NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

If the Broncos find themselves in a position to want to move the #2 overall pick, they are not going to be able to do it without the lockout ending according to the Denver Post.

Sheer roster needs scream that the Broncos must trade back from the No. 2 pick in hopes of adding at least one more pick in the second round. But to trade back on draft day, April 28, the Broncos need a near-miraculous resolution to the current labor agreement. As it stands now, the No. 2 pick would likely get $44 million in contract guarantees (10 percent more than the $40 million Detroit handed Ndamukong Suh last year). A new CBA promises a contract cap system on first-round picks that reduce that guarantee figure substantially. Without a new CBA by April 28 _ and face it, there won't be _ the Broncos will be the second team drafting. "If it stays like it's been there's no way anybody's trading," Broncos coach John Fox said at the league's coach/media breakfast Tuesday. "You don't want to be up there a lot.''

The Panthers are keeping their plans for the first overall pick under wraps, as Pro Football Talk reports that the team is not settled on Cam Newton, and instead is torn between a couple of players including quarterback Blaine Gabbert and defensive tackle Marcel Dareus.

Last week, Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer seemed to be convinced that the Panthers had settled on Cam Newton as the player who'll be taken with the top pick in the draft.

Now, Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com writes that support for Newton has diminished, with the "current odds-on favorites" being quarterback Blaine Gabbert and defensive tackle Marcel Dareus.

So what does any of it mean? It means that the Panthers are wisely keeping their options wide open, possibly in the hopes of being able to trade down a few spots and draft the best player who falls to them and then claim that he's the guy they would have taken at No. 1.

The league is claiming that the Dallas Cowboys are under investigation for contacting players during the work stoppage. NFL.com is reporting that the Cowboys are among five NFL teams that are being fined or warned for communicating with their players during the lockout.

Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the report that the Cowboys, Dolphins, Browns, and 49ers are all under investigation for violating the rule. The rule states that during the lockout period the 32 NFL teams are to have no contact with the players. Players cannot negotiate contracts or use team facilities. Of the 5 teams that are rumored to be involved, the four mentioned all have new head coaches or new coordinators.

The Cowboys are being investigated because of a report that came out saying that new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, was visiting with players helping them get a head start on picking up his new defensive system. Picking up a new system is difficult, especially during a work stoppage. While the Cowboys have had the benefit of playing in the 3-4 system for the last 6 seasons, it is still a new terminology and approach that they need to pick up.

The Cowboys are expected to find out in the next week if they will receive a fine or a warning from the league. If it is just a fine, it may be worth paying if it helps some of the players pick the system up. Although, not knowing what the fine will be, maybe it won't be worth it.

Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the Vikings’ will put Auburn quarterback Cam Newton through a workout on Wednesday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Newton will workout for Miami on Sunday, visit the Bills on Monday and then return to Auburn the next day to workout for the Vikings.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said this week at the NFL owners meetings that he would be hitting the road again this coming Monday and it would seem a certainty that he will be among the Minnesota brass getting a close look at Newton.

One man not bound by the NFL lockout anymore is Bill Parcells. The longtime NFL coach is no longer under contract to the Dolphins, for whom he most recently served as a consultant.

Team spokesman Harvey Greene confirmed Parcells’ formal separation to USA TODAY’s Michael McCarthy. Parcells also joined ESPN as a special analyst for April’s draft. The network has not said if it is pursuing a larger role for Parcells during the season.

Peter King, SI's NFL guru and former Bengals beat reporter, has a piece out this week about the growing debate in scouting circles around whether Georgia's A.J. Green is truly the top wide receiver prospect in the draft.

Since the end of the collegiate season, Green has been generally regarded as the top WR on the board, with some even speculating that he would be worthy of the first overall pick.  Several Bengal followers, including the Enquirer's Joe Reedy, have made the case for Green to end up in Orange.

However, King points out that Alabama's Julio Jones has been gaining steam since the combine, and that now there is no clear-cut number one receiver.  In fact, King states that the Bengals in particular have Jones over Green on their current draft board, an important revelation as many continue to believe the Bengals could go receiver with the fourth pick in the draft.

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