FanHouse PatrickChung

After an injury-filled, $8 million season in Washington, Jason Taylor was back on the free-agent market this spring. Several teams needing a pass rusher showed interest, including the Patriots, who had previously traded veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs.

Taylor ended up in Miami, where he started his career and played for 10 seasons. It was one of the few examples of a player turning down a chance to join the Pats; head coach and evil genius Bill Belichick has an incredible knack for convincing free agents -- through Charles Manson-styled brainwashing, no doubt -- to come to Foxboro. Not this time.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

No team enjoys wheeling and dealing on draft weekend quite like the New England Patriots. The 2009 draft was no exception, as they made a series of moves resulting in 12 picks, and the stockpiling of even more selections in 2010.

As a result, the moves left the Patriots with no first-round selection for the first time since 2000, which is also the same year they selected some guy named Tom Brady.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

To say the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was tumultuous wouldn't really be giving credit to the word. The team had suspensions, Jessica Simpsons and the incredible absence of TD-ing. Dallas missed the playoffs after being a favored team going into the season and now has gone through a total redesign.

With Terrell Owens shipped to Buffalo, the passing game will go through Roy Williams, who has never been the player to take control of an offense. Balking on Ray Lewis and sticking with Tony Romo, this crew has a long way to go to be the best in their division, which is the toughest in the NFL. Along with all their obvious holes, the offensive line is a tad thin and the safety position could be improve drastically.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

From Mike Shanahan's firing to the Jay Cutler trade, the Broncos are almost unrecognizable from the team that finished last season. After three playoff-less seasons, that may not be a bad thing.

The upheaval does make it difficult to predict where they'll look on draft day, however. A new coach and general manager running their first draft don't have a track record to use as a guide, which should make the Broncos a team to watch on April 25.

Yes, believe it or not there are other teams besides USC roaming the vastness of the Pac 10 landscape. And yes, crazy as it sounds, said teams could even contend for the conference title. Who knew? Today we look at Oregon, a team that won with big offense last year before injuries devastated a legit BCS bowl run.

WHY THEY'LL WIN

Not the way you would normally expect when you think Oregon. While the offense will be OK, the Ducks will get it done with defense this year. And it could potentially be one of the best defenses in recent Oregon history once all is said and done. Everything starts up front with Nick Reed, the returning Pac 10 leader in sacks (12) and tackles for loss (22 1/2) last year. At 6-2, 255, Reed doesn't have the prototype size at defensive end. There are linebackers in the conference who are as big, if not bigger than Reed. But you can't measure heart, and Reed has as much as any player you will see this year. Reed leaves it all on the field at the end of the day, a relentless presence on the edge who must be accounted for on every snap. But as great as Reed has been, well, the defensive backs are right there for star-power. Three all-conference candidates patrol the secondary, led by strong safety/rover Patrick Chung. Chung does pretty much everything, racking up 117 tackles (7.5 for loss), tops among all returners in the conference. After flirting with leaving early for the NFL in January, Chung withdrew from draft consideration and is set to have a huge senior year. But the corners are stacked, with Jairus Byrd at one spot and Walter Thurmond III manning the other. Byrd had a conference-high seven interceptions in 2007, while Thurmond was perhaps the best all-around corner in the conference, logging an impressive 103 tackles, five INT's and a team-high 18 pass-breakups. Simply put, Oregon's secondary is right with USC as the best in the conference, and possibly one of the best units in the nation.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Oregon safety Patrick Chung says he has filed paperwork to enter the 2008 NFL draft, although he hasn't hired an agent and might still change his mind and return to Oregon for his senior season.

Chung is an intriguing prospect for a few reasons. First and foremost, there's his age: He's only 20 years old (he turns 21 in August), but he's already spent four years at Oregon, including one redshirt season as a 17-year-old freshman. Chung, who was born in Jamaica, is a couple of months younger than Texans rookie Amobi Okoye and would be the youngest player in the NFL next year.

The other interesting question about Chung is how high a draft pick a team would spend on a guy who's a pure special teams player. Although Chung has started 38 games at safety in the last three years, and would presumably develop into a defensive starter, he would likely play mostly on special teams as a rookie. He has experience both in returning kicks and in covering kicks, and he would make an immediate impact there.

The bottom line, from this perspective, is that although Chung could probably move up a bit with a solid senior season, he's already most likely a first-day pick, and therefore he's making the right move by going pro.

UPDATE: So much for that. Chung has changed his mind and will return for his senior season.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

This list wasn't as easy as it might seem. As fellow FanHouse contributor Jeff Adams clearly stated in his Big 12 write-up, the word "underrated" is a spot that can go in many directions. Is it a good player in a lousy situation, one who gets little ink because of the program he's part of? Maybe a strong player who is simply the victim of a small media market? As Jeff pointed out, there isn't a single, true definition. That said, here's the FanHouse view on the top five Pac-10 players who are recognized as deserving of some preseason buzz, even if they normally fly under the radar:

1. Josh Barrett, FS, Arizona State

A player who doesn't get a lot of publicitiy, Barrett has proven himself to be an outstanding senior leader on ASU's defense. Barrett led the Sun Devils in tackles last year, logging 82 to lead by a wide margin. But what's even more impressive is that Barrett also led the team in tackles for loss and interceptions, and was second in pass-breakups. Not too shabby for a 6-3, 231 lb. safety who has the size that many linebackers would love to possess. With new defensive coordinator Craig Bray on the scene, Barrett could have an even bigger season this year. Bray has coached with Dennis Erickson at a couple of stops, including defensive coordinator at Oregon State from 2000 - 2002, and both Bray and Erickson love to play an aggressive, attacking style. It'll be tough for Barrett to get more attention with safeties like Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison of USC or UCLA's combo of Chris Horton and Dennis Keyes, but Barrett could break into the conversation as the best overall safety in the conference. A package of size and quickness, Barrett is the most underrated defensive player returning to the Pac-10 in 2007.