Nnamdi Asomugha and Top 10 Must-Have NFL Free Agent Targets

Sooner or later, the NFL lockout is going to end. It sounds like it's going to be sooner, but it might be later. Nobody really knows.

When the lockout does end, the good news is that business will begin immediately. Players will report to team facilities, and teams can start negotiating with their own draftees and restricted and unrestricted free agents. A few days later, teams will be free to start signing free agents from other teams.

As always, that is where the fun will begin. Free agency has been a long time coming at this point, but the good news is that there are still going to be plenty of talented free agents on the market.

Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is one. So are New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. And so on, and so on.

For the sake of taking a break from the lockout, why don't we go ahead and count down the top 10 free agents that will be on the market?

Oh by the way, any player that was hit with a franchise tag before the lockout is not allowed on this list. Just want to make sure we're clear on that.

10. Brent Grimes, CB

We'll get to the top cornerback on the market soon enough, but right now I want to talk about Atlanta's Brent Grimes.

As most of us are probably already well aware, Grimes' career has turned into a pretty cool success story. After starring at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Grimes signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He has gotten exponentially better each year he's been in the league, and was elected to the Pro Bowl for the first time this past season.

And now it could be Grimes' turn to hit the big time. He will be a restricted free agent when the lockout is lifted, and the odds of him staying with Atlanta seem to be pretty good. At the same time, the Falcons have 11 free agents they have to worry about, and Grimes just hired a pair of high-profile agents in Tom Condon and Ben Dogra. That might lead to some issues.

Right now, I think Grimes will end up signing with the Falcons. But because the possibility exists of him heading elsewhere, he at least deserves a place on this list.

9. Stephen Tulloch, LB

As expected, top linebackers Tamba Hali, LaMarr Woodley and Chad Greenway were all hit with franchise tags. If nothing else, that means teams in the market for a good linebacker are going to have to scroll down the list a little.

But only until they reach Stephen Tulloch's name. The Tennessee Titans linebacker is going to be an unrestricted free agent, and it's sounding like he's going to be too pricey for the Titans to keep him around.

That will be just fine with Tulloch. He may not be the flashiest linebacker in the league, but he gets the job done. Only New England's Jerod Mayo had more tackles last season than Tulloch, who finished the year with 160 takedowns.

Yes, but isn't that indicative of lousy play by Tennessee's D-line? Probably, but we wouldn't be talking about Tulloch at all if he hadn't gotten the D-line's back.

8. Matt Hasselbeck, QB

Because players like Kevin Kolb, Kyle Orton and Vince Young are all going to be on the trading block once the lockout is lifted, it stands to reason that teams in need of a quarterback are going to dabble in the trade market before turning to free agency.

If and when they do, the best option available is going to be Matt Hasselbeck. He may not be Peyton Manning (who will not become an unrestricted free agent, by the way), but Hasselbeck is pretty solid.

True enough, passing for just 3,001 yards and posting a QB rating of 73.2 barely qualifies one as a "solid" QB. But it's all relative, my friends, and the truth is that Hasselbeck doesn't look so bad when compared to fellow free agent QBs like Alex Smith and Matt Leinart.

So if a team has to turn to free agency to find a quarterback, Hasselbeck will be at the top of the list.

7. Cullen Jenkins, DE

Cullen Jenkins was last seen winning the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, but the Pack may not have what it takes to bring Jenkins back. That means he'll have to head elsewhere for more money. Such a shame.

The only real problem with Jenkins is that he's a little injury-prone. Thanks to a torn pectoral muscle, Jenkins played in just four games in 2008, and only saw action in 11 games in 2010.

When he's in there, though, Jenkins is one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the business. He gets through the line very well, and is a very effective pass rusher.

Lucky for him, Jenkins had a career-high seven sacks in 2010, which will only help his case for a big pay day.

6. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB

If you were to go around asking people, many will tell you that DeAngelo Williams is the class of the free agent running back crop.

I too have heard such things, yet I can't quite grasp what makes Williams a better option than Ahmad Bradshaw. Not only is he younger than Williams, he is also more productive.

True enough, Williams battled injuries in 2010, so it's not his fault his production level doesn't quite stack up to Bradshaw's. That said, there's no arguing the fact that Bradshaw's 1,235 yards rushing and eight rushing TDs are pretty impressive figures. Because of that, he'll be a hot commodity.

This is, of course, assuming teams can forgive the fact that Bradshaw fumbled the ball seven times in 2010.

5. Tyson Clabo, OT

Generally speaking, the big-money offensive tackles in the NFL tend to play on the left side of the line. After all, you have to make sure the guys protecting your quarterback's blind side are well compensated.

But that won't stop Tyson Clabo from demanding a big paycheck. He may be a right tackle, but he's one of the best there is. That means he deserves to be paid like it, darn it.

While Clabo can definitely hold his own in pass-blocking, where he really shines is in paving the way for running backs. Michael Turner can vouch, as he ran for nearly 1,400 yards in 2010 and scored 12 touchdowns. Much of that was thanks to Clabo (and friends) keeping would-be tacklers off Turner's back.

Because the running game is making something of a comeback in the NFL, expect Clabo to have plenty of interested parties on the line.

4. Doug Free, OT

While Clabo will draw plenty of interest from run-heavy teams looking for a right tackle, the fact remains that left tackles are always going to be more highly sought after. That's good news for Doug Free, who will be the best available option for teams looking for a blindside guardian.

Before the lockout went into effect, it was clear that the Dallas Cowboys wanted to keep Free. However, they chose not to franchise him, and they might not be able to squeeze Free in under the cap when the lockout is lifted. Seeing as how Free is going to command something like $10 million, it actually almost seems like a given that they won't be able to.

Well, you won't hear Free complaining. One way or another, he's going to get paid.

Must be nice to have that kind of peace of mind.

3. Ray Edwards, DE

While Cullen Jenkins may be at the top of the list of 3-4 defensive ends, Ray Edwards is going to field most of the calls for teams looking for a 4-3 defensive end. That's his job, and he's pretty good at it.

Edwards has been in the league five years now, and he has developed as a very steady producer. He's recorded at least eight sacks in each of the last two seasons, and he showed last year that he can get sacks in bunches. After notching just 1.5 in his first seven games, he managed 6.5 in his final seven.

While Edwards is not the kind of player that is going to pile up outrageous sack totals, he will at least be consistent.

That, by the way, is something that Jason Babin has yet to prove.

2. Sidney Rice, WR

As is usually the case, there are plenty of big names to go around in the class of free agent wide receivers that can be had this offseason. Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and even Randy Moss and Terrell Owens are all available, and each of them will get paid (well, maybe not Owens).

But Sidney Rice is the player you'll want to keep your eye on. Hip surgery limited him to six games in 2010, and he only ended up catching 17 passes, but there will be no shortage of teams interested in securing Rice's services.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that Rice showed in 2009 that he has the ability to be one of the best pass-catchers in the league, as he hauled in 83 passes for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns. The second is that he's just 24 years old, which makes it a little easier to look past Rice's injury woes in 2010.

Besides, who doesn't love a wide receiver named Rice?

1. Nnamdi Asomugha, CB

It's pretty difficult to measure how good a true cover corner really is, but you can get a pretty good sense of how good he is by counting how many times his name is called during a game.

In his last couple years with the Oakland Raiders, Nnamdi Asomugha's name has rarely been called. In fact, he is arguably the best cover corner in the business right now, a point evidenced by his four straight Pro Bowl appearances.

And now he's for sale.

By virtue of some minor clause in his contract, Asomugha's deal with the Raiders was voided earlier this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. Rest assured, he will have suitors.

The Dallas Cowboys have been mentioned as a possible fit for Asomugha. So have the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas' NFC East rival. The Houston Texans could also go after the former Cal standout, and he would certainly shore up their dreadful pass defense.

No matter where Asomugha ends up, that might be the last you hear of him for a while. This is because one assumes he'll keep doing his thing.