According to Mike Reiss, the rookies are in town to start mingling with the veterans. There are 90 players on the roster, with 78 under contract, which means that a lot of fat needs to be trimmed. With the rookies already having their first mini-camp at the beginning of May, they'll now be thrown into the fire and matched up against players with more experience. Look for plenty of team bonding, emerging leaders and young surprises as the band gets back together.
I think we'll start to get a better feel for which player will be filling what role over the next couple of weeks, as players will get a better feel for their team. I expect that we won't be seeing many headliner cuts over the next couple of OTAs, but I do expect the roster to shrink a little bit. While the Patriots somehow managed to squeeze 12 rookies onto the roster last year, I don't believe they'll have the same luxury anymore.
I'm predicting a total of 8 draft picks from the '08, '09 and '10 drafts to be given the axe this off-season. That's my magic number.
I'm just ready for some football.