Dan Pompei

The draft is over, but the dominos still are toppling. And they will continue to fall for quite a while.

Especially for veterans around the NFL.

Here are some of the players who could be affected most by what their teams did on draft day.

Seahawks linebacker LeRoy Hill
The words, “The Seattle Seahawks select Aaron Curry” were barely out of Roger Goodell’s mouth when the team took the franchise tag off Hill, who, not coincidentally, plays the same position as Curry. He's now a free agent, but Seattle is trying to re-sign him.

Hill reportedly turned down a six year, $36 million offer and did not sign a tender worth $8.3 million. Oops.

In January, he was arrested and charged with marijuana possession. He has not shown up for the team’s offseason activities, including a minicamp.

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman
He is coming off a knee injury that prevented him from playing for most of last season, and he is coming into a contract year. The Chargers’ solution: draft linebacker Larry English in the first round.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith expressed his admiration for the way Merriman has played for the Chargers, calling him a “great player.” But he also said this: “You know me well enough. G.M.s have to think that way. His contract is up and he is coming off the knee. I don’t know what the future holds.”

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb
It’s possible no player benefited more from what happened on draft weekend. Instead of appeasing a segment of Philly fans and giving McNabb the heave-ho, coach Andy Reid used the draft to build up the offense for the quarterback.

Slideshow   Instant impact rookies Sporting News looks at 10 drafted players most likely to make an immediate impression.

Reid used six of eight picks on offensive players, including wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Cornelius Ingram. And best of all, he traded a first round pick for Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.

Bengals offensive tackle Levi Jones
Andre Smith, the fifth pick in the draft, punched Jones’ ticket out of Cincinnati. It’s just a matter of time before Jones is a former Bengal.

Jets running back Thomas Jones
He is unhappy with his contract and is boycotting offseason activities despite the presence of a new coaching staff. For a running back who will be 31-years old when the season begins, this is a dangerous way to be.

It became more dangerous when the Jets drafted running back Shonn Greene in the third round.

Bucs quarterback Byron Leftwich
When he signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay, his competition was Luke McCown, Brian Griese and Josh Johnson. Now his competition also includes Josh Freeman.

Colts running back Joseph Addai
It remains to be seen if Colts first round pick Donald Brown prolongs the career of Addai, as Colts president Bill Polian suggests, or greases the skids out of Indianapolis for Addai. But there is no debating the fact that Brown was drafted to take some of Addai’s snaps.

Titans tight end Bo Scaife

Slideshow   Busted picks Tom Curran looks at 10 early-round draft picks who could struggle.

One day after the Titans used a third round pick on tight end Jared Cook, Scaife returned to the offseason program and signed his franchise tender. He clearly got the message.

Jaguars quarterback David Garrard
Jacksonville struggled to protect Garrard last season, so they took steps to insure that won’t happen again this year. The Jags used their first two picks on offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. Overall, seven of their nine selections were used on offensive players.

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork
His contract is up after the season, and the Patriots might have his replacement in place in second round pick Ron Brace.

Bengals middle linebacker Dhani Jones
He is the star of a Travel Channel show called “Dhani Travels the Globe.” If second round pick Rey Maualuga is everything the Bengals think he is, Jones might have been better off staying in Bangkok.

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