INDIANAPOLIS –

(4 p.m. Update) A Crazy Start

-         It’s been a wild day already with all of the top tackles drawing all sorts of attention, the Rams tagging Oshiomogho Atogwe and preparing to negotiate with Ron Bartell and the flurry of tags and dollars being handed out all over the league.

-         It's understandable why there'd be some worries about the negotiations for Bartell and there are some concerns about getting him signed at a reasonable rate considering some of the money being handed out, especially to defensive backs. Including the big whopper in Oakland, Houston franchised Dunta Robinson and Indianapolis gave big money to Kelvin Hayden.

-         Speaking of which, Nnamdi Asomugha is, in my opinion, the best cornerback in the league. But is he worth that kind of cheese? That is a jaw dropper. For those that didn’t see it, Asomugha got a three-year, $45.3 million deal. Supposedly, about $28 million is guaranteed but considering that he’s in his prime, it might as well all be guaranteed.

-         I guess nothing the Raiders do should be a surprise anymore considering they just gave their punter, Shane Lechler, a $4 million a year deal.

-         Tom Condon negotiated both of those contracts. It’s been a nice couple days for him and the timing couldn’t be better considering all the potential clients here he can talk to.

-         The consensus after meeting with the top offensive tackles is apparently that Virginia’s Eugene Monroe is the mature, soft spoken type with the most polish, Baylor’s Jason Smith is the athletic, charismatic prospect with the most upside and that Alabama’s Andre Smith is the one with the most maturing to do but potentially the most physically dominant.

-         I heard some people say Andre Smith came off as immature but I didn’t necessarily agree with that. I didn’t like that he was so evasive about his Sugar Bowl suspension and I think he should work out here, especially because the other two top tackles will, but he seemed to have a good understanding of the game and what he needs to do to become a top level NFL player.

-         From what I heard, Andre Smith’s body left a lot to be desired at Thursday’s weigh in, though. That’s not a surprise, especially compared to the rock solid Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe.

-         Pardon me for a minute while I become a fan boy. But Mizzou tight end Chase Coffman stopped in for a visit and was as humble as can be. I have admitted my Mizzou bias in the past and will again come clean here but Coffman is one of my favorite players to watch at the collegiate level, ever. And it was nice to see that he’s a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Because of a foot injury, Coffman will not be able to work out here but he’ll go through the ringer of the interview process as well as the medical checkups. I maintain that if he drops anywhere below the middle of the second round, he’ll become one of the biggest steals of this year’s draft.

-         The deadline to tag players has passed so here’s a recap of who got tagged (note: all players tagged received the franchise tag): Atogwe, Carolina’s Julius Peppers, Arizona’s Karlos Dansby, Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs, Robinson, Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham, Tennessee’s Bo Scaife, Seattle’s Leroy Hill, Pittsburgh’s Max Starks, Tampa Bay’s Antonio Bryant, San Diego’s Darren Sproles, Atlanta's Michael Koenen, New York's Brandon Jacobs and New England's Matt Cassel. I think that’s all of them but if I miss one I’ll update later.

-         That’s all for the blog today barring some news and, of course, that’s always a possibility. I’ll be back with plenty tomorrow and another mailbag and keep your eyes peeled for a feature breaking down the top three tackles later on stlouisrams.com.