One of the Miami Dolphins' strong points in 2012 was the ability of their defensive line against the run. With defensive tackle Randy Starks set to hit free agency, that strength was threatened. 

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Dolphins have placed the franchise tag on Starks, preventing him from hitting free agency.

It was easy to see this coming; Starks was identified as the only sensible option for the franchise tag.

Even though it's not a surprise, the news likely doesn't sit too well with Starks, who related the franchise tag to the clearance rack via Twitter, and said he wants to stay with the team long-term.

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Like watching the draft prospects run the 40-yard dash, the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine came and went in a blur.

Unless the New England Patriots choose to pull a first-round Tavon Wilson-style surprise on us, they will take one of the players who was on the field at the combine with the 29th pick in the draft—if they take anyone at all.

The Patriots have just five picks this year, but that's still five opportunities to improve a team that went to the AFC Championship Game last year. If we know anything about head coach Bill Belichick, it's that we can never rule out a draft-day trade, especially one that involves them moving down in the draft to accumulate more picks.

No matter what the Patriots do, they'll have plenty of options. Here are just some of the names that should be on their minds as they enter the 2013 NFL draft.

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Placing the franchise tag on Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd should have been the easiest decision GM Buddy Nix has ever had to make.

That's why it came as no surprise when Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Bills had done just that. The move was later confirmed by the Bills official Twitter account.

Byrd is unarguably one of the top three safeties in the NFL, so paying him the average of the top five salaries at his position for one year makes sense, but it doesn't stop there.

What's next?

Four More Years

Now that the Bills can rest easy that their best defensive player isn't going anywhere this offseason, they must make sure he doesn't go anywhere in future offseasons, either.

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If it seems like the Miami Dolphins haven't had a solid pass-rushing duo in a long time, it's because they haven't. In fact, the last time they had a duo with 10 or more sacks was 2003, when Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye did it under defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt.

If the Dolphins were to make a run at recently released defensive end John Abraham (announced via the Atlanta Falcons' official Twitter), they may have their first pair of defensive ends with double-digit sacks in a decade.

At 34 years old, Abraham is obviously much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but judging by his performance in 2012, he still has something left in the tank. He was released by the Falcons due to financial constraints, not poor performance.

They couldn't make a much better choice to help them address their need for a defensive end right now, though.

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In the run-up to the 2012 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills were projected to be in the running for one of the draft's top wide receivers. They didn't pull the trigger on a receiver until the third round, when they took NC State receiver T.J. Graham.

The Bills' receiver situation right now is uncertain at best. The team announced it would not be re-signing Donald Jones, and there have been rumors that they will not tender David Nelson (via ESPN). So, it looks like Buffalo could again look to the draft to address the position.

That's why it made sense when Bleacher Report's Matt Miller named Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson his choice for the No. 8 overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

He'll surely be drafted in the top 10, but should the Bills be the ones to make that call? Miller gives Bills fans reason to be excited about a potential selection of Patterson:

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Hometown boy drafted by the hometown team.

Feel-good stories like that are often reserved for Disney movies, but if Bleacher Report's Matt Miller got it right in his latest mock draft, that would be the story for Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Miller projected Rhodes would head to the Miami Dolphins at the No. 12 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

There are some questions as to how well-rounded Rhodes' game is, but he would be a solid pick for the Dolphins based on their needs and scheme.

Here's what Miller had to say about Rhodes and the Dolphins:

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The rumor mill is spinning with stories over Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, and now we know which way the trade winds are blowing.

According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, the San Francisco 49ers are pursuing a trade for Revis. This comes days after a report from the New York Daily News that general manager John Idzik "was 'actively' shopping Revis" at the 2013 scouting combine.

The Jets practically have no choice but to trade Revis, considering: a) the lack of resources they have to build a starting roster for 2013, and b) their lack of cap space to sign Revis to a megadeal before he hits free agency next offseason.

In reflecting on some past deals involving top-end cornerbacks, most teams have been able to yield at least a second-round pick. With Revis, the price should be a bit higher, given the fact that he's the best at his position in the game, but not too much higher, given the fact he's only under contract for one more year and is coming off ACL surgery.

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If the New England Patriots are going to move on from wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, as has been reported to be the plan by Greg Bedard of The Boston Globe, they have to have a contingency plan of some kind.

The problem is, right now, they have just two other receivers under contract for 2013: Matthew Slater and Kamar Aiken.

The Patriots could still be active in free agency and/or the draft in looking for an X (outside) receiver. 

There's a caveat, though: recent reports indicate the Patriots will probably hang on to wide receiver Wes Welker at a price tag of somewhere around $8 million per year. That likely takes the Patriots out of the running for a top wide receiver, because they haven't historically invested top dollar in multiple players at the same position in the same year.

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