LAS VEGAS -- Three months ago, the Seattle Seahawks came up just short of winning back-to-back Super Bowls, and they were installed as the No. 1 team in the NFL Vegas Rankings for the 2015 season.
There has been a lot of player movement around the league between trades and free agency, but after we checked in on the teams following last weekend's draft, the Seahawks are still the top team in the combined ratings from our panel of ESPN Chalk handicappers -- Erin Rynning of sportsmemo.com, Sal Selvaggio of madduxsports.com and yours truly, Dave Tuley.
A lot of usual faces are also near the top of the rankings, with the defending champion New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, but it's in the next tier of teams that you might find some surprises.
Power ratings are used to compare the relative strength of teams to the current point spread, as if they were to meet on a neutral field before factoring in home-field advantage. The industry standard is 2.5 points for home field, but teams such as Green Bay, New England and San Francisco are typically given a full field goal, while Denver and New Orleans are closer to 3.5. Seattle is given the biggest home-field advantage in the league (about 4 points). Every week during the season, we compare that week's lines to the NFL Vegas Rankings and list the value plays for the week. However, we also suggest using our ratings as a base to create your own numbers if you think we have some teams ranked too low or too high to help in your own handicapping.
Below is a look at the power ratings for all 32 NFL teams, along with Week 1 games where there appears to be value in the current lines as of early May.
(Note: As always, these are not my personal plays or those of any of the other handicappers, but rather the group as a whole. I'll post my thoughts next week on Week 1 and the NFL games of the year.)
NFL Vegas Rankings
1. Seattle Seahawks (Power rating: 28)
The Seahawks have kept most of their championship-caliber team intact. And they add tight end Jimmy Graham from New Orleans.
Previous rating: 28