The Super Bowl is two weeks away and it will feature two squads whom everyone more or less expected to be there at season’s end. It’s likely that your team isn’t in the big game, but the most fan friendly NFL event on the calendar isn’t too far away.

The NFL Draft will be here before you know it. We saw the first wave of collegiate all-star games begin this past weekend, and the NFL scouting combine will take place in February. It’s never too early to begin the process of preparing for this event, and we’ll attempt to run you through the early storylines as best we can.

  • Room at the Top for QB’s?

Mel Kiper, through his recently released first mock draft, is on record as saying he believes Johnny Manziel has an excellent chance of hearing his name called when the Texans make the first selection in April.

Aside from Manziel, other top prospects include Jake Matthews and Jadeveon Clowney. Sammy Watkins, Anthony Barr and fellow quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater should all also be in the mix for top 5-10 selections as well.

With Houston looking to kick things off, it’ll be interesting to see what they do. They took Mario Williams first overall about a decade ago, but it could be hard to pass on Manziel considering they just hired Bill O’Brien away from Penn State.

Matthews and Clowney are blue chip prospects who should enhance the status of any organization they join. While Bortles and Bridgewater are good prospects, there is less certainty regarding the QB crop given the decisions of Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley to stay in school, as well as injuries suffered by Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray prior to their final games.

  • Depth at Offensive Tackle

Offensive line play was a critical issue for several teams this season. Pittsburgh, San Diego, Atlanta, Buffalo and the New York Giants are all franchises who could gain ground going into next season. Doing so, however, will require better line play than what they received in 2013.

In addition to the aforementioned Matthews, Greg Robinson (Auburn), Taylor Lewan (Michigan), Cyrus Kouandjio (Alabama), Zack Martin (Notre Dame) and Antonio Richardson (Tennessee) all figure to be coveted first rounders.

Kouandjio is one of the more interesting names on the board given that Kiper projects him to go in the middle of the first. Prior to the start of the year, he was viewed as a sure fire top 5 selection.

There are a slew of prospects, but none have the blue-chip nature that Matthews provides. We have seen how difficult it can be should you reach on an OT in the 1st/2nd. Missing on that type of pick can set a franchise back significantly, and so it’ll be interesting to see how these tackles shake out as draft day approaches.

  • Potential Lack of Skill Position Studs

There are certainly some seriously talented players out there right now who would qualify as playing a “skill” position. Sammy Watkins, Marquise Lee and Mike Evans are all potential game changers at the receiver slot. Eric Ebron is a tight end with major upside who should see his name called before pick 20.

Kiper and other analysts have made note that several intriguing prospects could go toward the end of the first. Kelvin Benajamin came on the scene hard during the national title game, and Jace Amaro from Texas Tech is another quality tight end.

But, overall, it seems like a down year to some extent. The first round is likely to be dominated with defensive bodies and offensive linemen. While there should be some balance, the receiver and running back positions do have great depth. Yet, they are also filled with speed based players who some scouts will undoubtedly have concern over in terms of whether or not they can hold up at this level.

Lache Seastrunk (Baylor), De’Anthony Thomas (Oregon), Marion Grice (Arizona St.), Watkins and Brandin Cooks (Oregon St.) are all playmakers who come with concerns over size. As evidenced by the success of teams like Seattle and San Francisco, the game is becoming more and more physical. Power and speed on the defensive side of the ball are as important as ever, and it’s likely that scouts and management teams will reflect on that reality as we head into April.

  • An Overall Lack of Talent at the DE Position

While Clowney is a monster name who could make serious waves on an NFL roster from day one, the rest of the crop at what has become an incredibly important position is not quite as solid.

Stephon Tuitt of Notre Dame is a really good player who has excellent power. He is strong enough to provide versatility along a defensive front, and that makes him the likely number two behind Clowney.

But after that, things appear a bit more murky. Jackson Jeffcoat has NFL bloodlines and was extremely productive as a pass rusher in a conference where offenses are predicated on quick passing. Aaron Lynch of USF is another young talent who evaluators will drool over as well. His first step is superb and he is extremely underrated against the run.

Scott Crichton (Oregon St.) and Kony Early (Missouri) will also get long looks, and Anthony Barr could be an outstanding pass rusher at the next level despite being a projected 3-4 linebacker.

But the reality is there are few guaranteed game changers beyond Clowney. The importance of the defensive end position has grown in recent seasons given the way offenses are starting to operate in this league, however. I wouldn’t be surprised to see teams take a flyer on some of these guys and hope they pan out.

  • Strong Up the Middle

While the end positions are a bit more up in the air, there is a ton of strength at defensive tackle and inside linebacker. Timmy Jernigan (FSU), Louis Nix III (Notre Dam), Kelcy Quarles (S. Carolina), Dominique Easley (Florida) and Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh) are all guys who can come in and contribute immediately.

Jernigan looked gassed at times in the national title game, but he is a serious prospect. Nix could be a great fit for Pittsburgh in the middle of the first, and both Easley and Donald have the athleticism, strength and versatility to command early second round looks. Easley would likely have gone in the latter part of the first had he not torn his knee up during last season at Florida.

Several flagship teams such as Pittsburgh and New England could be very much interested in taking a 3-4 nose tackle given losses they have suffered at the position in the last two years. The Bears run a 4-3, but injuries really plagued their run stopping ability in 2013 as well.

Moving to the linebacker position, there is no drop off compared to the DT’s. C.J. Mosley follows a long list of Alabama greats. Shane Skov of Stanford is an absolute warrior who will likely go no later than the middle of the second round. Max Bullough of Michigan State will have to answer questions about a suspension which kept him out of the Rose Bowl, but he has both the size and sideline-to-sideline tenacity that scouts seeks.

  • Finding Corners

Having just watched the NFC title game, there is little question as to how important the corner position has become in the wake of what NFL passing offenses are becoming. Richard Sherman is a prime example of how, nowadays, there should be more of a run on bigger and physical corners who can hold up at the point of attack.

Justin Gilbert of Oklahoma State is the consensus number one. He doesn’t have great size, but he is in no way small. Darqueze Dennard of Michigan State is super talented, but stands at only 5’11. Loucheiz Purifoy was a standout at Florida and has decent size to go along with 4.41 speed. He has a lean frame on which he could probably add another 5-10 pounds without losing much quickness.

Players like Jason Verrett (TCU) and Kyle Fuller (Va Tech) are intriguing prospects, but they too lack ideal size. Both Bradley Roby (OSU) and Aaron Colvin (Oklahoma) stand at or close to 6’0 and can hit. They will be interesting to look at as draft day approaches given that both have the perceived toughness to stand up against the “new-age” NFL receiver.

With the tight end position becoming increasingly important and receivers like Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald becoming such big factors in the league today, getting a guy like Sherman in the fifthround has to be considered more than a steal.

It’s obvious given the success Seattle has had (Byron Maxwell was acquired by them in the latter rounds as well) that plenty of prospects who fit more in the 4-7 round range will get long looks. Pass defense is critical nowadays, and there are too many teams trying to compete for playoff positioning (namely Pittsburgh, San Diego, Miami, Indianapolis, Detroit and Green Bay) who absolutely need better corner depth.