Granted, Croyle probably hasn't seen rookies Will Franklin or Kevin Robinson run yet. But Darling is fast and has good size; it's consistency and possibly desire he's lacked. With Darling's track record, we couldn't imagine there being a poorer on-paper No. 2 receiver in the league.

Thompson didn't have double-digit sacks as a Wake Forest senior, but that was due mostly to the Demon Deacons' conservative defensive scheme. He is a highly athletic rusher who could replace Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila eventually.

Baltimore will hope the 2005 second-round pick can make strides back at his college position. Cody has been an injury plagued bust to this point.

Some teams are hitting already (Redskins), some aren't. But contact will really be the test for Deuce McAllister (knees), who Drew Brees said looked "awesome" at the first practice. Deuce can look great running through holes when no one's touching him, but he's not a safe fantasy pick by any means.

St. Louis practices Friday, so we'll know more then. Coach Scott Linehan says he gave Jackson permission to travel to Wisconsin alone, indicating he doesn't think Jackson is holding out. A team official said Jackson's agent was discussing a new contract for his client with the Rams late Thursday.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is slated to give Henry some guidelines next week. It sounds like if Henry stays out of the police blotter until November, he could be reinstated. If that's Goodell's ruling, Henry will garner interest.

Green Bay would draw up a list of teams that are willing to trade for Favre, then he would choose his preference. "But it may take awhile," said a source. "The Packers are hoping that some team has a big injury and then is forced to make a deal." The source also says concerns about Favre's ability to pick up an offense are overblown: "Brett is a sandlot guy. What you’re going to do with him is find his 10 favorite plays and run those. Forget him learning your whole playbook. That’s not going to work."