Coach Jack Del Rio watched as his Jacksonville Jaguars endured a season of underachievement in 2008, finishing 5-11 with the sixth-oldest starting lineup in the NFL.

So Del Rio took dramatic steps to change his team's fortunes – and future – in 2009. The Jaguars kept 10 rookies on their opening day roster and started four of them. That matches the league high in both categories.

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver and New England also kept 10 rookies on the roster, and Detroit also started four rookies. In all, 235 rookies earned roster spots, including 195 draft picks. Another 21 were put on injured reserve – so just 41 of this year's 257 draft picks are not now employed by their drafting teams.

Of the 195 draft picks, 65 were game-day inactives and 32 were rookie starters. Those starters came from every round of the seven-round draft at all 13 positions: two QBs, one running back, three wide receivers, two tight ends, four offensive tackles, four guards, one center, one defensive end, three defensive tackles, four outside linebackers, a middle linebacker, three cornerbacks and three safeties.

The Jaguars kept seven of their eight 2009 draft picks, and the one who didn't make the cut, seventh-rounder WR Tiquan Underwood of Rutgers, is on the practice squad.

Del Rio started his first four draft picks in the opener against Indianapolis: first-round OT Eugene Monroe, second-round OT Eben Britton and two third-rounders, DT Terrance Knighton and CB Derek Cox.

The youthful Jaguars played the Colts on even terms. A missed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter separated the AFC South rivals as the Colts prevailed, 14-12. The two rookie tackles held up well against Indy's Pro Bowl pass rushers, allowing one sack total to Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

Here's a recap of the 2009 NFL draft, listing the number of rookies who made each team, the number of draft picks who made each team, the number of rookies who started and the number of inactive draft picks on opening day:

You build an NFL team into a contender with your premium draft picks – your first-, second- and third-rounders. Understanding that, you can see why the Kansas City Chiefs have crashed on the rocks. The Chiefs didn't have a second-round draft pick in 2001, sending it to St. Louis as compensation for the hiring of coach Dick Vermeil. Since then, the Chiefs have drafted these players in the second round: DT Eddie Freeman (2002), LB Kawika Mitchell (2003), DT Junior Siavii and TE Kris Wilson (2004), S Bernard Pollard (2006), DE Turk McBride (2007) and CB Brandon Flowers (2008). Only Flowers of that group remains. New GM Scott Pioli and new coach Todd Haley cut both Pollard and McBride since breaking training camp. Kansas City did not have second-round picks in 2005 or 2009 ... not that it really matters. The Chiefs have lost 24 of their last 26 games.

With Philadelphia Pro Bowl QB Donovan McNabb nursing a cracked rib, Kevin Kolb is on tap for his first NFL start today against the New Orleans Saints. Kolb was a second-round draft pick in 2007 who has appeared in eight career games and thrown 45 passes. He's still looking for his first TD pass to offset the four interceptions he has thrown. This will be his first start since the 2006 Liberty Bowl in his final game at the University of Houston. Kolb was 24-of-35 for 324 yards and three touchdowns that night in a loss to South Carolina.

The Detroit Lions will see a familiar face in their home opener today: Brett Favre. It's a face the Lions would rather not see. In his last two visits to Ford Field, both as a Packer, Favre completed 73 percent of his 77 passes for 721 yards with six touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks in a pair of Green Bay victories. He visits as a Viking today.Two of the NFL's best defenders will sit out the Pittsburgh-Chicago game, safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and middle linebacker Brian Urlacher of the Bears. Polamalu is out indefinitely with a knee injury, and Urlacher is gone for the season with a dislocated wrist. That makes both defenses a little more vulnerable. The Steelers also have no history against Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. This will be his first start against Pittsburgh in his four NFL seasons. Chicago is a field goal underdog – but this is the Bears' home opener, and they need a victory to stay close in the NFC North. Go with the Bears in the upset.

■ Kevin Kolb is the No. 2 quarterback on the Eagles behind injured Pro Bowler Donovan McNabb. Two other Pro Bowlers are behind him on the depth chart, Jeff Garcia and Michael Vick. So there is pressure on Kolb to perform, but Eagles coach Andy Reid said he shouldn't have any insecurities. "Take it the opposite way and think about the knowledge that you can grasp from those guys," Reid said. "A lot of people in this league aren't willing to share but these guys are. Kevin asks a lot of questions and he can learn a ton from the experience that's out there. So looking over his shoulder ... I don't think he's too worried about that. He wants to play and, in this league at that position, you learn to block out a lot of things. I'm sure he's not too worried."

■ There is panic in the nation's capital. After one week of the NFL season, the Washington Redskins find themselves in last place of the NFC East with an 0-1 record. The Cowboys, Eagles and Giants all won their openers. But there's no panic in the Redskins locker room. "It's more of a panic to the outside world," Redskins WR Santana Moss said. "What do you want to see out of the Redskins every year? You want to see us dominate. You get tired of hearing about who we're bringing in and then not being able to be at that level on the playing field. That's to be expected. People want us to be successful. As players, you want to do the same thing. When you do lose, it hurts everybody. It hurts the people that are backing us, it hurts our fans, it hurts us." The Redskins can get back in the mix today when they host the St. Louis Rams, the only team that suffered a shutout last weekend.

■ The Seattle Seahawks see back-to-back Pro Bowl runners to start the season. They limited Steven Jackson of the Rams to 67 yards last week and now face Frank Gore of the 49ers. "He's very explosive, keeps his feet alive in the hole and breaks tackles," Seahawks coach Jim Mora said. "He's a guy that attacks as a runner. He runs with an attitude. He runs to try to hurt people." He didn't hurt anyone in Arizona last weekend, gaining only 30 yards on 22 carries.

■ Packers coach Mike McCarthy started his coaching career at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990-91. Marvin Lewis also was on that staff, as was Jon Gruden. McCarthy will see Lewis today when the Cincinnati Bengals visit Green Bay. Back then, McCarthy never envisioned coaching against Lewis in the NFL. "I was just trying to keep my head above water, to be honest with you," McCarthy said. "I look at that staff we were on – Marvin, Gruden, Scotty O'Brien [special teams coach of the Patriots] ... I think practically that whole staff coached at one time or another in the NFL. It was a great group of people to be around, especially for a first-year coach. You could tell right away Marvin was unique. He had a certain way with players, a very good communicator. It's no surprise to me that he's an NFL head coach."

■ When the Jets hired Rex Ryan as their head coach in the off-season, he said he wasn't coming to New York to kiss Bill Belichick's Super Bowl rings. Ryan thus placed a premium on winning now – and he'll get his first crack at Belichick and the Patriots today. Ryan isn't backing off anything he said. "Our team's going to expect to win and we're going to compete with anybody," Ryan said. "When I said that, I don't stack up my résumé with ... [Belichick's]. They don't look the same. But it's not necessarily about who the better head coach is or who the better quarterback is – it's about who the better team is that particular day. We expect to win here with the Jets. I don't care if we're playing the Patriots or a Pro Bowl team – we expect to win."

■ There are a couple of big halftime celebrations on tap in the AFC this weekend. The Broncos are inducting tight end Shannon Sharpe into their Ring of Fame, and the Buffalo Bills are going to honor their 50th anniversary team. The team was selected in a vote of the fans and includes Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, James Lofton, Joe DeLamielleure and Bruce Smith. Thomas was selected as the halfback over O.J. Simpson.

■ Speaking of the Broncos, coach Josh McDaniels grew up in northern Ohio and followed the local team, the Cleveland Browns. Today he coaches against them when the Browns visit Denver. The Barberton native remembers vividly the two AFC Championship Games in the 1980s between the Broncos and Browns – a pair of Denver victories dubbed "The Drive" and "The Fumble." "I remember where I was at when I was watching them," McDaniels said. "I think most people in Ohio do. Whether they were good memories or bad memories for you, it's kind of insignificant at this time. It was two good teams playing two close games – really good football games." But neither team figures to be playing in January this season.

■ Jason Taylor is back in Miami after a lost season in Washington. He was playing out of position for the Redskins at strongside end and was a shell of his former Pro Bowl self. The Dolphins are also playing him out of position at strongside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. But he's happy to be back home, where he spent the first 11 years of his career. He's the NFL's leading active pass rusher with 120 ½ sacks, and Taylor will be on display Monday night when the Dolphins host the Indianapolis Colts. "The football games, whenever they're played – night, day, Sunday, Monday, Thursday – never get old," Taylor said. "To me, this is one of the greatest jobs in the world. The older you get, the longer you're in the league, the more you realize you need to cherish these moments and enjoy them because they will come to an end at some point. We never know when that is."

■ San Diego Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman gets a chance to show off today. He went to college at Maryland – and his Chargers host the Baltimore Ravens. "It's the hometown team," Merriman said, "and I know a bunch of people back home will be watching."