Former Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen is now a full-time fullback for the Denver Broncos/Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

NFL teams have been holding minicamps and other offseason training activities, so let’s take a look at where former Arizona Wildcats stand as everyone gears up for the start of training camp in late July:

Mike Bell, RB, Philadelphia
Earned a Super Ring with New Orleans last season — leading the Saints in carries during the regular season (172 for 654 yards) — before signing a one-year free-agent deal with the Eagles worth $1.7 million. He is expected to back up second-year pro LeSean McCoy and be a more powerful change of pace.

Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago
The five-time Pro Bowl pick will be going for his seventh consecutive 100-tackle season as he welcomes back Brian Urlacher to the Bears’ linebacker corps this season. He’s a popular teammate and popular in the Windy City … hey, how else do you get chosen to be a judge at Chicago’s version of Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Party.

Eben Britton, OT, Jacksonville
A 2009 second-round pick, Britton started 15 games at right tackle last season and looks to be a fixture on the Jags’ offensive line, along with fellow second-year pro Eugene Monroe at left tackle.

Copeland Bryan, DE, Detroit
He was signed by the Lions last year after being cut from Buffalo at the end of training camp. He played in five games for Detroit, starting one, making five tackles, including one sack.

Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego
The Chargers traded Antonio Cromartie, so they expect Cason, who has been a nickel back, to take over as a starting cornerback. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune blogged recently that Cason “is having an excellent offseason. He is always on the ball, is blanketing receivers, knows what he’s doing. Of course, he hasn’t been going against Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd (until recently) or even Legedu Naanee.” For sure, check out this great story from Acee in April, talking about how Cason spent several weeks training in Tucson with a UA assistant track coach.

Lionel Dotson, DE, Miami
Was on the Dolphins’ roster all of last season, but was mostly inactive on game days, appearing in two games. The 2008 seventh-round pick again will be fighting for a roster spot in training camp.

Nick Folk, PK, New York Jets
Folk was super in his first two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, making 46 of 53 field goal attempts and earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2007. But he had hip surgery after the 2008 season, struggling to regain his form. The Cowboys cut him in December, and then Folk signed with the Jets in February.

Chris Gronkowski, FB, Dallas
He is versatile as a blocker and pass-catcher, willing to do the blue-collar work. Coach Wade Phillips told DallasCowboys.com, “We’ll see when we get the pads on, but he looks good so far.”

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
The second-round rookie is helping to remake the position in New England, which also drafted Florida’s Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round. While Hernandez is considered more of a pure pass-catcher, Gronkowski has all-around tight end skills and, according to Patriots.com, made the play of the day at a recent full-squad scrimmage on a pass from Tom Brady.

Chris Henry, RB, Houston
He was the 50th overall pick in the 2007, drafted by Tennessee because of his excellent workout at the scouting combine rather than his production on the field. Henry got little use in his first two years, and the Titans released him early last season. He landed with the Houston Texans, but did not have a carry. He’s competing for a roster spot this summer.

Chris Jennings, RB, Cleveland
Jennings has been a nice success story, walking-on to Arizona as a junior college transfer and becoming productive in the running and passing games. Undrafted, he was playing in the Canadian Football League last season when the Browns called, and Jennings was able to stick with the team, rushing 63 times for 220 yards. He’ll be facing a roster crunch at running back in training camp.

Michael Johnson, FS, N.Y. Giants
He won a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in the 2007 season and became a starter in 2008, but neither he nor the team’s secondary was stellar in 2009. Considering the Giants signed ex-Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle to a five-year, $37 million contract, have youngster Kenny Phillips and veteran Deon Grant, and used a third-round pick on LSU safety Chad Jones … Johnson’s days in New York might be numbered.

Spencer Larsen, FB, Denver
The former All-Pac-10 linebacker was a two-way player for his first two seasons in Denver, famously starting at fullback and at linebacker as a rookie. Now, he will be exclusively an offensive player … and you can be sure he’ll do it with a great attitude. “Football is football,” he told reporters earlier this month. “A lot of it is the same techniques. Linebackers have a different personality but to me it is all football. By doing this, I can still be a special teams member and it is something I care about.”

Brandon Manumaleuna, TE, Chicago
He’s entering his 10th NFL season, after spending five years with the St. Louis Rams and four with the San Diego Chargers. Manumaleuna, a true blocking tight end (he’s really like having another tackle on the line), signed a five-year contract with the Bears in the offseason.

Earl Mitchell, DT, Houston
Big Earl, after playing the position for only two seasons at Arizona, was a third-round pick in 2010. Coach Gary Kubiak was quoted in the Houston Chronicle as calling Mitchell an “effort player.” Kubiak added: “Earl is going to be a part of our rotation if he continues to do in pads what he did in the OTAs. He’s pushing for somebody’s job, and he makes it very competitive in that group.”

Nate Ness, DB, Miami
Ness, undrafted after the 2009 season, signed with Cleveland, then had roster stints with the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks before landing on the Dolphins’ practice squad in October. He was active for one game.

Dennis Northcutt celebrates a touchdown against the Colts in December 2008/Photo by Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Dennis Northcutt, WR, Detroit
He’s had a productive 10-year career, with 399 catches for 4,941 yards, and three career punt returns for touchdowns. Northcutt, who was traded from Jacksonville after the 2008 season, made 35 receptions for the Lions last season.

Syndric Steptoe, WR, Cleveland
Suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in training camp last year and appears to be on the outside looking in as the Browns head into camp this season. He caught 19 passes as a rookie in 2008.

Mike Thomas, WR, Jacksonville
The 2009 fourth-rounder overcame a hamstring injury in training camp to set a franchise rookie record with 48 catches, good for 453 yards. Thomas, who can also return punts, could be the Jags’ No. 2 receiver this season behind Mike Sims-Walker.

Vuna Tuihalamaka, LB, Indianapolis
The undrafted free agent is trying to hang on for a backup spot and a role on special teams.

Bobby Wade, WR, Washington
Wade’s most productive stretch was his two years in Minnesota, where he caught 107 passes across the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He spent last season with Kansas City before signing as a free agent with the Redskins. Washington is the fifth NFL team for Wade, who has 244 receptions in eight seasons. At last count, the Redskins had 12 receivers on the roster, so it’s no guarantee Wade will be catching passes from Donovan McNabb this season.

OTHERS

Wilrey Fontenot, CB
A seventh-round pick in 2008, Fontenot was cut by the Arizona Cardinals before the start of the 2009 season.

Antonio Pierce, LB
Undrafted after the 2000 season, Pierce developed into one of the fiercest linebackers in the NFL. He was a standout at middle linebacker for the N.Y. Giants, the defensive leader of the team that won Super Bowl XLII. But a herniated disc in his neck cut short his 2009 season, and the Giants released him in the offseason. After a nine-year NFL career, Pierce recently said he’s leaning toward retirement.

Devin Ross, CB
The undrafted rookie free agent went to minicamp with the Eagles, but he was released on Thursday.

Marcus Smith, DT
Cut by Buffalo in February, Smith is playing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

The Arizona football decade is a wrap, save for the Holiday Bowl against Nebraska on Dec. 30, but it’s safe to make our picks for the program’s all-decade team.

A tough call came at running back. It would have been easy if junior Nic Grigsby had been healthy all season. As it was, a shoulder injury limited him to 75 carries for 559 yards and five touchdowns, the bulk of which came in the nonconference season.

So it came down to Grigsby’s three-year total of 2,416 rushing yards vs. Clarence Farmer’s 2,530 yards, his 2001 All-Pac-10 season, his attitude problems and his eventual dismissal by interim coach Mike Hankwitz during the 2003 season.

I went with Grigsby.

Also joining the list based on a strong 2009 season is Colin Baxter, who moved to center last season when Blake Kerley was injured and continued to excel this season. I went with Baxter over Keoki Fraser, who was a stalwart on some bad teams from 2001-04, starting 41 games, including his final 34. He was honorable mention all-conference as a senior.

Here is our version of Arizona’s All-Decade team for offense (defense to come later):

Willie Tuitama is congratulated by fans after Arizona's 34-24 victory over second-ranked Oregon in 2007/Tucson Citizen photo

QB — Willie Tuitama (2005-08)
He didn’t turn out to be Arizona’s long-sought NFL talent at the position, but Tuitama played long enough and well enough to rewrite the school record books. His commitment helped spark coach Mike Stoops‘ recruiting, and Tuitama further stoked hopes when he came out of his redshirt halfway through his freshman season. Set back by concussions as a sophomore, Tuitama helped usher in UA’s spread offense in his final two seasons, finishing as the UA career leader in passing yards (9,211), passing touchdowns (67), attempts (1,276) and completions (786).

RB — Mike Bell (2002-05)
Fourth on UA’s career rushing list with 3,163 yards, trailing Art Luppino, Trung Canidate and Ontiwuan Carter (the latter two would be your all-1990s running backs). Bell never had a 1,000-yard season, but he had three 900-yard yards and he kept grinding away through some difficult seasons. He was second-team All-Pac-10 in 2003.

RB — Nic Grigsby (2007-09)
He rushed for 1,196 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2008, helping Arizona breaks his bowl drought. Grigsby was on pace to break the UA career rushing record before suffering a shoulder injury early in the 2009 Pac-10 opener against Oregon State. He played sparingly after that but managed to contribute a 57-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that is arguably UA’s play of the year.

WR — Mike Thomas (2005-08)
Money Mike finished with 259 receptions — getting his final catch as Arizona was killing the clock against BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl — breaking the Pac-10 career mark of 258 held by Arizona State’s Derek Hagan. Thomas had 3,231 receiving yards and 23 receiving touchdowns in his Arizona career, but more than that, he was an all-purpose threat, earning first-team all-league honors as a receiver and punt returner in 2008. He had two punt returns for touchdowns in 2008.

WR — Bobby Wade (1999-2002)
Wade held the UA career record for receptions with 230 until Mike Thomas broke it late in the 2008 season. Wade still has the school mark for receiving yards (3,351), and his senior season was the receiving benchmark for the decade — 93 catches for 1,389 yards and eight touchdowns.

Rob Gronkowski runs free against Stanford in 2007/Tucson Citizen photo

TE — Rob Gronkowski (2007-2008)
Even with a mere two seasons, he is one of Arizona’s legendary players in the Pac-10 era. With his size, strength, speed and hands, he would have been a strong candidate for All-America honors as a junior in 2009, if a back injury hadn’t wiped out his entire season. He had 75 catches for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdown receptions in two seasons.

C — Colin Baxter (2007-09)
It’s been a good decade at the position for Arizona, which had senior Bruce Wiggins in the middle in 2000. Baxter was honorable mention All-Pac-10 in 2008 and earned second-team honors this season.

OL — Eben Britton (2006-08)
The most accomplished UA lineman of the decade, Britton played right tackle for two seasons before switching to the left side as a junior. He earned first-team all-league honors in 2008 before jumping early to the NFL, where he was a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

OL — Peter Graniello (2004-07)
A four-year starter who anchored the line from the left tackle spot for three seasons, including playing through a shoulder injury in 2006. Was honorable mention All-Pac-10 in 2005 and 2007.

OL — Makoa Freitas (1998-2002)
Freitas started 32 games — most of which came at left tackle — this decade, starting with his redshirt sophomore season. Second-team all-conference as a senior, Freitas was a sixth-round NFL draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2003, appearing in 28 games over the next two seasons.

OL — Kili Lefotu (2002-05)
Started 37 games and was able to play any spot along the line, and it was that versatility that attracted the Washington Redskins, who selected Lefotu in the seventh round of the 2006 draft.

PK — Nick Folk (2003-06)
Folk, by virtue of the good work he has done with the Dallas Cowboys, has the bigger name, but this spot could easily have gone to Jason Bondzio, who hit 83.3 percent of his field goals (35 of 42) in 2007 and 2007 with a long of 49. Folk wasn’t as accurate (30 of 47, 63.8 percent) but had more range, more routinely drilled kickoffs into the end zone and, as an added bonus, was the All-Pac-10 punter in 2006 when he averaged 44.0 yards.