NFL Draft analysis

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
The Bills were forced to release several longtime stars as cap casualties such as Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. Their secondary lost two players to free agency, corner Thomas Smith and safety Kurt Schulz. They were able to re-sign TE Jay Riemersma who is a key player in their offense. They look to re-sign Ruben Brown but must create cap room to get it done.

Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were very inactive in the early free agent market. Their top priority was TE Ken Dilger who they re-signed on the eve of the free agent market. They hope to add a veteran defensive front seven player sometime this spring, but face salary cap problems before that can happen.

Don't be surprised in Dan Marino re-signs with Miami. (AP)

Miami Dolphins
The Dan Marino era appears to be over after he voided the last year of his contract and became a free agent. With little interest around the league, don't be surprised if he surfaces in Miami by July. The Dolphins did sign young Jay Fielder as a free agent to join several other young candidates for the Hall of Famer's starting job. Miami signed safety Brian Walker who had prior time with the club.

New England Patriots
The Patriots finally got safety Lawyer Milloy to sign a long-term contract just before the free agent market opened. They lost wideout Shawn Jefferson and DE Chris Sullivan and could face further losses of Ted Bruschi and Troy Brown.

New York Jets
The Jets re-signed cornerback Marcus Coleman who was their top priority this offseason. He is an emerging defender with great matchup skills. They let go of veteran offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott who looks to sign on with a playoff contender this spring.

AFC Central

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens looked to add playmakers for their lackluster attack and landed TE Shannon Sharpe for their passing game. He gives them a legitimate deep threat in the middle. He will couple with recently re-signed QB Tony Banks to give their passing game some much needed firepower. They lost runner Errict Rhett to the Browns and are expected to address the running back spot early in the Draft.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals will switch to a 4-3 alignment next fall and addressed that area in free agency. They signed DE Vaughn Booker and DT Tom Barndt in what is the start of a new defensive front. They lost QB Jeff Blake to the Saints, but their offense will be under the direction of last year's top pick QB Akili Smith.

Cleveland Browns
The Browns were shut out attempting to land one of the premier speed rushers and settled for DE Orpheus Roye who most likely moves inside to tackle in Cleveland. They signed safety Percy Ellsworth who is a fine ball-hawking defender and runner Errict Rhett who is an excellent receiver and a tough inside runner.

Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars again earmarked a premium player who was the ideal fit for their club. With a hole at inside linebacker, veteran Hardy Nickerson gives them a fine leader and rugged player in the middle. They lost tough runner James Stewart and young QB Jay Fielder with little available funds to bid. They re-signed LB Lonnie Marts who had a fine effort in the '99 season.

Tennessee Titans
The Titans were quick to sign veteran OT Fred Miller after losing OT Jon Runyan to free agency. Miller steps in at right tackle immediately. They added LB Randall Godfrey to their most pressing need area on defense. He is a fine playmaker with experience at both inside and outside linebacker. They re-signed safety Marcus Robertson.

AFC West

Denver Broncos
The Broncos addressed their defensive front four with the additions of DEs Lester Archambeau and Kavika Pittman for huge long-term contracts. They hope they will generate an outside pass rush that was missing in '99. They did not pursue high priced free agent TE Shannon Sharpe who signed with the Ravens.

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs faced losing both starting safeties this off-season and made attempts to re-sign both regulars. They lost safety Reggie Tongue to the Seahawks while they re-signed free safety Jerome Woods. Woods has become the backbone of their secondary. They lost DT Tom Barndt after several attempts to re-sign the rugged lineman.

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders landed their biggest prize this off-season with the re-signing of star wideout Tim Brown. He has become an irreplaceable player in their offense who commands special attention every week. They added defensive back Je'Rod Cherry who will push for time at several spots in the secondary.

San Diego Chargers
The Chargers addressed their problem at wide receiver with the signing of speedy Curtis Conway. He gives them a legitimate deep threat, but must prove he can play a full schedule after annual injury problems. They lost DT Norman Hand after removing the franchise tag from him. They added corner DeRon Jenkins to a trouble area. He looks to win the starting job in camp.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were again one of the most active clubs in the league. They traded star wideout, Joey Galloway in a blockbuster deal with the Cowboys. They will receive a No. 1 pick in the next two drafts for the big-play speedster. They lost DE Phillip Daniels and CB Fred Thomas early in free agency. They signed hard-hitting safety Reggie Tongue which makes safety Darryl Williams vulnerable as a very possible cap casualty.

Coyle, a full-time NFL scout, has published Draft Insiders' Digest, an NFL Draft and free agency publication for the last 9 years.

He attends practices, games and individual workouts across the country as well as breaking down game films to study the nation's top players. He writes for numerous pro weeklies on the NFL Draft and free agency in addition to game matchups and player profiles.

Coyle attends NFL mini-camps in May and June and numerous training camps throughout the summer. He is a frequent guest on sports talk shows from coast-to-coast, and has also been a personnel consultant to several NFL teams in recent years.