Jan 26, 2013, Honolulu, HI, USA; General view of the NFL logo at midfield of Aloha Stadium at Ohana Day for the 2013 Pro Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL draft is nearly upon us and that means two things. The first thing is we get to see what direction teams are going in terms of improving themselves for 2013, and the second thing is the fact that football is almost here. Sure technically the season doesn’t start for a good four months, but for us football die hards, the draft is the real start of the season. We begin to see how all the teams are going to look like, and of course the speculation and predictions ensue after that. Normally, everybody starts to put out ‘power rankings’ and Super Bowl predictions after the draft, but I am going to change it up a little bit and give a ‘Pre Draft Top 5′. Here they are.

5. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were seven yards away from being in the Super Bowl in 2012, and so far this offseason they have done nothing but get better. The move I really liked was they dumped running back Michael Turner in exchange for Steven Jackson. I am a big fan of Jackson, and I think if you combine him with their two stud receivers, their offense is going to be in the top five in the NFL. Matt Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and his two main targets, Roddy White and Julio Jones are both top ten receivers in the NFL. Last year their offense was not very balanced, but Turner is now gone and I think Jackson is going to be one of the top rushers in the league in 2013.  The only thing that concerns me with this team is their defense still is not very good. Their secondary needs help and that is where I anticipate they will go in the draft.

4. Denver Broncos

Most people would have the Broncos higher than four at this point, but this is as high as I am going to put them. My problem with this team is the fact that their defense is pretty bad, and they have no running game whatsoever. This showed up as a problem in last years playoff loss to the Ravens. Joe Flacco tore apart that “vaunted” defense and led them to that victory. They also could not run the football in that game, and put way too much pressure on Peyton Manning’s shoulders. He is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but he can’t do it all alone. With that being said, this passing attack is going to be special to watch. They have Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker on the outside, with Wes Welker on the inside. Tell me how teams are going to be able to cover that. It is going to be near impossible. I think that Peyton is going to once again have a record breaking year, and he may very well win MVP. I believe that the Broncos will again be near the top of the AFC, but because of their lack of balance offensively, and their bad defense they will fall short.

3. New England Patriots

The Patriots may not look like that elite team we see every year right now, but I think the Pats will be very good this year. Their offense is going to be fine, they have the best quarterback in the NFL in Tom Brady, they have a very good running game behind Steven Ridley, and I have confidence that Gronk and Hernandez will be back in time for the opener. They still have some work to do at receiver, as Danny Amendola is the only solid option they have right now but I am confident that Belichick will fix it. The main reason why I like this Pats team is because of that defense. They have made some great acquisitions this offseason to boost the talent on that side of the ball. They resigned cornerback Aqib Talib to a one year deal, they signed safety Adrian Wilson to a three year deal and they agreed to a two year deal with defensive lineman Tommy Kelly. All three of those signings make the Pats defense significantly better. Kelly brings a solid pass rushing presence to the middle of the defense, Wilson brings a physical presence at safety that fits perfectly opposite Devin McCourty, and Talib can be a lock down corner on the outside. You put all of these thing together and I think you are looking at a top ten Patriots defense in 2013, and when you put that with a Tom Brady led offense, watch out.

2. Seattle Seahawks

The only reason I have Seattle at number two instead of number one, is because of their quarterback. Russell Wilson is a great young quarterback,  but he is heading into his second year in the league. This is where a lot of rookie quarterback sensations really stink up the joint. Cam Newton is the perfect example, and although I think Wilson is much better than Newton, I just have a feeling that Wilson may have a sophomore slump. That is the only thing that is holding back the Seahawks, because they are absolutely loaded everywhere else. Their defense is going to abuse opposing offenses with their physical secondary, and their pass rush will be much improved with the signings of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. They also filled their one need on offense at receiver with their acquisition of Percy Harvin from the Vikings. Just looking at this roster is scary, and if Wilson can play at the level he played at as a rookie, then their is nothing stopping this team from going to the Super Bowl.

1. San Francisco 49ers

They have the defense, they have the offense, so therefore the 49ers are the pre-draft number one in my opinion. We know what their defense can do, it is an old school, punch you in the face defense that has the ability to stifle any offense. But what is different now, is the fact that the 49ers have the offense to go with it. With Kaepernick under center on offense, they may have the most versatile offense in the league. As Patriot fans know all too well, Kaepernick can beat you with his arm and his leg, and if you combine that with all the weapons he has, the 49ers offense is very tough to defend. This 49ers team is ultra talented, and barring any big injuries I think we are headed for a Niners-Seahawks NFC Championship game in January.

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The Jets have been looking at several small school wide receivers, so the interest in Mellette is no surprise. All of the teams interested in Mellette could use him, and the Panthers, Pats, Texans, Ravens, and Jets are the five teams with the biggest need for a wide receiver. Draft analysts such as Tony Pauline and Greg Cosell have praised the Elon wideout, so he is a name to keep in mind.

We’ll see if the Patriots reported interest in Mellette amounts to something, and it’s interesting to see that two AFC East teams are showing at least some interest in him. Mellette is tabbed as a sleeper on the third day of the draft, and he is a very good possession receiver who runs extremely precise routes. He can’t stretch the field vertically, though, so he’s strictly a possession guy.

The fact that Mellette struggles to gain separation makes him a better signing for teams like the Panthers, Jets, and Ravens than teams like the Patriots and Texans who are specifically looking for guys to stretch the field. But Mellette can still be an asset to those teams if they think he presents good enough value for them, because Mellette has great size at 6’3″ and has safe hands. It seems like Mellette could be a great red zone target with that Anquan Boldin-esque ability to high point the ball.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Jason Cole tweeted yesterday that the Patriots, Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Philadelphia Eagles all have interest in Bryant. The Seahawks and 49ers are looking for more pass rushers, as both teams brought in veterans Cullen Jenkins and John Abraham for workouts. The Raiders would like to keep Bryant, and they also once brought in Jenkins for a workout. The Eagles were the team that released Jenkins, and they interested in 49ers DL Ricky Jean-Francois so there is an opening for them as far as interior pass rushers go. As for the Jaguars, they could always use another talented, veteran defensive player.

The Patriots are an especially interesting team in this, and that’s not just because I cover the Pats and most of my readers care about them. Bryant has been viewed as a great fit for the Patriots by multiple Pats fans and writers, and that’s because he would be a great fit for the need they have at defensive tackle. The Pats pass rush could use some upgrading, and that is especially true for the interior pass rush.

While Bryant isn’t the best run-stuffer around, he’s decent in that regard too. However, what the Patriots need above all else is pass rushing, because guys like Vince Wilfork and Kyle Love can already play the run well (the former much better than the latter, at that). Bryant is one of the best pass rushing DTs in the game, as he consistently disrupts the interior and brings consistent pressure. For the Patriots, consistent pressure on the QB can be hard to come by.

The former Harvard grad was recently arrested in South Beach, but that was a very minor offense that won’t (it certainly doesn’t look like it) affect his free agent market. I am glad the Patriots are showing interest in Bryant, because he could be a very good signing for them. By the way, there are five other teams interested besides the Pats and Raiders, because the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported earlier this week that the Cleveland Browns have interest. The Raiders will most likely not be able to keep Bryant, but he might not be the best fit in the Browns 3-4. Well, it could work out to a great effect if he can transition to the 3-4 DE slot seamlessly.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.