The thing that makes the National Football League great is that hope springs eternal in all 32 cities this time a year. No, the NFL has not gone to an NBA or NHL style playoff where seemingly everyone gets in. What the NFL has, though, is two different playoff races. One, of course, for the 12 teams that will make the actual playoffs and do battle in a quest to obtain the fortieth Lombardi Trophy. The "other" playoff is for positioning to see who will garner the first pick in the 2006 NFL draft. No, I'm not saying that teams are throwing games to get the pick, these guys are too competitive and the game is too violent not to give 100% (even though anyone who saw Houston kicker Kris Brown's shank in Nashville Sunday afternoon would have to wonder a bit), but it is compelling to see how these bottom feeders play out the season. There certainly is more than a slight incentive to NOT win games if you are not in the playoff chase. New Orleans has benched the erratic, but capable Aaron Brooks for the duration of the season in favor of journeyman Todd Bouman. Philadelphia has called up Delaware's finest, Andy Hall, from the practice squad to possibly get a look should Mike McMahon and Koy Detmer continue to struggle. San Francisco has inserted over-his-head rookie Alex Smith to gain experience, probably in a losing effort. All in all, the bad teams are actually rewarded for being bad come April's NFL Draft. I mean, there is a gem of a game in Week 17, as the 49ers and Texans meet in a game that very well could determine who gets the first pick in the draft. I bet that game gets more than a passing interest with NFL fans. With that said, here is Wellway's first installment of how the early part of the 2006 draft will pan out:

1. Houston - D'Brickashaw Ferguson - OT - Virginia

Yes, everyone loves Reggie Bush, but Dominick Davis is a darn good RB and Houston, you have a problem and its called the offensive line. Carr, Johnson, and Davis could be the triplets one day, but you will never know unless you have a line that can protect and open holes.

2. San Francisco - Reggie Bush - RB - USC

There will be an old Helix High School reunion in the Bay Area between Alex Smith and Reggie Bush. Bush could be the gamebreaker that Coach Mike Nolan covets for his rebuilding job.

3. N.Y. Jets - Matt Leinart - QB - USC

This may be the best fit for a QB since Joe Willie Namath was selected by this same franchise 40 years ago. A lot of guys are not cut out for the pressure cooker that is New York, but Leinart, and his personality, could be a match made in heaven for the Big Apple faithful.

4. New Orleans - Vince Young - QB - Texas

We're sorry Vince, but the NFL's version of the Clippers are on line 1. Well, since the Clippers are winning now, this may not be too bad forever. On paper, the Saints are not that bad, but with the unsettling following Katrina, the rumors of San Antonio or Los Angeles, and just Tom Benson's buffoonery, there are better places to land.

5. Green Bay - Mario Williams - DE - NC State

A.J. Hawk would be a perfect Packer, but with Nick Barnett really being the strength of the defense, I think Green Bay focuses on building a pass rush. Williams can be as disruptive as any DE in the country, when he's motivated. He's been an enigma, but you can not ignore his physical gifts. Jevon Kearse was an underachiever in college also, but that turned out pretty good. No reason Williams won't duplicate that success.

6. Tennessee - A.J. Hawk - LB - Ohio State University

Tennessee would love to draft Young or Leinart, but they will be long gone by the time they pick. If Brady Quinn comes out, he could certainly be the guy here. They could also trade down to the middle of the first round and maybe draft hometown guy Jay Cutler. McNair is getting old and the injuries have taken a toll, but half dead, he's better than 18-20 starters in the league right now. They can probably still compete with him. Plus, Billy Volek, who wants out (and may get his wish after the season), is more than capable. So, what the Titans do here, as things stand today, is pair A.J. Hawk with Keith Bulluck, Albert Haynesworth, and Adam "PacMan" Jones and immediately have the building blocks of a very good defense.

7. Buffalo - Halota Ngata - DT - Oregon

The Bills get the mighty Duck with this pick. This guy has cat-like quickness with an almost immovable 350lb frame. He will work well in Jerry Gray's defensive scheme for a long time.

8. Cleveland - DeMeco Ryans - LB - Alabama

Ryans was a force that terrorized SEC offenses for the past couple of years. He's a very instinctive player with great athleticism and a knack for big plays. Ryans is a great fit for Crennel's team. He immediately upgrades the speed of Cleveland's defense.

9. Arizona - DeAngelo Williams - RB - Memphis

Williams is the perfect fit for Dennis Green's offense. He is a very similar player to Robert Smith, who Denny had in Minnesota in that he catches the ball really well out of the backfield, moves the chains, and is a leader. He's a very natural football player. I think the Cardinals have been under whelmed by J.J. Arrington's development and they immediately correct that mistake by drafting Williams.

10. Detroit Lions- Mathias Kiwanuka - DE - Boston College

I looked everywhere on their roster to go against the flow of everyone else's mock drafts of Kiwanuka going here, but I couldn't. James Hall and company are nice players, but they really are not difference makers. Kiwanuka has all the ability needed to become a playmaker. Detroit could make a push up to trade into a position to get a Vince Young or could trade down to draft a Jay Cutler, but this is the most likely choice here.

11. Baltimore Ravens - Laurence Maroney - RB - Minnesota

This is what we know. Jamal Lewis probably will not be a Baltimore Raven next season. Chester Taylor is a quality NFL back, but he's not extra special. Maroney is that special blend of size, instinct, and speed that NFL teams covet. He, along with Todd Heap and Mark Clayton automatically give the Ravens hope of a young offensive nucleus.

12. Oakland - Chad Greenway - LB - Iowa

Oakland is pretty putrid against the run and need a guy to stick his nose in there and fill holes. Greenway is one of those guys. He would fit in nicely with the old Raiders who beat opposing offenses up with their physicality. Plus, Al Davis has an affinity for Iowa guys, possibly including the Hawkeyes current head coach.

13. St. Louis - Jimmy Williams - CB - Virginia Tech

Williams immediately brings a swagger to a defense that lacks an identitiy, particularly in the secondary. He's mobile, hostile, and agile and he will make his mark in the pass happy NFC West. He just needs to cut down on the silly extra-curricular activities on the field and he'll be a great one.

14. Philadelphia - Derek Hagan - WR - Arizona State

A lot of people see Santonio Holmes going here, and he might. However, I think Andy Reid likes bigger guys and that's why I have Hagan penciled in at this slot. He isn't a superb athlete, but he's got some size and enough wiggle. He fits in well to a West Coast offense.

15. Miami Dolphins - Jay Cutler - QB - Vanderbilt

This is where the draft gets interesting. Cutler is probably the second most gifted signal caller in this draft (and the most gifted if Vince Young stays in school). This is a guy that is 6'4" 225, can really run, and can throw it with the best of them. He got overshadowed because his team struggled in a major conference, but the conference coaches named him preseason and postseason SEC player of the year. This is what makes this pick possible. Nick Saban, before this season, was one of those SEC coaches and he knows how talented Cutler is.

Matt Leinart is the media friendly, Heisman Trophy winning, two-time national championship quarterback from the University of Southern California. When you think of Leinart, the first thing that comes to mind is winner. That is what he's done in 37 of his 38 games as a starting QB for the Trojans. The lone loss coming in triple OT to Aaron Rodgers and California in Berkeley during his sophomore season. His track record at the collegiate level speaks for itself. For all the success he has had, none of these things heavily influence what NFL scouts really fell about a prospect. And from what I have heard from one or two guys that are connected in NFL circles, there are questions on how Leinart projects in the National Football League. Leinart really does not have ideal arm strength for a top prospect. If you do not think this is an important trait, let Leinart play in Soldier Field or the Meadowlands with 30+mph winds in winter (which could happen). Leinart also lacks ideal mobility for the position in the 21st century. Look, you do not have to be Michael Vick, but having some escapability, especially in your early years, is a plus. With all this said, I think Leinart could be a very good player in certain systems. I'm just not quite sure he possesses the physical gifts that a team should want out of a Top 5 pick. He's not a no brainer like a Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Michael Vick, or Carson Palmer, who each had physical gifts or pedigrees that screamed top pick. There are senior prospects like Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler that have better physical tools and there are the possible early entries of Notre Dame's Brady Quinn and Texas' Vince Young, who could muddle the QB picture up considerably come draft day. I am not saying Leinart will be a bust, but I do not know if his physical gifts are worth $50 million of cap space over the next 5-6 years to some struggling NFL franchise.

Phillip Fulmer has won a lot of games in his fourteen years at the helm of The University of Tennessee's football program. He has won a national championship, two SEC titles, played in four SEC championship games, and coached two Heisman Trophy runner-ups. The guy even has a street named after him on campus. However, in the aftermath of a disasterous 5-6 season, where his team opened the season as the nation's third ranked team, there is a grumbling on Rocky Top not heard since the ouster of Tennessee folk hero Johnny Majors at the end of the 1992 season. There has seemed to be a lack of focus on team chemistry and way too many off-the-field problems that have conspired to lackluster production on the field. Fulmer, to his credit, has said the right things to get the Volunteer program back on track. But the proof, as the 107,000 thousand who frequent Neyland Stadium on Saturdays will remind you, is in the pudding. Things seem to be on the upswing in Knoxville now that David Cutcliffe is back in the fold as the offensive coordinator. He's the guy that coached Heath Shuler and Peyton Manning to Heisman Runner-Ups and first round draft picks and in one year coached Tee Martin into a national championship QB.  The Vols were unstable and inconsistent on offense in the last three years of Randy Sanders' tenure as offensive coordinator and Sanders stepped down after the South Carolina loss this year. Cutcliffe is bouncing back from his unfair ouster at Ole Miss and some heart surgery and seems eager to prove his worth again. His toughest job will be to rehabilitate QB Erik Ainge's psyche, which seemed to be all over the place in 2005. The kid has all the measurables you want in a great QB, but seemed to regress when pushed by Rick Clausen this year. Also on Cutcliffe's plate is to improve a talented, yet underachiveing corp of wideouts who ran bad routes and showed little effort at times last season. If Cutcliffe can pull these two things off and Fulmer adds a sense of urgency and discipline, Tennessee could easily be back in Atlanta battling for the SEC title next December. Tennessee is a year removed from a Top 3 recruiting class and the cupboard is not bare. With the right moves, Tennessee could be next season's Penn State. A national power who had a hiccup, but is back on top after some tweaking in the coaching staff.

After watching the Tennessee Titans celebrate a wacky 13-10 win over the even more hapless Houston Texans on a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon in Nashville, I was reminded of how this team has fallen so far, so fast. Only 23 months ago, the Titans franchise was in the midst of their fourth playoff berth in five years. The names on that team were a collection of outstanding talents (Jevon Kearse, Eddie George, Steve McNair) , solid NFL veterans (Derrick Mason, Lance Schulters, Kevin Carter, Frank Wycheck, Brad Hopkins), and emerging young talents (Drew Bennett, Justin McCareins, Albert Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck). Now, the only guys that remain out of those lists are McNair, Hopkins, Bulluck, Haynesworth, and Bennett. Each of those remaining guys, sans the underrated Bulluck, have dealt with either injury, or in Hopkins' case, suspension this year. That goes a long way to explaining the Titans' dismal 4-9 record to this point. Trust me, Coach Jeff Fisher has not become a dummy overnight (he's still one of the 6-8 best coaches in the game), he's just going to a gunfight with one of those pocket knives you can no longer get through airport security with. This, my friends, is the NFL's salary cap at work. Pete Rozelle's dream of every team having a chance is in one of its cycles and the Titans are on tumble dry. This leads to the headline of this blog.......What do the Titans do with the aging, but still pretty good, Steve McNair after this season. McNair, 33, is due an absurd $50 million roster bonus on March 1. McNair, his agent Bus Cook, and GM Floyd Reese all know that can not be paid out and both sides have agreed to sit down and talk after the season. The decision on whether or not a new contract can be worked out will probably come down to McNair's desire to continue to play. This Titans team is still about two years away from being a viable AFC championship contender and Steve is not getting any younger. He had sternum reconstruction last offseason and has had lower back trouble all season long. You just have to wonder if all of these factors will conspire to make McNair seriously consider retiring. The Titans are set up to have a high draft pick and have a fairly capable, yet brittle Billy Volek waiting in the wings. With the franchise in full rebuilding mode, I bet there is a segment of the decision makers on Great Circle Road who hope McNair retires so they can build a new nucleus. With intriguing prospects like Matt Leinart, Omar Jacobs, hometown hero Jay Cutler,and possible junior entries like Brady Quinn and Vince Young, this may be prime time to select an heir apparent. The problem with this is that  McNair still loves to compete and you just have to wonder if this is going to be one of those odd divorces where the old veteran shows up next year in a weird uniform like Emmitt in Arizona, Eddie in Dallas, and Joe in Kansas City. Even a Steve McNair that is injury prone and not quite as mobile is still better than the QB's that over half of the league's teams wheel out there every Sunday (yeah, I'm talking about you if your name is Kyle). A team like Chicago, Detroit, or Arizona would be crazy not to give him a call if he is let go. I hope this doesn't happen, because Steve McNair is the Tennessee Titans. A tough grinder whose substance outweighs his style and whose stat line rarely tells the entire story. He's been the face of a franchise through a messy move from Houston to Nashville and lost the most heartbreaking Super Bowl in history. If he departs this way, it will just give those Music Row songwriters yet another sad song to produce!