If the Patriots hadn't forfeited their 2008 first-round pick, the 32nd pick would've been in Round One. And if that 32nd pick, Phillip Merling, had been a first-rounder instead of the first pick of Round Two, he'd be in the express lane toward "bust." As good a motivator as coach Tony Sparano is, he has been unable to coax much of anything out of Merling. Following a downtrodden rookie campaign off the bench, Sparano penciled Merling in atop the depth chart at right defensive end in the hope that the "starter" label would kick-start his career. When that tactic failed, he put Merling behind Randy Starks, who clearly had earned the spot by virtue of being the Dolphins' most productive lineman in '08. Merling couldn't be in starker contrast to '08 third-round DE Kendall Langford, who the team believes is primed for a monster campaign as the starter at left end.

Kickoff is coming! PFW's annual Kickoff Issue is on sale at PFWstore.com and at newsstands and bookstores across the country. Also, be sure to buy copies of the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports 2009 NFL preview magazine, as well as the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Guide 2009, both of which are now available at bookstores, newsstands and retail outlets where magazines are sold. Or order your copies online at PFWStore.com.