Ranking the top NFL free agents, plus our latest bubble watch update

This should be a rather interesting year on the NFL open market

By Pete Blackburn

Mar 4, 2021 at 9:12 am ET • 6 min read

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We're heading into the home stretch now, aren't we? Wait ... am I talking about the work week or the college basketball regular season? Choose your own adventure.

We've got a Thursday on our hands this morning, partner, and with it comes a nice selection of sports. I've got the stuff you need to get your day started, including a ranking of the top NFL free agents and some updates on college basketball bubble teams as well as notable developments on the Tiger Woods accident. Speaking of getting started, Paramount + launched today and it is the new home of every live event CBS Sports has to offer -- including March Madness, NFL games, Champions League soccer and everything in between. Check it out here.

OK, let's have ourselves a good day.

📰 What you need to know

1. The top 100 NFL free agents are ... 🏈

As wild as the NFL offseason has been already, it only promises to get wilder as we get closer to free agency. This should be a rather interesting year on the open market given the financial implications of the pandemic and some of the names that will be looking for their next landing spot.

Speaking of those names, our Pete Prisco has put together his rankings of the top 100 free agents that could be available when the market opens on March 17. Behold: The best of the best!

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys: As obvious as this one is, it also seems like kind of a technicality. Dallas is going to try to sign Dak to a long-term extension and if they can't make it happen then they're just going to franchise tag him again. The chances of him actually hitting the market are slim to none
Leonard Williams, DE, Giants: Some may push back on him being rated this high but Prisco says "there is a shortage of good down players who can influence the quarterback like Williams and still anchor against the run," so he's going to be highly valued. And Prisco also believes his best football is still to come
Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers: Tampa Bay is going to try to bring him back and they should be able to make a strong pitch, seeing as they're reigning champs and Tom Brady will still be throwing him the football. If they can't convince him to sign an extension, they could always franchise tag him. But what if Godwin wants to go to an offense where he's more of a clear No. 1?

You can find the full list right here, so feel free to check it out and let me know of any complaints or issues you've got with the rankings. Being able to forward angry complaints straight to Prisco's inbox is one of my favorite parts of the job.

Of course, it's not always the guys at the top of the list who have the most impact. Free agency is as much about filling in the gaps and holes on a roster as it is about making a big splash. As such, our Jason La Canfora took time to highlight eight dark horse NFL free agents that could provide real value on a short-term deal, or maybe secure a larger bag than most anticipate.

2. NCAA Tournament bubble watch: Pac-12, Big East teams making moves 🏀

We're officially hitting crunch time for March Madness, meaning every remaining game is crucial when it comes to seeding and status in the NCAA Tournament later this month. There are plenty of teams that find themselves on the bubble as we come down to the wire and we're going to have to keep a close eye on those teams as they fight for their postseason fate.

Yesterday brought a good amount of bubble action, so here's what you need to know when it comes to those fringe teams:

Oregon beats UCLA to move into first place in Pac-12: In a battle of two teams on the high end of the bubble, the Ducks came away with the 82-74 win. That's big for Oregon because now they move into the top spot in the Pac-12 and hold a leg up over UCLA, who still only have one win over a team in the bracket
Seton Hall loses to UConn: Seton Hall really needed a victory over the Huskies last night but they came up short 69-58. That's a big swing game for their chances, as they now sit at 13-11 instead of 14-10. Two games over .500 is simply not good enough for them to get into the dance
Stanford gets crushed by USC: It's probably safe to say that Stanford's bubble was burst last night. They had a prime opportunity to earn a statement win over the Trojans and prove the doubters wrong, but they ended up getting absolutely streamrolled, 79-42. That's going to be a wrap for them

Other notable bubble action included Syracuse, Wichita State, Colorado State and San Diego State all picking up important victories to stay in the hunt ... for now. Though teams are closing out their regular season schedules this week, the bubble watch will stay on through the impending conference tournaments. Postseason play will offer these teams an opportunity to prove they deserve a spot, so stay tuned.

3. Tiger Woods update: Golfer doesn't remember driving on day of crash

It's been a few days since we've checked in on Tiger Woods and now seems like a good opportunity to do just that. We've got a little more information about the near-fatal car crash that left Tiger seriously injured last week, so here's what you should know:

Woods told police he didn't know how the crash occurred and that he didn't even remember driving that morning
A warrant was obtained to get the vehicle's black box data as part of the investigation
While the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department initially called the crash "purely accidental," they walked that statement back a bit yesterday
LASO statement: "The sheriff spoke about the information known at that time and said it appeared to be a traffic accident. "However, the traffic collision investigation is (on)going and traffic investigators have not made any conclusions as to the cause of the collision."

Obviously, it's rather concerning that Tiger has no recollection of the accident whatsoever ... though it does somewhat help explain how/why he was able to speed more than 400 feet across the road's median and down a small gulley without even hitting the brakes. It becomes more concerning when you remember Tiger has a history of driving impaired.

Hopefully this was just some freak incident. Either way, it sounds like something went seriously wrong and Tiger is extremely lucky to be alive.

4. Mock drafting the All-Star lineups 🏀

The NBA All-Star Game is this Sunday and, once again, the league will let the game's two captains/top vote-getters (LeBron James and Kevin Durant) draft their respective teams, pick-up game style. There's an incredibly talented pool of starters and reserves to pick from, so LeBron and KD are going to have some big decisions to make when they go through the draft process later tonight.

Yesterday, our Sam Quinn and James Herbert went through those big decisions and attempted to predict how LeBron and Durant will fill out their teams. Yes, that's right, a 2021 NBA All-Star Game mock draft. Here's a look at their top five selections:

Team LeBron (Quinn): Stephen Curry, Warriors
Team Durant (Herbert): Kyrie Irving, Nets
Team LeBron: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
Team Durant: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
Team LeBron: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

For the full mock draft, head here.

Let's be honest here ... the real excitement of the NBA All-Star Game draft doesn't lie in the order of players selected. It lies in how long it takes LeBron to openly commit tampering on television.