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The more things change, the more they remain the same in the NFL draft, and
events of the past month and of this coming weekend certainly validate that
notion.
Every year, there are players who skyrocket up draft boards in the first
round, their stock enhanced by scintillating campus workouts. Every spring,
there are players who plummet, victimized by their pedestrian 40-yard times.
Every year, there are prospects who, in the vernacular, "have some flies
buzzing around them," because of character flaws real and perceived. And
every year, there is a "wild card" player, a prospect who can't be pegged to
a particular team or draft slot, whose selection will dramatically impact
the first round.
This year, that wild card is Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington, whose
uncertainty over where he will be chosen moved him to cancel his commitment
to attend the proceedings in New York City and instead join his family in
front of the television for the draft.
|  | | Joey Harrington threw 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions last season for Oregon. |
Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who clearly wants a high-profile
player next to him for the draft day photographs, covets Harrington and has
this week been burning up the phones lines (calls to Kansas City,
Jacksonville and Cincinnati) in an effort to trade up into position to grab
him. But the Redskins proactive owner might be a day late and a draft pick
or two short.
Snyder doesn't have enough ammunition to move up from his current 18th
choice to the No. 3 spot owned by the Detroit Lions. And the matter might be
moot, since the Lions now seem poised to take Harrington themselves. But
this question: If the Lions decide to snatch Harrington, do they take him with the
third choice, or trade down to the Dallas spot, at No. 6, and select him
there?
Where the Lions choose Harrington, at No. 3 or No. 6, is nearly as important
to the top 10 in this draft as whether they take him at all.
Let's assume Detroit doesn't move down, stays put at No. 3, and takes
Harrington there. The likelihood then is that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who
really likes Roy Williams but would prefer Quentin Jammer, would try to
trade up to Buffalo's No. 4 spot for the Texas cornerback. Such a move would
initiate a chain reaction that probably would have San Diego grabbing
offensive tackle Mike Williams with the fifth pick, Buffalo taking either
defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth or Roy Williams at No. 6, and Minnesota
choosing between offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie or defensive tackle Ryan
Sims at the No. 7 hole.
In some scenarios, McKinnie could fall all the way to Jacksonville at No. 9,
which would be an early Christmas present for coach Tom Coughlin, who will
consider trading back if the Miami tackle is off the board. Roy Williams
could slide all the way to 14th in some of the scenarios above.
If you're confused by all this, well, you should be. The permutations
increase wildly if the Lions allow Dallas to move up to their spot. Of
course, if the Lions are just blowing smoke about choosing Harrington, who
spoke directly to Detroit ownership earlier this week, all bets are off.
"There are so-called 'swing players' and 'swing teams' in the top 10, no
doubt," allowed Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe. "But there's no doubt
Harrington is the guy who can cause a lot of reshuffling at the top (of the
draft). A lot hinges on him and whether the Lions really take him."
Around the league
Few owners have been as personally proactive in trying to move up for an
impact player as Snyder, who given the number of calls he has made this
week, better have a discount long-distance carrier. The initial quest was to
land Harrington, and that probably won't happen now, but it has not deterred
Snyder from attempting to strike a deal. If Harrington can't be had, the
remaining targets are Roy Williams and wide receiver Donte Stallworth of
Tennessee, each the top prospect at his respective position. What no one has
noted, at least until now, in Washington's hunt for Harrington, is that actions
speak louder than words. While rookie head coach Steve Spurrier continues to
insist he will win with journeyman Danny Wuerffel at quarterback, his owner
apparently doesn't buy into the rhetoric, and has chased Harrington instead.
People can knock Snyder for a lot of things, but the guy deserves credit for
at least trying, and not falling prey to the epidemic inertia that marks
some members of his front office. It would be easy for Snyder to move back
in the draft, take a guard like Andre Gurode (Colorado) or Toniu Fonoti
(Nebraska), and maybe pick up Tulane quarterback Patrick Ramsey in the
second round. But guards don't win you championships in the NFL. It's
playmakers who get you Super Bowl rings in this league.
If Snyder is the most proactive owner in the NFL, the most debated player
in the top 10 is Tennessee tackle Albert Haynesworth, arguably the defender
with the biggest upside. But teams are trying to decide if Haynesworth's
immaturity is because he is just 20 years old and needs to grow up or is a
chronic character flaw. Several teams officials confirmed the reports that
Haynesworth made the rounds of Indianapolis nightspots into the wee small
hours at the combine sessions last month, and had to be roused from his hotel
room when he overslept for testing. The Tennessee staff concedes Haynesworth
isn't the most coachable guy in the world. And his production -- just 36
tackles in 2001 and only 66 for his career, 1 ½ sacks last year and five in
three seasons -- isn't exactly eye-popping. But when a character-first
personnel man like Tom Donahoe of Buffalo is strongly thinking about taking
Haynesworth, and trying hard to talk himself into it, that means there might
be something special about the player. The teams that pass on Haynesworth,
who scored very impressively on a battery of personality profile tests
administered by some teams in the league, will live in fear for the next few
years that he matures and becomes a Warren Sapp type of performer. Just an
educated guess: Donahoe won't take Haynesworth, and will grab offensive
tackle Mike Williams or, more likely, safety Roy Williams.
Don't buy into the bluster emanating from some Cincinnati coaches, who feel
they have Bengals owner Mike Brown talked out of choosing Joey Harrington,
should the Oregon quarterback somehow slide to the 10th pick. Yes, there is
a cadre of assistant coaches who are pushing for the team to choose tight
end Jeremy Shockey, feeling he would be the final piece of the offensive
puzzle. Sometimes, you've just got to wonder what they're smoking in Cincy,
you know? Certainly the talented Shockey would be a nice addition. There are
scouts who feel that, on potential and athleticism alone, the University of
Miami star is among the premier five players in the entire draft. But those
coaches seem to be overlooking two things: First, it's Brown, not them, who
make the call. And Brown will at least consider Harrington if he is
available. Second, coordinator Bob Bratkowski has coached quarterback Jon
Kitna with two different teams now, and hasn't exactly turned him into a
dependable performer. The Bengals are a lot closer to winning than a people
realize, but not until they get more consistent play from the game's most
critical position, the quarterback spot. They didn't get it from the
turnover-prone Kitna in 2001 and there is no reason to believe things will
be different this year. Simply surrounding Kitna with more weapons, like
Shockey, won't dramatically increase his effectiveness.
One New York Giants veteran, apparently with a vested interest, was fueling
rumors this week that Shockey had a few skeletons in his closet. Not true.
About the lone smudge on an otherwise clean slate was a minor traffic
violation when Shockey was still in high school. Two teams to whom we spoke
felt it was so innocuous they removed it from his security file. The Giants
desperately want Shockey but fear the Bengals might take him, or that a team
will trade up ahead of them to snatch him. The target of any team trying to
deal up ahead of the Giants is Tennessee, which is one choice ahead of New
York. The irony there is that the Titans got ahead of the Giants only
because of a coin flip tiebreaker they won to determine the draft order.
If the much-coveted Shockey is off the board as the Giants' pick, don't be
surprised to see them select tight end Dan Graham of Colorado. Another
possibility is Georgia defensive end Charles Grant, possibly in a
trade-down. Getting Grant to play right end would allow general manager
Ernie Accorsi to release or trade incumbent Kenny Holmes and free up some
cap room.
The consensus in the league is that Donte Stallworth of Tennessee and
Hawaii's Ashley Lelie are the top two wide receiver prospects, and in that
order. That might not be the case, though, in the Tennessee Titans' war
room. The Tennessee staff earlier this week staged a series of seven
internal "mock drafts" to help it plan for every scenario in the first
round. In two of the simulations, both Stallworth and Lelie were available
to the Titans at their 14th choice in the first round. Most of the staff
agreed Stallworth should be the pick in such a happy circumstance. But
sources said there was an important dissenter, offensive coordinator Mike
Heimerdinger, who preferred Lelie over Stallworth. As the merits of the two
players were debated, Heimerdinger phoned Hawaii coach June Jones, who told
head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Floyd Reese via speaker phone
that Lelie was the best wide receiver he had ever coached. And the list of
wideouts who have played for Jones is a roster of notable luminaries. It
will be interesting to see, should both wide receivers still be on the board
at the Tennessee selection, if Jones' recommendation carries the day for
Lelie, who has been stymied virtually the entire spring by a hamstring
injury that rendered him only about 75-80 percent at a workout last week.
One consensus top 10 player who might be sliding a bit is Miami cornerback
Phillip Buchanan, who has irked the personnel people for at least two teams
with his arrogant attitude. Teams like cornerbacks with some attitude, but
they don't often like guys who come off as smart-asses, and Buchanan was
just that at a few places. He jibed the Jets officials about the hotel where
they put him up, noting: "Hey, this is New York, couldn't you have gotten me
a better room?" At Carolina, where they hardly ask prospects to show up in a
dress suit, Buchanan arrived in cut-off denim shorts. "He looked like he
just rolled in off the beach," said one Panthers official. "And, hey, maybe
he did, huh?" Buchanan clearly is the second-best corner prospect in the
draft, is an even better coverage defender than Quentin Jammer, but needs to
realize he isn't the second coming of Deion Sanders. Also notable about
Buchanan is that Dallas owner Jerry Jones will have one of his many
"babysitters" sitting outside the cornerback's home in Fort Myers, Fla., on
Saturday. The Cowboys like to dispatch scouts to the homes of three or four
players they might select, and then have the player agree to the parameters
of a contract while Dallas is on the clock. The rationale is that one of the
players will take the deal and the Cowboys won't have to worry about
prolonged negotiations during the spring and summer. The Cowboys will also
have a scout in the neighborhood of Colorado tight end Daniel Graham.
If offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie of Miami isn't available to the
Jacksonville Jaguars at the ninth overall choice, they will attempt to trade
down deeper into the first round. But if they can't deal back, the Jaguars
probably would choose the best remaining defensive tackle on the board,
rather than "reach" for another blocker. One hint that the Jags feel they
might have to go with defense is that coaches have told second-year
defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, the team's first-round choice in 2001, to be
prepared to drop his weight into the 300-pound range. They feel the
325-pound Stroud has enough movement skills to perhaps switch to end to
accommodate a new defensive tackle, if they choose one.
Yes, the Atlanta Falcons like Hawaii wideout Ashley Lelie, whose pure deep
speed would be a good fit in an offense that figures to throw the ball up
the field with Michael Vick now the starting quarterback. But, no, the
Falcons aren't willing to ignore injuries that Lelie has battled this
spring. Virtually every "mock draft" you see has Lelie slotted to the
Falcons' spot, the No. 17 pick overall. Don't be surprised, though, if
Florida State wide receiver Javon Walker is the Atlanta choice. He's got
great size and speed and might be a little more explosive overall than even
a healthy Lelie.
Given that Cleveland recently signed free agent Earl Holmes, it's not
surprising that the Browns are attempting to trade Wali Rainer, their former
starter at middle linebacker. Nor is it surprising that Rainer is drawing
very little interest in the market as Butch Davis tries to collect some
additional middle-round choices. What is stunning is that Cleveland has
phoned a few teams to see if there is any trade interest in outside
linebacker Jamir Miller, who is coming off a career season, with 13 sacks in
2001. Miller has two seasons left on his contract and the Browns would save
roughly $2.2 million in cap space if they dealt Miller this weekend.
Cleveland clearly wants to make a splash on Saturday, hoping to get at least
two or three instant contributors. The three players Cleveland will
consider, in order, are Shockey, Arizona State offensive left tackle Levi
Jones and Michigan State tailback T.J. Duckett. One would have assumed
Duckett would be the odds-on pick. But Davis really likes Jones, who would
play right tackle in Cleveland. Then the Browns could move tackle Ryan
Tucker, the former St. Louis starter signed as a free agent, in to right
guard. That would give the Browns a starting lineup of left tackle Barry
Stokes, left guard Ross Verba, center Dave Wohlabaugh, Tucker at right guard
and Jones at right tackle. The average weight of that quintet: 306 pounds.
Basically, Davis wants to line up five roadgraders and figures that will
improve his anemic running attack. He still insists that second-year veteran
James Jackson, who averaged a meager 2.8 yards per carry in 2001, can be a
standout tailback with an upgraded line. Look for Davis to try to figure a
way of landing Miami tailback Clinton Portis as well. If Duckett gets beyond
Cleveland, look for the Raiders to have some interest.
Speaking of the Raiders, they are shopping their two first-round choices,
at No. 21 and No. 23, all over the place. Oakland has phoned all of the
teams in the 15-18 range trying to arrange a draft day deal and clearly is
targeting one player. The Raiders are claiming they don't want to move into
the top 10, because their finances are so shaky, they can't afford to select
a player that high. So why did they call Buffalo, which owns the fourth
overall pick? Because they were considering a maneuver in which they went up
into the top 10, then made a second deal to fall back from there.
Georgia Tech wide receiver Kelly Campbell considered leaving school to
enter the 2001 draft, seemingly did the right thing by remaining with the
Yellow Jackets for his senior season, and probably will be a lower choice
this weekend than he would have been a year ago. Campbell's production
dropped after a 1999 season in which he caught 69 passes for 1,105 yards. In
2000, he had 59 catches for 963 yards and in 2001 Campbell posted 56 balls
for 708 yards. In his defense, the frail-looking Campbell played with
several injuries his final two college seasons. Then again, Campbell has no
defense for testing positive for marijuana at the combine workouts last
month, an indiscretion which certainly will not help his stock. It remains a
mystery why some players, who know they are going to be tested in
Indianapolis and are apprised of such in advance, can't beat the temptation
long enough to get through three days of the combine.
No positions annually produce more "sleeper" picks in the draft than wide
receiver and cornerback and this year probably won't be much different. So
here are five names from those positions to watch for sometime Sunday
afternoon, as the lottery is winding down: Wide receiver Jake Schifino of
Akron is 6-feet-1 and 203 pounds and has run 4.39 times for a few teams.
Cornerback Omare Lowe of Washington doesn't have prototype size, but has
been a productive defender during his career, and at 6-feet and 195 pounds
has the kind of size the scouts love. Another corner, Kendall Jones of
Southwest Texas State, also has great size, modest quickness, but plenty of
toughness. Wide receiver DeVeren Johnson of Sacred Heart (Conn.) College
only runs in the 4.5s, but is nearly 6-feet-5, weighs 220 pounds and the
former basketball player catches everything in sight. Wide receiver Michael
Coleman hails from Widener College, the same school that provided the league
Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. No one expects him to be that good, but Coleman
should be drafted in the seventh round.
One of the fastest-rising offensive line prospects is Chester Pitts of San
Diego State. While he doesn't have enough juice to get into the first round,
the massive tackle looks to be a solid second-rounder now. Minnesota is a
real possibility, especially if the Vikings don't get either Mike Williams
or Bryant McKinnie in the first round. Another huge offensive tackle on the
rise is Langston Walker of California.
Some team down in the 20s in the first round will get one of the most solid
players in the draft in Miami safety Ed Reed. One of college game's premier
playmakers, Reed will go a little later than anticipated (Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Green Bay), because of the position he plays. The Jets, who were
on Reed a few weeks ago, no longer seem very interested in him. They figure
to take a cornerback, Mike Rumph of Miami or Florida's Lito Sheppard,
instead. Neither will make as many plays of the course of their careers,
though, than Reed.
Most teams would like to be in the position of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who
really have no glaring needs, and are drafting primarily for depth. The
Steelers could choose a left tackle, and love Levi Jones, since incumbent
Wayne Gandy is eligible to become a free agent after this season and
Pittsburgh isn't sold on trying to retain him. It would also not be out of
character for the Steelers to make an out-of-the-blue choice, someone like
safety Lamont Thompson or, a real reach, BYU defensive end Ryan Denney, in
the first round.
Punts: Add the Redskins to the teams that have attempted, and failed, to
lure defensive tackle James Jones out of retirement. The classy 10-year
veteran was released by Detroit on the eve of the 2001 season opener, was
contacted by at least five teams that wanted to sign him for a playoff push,
but opted to stay at home with his family. The Skins phoned agent Jack Wirth
earlier this week but were told that Jones, a terrific run-stuffer, chooses
to stay retired. . . . Good unemployed wide receiver Cris Carter to decide
that Miami looks like the "best situation" for him. Hey, Cris, the Dolphins
are the only situation for you, and they may not even be that interested. .
. . Speaking of disingenuous, the Saints once again take the cake. After
linebacker Kevin Hardy rejected New Orleans advances this week and signed
with Dallas, the Saints publicly noted that their interest was only mild
anyway. Yep, and that's why they made three different contract offers. . . .
The 49ers want to restructure the contract of wide receiver J.J. Stokes but
called the Redskins recently to float a trade possibility. If Stokes doesn't
accept a reduction, he could well be released, and the Niners would probably
sign free agent Willie Jackson. ... Seattle coach Mike Holmgren wants to move up in the first round, to try to
land a tight end, but probably doesn't have enough to offer. Still, look for
Holmgren to dangle No. 3 quarterback Brock Huard and reserve corner Ike
Charlton in trades for extra picks. . . . LSU quarterback Rohan Davey, who
has been steadily sliding the past month, is starting to make a bit of a
comeback on draft boards and might go in the third round now. . . .
Defensive end Dwight Freeney of Syracuse is on the Denver radar screen
big-time now. The Broncos, contrary to some reports, won't take a wide
receiver. They are also interested in Ed Reed and Northwestern linebacker
Napoleon Harris.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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