a return man. He reminds me some of Faulk and Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor, but there are questions about his durability. Tomlinson, who rushed for 2000 yards and finished fourth in the Heisman voting last year, is more compact than McAllister, and may prove to be a better between-the-tackles runner. He did not play in a pro-style offense at TCU and needs to work on his blocking and pass receiving skills. Jordan is the less heralded of the three backs, but he appears to have equal talent and has the best size at 234 pounds. However, his work ethic was questioned at Maryland.

Fullbacks (Grade: C+)

Many times, the fullback position encompasses an assortment of prospects who specialize in just one aspect of the game, but fail to deliver in any other area. Finding a player who can be a punishing lead blocker, while also being able to catch the ball out of the backfield, and rush for positive yards in goal-line or short-yardage situations is rare.

In the mold of Pro Bowlers Mike Alstott and Richie Anderson, the top three prospects at fullback this year, Dan Alexander, Heath Evans, and Ja’Mar Toombs, are more offensive threats than blockers. Alexander has a very impressive combination of size and speed (257, 4.4), but previous knee injuries at Nebraska may scare some teams away. Evans’ size-speed ratio is somewhat less than Alexander’s, but he is a better receiver out of the backfield. Toombs is a powerful inside runner, who is tough to bring down in the open field. His main drawback is a lack of desire and consistency -- he showed up at the Combine weighing 282 pounds but has since trimmed down. There are many similarities between Toombs and former first-round pick Craig "Iron Head" Heyward, who never really fulfilled his potential due to his lack of conditioning and continual weight problems.

Kansas’ Moran Norris is another player worthy of note. He is a powerful lead blocker, who bench pressed 225 pounds 37 times at the Combine, tying two linemen for this year’s high. However, lacking other offensive skills, Norris will probably slip to the later rounds of the draft.

Wide Receivers (Grade: A)

Over the past few seasons, the draft has supplied the NFL with several high profile first-round receivers, including Randy Moss (Minnesota), Torry Holt (St. Louis) and Peter Warrick (Cincinnati). The 1996 draft class, which included Keyshawn Johnson (Tampa Bay), Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis), Terrell Owens (San Francisco), Terry Glenn (New England), Amani Toomer (NY Giants), and Marcus Robinson (Chicago), is the standard to which all recent classes have been compared, and this year’s group could provide as many as six or seven first-round selections. The field is so deep at wideout that I had a hard time trimming my prospect list to 35, almost twice as many as I graded at any other position. In fact, Florida State’s Marvin Minnis, who was third in the nation in receiving with 1,340 yards last season, barely made my top 15.

There are at least ten receivers that should be solid NFL players, and another 10-15 that could be contributors. The best of the group are David Terrell and Koren Robinson. With both standing over 6-1 and running the forty in the 4.4 range, they have the size and speed that NFL scouts covet, and both players had very productive college careers. Robinson is the more explosive of the two and can be used as a return man. Terrell, who is slightly bigger, reminds me of Marcus Robinson and Carolina’s Muhsin Muhammad, while I would compare Robinson to Buffalo’s Eric Moulds. Both players have some injury concerns, which has allowed Clemson’s Rod Gardner to gain ground on them on many draft boards. A nagging hamstring injury has prevented Robinson from performing at a high level at private workouts for scouts, while a stress fracture that was detected in Terrell’s foot at the Combine has caused his stock to slip some.

Robinson, Terrell, and Gardner are followed by seven to nine quality wideouts who have the potential to be gone by the end of the second round. This group includes Reggie Wayne, who has qualities similar to the Vikings’ Cris Carter.

Tight Ends (Grade: C)

Finding a tight end who can stretch a defense as a receiver, block a defensive end or linebacker at the line of scrimmage, and also make the clutch grab on third down is one of the hardest things for an NFL team to accomplish these days. This year’s draft class has only one potential first-round pick and only a handful of prospects deserving of a day-one selection.

Despite not being a devastating blocker, Todd Heap is the consensus pick as the number-one tight end, and I would definitely rate him higher than last year’s top prospect Bubba Franks (Green Bay). Heap weighs almost 250 and has 4.6 speed, and his ability to go deep creates matchup problems for opposing defenses. Heap reminds many of former Patriot Russ Francis, and interestingly, New England is rumored to be very high on him.

Alge Crumpler is generally considered the second best tight end in the draft. He is the younger brother of former Seahawk and Viking Carlester Crumpler. Hopefully, Alge’s career will be more fruitful than that of his underachieving sibling. Crumpler is not nearly the offensive weapon that Heap is, but he has better size and strength, two attributes that help him to be a superior blocker.

Penn State’s Tony Stewart and Notre Dame’s Jabari Holloway are two other tight ends that have a chance to be taken before the fourth round.

Centers (Grade: C)

Playing the pivot position does not always equate to being the "center" of attention come draft day. All too often, an undersized college guard or tackle is touted as being a top prospect at center, but learning how to block after completing the switch can be an arduous task even for the most talented of linemen. Given that playing center is an art in itself, players like Nebraska’s Dominic Raiola, an All-American at the position, draw lots of attention when they become available.

An agile 300 pounder, Raiola has Pro-Bowl potential and will receive serious first-round consideration. Small school standout Robert Garza (Texas &M-Kingsville) could go as early as the second round, while Wisconsin’s Casey Rabach and Minnesota’s Ben Hamilton could also be day-one selections.

Guards (Grade: C+)

Guard is a position that is usually overlooked or ignored in the first round, but having a strong pair of interior blockers allows you to control the line of scrimmage in short-yardage or goal-line situations. These guys don’t have to be pretty or even overly athletic to get the job done. However, many of this year’s top prospects are quicker and more athletic than some of the big, smash-mouth maulers that have come out in recent years.

Like center and tight end, one player, Michigan’s Steve Hutchinson, stands out among the rest. A four-year starter and team captain, Hutchinson is one of only a handful of players to earn first-team All-Conference honors during all four of his collegiate seasons. In fact, he did not allow a sack during his first two seasons with the Wolverines. Hutchinson is the only first-round talent at the position, and there may be only one or two other guards to go before the end of the second round.