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URGENT NEWS DELIVER IMMEDIATELY ll VOL. XVIII, NO. 1 l MAY 2003

0 374470 01161

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$ 4 . 9 9 U . S . / $ 5 . 9 9 C a n .

Cincinnati kidCincinnati kidCincinnati kidCincinnati kid

THE NEW

GA

2003 DRAFT REVIEWS P E C I A L I S S U E

TEAM REPORTS & GRADES PLAYER RATINGS DRAFT LISTS IMPACT ON FANTASY FOOTBALL CHARLESROGERS LARRYJOHNSON KYLEBOLLER

WILLISMcGAHEEBuffalo makeshim a surprisefirst-round pick

WRONGSPORT?Houston gamblesthat Drew Henson

will choose football

IN THETRENCHESDewayne Robertsonleads first-roundrun on D-linemen

KEVIN

WILLIAMSDo the Vikes haveanother contractheadache coming?

BENGALS TAKE ANOTHERSWING AT A FIRST-ROUND

QUARTERBACK

PLUS FREE-AGENCY UPDATE2003 NFL SCHEDULE ARENA NFL EUROPE

JAMESD.SMITH

BRUCEL.SCH

WARTZMAN

EZRASHAW/

GETTYIMAGES

SPORTSPICTURENETWORK

Cincinnati kid

NFL DRAFT PHOTOS BY BRUCE L.SCHWARTZMAN l SPORTPICS(BOLLER)

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LISHERSP

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2 PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY http://www.profootballweekly.com MAY 2003

HE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US:

Buchsbaums spirit guides us through another draft

rafting without Joel was like the ballparkwithout beer, jocks without straps andKansas without Todo. Its been a little

more than four months now since my friend,

Joel Buchsbaum, died, and much of the sad-ness has dulled. Most of the time I spendthinking about Joel these days is filled withquick smiles and fond memories of the manwho I believe is most responsible for makingthe NFL college draft the huge event it hasbecome. But closure is a must for every sig-nificant moment in our lives, and I knew thisfirst draft without him would be bittersweetat best, filled with moments of regret, andthe most difficult Ive ever tried to navigate.Nobody knew the draft like Joel, who hadbeen our rudder for the last 25 years.

Somehow, though, now that its over, I

know Joel was with us and will be forever.Maneuvering through the 2003 draft, I feltfor sure there was an angel on my shoulder.Our guys here at Pro Football Weekly, partic-ularly Jeff Reynolds and Nolan Nawrocki,did an incredible job of picking up the ballJoel was forced to leave on the ground with his work for this year just two-thirdscompleted. PFWs scouting reports and pre-draft projections were as good as ever. Butwhen it comes down to working the phonesand knowing whats up once the bullets startflying, we needed a little help from above tokeep ourselves ahead of the game.

In the final PFW mock draft that was post-

ed on our website the Friday night before thedraft kicked off, we correctly projected thefirst five picks and 13 of the first 14, match-ing seven of the first nine picks with the cor-rect team. Overall, we successfully tabbed25 of the 32 first-round picks clearly notBuchsbaumesque, but the best performanceof any mock drafts we could find following

one of the most volatile first rounds in histo-ry. Had Joel not been whispering in our ears,we could have been in trouble.

As we pondered our final first-round

mock, Carson Palmer, Charles Rogers andAndre Johnson appeared to be slam-dunksfor the Bengals, Lions and Texans, respec-tively. But figuring out what the Jets woulddo with the fourth pick after making thefirst big move of this draft was a chal-lenge. Conventional wisdom suggested thatHerman Edwards, a former defensive backwho recently lost one of the top kick return-ers in the game, Chad Morton, via freeagency, would tab double threat TerenceNewman. It made great sense until I heardthat unmistakable voice with the Brooklyntwang somewhere in the back of my mind

telling me that the Jets didnt have to go allthe way up to the No. 4 spot to get a shut-down cover corner with both Newman andMarcus Trufant available. No, they moved upto get the best defensive tackle on the boardand fill their greatest need. Had Newmangone to the Jets at No. 4, the entire top 10would have been different. By taking Robert-son, everything fell into place.

Late in the first round, I heard the heavensrumble. It was Joel whispering in my earagain. The phone lines and chat rooms fromChicago to Baltimore were burning up withfans screaming about the brilliant Ravenstrading up and outfoxing the Bears, who

traded down, with both clubs ending up witha pass rusher and a quarterback. But therewas Joel reminding me, You dont even tryto analyze a draft for two or three years, andif youre going to make a comparison, makeit apples to apples!

The fact is nobody has a clue whether Ter-rell Suggs or Michael Haynes will be the

better NFL pass rusher, nor can we reallysay whether Kyle Boller or Rex Grossmanwill become the better quarterback. And ifwe hadnt had Joel through the years, none

of us would even be trying to guess. The onething we do know is that Haynes and Gross-man cost the Bears one No. 1 pick, thefourth in this years draft, while Suggs andBoller cost the Ravens two No. 1s the10th pick this year and their first pick nextyear and their No. 2 pick this year aswell. Lets make the players suit up for ayear or two before we pretend to knowwhich club was smarter.

Joel went on to tell me that we should justrespect the bold moves up the ladder by theJets, Saints and Ravens, just as we shouldadmire the calculated moves downward by

the Bears and Cardinals until we know howtheyve all panned out.He accurately pointed out that the Ravens

were as much or more responsible for theVikingsseeming buffoonery in the firstround, and that the Cardinals deserved ascolding for being so unprepared when theirturns finally came up at No. 17 and No. 18.Calvin Pace may eventually be a fine defen-sive end, but the Cardinals still overpaid forhim. Joel wasnt the least bit shy in claimingthat, in terms of value, the Patriots, Ravens,Vikings and Texans had very good week-ends, while Arizona and New Orleans might and I stress might have done better.

Finally, Joel said he was looking forwardto the two or three days a year when hemight actually get some rest before going towork on the class of 2004. And, of course,he reminded me that the NFL draft truly isthe best non-game sporting event in all ofsports.

Yep, now we can all move on.

HUB ARKUSH PUBLISHER/EDITOR

D

Publisher/Editor Hub Arkush

Editor-in-chief Keith Schleiden

Art director Bob Peters

Managing editor Mike Holbrook

Executive editors Dan ArkushNeil Warner

Associate editors Trent ModglinAndy HanacekKen BikoffJeff ReynoldsNolan NawrockiEric EdholmMike Wilkening

Assistant art director Jody Burr

Production assistant Brian Hertel

NEW MEDIA

Publisher Sue Nemitz

Web site coordinator Kevin McCauley

Business manager Christine Klimusko

Network support tech. Jeff Howes

Circulation manager Ron Stringer

Asst. circulation manager Patrick Cameron

Distribution manager Rodney Jackson

Subscription manager Kristine Carlsson

ADVERTISING SALES

VP, Marketing Phil Hornthal

Sales manager Bob Sherman

COLUMNISTS

Ron Borges, Jim Campbell, Bob Carroll,

Glenn Dickey, Barry Jackson, Jerry Magee,

Don Pierson, Reggie Rivers, Bill Wallace

AFC REPORTERS

Baltimore Ravens Jaymes Powell

Buffalo Bills Chuck Pollock

Cincinnati Bengals Marty Williams

Cleveland Browns Tony Grossi

Denver Broncos Adam Schefter

Houston Texans Joseph Duarte

Indianapolis Colts Tom James

Jacksonville Jaguars Vito Stellino

Kansas City Chiefs Rick Dean

Miami Dolphins Alex Marvez

New England Patriots Glen Farley

New York Jets Ken Berger

Oakland Raiders Michael Wagaman

Pittsburgh Steelers Jim Wexell

San Diego Chargers Kevin Acee

Tennessee Titans Paul Kuharsky

NFC REPORTERS

Arizona Cardinals Darren Urban

Atlanta Falcons Matt Winkeljohn

Carolina Panthers Scott Fowler

Chicago Bears Bob LeGere

Dallas Cowboys Mickey Spagnola

Detroit Lions Curt Sylvester

Green Bay Packers Bob McGinn

Minnesota Vikings Kent Youngblood

New Orleans Saints Brian Allee-Walsh

New York Giants Paul Schwartz

Philadelphia Eagles Dave Weinberg

St. Louis Rams Steve Korte

San Francisco 49ers Kevin Lynch

Seattle Seahawks Mike Sando

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roger MillsWashington Redskins John Keim

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mike Carlson, Art Edelstein,Rick Matsumoto, Gary Bond

STATISTICIANS

Rick Arkush, Steve Soucie

Pro Football Weekly (ISSN: 0032-9053, USPS Pub.

#000-509) is published by PFW Acquisition LLC, 302

Saunders Road, Suite 100, Riverwoods, IL 60015,

weekly September through January, once a month

March through June, biweekly in February and July,and three times in August, for a total of 32 issuesannually. The subscription price is $99.95 for 32

issues. Periodicals postage is paid at Deerfield, IL,and additional offices.

Canada Post International Publications Mail Product(Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 1356097

POSTMASTER:Send address change to:

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SUBSCRIPTION: 1-800-331-7529

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

CREATORS & FOUNDERS

Arthur Arkush, Robert Drazkowskiand Joel Buchsbaum

TO COMMENT ON ANY OF THE STORIES OR COLUMNS IN THIS ISSUE,E-MAIL PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLYAT [email protected]

DRAFT OVERVIEW ............................5

TEAM-BY-TEAM ANALYSIS ..............6

Eric Edholm column:BENGALS DESERVE PRAISE;DREW HENSON PICK COULD PAY OFF ..8

Mike Holbrook column:SOMETHING DEFINITELY WASMISSING AT THIS YEARS DRAFT ........11

Ask the Experts:WHICH TEAM HAD THE MOSTINTRIGUING DRAFT?........................15

FINAL PLAYER PRINTOUT ..............16

DRAFT LIST BY POSITION ............19

ROUND-BY-ROUND DRAFT LIST ....20D

R

AF

T

2003

ALSO:

Thenand now

Prepfootballanalyst

Tom Lemming recallshis impressions of thisyears f irst-round draftpicks as they wereleaving high school.

The Way We Hear It.... .................. ....Pg. 3

Fantasy football coverage:An early look at the rookies ..Pg.21

Free-agency update ......................Pg. 25

2003 team-by-team schedules......Pg. 28

2003 week-by-week schedules....Pg. 29

Arena Football; NFL Europe ..........Pg.30

Audibles ..........................................Pg. 33

Transactions ....................................Pg.34

The Slant..........................................Pg.35

Ken Bikoff; Jerry Magee ................Pg. 26

Ron Borges;Don Pierson ..............Pg. 27

NEXT ISSUEFree-agency update Offseason progress

reports for each NFL team Fantasy footballcoverage PFW goes to press with its nextissue on June 1.

In this

weeks

Volume XVIII

No. 1

DEPARTMENTS

COVER STORY

BRUCE L.SCHWARTZMAN

COLUMNISTS

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MAY 2003 PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY http://www.profootballweekly.com 3

WAYTHETHE

HEARHEARit...

WE

Dawkins contractdone; attention turnsto Vincent, Taylor

Now that the Eagles and FSBrian Dawkins have come to anagreement on a seven-year con-tract extension, Dawkins has said

publicly he would like histwo longtime secondarymates CBs Troy Vin-cent and Bobby Taylor taken care of as well.The three have played

together since 1996, considerednearly an eternity by NFL stan-dards, and are considered the

core of one of the best secon-

daries in the league. Both Vin-cent and Taylor are in the finalyears of their deals, but it is notclear if re-signing them is as biga priority to the team as keepingOLB Carlos Emmons, forinstance. One source close to theteam said it might try to work ongetting Emmons a new deal firstbecause it is confident youngCBs Lito Sheppard and Shel-don Brown should be ready forstarting duty soon.

DALLAS COWBOYSSome observers were a little

surprised that the Cowboys didnot select a defensive lineman inthe draft, but team officials arereportedly happy with whom theyhave up front. DT LaRoi Glover

is the obvious starter atone spot, and now thatthe team has re-signedMichael Myers, he willcompete with John Nixfor the other starting DT

spot. Although DE Greg Ellis isas solid as they come on oneside, DE Ebenezer Ekuban hasbeen a disappointment and will

have to prove himself quicklyunder Bill Parcells watch.Theneed for a speed rusher asopposed to a plugger in the mid-dle might end up being thegreater need.

WASHINGTON REDSKINSSteve Spurrier identified

receiver as an area of needheading into the offseason,especially those who can stretch

the field and make hisFun n Gun offense go.Now the position looks

loaded. First came theacquisition of WR Laver-anues Coles, whose

speed is exactly what the teamwas looking for. Now add free-agent pickup Patrick Johnsonand Spurriers former student atFlorida, WR Taylor Jacobs, andthere appears to be ampleweaponry this season. Johnsonand Jacobs are expected to bat-

tle for the No.3 WR role.Sources say the team still wantsto know what it has in last yearsthird-round pick Cliff Russell,who missed the season with aknee injury.

NEW YORK GIANTSIt was no surprise that the

team went after defensive linehelp in the draft, but the teamsfirst two picks were not whom

experts expected the teamto come up with. The teamwas happy but surprisedthat DT William Josephwas still on the board atNo. 25. General manager

Ernie Accorsi told PFW that hestill expects his four starters fromlast year, DTs Cornelius Griffinand Keith Hamilton (provided heis healthy) and DEs MichaelStrahan and Kenny Holmes, tostart again. But Josephs arrival,plus the drafting of DE Osi

Umenyiora in the second roundgives the team nice depth on theline. Umenyiora, whom manyprojected to be a third-rounder,was seen as a reach, but theteam thinks he has terrificupside.

Packers expectinga breakout year fromyoung WR Walker

It was seen as a low-risk gam-ble on potential when the Pack-ers moved up to get WR JavonWalker in the first round of the2002 draft. Walker had physicaltools coming out of his backpocket. At 6-238, 210 pounds andwith big, 10-inch hands and a4.39 time in the 40-yard dash,

Walker was the stuff No. 1receivers are made of. Hewas horribly inconsistentlast year, one NFC Northpro scout said.But youcould tell he was getting

there. His routes were better, hewas just more comfortable.Walker spent the offseason witha personal strength-and-condi-tioning coach and has bulked up

to about 222 pounds. He hasntlost any speed, and his physicaltransformation is being comparedto the one made by ChargersWR David Boston while he waswith the Cardinals. AlthoughWalker lacked the broad frame atthe genesis of his makeover, astrict diet and dedication withinhis workout regime make him aprime candidate for a breakout

season. For starters, he mustbecome a starter.Walker isexpected to compete for the No.2 receiver job with third-year WRRobert Ferguson.

CHICAGO BEARSThere is an argument against

the philosophy behind the tradeBears general manager JerryAngelo made before the draft,moving out of the top five formultiple first-round picks, but hethinks it can work in the Bearsfavor.Only time will tell; and itmay be longer than Bears fansexpect. DE Michael Haynes isexpected to fill a need as a situa-

tional pass rusher thisseason, and could evenbump DRE Alex Brownout of the starting lineup.The Bears do not foreseea role of any kind for

QB Rex Grossman as a rookie.Unlike the 1999 season, when

the Bears marched first-roundpick Cade McNown onto thefield a series or two at a time,Grossman will become familiarwith the clipboard and baseballcap in 03. If current plans tokeep Chris Chandler on the ros-ter beyond June 1 play out,Grossman will not even be active

Texans QB David Carr has put

on about 10 pounds of muscle in theoffseason and is beginning to resem-ble a linebacker, which if he gets hitas often as he did a year ago,shouldhelp keep him healthy. The Broncos attempted to trade

up to Minnesotas No. 9 spot to draftDE Terrell Suggs.

Several Eagles veterans, most

recently QB Donovan McNabb,expressed their displeasure with theway the team handled the HughDouglas situation. There is specula-tion that head coachAndy Reid wasnever a big fan of Douglas .We hear that new Jaguars coach

Jack Del Rio has interrogated

reporters for publishing reports of

key players missing the teams vol-untary workout program. He hasmade it clear that he doesnt likenegative publicity and is going to tryto bully his way into eradicating it.Reporters who were expecting a bigchange from the tirades and tight-lipped ways of Tom Coughlin are

in for a big surprise. Whats ironic is

that a big reason Del Rio got the jobwas his great public persona, butnow hes having problems withreporters who arent jumping on theJaguars bandwagon. Some Falcons insiders found it

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B y D A N A R K U S H K E N B I K O F F E R I C E D H O L M A N D Y H A N A C E KT R E N T M O D G L I N N O L A N N A W R O C K I J E F F R E Y N O L D S M I K E W I L K E N I N G

N F C

l E A S T

David CarrNORMH

ALL

W H I S P E R S

Vikings shiphits the fansDRAFT-DAY BLUNDER ONLY PARTOF TUMULTUOUS OFFSEASON

There was Mike Tice on April 26th, DraftDay 2003. Minutes had passed since the

Vikings, selecting within the top 10 for the sec-ond consecutive year, had called the name ofOklahoma State DT Kevin Williams as theirfirst-round choice.

Tice went before a national TV audience, butnot to celebrate his selection as other coachesand general managers had. Tice was there tobat down criticism and defend why exactly, forthe second consecutive year, his Vikings stum-bled on the way to the podium, failing to beatthe clock and secure the player they had target-ed.

Unfortunately for Tice, disorder does notbode well for his future or the Vikings future.

Since Minnesota wrapped up a 6-10 season, one fromwhich plenty of distractions arose, a more recent string ofevents could leave the franchise with a black eye. It start-ed with the drunken-driving arrest of executive vice

president Mike Kelly and allegations of a team playerinvolved in a sexual assault, each alleged to haveoccurred at a fundraising benefit in February.Last month,starting RB Michael Bennett suffered a fractured leftfoot working out at the team facility.

Finally, the draft miscue.Now,consider that it could getmuch worse, with the greatest of off-the-f ield distractions.

Owner Red McCombs wants to sell the team, andthough hes turned down two low-ball offers,he could beforced to accept a bid from an out-of-state buyer with

intentions of relocating. McCombs met with commission-er Paul Tagliabue the day after the draft.Tagliabue has

publicly encouraged McCombs to keep the Vikings inMinnesota, but McCombs could have asked for themeeting to explain his bind: His product is unattractive tobidders. The Minnesota legislature has made a state-approved stadium bill for the Minnesota Twins its priori-ty and is unlikely to give its blessing on a new footballbuilding. It isnt the only option, but one scenario that istoo obvious to ignore is a recent proposal for a $500 mil-lion renovation to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.,where a Los Angeles-based franchise could settle.

Vikings fans may be hoping against hope that this timethe team doesnt cash in its card.

On ice? If Minnesotas fortunes dont change, Mike Tice may be the fall guy

MICHAELMONTES

New Giant: William Joseph willhelp bolster Big Blues defensive line

ACTION

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W H I S P E R S

for a game this season. Instead,hell watch Kordell Stewart andChandler, unless a mop-up situa-tion arises late in a game. As anaside, recall Stewart has beenvery durable in his career, but ifhe were to go down, the plan tokeep Grossman out of actionwould be scrapped. Either way,depending on his learning curve,Grossman will be the No. 2 quar-terback or will compete withStewart for the starting job head-ing into 2004.

DETROIT LIONSIt didnt take long for rookie

WR Charles Rogers to steal theshow in Detroit. On Day One ofthe teams minicamp, Rogers

made multiple highlight-reelgrabs and showed off his all-world sprinters speed as a returnman. Same story on Day Two,when head coach Steve Mariuc-

ci couldnt help butapplaud Rogers efforts.There were four (spec-tacular catches), Mariuccisaid. He caught a coupleof deep ones down the

left baseline here and then hecaught one over the middle the one he got the cramp on atthe end. Then he caught a drive-

route and came screamingaround like the Indianapolis 500.But the greatest part of the mini-camp for Mariucci has been vet-eran leadership that many out-siders dont believe exists. TakeRogers for example. He isalready being mentored underthe wing of veteran WR BillSchroeder. Hes got all the toolsand the talent. Now he just needsto learn the system, Schroedersaid. There are some little tricks

that will allow him to learn faster,but hes picking up on it reallyquick.The sky is the limit for thiskid and hopefully good things willcome from him.

MINNESOTA VIKINGSThe Vikings arent listening to

your conspiracy theories their

pick was going to be DT KevinWilliams with Dewayne Robert-son off the board.Though ownerRed McCombs has voiced greatdispleasure with his personnelteams inability to execute theplan, his greater concern maybecome getting Williams signed.The Vikings and Ravens hadagreed to a trade that would

have given Minnesota the10th pick in the draft, aswell as Baltimores fourth-and sixth-round picks, withthe Ravens moving up

three spots to No. 7 inorder to draft QB Byron Left-wich. When the call wasnt madeon time, the Jaguars and Pan-thers jumped ahead of theVikings, who ended up withWilliams but didnt receive com-pensation for moving down twospots. Williams agent, Tom Con-don, plans to press the Vikingsto pay his client as if he were theNo. 7 pick, not the No. 9. TheVikings believe an appeal to theNFL is all it will take, the thoughtbeing that the league office will

crack down on Condon and sidewith the Vikings. The mainhangup is likely to be Condonsrepresentation of Leftwich, whichcreates a conflict in trying to gettwo players paid as if each wasthe seventh overall pick.

N F C l S O U T H

Releasing Matthewscould haunt Bucsfuture dealings

The Bucs may have gottenone of the steals of the draftwhen they snagged Texas QBChris Simms with the final pickof the third round, and theybelieve they now have their quar-terback of the future in the fold.But the decision to release veter-an QB Shane Matthews two

days later may strain rela-tions between the teamand other veteran freeagents in the future.Matthews turned down a$350,000 signing bonus

with the Vikings to ink a deal withthe Buccaneers, allowing him to

be closer to his Florida home.But Matthews became expend-able when Simms was drafted,and there is a feeling amongsome of the players thatMatthews who now finds him-self with few opportunities to signelsewhere as a backup shouldhave been given at least achance to compete for the back-up position. Insiders dont believecutting Matthews will have anylong-term effects on team-playerrelations, but for the short term,

players might be cautious aboutputting their futures in the handsof the Bucs.

ATLANTA FALCONSThe Falcons didnt have a first-

round pick in last months draft they traded their selection to theBills in exchange for WR Peer-less Price but were told theteam was ecstatic about itschoices in the second and fourthrounds. Atlanta selected PennState CB Bryan Scott in the sec-

ond round (55th overall)and expect him to makemajor contributions thisseason. The Falconsdidnt pick again until thefourth round (121st over-

all), and insiders say they werestunned that Mississippi State FBJustin Griffith was still available.The team opened the secondday of the draft desperately call-ing around to try to work out adeal to move up to get Griffith,but they had no takers. It allworked out, however, when Grif-fith still was on the board inRound Four. Despite all the hap-

piness coming from the organiza-tion, some local media werentquite as impressed with the

teams performance. That didntsit so well with team ownerArthur Blank, who went so faras to summon a local beat writerto his office to voice his displea-sure about the negative pressthe Falcons had received afterthe draft.

CAROLINA PANTHERSThe Panthers rolled the dice

on having an unhappy player ontheir hands when they slappedthe franchise tag on P ToddSauerbrun in February, but hedidnt make the team wait to signa new deal, inking a one-year,

$1.471 million contractApril 24. More than a fewobservers wondered whySauerbrun would sudden-ly sign a deal that hadbeen on the table for

months instead of waiting tonegotiate for better terms.Sources say Sauerbrun simplyneeded the money now ratherthan later. Sauerbrun got a$200,000 signing bonus with thecontract, and insiders say that hewas in need of the cash.Were

told that Sauerbrun wasnt desti-tute or broke by any means, buthe wanted the $200K for some

business dealings. The Panthersalso promised to negotiate along-term deal with Sauerbrunafter July 15.Sauerbrun led theNFL in gross punting average at45.5 yards last season, and headcoach John Fox believes thatSauerbrun is a key part to thePanthers strategy on the fieldbecause he helps the team winthe battle of field position.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTSWere told Saints head coach

Jim Haslett may have madesome enemies in the media bysuggesting that the team waslooking to improve its secondarywhen it was actually focusing onthe defensive line. Lying in thedays leading up to Draft Day isnt

anything new, but theSaints were so effectivethat it was a huge shockwhen they traded up toselect Georgia DTJohnathan Sullivan with

the sixth-overall pick. Were toldHaslett was hoping to trade withthe Bears for the No. 4 pick tohave a shot at Kentucky DT

Dewayne Robertson, but when

odd that the team didnt addresssome needs on the defensive line inthe recent draft because the teamdoesnt feature a lot of depth upfront, and there figures to be salary-cap issues with starters Ellis John-son and Brady Smith in the next

couple of years. The Falcons are hoping rookie

FBJustin Griffith, who was select-ed in the fourth round out of Missis-sippi State, will have a career thatmirrors that of recently retired FBBob Christian, who also was aconverted running back coming outof college and enjoyed a successfulcareer as a blocker and short-yardage runner. The Saints were thrilled to work

out a deal with the Seahawks thatsaw DT Norman Hand head for

the Pacific Northwest in exchangefor a future sixth-round pickbecause they were planning on cut-ting Hand anyway June 1 and didntexpect to get anything in return.Hand was available because theteam believed he wasnt going toget his weight he may haveplayed as heavy as 360 pounds lastseason under control in time tobe productive in 2003. The addition of S Tebucky

Jones to the Saints roster meansthat veteran Jay Bellamy will be

pushed to a backup role, and insid-ers say the coaching staff was keep-ing a watch on Bellamys attitudeduring minicamp to see how heresponded. If he puts up any sort ofresistance to the move, Bellamy like-ly will be released. Panthers CB Rashard Ander-

son is hoping he will be reinstated bythe NFL after sitting out last seasonserving a suspension for violating theleagues drug policy. But the additionof rookie Ricky Manning Jr. likely

means that Carolina wont make a bigeffort to re-sign Anderson. More than a few eyebrows were

raised when rookie TE Mike Seid-man was held out of Panthers mini-camp while recovering fromsurgery to repair a sports hernia,the same problem that plagued PK

John Kasay, LB Dan Morgan andCB Dante Wesley last season. Were told the Bucs jumped at

the chance to sign Ohio State PAndy Groomafter he went undraft-ed because he came highly recom-mended by former P Tom Tupa,whose records Groom broke withthe Buckeyes. In the wake of Bucs OT Kenyat-

ta Walker and FS Dwight Smithboth being arrested in separate inci-dents this offseason, some insidersare concerned that some Buccaneersare enjoying their championship off-

season too much and might notreport to training camp in top shape. We hear the Cardinals could

have their sights set on Panthers WRMuhsin Muhammad, who isexpected by many to be a salary-cap casualty after June 1. Word is the Cardinals desper-

ately wanted to include RB ThomasJones in their Draft Day trade withthe Saints, but New Orleans didntwant anything to do with him. According to our sleuths in

Seattle, the Seahawks are quite

pleased with DEJoey Evans, one ofeight players they allocated to NFLEurope. Evans led the spring leaguewith five sacks through three gamesfor the Frankfurt Galaxy.Although there had been some

talk that Garrison Hearst could bea surprise post-June 1 salary-capvictim, we are now hearing that theNinersrunning back is a solid bet toreturn without any reduction in hissalary. Although the Niners eventually

plan to make first-round pickKwame Harris the starting lefttackle, we hear what theyd reallylike initially is for Harris to beat outformer Stanford teammate EricHeitmann at the OLG spot, withHeitmann becoming the teams pri-mary backup at guard and center.

We hear Niners QB CadeMcNown still is experiencing prob-lems with his throwing shoulder, andthat his future with the team is onincreasingly shaky ground. The Rams plan to give disap-

pointing WR Terrence Wilkinsanother chance went up in smokeafter the team drafted a pair of shiftyreceivers tailor-made for the slotposition in Kevin Curtis andShaun McDonald. Word is the weak-side LB job

long owned byJunior Seau is ZekeMorenos to lose. With DL and OLneeds to address after June 1 cuts,its doubtful the Chargers will makea strong push to bring in some vet-eran competition for Moreno. The Chiefs certainly will be

looking for a pass rusher after June1, but if they cant bring someone in,they believe they can produce morepressure schematically, using LBsShawn Barber and Scott Fujita attimes or situational edge rusherGary Stills on passing downs.A lot of attention will be paid to

new SS Rogers Beckett in San

Diego during training camp. Becketthad trouble tackling and didntadapt well to the added responsibil-ities of the new system last seasonand will be asked to switch overfrom the FS position to replace Rod-ney Harrison. With a healthy Cory Raymer

returning to the lineup, there hasbeen some talk of shifting C JasonBall to guard,but some AFC scouts

WWHICONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

WWHICONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Better late than never: The Vikesevenutally picked DT Kevin Williams

FOR FREE-AGENT NEWS AND DRAFT COVERAGE, TURN TO

www.ProFootbal lWeekly.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

JAMESD

.SMITH

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Vikings pass, defense rules,Jets get their man, Bills roll dice

By MIKE HOLBROOKMANAGING EDITOR

NEW YORK Its hard to resist the temptation

to quote my esteemed departed colleague JoelBuchsbaum by saying the theme of this yearsdraft was, lets make a deal. But it applies toowell to the 68th annual NFL player selectionmeeting, held April 26-27 at The Theater at

Madison Square Garden.Trades dominated the action there were 23 in all (11

on the first day) but the talk that day had to be the rare,and bizarre, pass that the Vikings were forced into after alast-minute trade failed to get reported to the NFL staff intime.

In the confusion after time elapsed on the Vikings No.7 pick in the first round, Jacksonville, slated to pick eighth,and Carolina, slated to pick ninth, leaped into action and

handed their draft selection cards to the league. As a result,the Jaguars pick of Marshall QB Byron Leftwich wasannounced as the seventh pick with the Panthers pick ofUtah OT Jordan Gross announced moments later.

Finally, with the crowd still buzzing, the Vikings select-ed Oklahoma State DT Kevin Williams with the ninthpick. The irony of it all is that the Vikings claimed laterthat this was the guy they wanted all along. They had beenentertaining a trade offer from the Ravens, who wanted tomove up to select Leftwich.

Remarkably, the Ravens rebounded from that disap-pointment quickly and snatched up Arizona State DE Ter-rell Suggs, a potential pass-rushing force, at No. 10. Theythen made a bold move to trade their second-round pickthis year and their first-rounder next year to the Patriots so

they could select Cal QB Kyle Boller, whom they hopewill be their quarterback of the future.

The No. 1 pick was a foregone conclusion as the Ben-gals had negotiated a deal with USC QB Carson Palmerand signed him on April 23. He signed earlier than anyother Bengals top draft pick ever, another good sign for adowntrodden franchise that has had a wonderful offseason,starting with the astute hi ring of head coach Marvin Lewis.

After Palmer, the Bengals gladlygrabbed Iowa OG Eric Steinbach, afirst-round talent, at the top of the sec-ond round. They also got first-round tal-ent with their third- and fourth-roundpicks when they took a chance on Ten-nessee WR Kelley Washington, whoseability to come back following neck fusion surgery last fallwas questioned, and Oregon State CB Dennis Weathersby,

who was hospitalized with a non-fatal gunshot wound lessthan a week before the draft.

The hottest player in the days leading up to the draft wasclearly Kentucky DT Dewayne Robertson, a 6-138, 317-pound space eater who has been called Baby Sapp forhis similarities to the BucsAll-Pro Warren Sapp. The Jets,Patriots and Cowboys were rumored to be enamored withRobertson. The Pats, who had two first-round picks, triedfirst to move up to the Bears spot to pick Robertson, butthe two sides couldnt agree to terms and the trade fellthrough.

The Jets swooped in next and completed a deal the daybefore the draft, when the Bears agreed to trade their No.4 overall pick to the Jets for New Yorks two first-round

picks No. 13 and No. 22 and a fourth-rounder.As expected, the Jets picked Robertson after sweatingthrough the Lions and Texans taking the top two widereceivers on the board, Michigan States Charles Rogersand Miamis Andre Johnson, respectively.

The selection of Robertson began a run on defensiveplayers that was unprecedented in NFL draft history. Arecord-tying six first-rounders were defensive tackles, and18 of the first 32 selections were defensive players alsoa record.

The Patriots manipulated the draft better than any otherteam, trading down for multiple picks, then trading up whenthey wanted a particular player. In the process, they nettedan extra first-round pick to go along with two second-roundpicks and three fourth-rounders in 2004. That gives New

England great flexibility for next years draft too.Buffalo may have taken the biggest gamble in the first

round when it selected Miami (Fla.) RB Willis McGaheewith the 23rd overall pick. The pick elicited great oohsand aahs when it was announced, but theres no denyingthat if McGahee continues his miraculous comeback froma severe knee injury suffered in early January, he has thepotential to be a superstar. The fact that Buffalo could take

this chance reflects what a solid job theBills did filling holes via free agency.

The Bills were rewarded for theirrisky move when the defensive linemanthey wanted, Nebraska DE Chris Kel-say, was still around for Buffalos pickin the second round, 48th overall.

Another second-round pick of note was by Washington,which snatched up Florida WR Taylor Jacobs, reuniting

head coach Steve Spurrier with yet another of his formerGators.

Some quality players slipped to the third round, partic-ularly star collegiate RBs Musa Smith, Chris Brown andJustin Fargas. The final selection of the third round couldbe a steal for Tampa Bay if head coach Jon Gruden canwork his magic with Texas QB Chris Simms.

Day Two saw Seattle take a chance on Iowa State QBSeneca Wallace, arguably the best athlete in the draft, inthe fourth round. Also, several more talented runningbacks went in that round Artose Pinner, DomanickDavis, Onterrio Smith, Quentin Griffin, Lee Suggs andLaBrandon Toefield.

Houston surprised many in the sixth round when it

selected Yankees minor-leaguer Drew Henson, the formerMichigan quarterback, 192nd overall. Some draft expertspredicted Henson would have been a top-10 pick had hedeclared his intentions to play football. The Texans nowown his rights until next years draft and certainly willentertain trade offers if he does decide to try football.

The seventh round brought two interesting selections.The 49ers grabbed Miami (Fla.) QB Ken Dorsey, whoselack of arm strength sent him tumbling down draft boards.And with the 262nd and final selection, the Raiders tookGustavus Adolphus WR Ryan Hoag, making him thisyears Mr. Irrelevant.

NOTES: The first round lasted four hours, 58 minutes, whilethe entire draft took 15 hours and one minute to complete. Of

the 45 underclassmen who declared for this draft, 31 weredrafted 10 in the first round, five each in the second and thirdrounds, eight in the fourth round, two in the sixth and one in theseventh. Twenty of the underclassmen selected were offensiveplayers. For the sixth straight year, the Southeastern Confer-ence led all conferences in total number of selections.The SEChad 43 players selected this year. The Big Ten and Big 12 had35 players taken each, followed by the Pac-10 (29), Big East(23) and Atlantic Coast Conference (17).

OVERVIEW

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DRAFTREVIEW

Deals, DLs dominate Day OneOn the scene: Terrell Suggs (leftto right), Charles Rogers, DewayneRobertso n, Carson Palme r, TerenceNewman, Byron Leftwich and JimmyKennedy were invited to New York tobe part of Draft Day festivities

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Fine

lineDefensive line prospectsrule 2003 draftBy JEFF REYNOLDSand NOLAN NAWROCKIASSOCIATE EDITORS

Take the 11 defensive linemen

drafted in the first round out of

this draft, and the overall talent

pool looks more like a distant

mirage. But as the 262 players

drafted begin their careers,

realize it will be two or three

years before it is known whether teams hit the

jackpot or stockpiled fools gold.

For certain, this draft was not considereddeep. Most scouts believed there were 11 to

14 players worth drafting in the first round.The

Jets who sent picks 13, 22 and 116 to the

Bears for the No. 4 pick were sold on only

five. Seeing only five or six elite, blue-chip

players on the board, New York moved up to

take junior DT Dewayne Robertson from Ken-

tucky. With visions of Warren Sapp dancing in

their heads, the Jets and general manager

Terry Bradway would have settled for

a receiver such as Charles Rogers or

Andre Johnson, but clearly Robertson

was their guy. The Saints viewed the

first round through a similar micro-

scope. New Orleans moved the 17th

and 18th picks to get into Arizonas

spot, No. 6, and draft a defensive tackle of their

own.While Johnathan Sullivan was ranked

fourth or even fifth at the position by someteams, the Saints had him graded closely to

Robertson and wanted to pair Sullivan with

former Georgia linemate DE Charles Grant.

You have to wonder exactly what was going

through the mind of Rod Graves and the Car-

dinals when they moved out of that

spot. They could have taken Terrell

Suggs sixth overall, filling their

need for a defensive end. And in

the second round, Penn State WR

Bryant Johnson or Florida WR Taylor Jacobs

likely would have been on the board.

Instead, the Cardinals reached for

Johnson and Wake Forest DE Calvin

Pace at 17 and 18.

Behind Sullivan, teams took defen-

sive linemen with six of the next nine

picks. Making one of the great value

picks of this draft, the Ravens drafted Suggs

(considered a defensive end in 4-3 schemes)

to play right outside linebacker in the 3-4.Baltimore originally tried to trade with Min-

nesota to move up from No. 10 and select

Marshall QB Byron Leftwich. Instead, time ran

out on the Vikings and they were beaten to the

podium. The Jaguars took Leftwich, but the

Ravens were able to salvage

things in a major way, trading their

second-round pick and a first-

round pick next year to New Eng-

land to get in position to select Cal

QB Kyle Boller 19th.

Boller was the third of four quarterbacks

taken in the first round. The Bengals couldnt

find a trade partner to get out of the top spot

and settled on Carson Palmer. Palmer may

develop eventually, but he is the kind of player

who could suffer if rushed onto the field. Left-

wich is the drafts most gifted passer and, if not

for health concerns, could have gone No. 1.

Boller and Bears QB Rex Grossman (drafted

22nd) are the wild cards. Boller will have agood support system in Brian Billick and Matt

Cavanaugh and could emerge as the elite

quarterback in the class of 2003. Grossman is

not NFL ready, but if he matures, he could

become a winning quarterback as a pro.

1. Palmer 2. Rogers 3. Johnson 4. Robertson 5. Newman 6. Sullivan 7. Leftwich


Warren report: Jets DTDewayne Robertson gives headcoach Herman Edwards a War-ren Sapp-like presence in themiddle of his cover-2 defense

R E V I E W

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BuffaloBills2003 DRAFT PICKS

RD PLAYER POS COLLEGE PICK

1 Willis McGahee RB Miami 23

2 Chris Kelsay DE Nebraska 48

3 Angelo Crowell LB Virginia 94

4 Terrence McGee CB Northwestern State 111

4 Sam Aiken WR North Carolina 127

5 Ben Sobieski OG Iowa 151

6 Lauvale Sape DT Utah 187

7 Mario Haggan LB Mississippi State 228

Another very impressive draft for TomDonahoe and Tom Modrak. First-roundpick Willis McGahee will push TravisHenry, who could be traded prior to nextyears draft. The Bills know better than topush McGahee, no matter how far along

he is in his rehab. The intelligent move isto put him on the physically unable to per-

form list andbring him backat midseason, orredshirt him oninjured reservefor 2003. Dontget us wrong,Henry is talent-ed. But SuperBowl contenderscant afford toworry aboutd o u b l e - d i g i tturnovers fromthe running backposition, regard-less of how pro-ductive he is,and that is exact-ly what Henrydid in 2002. DEChris Kelsay is a

legitimate pass rusher and, if healthy,could make his mark this season with DTsPat Williams and Sam Adams drawing somuch attention. The Bills can line up Kel-say and OLB Jeff Posey on opposite sides

and create a formidable edge rush. LBAngelo Crowell was ultraproductive atVirginia and adds depth to a sound LBcorps. He is physical, and his strength isplaying the run, a Bills weakness last sea-son. WR Sam Aiken is not a burner. Hellfill the role of possession receiver and ishighly motivated to succeed. Pick No. 111,CB Terrence McGee was drafted for hismeasureables and return ability. OG BenSobieski has potential but must erase dura-bility questions that emerged at Iowa. Hecould prove to be a great pick in the fifthround, as could LB Mario Haggan inRound Seven. He will play inside andcould make the team on special teams.

GRADE: A

MiamiDolphins2003 DRAFT PICKS


2 Eddie Moore LB Tennessee 49

3 Wade Smith OT Memphis 78

3 Taylor Whitley OG Texas A&M 87

5 Donald Lee TE Mississippi State 156

5 J.R. Tolver WR San Diego State 169

6 Corey Jenkins S South Carolina 181

6 Tim Provost OT San Jose State 209

6 Yeremiah Bell S Eastern Kentucky 213

7 Davern Williams DT Troy State 248

Drafting LB Eddie Moore, a speedy out-side guy, with their first pick was a shock-er, especially with players like Hawaii OTWayne Hunter available when the Dol-phins made the selection deep into the sec-ond round. OLBs Morlon Greenwood and

Derrick Rodgers could be moved, meaningMoore could play a big role. Hes active,productive and explosive and plays biggerthan he measures (6-0, 235). He couldntask for a better situation with ZachThomas and Junior Seau teaching class.

Like former Tennessee LB Al Wilson,Moore can lay the lumber. The Dolphinsfound converted TE Wade Smith, a playerwith great upside but little experienceagainst solid competition. He has a futureas a left tackle. He has nifty feet and canpull from his outside position. He has toget bigger and stronger, but Smith has allthe natural skills you look for. He may beable to help this season. OG Taylor Whit-ley is a bulldozer who is a nasty run block-er. TE Donald Lee is a better blocker thancurrent TE Randy McMichael and was nota major need. He could become another

weapon in Norv Turners offense, whichlost Jed Weaver and could lose OrondeGadsden. WR J.R. Tolver was incrediblein a pass-happy offense, averaging almost19 yards per catch. Tolver is not unlikeJames McKnight. Corey Jenkins, a 26-year-old former quarterback, and Yeremi-ah Bell are projects who could contributeon special teams. Provost gives a teamwith a thin O-line another project. Bell is asmall, undersized defensive back wholacks top-end speed.

GRADE: C

New EnglandPatriots2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Ty Warren DT Texas A&M 13

2 Eugene Wilson CB Illinois 36

2 Bethel Johnson WR Texas A&M 45

4 Dan Klecko DT Temple 117

4 Asante Samuel CB Central Florida 120

5 Dan Koppen C Boston College 164

6 Kliff Kingsbury QB Texas Tech 201

7 Spencer Nead TE Brigham Young 234

7 Tully Banta-Cain DE California 239

7 Ethan Kelley DT Baylor 243

Every pick made by this c lub fits its sys-

tem. The Patriots needed a clogger insideand first-round pick Ty Warren, backed byDan Klecko, Tully Banta-Cain and EthanKelley, answers that need. The Pats alsoreceived a 2004 first-round pick for the19th pick in the draft. Warren had injuryproblems slow him at Texas A&M. Whenhe was healthy, he was one of the bestdefensive linemen in the country, with theskills to get to the passer from the middle.He is an instant upgrade for the Patriotsporous run defense and can play on theedge in a crunch. Bill Belichick got morehelp for the defense in the second round

with smooth, fluid CB Eugene Wilson.Wilson can also return kicks and was ratedhigher on the Patriotsboard than most. Heled the country in passes broken up in2001 and fills a need in the Patriotsshakysecondary RCB Otis Smith will be 38in October. WR Bethel Johnson fits themini-WR theme the Patriots have withTroy Brown and David Patten. He ran a4.37 and can stretch defenses but willstruggle to beat the jam at the line. John-son is a good blocker who doesnt mindgetting his hands dirty, but he needs to bemotivated to reach his potential. C DanKoppen was great value. He could be

NFL-ready and may help at guard. QBKliff Kingsbury was superproductive anda leader at Texas Tech. Kingsbury is simi-lar to Tom Brady in terms of his leadershipand limited athletic skills. He cannot beatyou with his arm strength. If the Pats stickto their spread offense, Kingsbury maypan out for them in the future. TE Spencer

Nead is a big body and a nice target in thered zone because of his hands. He excelledin Brigham Youngs passing offense but

has to learn how to block.GRADE: A

New YorkJets2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Dewayne Robertson DT Kentucky 4

2 Victor Hobson LB Michigan 53

3 B.J. Askew FB Michigan 85

5 Derek Pagel S Iowa 140

5 Matt Walters DT Miami (Fla.) 150

6 Brooks Bollinger QB Wisconsin 200

7 Dave Yovanovits OT Temple 237

The Jets got an immediate impact play-er with fourth overall pick DT DewayneRobertson. Often compared to WarrenSapp, Robertson will upgrade the Jetsshoddy run defense if he can make theadjustment. Herman Edwards neededmore than Josh Evans and Jason Ferguson,and now he has a potential Pro Bowl play-er. Robertson can penetrate and disruptwith his quickness and power. LB VictorHobson is big and physical. Hes a backupfor now but is a welcome injection ofyouth to an old LB corps. Hes betteragainst the run and needs to improve in

coverage because he looked lost in spaceat Michigan. FB B.J. Askew is similar toRichie Anderson, who went to Dallas infree agency. Askew is a better runner and apoor blocker. He lacks the speed to be afeatured back and is similar to Bears RBAnthony Thomas. S Derek Pagel fromIowa is a lot like another former walk-on,

Jon McGraw, but is probably stronger.Pagel loves to play near the line of scrim-mage. DE Matt Walters wasnt a standout

at Miami (Fla.). He is a relentless workerwho knows the game. He may be teamedwith Robertson inside. Brooks Bollinger isan intelligent quarterback with goodmobility. He is a high-percentage passerwho many scouts believe can be an NFLstarter down the road. The Jets found OTDave Yovanovits in the ever-popular Tem-ple program. The Jets front office saidwide receiver wasnt a need despite losingLaveranues Coles. The team believes WRCurtis Conway is good enough.

GRADE: B

A F C N O R T H

BaltimoreRavens2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Terrell Suggs LB Arizona State 10

1 Kyle Boller QB California 19

3 Musa Smith RB Georgia 77

4 Jarret Johnson DE Alabama 109

4 Ovie Mughelli FB Wake Forest 134

5 Aubrayo Franklin DT-NT Tennessee 146

5 Tony Pashos OT Illinois 173

6 Gerome Sapp S Notre Dame 182

7 Trent Smith TE Oklahoma 223

7 Mike Mabry C Central Florida 2507 Antwoine Sanders S Utah 258

The Ravens draft was head and shoul-ders above the rest. General manager OzzieNewsome made shrewd moves up top,securing two of the top 10 players on their


8.Gross 9.Williams 10.Suggs 11.Trufant 12.Kennedy 13.Warren 14.Haynes

(Continued on Page 8)

TEAM

-BY-

TEAM

ANALYSIS

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DRAFTREVIEWA F C E A S T

Baltimore bargain: Terrell Suggs could prove to be a steal for the Ravens, who drafted him No. 10

Knocked need:Some scouts ques-tions the Bills selec-tion of Willis McGahee

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board in OLB-DE Terrell Suggs and QBKyle Boller. Yes, they gave up their first-round pick in 2004, but many feel Bollercould prove to be one of the stars of thisdraft. The Ravens have lacked depth

behind RB Jamal Lewis for the last twoyears. That wont happen again. Not ifthird-round pick Musa Smith, an earlyentry, can stay healthy and avoid furtherneck and back injuries. Hes a no-nonsensenorth-south runner and has a lot of similar-ities to Lewis. Safeties Antwoine Sanders(seventh round) and Gerome Sapp (sixth)were also bargains. Tony Pashos isntquick, but he is powerful and has the meanstreak to be an NFL right tackle. TheRavens are counting on Orlando Brown atthat position, but he hasnt played footballin three years. Like Pashos, fifth-round

pick Aubrayo Franklin may help some thisseason. Franklin has the size and quicknessto earn time at nose tackle and was a blue-chip linebacker coming out of high school.FB Ovie Mughelli will start and lead theway for Lewis this season. Mughelli is apure fullback who can improve as a receiv-er but blocks like his lunch depends on itand is superior to last years starter, AlanRicard.

GRADE: A-plus

Cincinnati Bengals2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Carson Palmer QB USC 1

2 Eric Steinbach OG-OT Iowa 33

3 Kelley Washington WR Tennessee 65

4 Dennis Weathersby CB Oregon State 98

4 Jeremi Johnson FB Wester n Kentucky 118

5 Khalid Abdullah LB Mars Hill (N.C.) 136

6 Langston Moore DT South Carolina 174

7 Scott Kooistra OT North Carolina State 215

7 Elton Patterson DE Central Florida 259

Pinch yourself, because youre about toread unabashed praise of the Bengals, whohad a truly great draft. The team benefittedfrom head coach Marvin Lewis and per-sonnel man Bill Tobin having say on DraftDay. QB Carson Palmer needs time togrow, but he could be a very good quarter-back. Unlike most top-pick quarterbacks,Palmer has a decent offensive line, anestablished running game and talentedreceivers. OG-OT Eric Steinbach fell outof the first round, and the Bengals couldntpass him up. Steinbach had been projectedto offensive tackle, though Cincinnati is


BRUCEL.SCHWARTZMAN

TEAM

-BY-

TEAM

ANALYSIS

2

003

DRAFTREVIEW DEFT DRAFT:

Bengals selections show legitimate signs of teams progress

hese are strange times we live in. As come-dian Chris Rock recently pointed out, thebest golfer is black, the best rapper is white,the French are accusing the Americans of

being arrogant, and adding my own contribu-tion the Bengals are starting to resemble alegitimate NFL franchise.

The NFL draft convinced me of this.I really liked the hiring of Marvin Lewis. I saw

what they did in free agency and was mildlyimpressed. I even lauded the fact that theynamed QB Jon Kitna the starter for now so as totake the pressure off of Carson Palmer. But I wasnot fully convinced that things were going in the

right direction for the star-crossed franchise untilI saw what went down in New York.

Sure, the Bengals draft starts with Palmer, thefirst overall pick, and will ultimately be judged onhis success. But the second-, third- and fourth-round picks are the ones that sealed the deal.Selecting Iowa OG Eric Steinbach, TennesseeWR Kelley Washington and Oregon State CBDennis Weathersby was what convinced me thatthis team understands where it is and where itneeds to be.

This was not a deep draft according to mosttalent evaulators. It was not a draft where youcould have afforded to pick purely based on need

and ignore your value chart. This year you tookthe best players on your board.The Bengals real-ized this and picked accordingly.

Cincinnati had more pressing needs on thedefensive line and in the secondary early butwent with Steinbach and Washington two play-ers rated as first-rounders on their board whohad slipped for whatever reason. Lewis, thedefensive-minded coach, spent his first threepicks on offense despite the urge to upgrade adefense that allowed a league-high 456 points in2002. He went according to the board anothersign the team is working in unison.

Finally, the Bengals were in harmony on DraftDay.

The talk leading up to the draft was that Lewisdid not want to take Palmer No. 1. He was look-ing hard at his top two defensive prospects, CBTerence Newman and DE Terrell Suggs, as alter-natives. It was thought that Palmer was the pref-erence of owner Mike Brown. But Palmer was the pick; per-haps it was the shadows of doubt cast by Suggs poor pre-draft workouts or Newmans medical concerns, but Lewisbecame convinced at some point that Palmer was the rightman and signed off on the pick.

All the new era talk that came out of Palmers first pressconference as a Bengal suddenly meant something. It wasnt

just standard, empty press-conference drivel it actuallymeant something with evidence to back it up. Strange days in

Cincy.Sure, the front office and coaches, having secured their QBof the future a few days earlier, had ample time to coachPalmer with the new club mantra, but this was no snow job.

Signing Palmer before the draft also gave the team a leg upon its strategy: By sealing the deal ahead of time, the atten-tion moved to who might be available at the tops of rounds 2-7. Smart move.

Palmer had to be thrilled with the Steinbach and Washing-ton picks. Steinbach does not fill a glaring need, but he is aready-made guard (or center) who should come right in andmake an impact. And Washington, provided his surgicallyrepaired neck is tip top, adds a new weapon to a potentiallyscary collection of pass catchers.

The Weathersby pick at the top of Round Four was not just

the team throwing Lewis a bone. Weathersby was projectedas a first-round possibility (and no later than the second)before suffering a gunshot wound on Easter Sunday. Under-standably, teams were scared about drafting the Oregon Statecorner, but the Bengals staff felt good enough about its evalu-ation to make him a potential steal on Day Two.

So with the first four picks, they walked away with four play-

ers who will not only start very soon but who atone time held first-round grades. Throw in thesecond fourth-rounder, FB Jeremi Johnson a266-pound bulldozer who might start this season

and their fifth-round project, LB Khalid Abdul-lah, who has huge upside, and thats a heck of adraft.

The shrewd picks and surprising patience theyhave shown were for years the antithesis of whatthe Bengals have done in the offseason andthe reason why they own a 55-137 reccord withno postseason berths under Brown. Now all of asudden they are becoming a team of intrigue.

And Brown, who has been roasted, blasted

and burned in effigy in more ways than the DixieChicks, deserves a lot of the recent credit for thechange. He hired Lewis quickly. He allowed theteam to spend on the free-agent market notfreely but wisely. And for the draft, he got moreinput from the personnel folks, including the well-respected Bill Tobin, a scouting consultant. Most-ly, he backed off.

There is no doubt that Brown is still the CEOof this team and that he holds last say overmajor decisions. But after a dozen years of fail-ure, he has done his team and city a favor byentrusting good NFL people to make good NFLdecisions.

Progress, from top to bottom.

CORNERING THE MARKETLast year, when the Eagles selected defensive

backs with their first three picks, they were calledstupid by some because the team possessedone of the best secondaries in the league. Thisyear, after the Chargers took three straight DBsto open the draft, they were called desperate.

Not so, if you believe Marty Schottenheimer.The coach was handcuffed so often with lastyears porous secondary that he had to use thecover-2 scheme to mask their shortcomingsand lack of speed far too often: about a thirdof the time.

No longer. CBs Sammy Davis and Drayton Flo-rence both ran in the 4.4 range at the Combineand will make a nice trio with CB Quentin Jam-mer for years to come; second-round S TerrenceKiel will be in the rotation as well.

What deceased Chargers general manager John Butlerrealized, and what many other GMs are just starting to get, isthat you need three quality cornerbacks these days. So youcan understand the reasoning behind new GM A.J. Smith fol-lowing Butlers posthumous model in his first draft in charge.

TEXANS GAMBLE ON HENSONAmong the more intriguing picks in the draft was the sixth-

rounder Houston spent on current New York Yankees flop and

former Michigan QB Drew Henson. This was just a year afterthe team spent its inaugural No. 1 pick on David Carr and justthree rounds after it grabbed QB Dave Ragone.

The irony is that had Henson stuck with football, its possi-ble that he, not Carr, might have been the Texans No. 1 picklast year. Scouts drooled over Hensons raw ability and hisbazooka of an arm. He has a prototype body 6-3 and 225pounds and many NFL scouts still feel he has a real futurein football if he ever gives up on baseball. (At presstime, hewas hitting below .200 and averaging a strikeout every threeat-bats in Class AAA.)

Hensons agent repeatedly said before the draft that hisclient was not repeat, not going to play football, andthus no NFL team should waste a draft pick on him. Althoughthey have myriad needs all over the field, the Texans pick of

Henson could end up being a brilliant stroke.The hope is thatHenson gives up his baseball dream and Houston can tradehim before next years draft considered to be extremelyshort of quarterbacks except for Ole Miss Eli Manning to ateam in need. If they dont trade him before next years draft,they lose his rights. The asking price next year (a high sec-ond-round pick?) could be well worth the investment.

ERIC EDHOLM

T

New era Bengals:(Top to bottom) Eric Stein-bach, Kelley Washingtonand Dennis Weathersby

BRUCEL.SCHWARTZMAN(WASHINGTON)

15.McDougle 16.Polamalu 17.Johnson 18.Pace 19.Boller 20.Foster 21.Faine(Continued from Page 7)

Pocket change: Carson Palmer is the futureat quarterback in Cincinnati

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likely to use him inside until Willie Ander-son loses a step. Steinbach is versatile andhas the athleticism of a tight end. WR Kel-ley Washington is 26 and has characterconcerns, but he could easily be the No. 2receiver opposite Chad Johnson with Peter

Warrick in the slot. He has the size andspeed to make a difference. CB DennisWeathersby was shot in the back one weekbefore the draft, but he will be contact-ready in six weeks. The first pick in thefourth round, Weathersby has size andspeed to be a No. 1 cornerback. LB KhalidAbdullah and FB Jeremi Johnson aresleepers who need time. Johnson is a loadat fullback. Abdullah is athletic, blessedwith pass-rush skills, but was productiveagainst very average competition. NTLangston Moore could be good in rotationon running downs. OT Scott Kooistra (big,

raw) and DE Elton Patterson (hard workerwith improving size but not explosive)could develop with time.

GRADE: A-plus

ClevelandBrowns2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Jeff Faine C Notre Dame 21

2 Chaun Thompson LB West Texas A&M 52

3 Chris Crocker S Marshall 84

4 Lee Suggs RB Virginia Tech 115

5 Ryan Pontbriand C-LS Rice 142

5 M ichae l Lehan CB Minnesota 152

6 Antonio Garay DT Boston Col lege 195

The Browns addressed an immediateneed with first-round pick C Jeff Faine ofNotre Dame, who replaces DaveWohlabaugh, a free-agent refugee wholanded in St. Louis. Though centers rarelygo this high, Faine is superathletic andcould be an All-Pro three years down theroad. They added LB Chaun Thompson,another specimen, and DB Chris Crockerfrom Marshall on the first day. Thompsoncould emerge and will have a chance tostart on a team with little polish at the posi-

tion. His athleticism sets him apart, and hecould replace Jamir Miller or DwayneRudd. Crocker was the best cornerbackMarshall had but played safety. Clevelandtook the risk on RB Lee Suggs, who hashad knee and shoulder injuries, to backupWilliam Green. Suggs is a gifted goal-linerunner with above-average straight-linespeed. Many teams wouldnt take a risk onSuggs because of a torn rotator cuff, thelatest in a rash of injuries. Cleveland gotexcellent value late with CB Mike Lehanand DL Antonio Garay. Lehan might bebest suited to add weight and move to safe-ty, though his tackling shortcomings make

that switch a concern. Garay was a forcewhen he played next to Chris Hovan in col-lege. If Garay can stay healthy, he willprove to be a good risk because he is capa-ble of dominating. The Browns drafted LSRyan Pontbriand in the fifth round.

GRADE: B

PittsburghSteelers2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Troy Polamalu S USC 16

2 Alonzo Jackson DE Florida State 59

4 Ivan Taylor CB Louisiana Lafayette 125

5 Brian St. Pierre QB Boston College 163

7 J.T. Wall FB Georgia 242

Pittsburgh nabbed the player they feltwas the best overall defensive back in thedraft, S Troy Polamalu. The Steelers needswere in the secondary, and Polamalu is a

throwback who covers well and can comeup and make plays in the box. He remindsscouts of Brian Dawkins. DE-OLB AlonzoJackson is too weak to be a defensive end,but he could explode as an outside line-backer. He is underdeveloped physically

and lacks the upper-body strength to be onthe field right now, but his wingspan andbuild remind some of Simeon Rice. Hecould begin his career as a third-down passrusher. CB Ivan Taylor was highly toutedbecause of his measureables and could bea nice nickel back. Hes sudden, quick andcapable of being a return man, butextremely raw, having moved from run-ning back late in his college career. QBBrian St. Pierre has good size and enougharm strength to make it. He doesnt standout, but he manages games and has moregoing for him than players like Matt Has-

selbeck coming out of Boston College. FBJ.T. Wall is a hard-working fullback whofits in well behind Dan Kreider. Hesunselfish and simply wants to be on thefield, the kind of guy who endears himselfto head coach Bill Cowher. Hell be hardto get rid of.

GRADE: B

A F C S O U T H

HoustonTexans2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Andre Johnson WR Miami (Fla.) 3

2 Bennie Joppru TE Michigan 41

3 Antwan Peek LB Cincinnati 67

3 Seth Wand OT NW Missour i State 75

3 Dave Ragone QB Louisville 88

4 Domanick Davis RB LSU 101

6 Drew Henson QB Michigan 192

6 Keith Wright DT Missouri 214

7 Curry Burns S Louisville 217

7 Chance Pearce C Texas A&M 233

Houston started strong with WR AndreJohnson, who is a physical specimen withworld-class sprinters speed. He instantlybecomes QB David Carrs top target. Hewas a man among boys in college butwont dominate immediately. Hes an ath-

lete in the Terrell Owens mold, but hisintelligence could be a problem in ChrisPalmers offense. TE Bennie Joppru is agreat pass-catching tight end without deepspeed. Hell help in the red zone and intwo-TE sets because he has exceptional

hands. TE Billy Miller will stretch theseam, but Joppru could challenge for thestarting job because hes a more completeplayer. He made a big impression on theTexans coaching staff at the Senior Bowl.OLB Antwan Peek can fly and may fill therole of Jeff Posey (Bills), who departed infree agency. Peek will need time to learnthis complex defense, but his potential wasworth a third-round pick. OT Seth Wand isa giant, but hes a raw I-AA product whoneeds a good teacher. He should spend asmuch time with Tony Boselli as he can andrefine his technique. The Texans went wild

for quarterbacks, drafting Dave Ragoneand Drew Henson. Ragone is a greatleader and could blossom under Palmer,who praised Ragones leadership andtoughness at the Senior Bowl. Strugglingwith the Yankees at the triple-A level, Hen-son could have trade potential if he returnsto football. RB Domanick Davis, anotherfind at the Mobile all-star game, is a solidbetween-the-tackles runner who gives theteam a change-of-pace back. DT KeithWright could have a tough time winning aroster spot. DB Curry Burns, drafted inRound Seven, was a value pick, and LSChance Pearce is very good.

GRADE: B-minus

IndianapolisColts2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Dallas Clark TE Iowa 24

2 Mike Doss S Ohio State 58

3 Dona ld S tr ick land CB Colo rado 90

4 Steve Sciullo OT Marshall 122

5 Robert Mathis LB Alabama A&M 138

5 Keyon Whi teside LB Tennessee 162

6 Cato June S Michigan 198

6 Makoa Freitas OT Arizona 208

Indianapolis surprised some by taking atight end, a position offensive coordinator

Tom Moore must have been lobbying forin the first round. With Ken Dilger gone,junior TE Dallas Clark will allow theColts to go back to the two-TE offense theteam scrapped when Ken Dilger signedwith Tampa Bay last year. The Coltsaddressed their poor secondary with aphysical safety and a cornerback on DayOne. SS Mike Doss lacks great size andneeds to improve in coverage. TonyDungy was drawn to his instincts and abil-

ity to support against the run. CB DonaldStrickland is also small, but he has a heartthe size of the RCA Dome. Hes tough andscrappy. OG-OT Steve Sciullo and OTMakoa Freitas may provide needed depth,but neither player is a sure thing. Freitascan play guard or tackle and has NFLbloodlines. He could use more bulk butmoves and runs well. If his techniqueimproves, to go with his impressive work-out numbers, Freitas has starter potential.Sciullo was a fine player at Marshall butlooked average against elite competitionat the Senior Bowl. OLB Robert Mathis of

Alabama A&M may have been a surprisein Round Five, but he has the quicknessand tackling skills to stand out in thecover-2. OLB Keyon Whiteside and CatoJune, who could move to outside backer,improve the teams defensive speed.

GRADE: B-plus

JacksonvilleJaguars2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Byron Leftwich QB Marshall 7

2 Rashean Mathis DB Bethune-Cookman 39

3 Vincent Manuwai OG Hawaii 72

4 George Wrighster TE O regon 104

4 LaBrandon Toefield RB LSU 132

6 Brandon Green DE Rice 176

6 David Young S Georgia Southern 179

6 Marques Ogden OT Howard 193

7 Ma laefou MacKenzie RB USC 218

Last years QB project, David Garrard,cant be happy, but the Jags will be. QBByron Leftwich was the teams first-roundpick. He will have at least one year to learnBill Musgraves version of the West Coastoffense. His struggles may be accentuatedby the fact he played in a primarily shotgunoffense at Marshall, but he is better under

center than he was six months ago. Left-wich looks like an offensive lineman withhis shirt off. DB Rashean Mathis is versa-tile and speedy. Hes probably going toplay cornerback but is capable of lining upagainst slot receivers and playing safetybecause of his size and zone skills. Vince


(Continued on Page 10)

22.Grossman 23.McGahee 24.Clark 25.Joseph 26.Harris

Hands team: TE Dallas Clark joins Marcus Pol-lard and Marvin Harrison in Indy

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Overdrive: WR Andre Johnson is expected to help QB David Carr rev up the Texans offense

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Manuwai could challenge Daryl Terrell forthe starting job at left guard, where ZachWiegert left a vacancy upon his departurefor the Texans. Manuwai is versed in passprotection but can improve as a run block-er, where bulk and leg drive arent prob-lems. TE Kyle Brady could be gone withthe addition of junior TE George Wrigh-ster, an athletic pass catcher with goodhands. Stacey Mack left, making ElvisJoseph the teams No. 2 back. RB LaBran-

don Toefield has been snake-bitten withinjuries. If healthy, he could be the manbehind Fred Taylor. Toefield is a cutbackrunner with great vision, very similar toTaylor. DE Brandon cannot play everydown unless he gets a lot bigger. SS DavidYoung is a hard hitter with good size andstrength. Hes probably going to be limitedto special teams this season. OT MarquesOgden is a heady player and the brother ofJonathan Ogden, who was drafted by Jack-sonvilles new personnel man James Harrisin Baltimore. Marques may project to cen-ter. Pass-catching FB Malaefou MacKen-zie has potential and figures in behindMarc Edwards. He must become disci-plined and work on his blocking. The big,thick back has health questions.

GRADE: B-plus

TennesseeTitans2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Andre Woolfolk CB Oklahoma 28

2 Tyrone Cal ico WR Middle Tennessee State 60

3 Chris Brown RB Colorado 93

4 Rien Long DT Washington State 126

5 Donnie Nickey S Ohio State 154

7 Todd Williams OG Florida State 225

The Titans had a need at cornerbackwith nickel back Donald Mitchell gone toDallas. They took CB Andre Woolfolk inthe first round. Hes an athlete who isntversed at the position yet, and some teamsconsidered him a wide receiver playing the

position. However, most scouts thinkWoolfolk could pan out in time. In-stateproduct Tyrone Calico is a naturally giftedreceiver, but physical play is not his forte.A real burner with great size, Calico dis-played alligator arms at the Senior Bowl

and needs to toughen up. But if he getstougher and generally more aggressive, hecould be brilliant. Facing Tank Williamsand Lance Schulters every day shouldhelp. RB Chris Brown has a lot of EddieGeorge in him size and running style.Brown must learn how to run lower andprotect himself upon contact. Like George,he was productive in college and hasabove-average speed. Hes best betweenthe tackles but prone to injury and fumblesbecause of the way he runs. Regular meet-ings with NFL linebackers could inspireBrown to change his running style. DT

Rien Long was good value at the top ofRound Four. Like DT AlbertHaynesworth, who slipped in the firstround last year, Long may have been over-rated and slipped because of characterconcerns. He is quick at 6-6 and moveswell, especially laterally. He adds depthinside with Henry Ford and John Thorntonout of the picture. S Donnie Nickey is abig safety who was overshadowed byMike Doss at Ohio State. Hell playbehind Schulters and Williams and fits inbecause hes physical. OG Todd Williamshad a lot of help on Florida States offen-sive line. He is an average overall blocker

but adds needed depth inside.GRADE: B-plus

A F C W E S T

DenverBroncos2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 George Foster OT Georgia 20

2 Terry Pierce LB Kansas State 51

4 Quentin Griffin RB Oklahoma 108

4 Nick Eason DT Clemson 114

4 Bryant McNeal DE Clemson 1285 Ben Claxton C Mississippi 157

5 Adrian Madise WR Texas Christian 158

6 Aaron Hunt DE Texas Tech 194

7 Clint Mitchell DE Florida 227

7 Ahmaad Galloway RB Alabama 235

Denver was in need of an anchor on theleft side of the line and landed OT GeorgeFoster with the 20th pick in the draft. Oth-ers may have more upside, but Fostercomes with his share of promise. MLBTerry Pierce, a junior, is active and physi-cal. He didnt test well but can make a dif-ference for the Broncos. RB Quentin Grif-fin was successful in a spread offense. Hiscutback style may work in Denver despitehis lack of size. He changes directions welland may be capable helping out as a returnman. The team also had to get quicker onthe edge defensively, and drafted threedefensive ends on Day Two, in addition toDT Nick Eason. Eason looks like a bodybuilder and will push for playing timebehind DTs Daryl Gardener and LionalDalton. Bryant McNeal is a pass-rush spe-cialist with initial quickness but needsmore weight to hold up at the next level.He reminds some of Lorenzo Bromell.Mitchell, a 6-7 junior, has upside and

quickness but is too thin and narrow-framed right now. DE Aaron Hunt leftTexas Tech as the schools all-time sackleader, but hes a one-trick pony who isstill green. C Ben Claxton is an over-achiever with high character, but he is nota starter right now. Claxton is marginalathletically and gets his feet tied up but

makes up for his shortcomings withsmarts. He can play on the move, which iswhy he may fit in Denver. TCUs AdrianMadise adds depth at receiver and couldreturn punts. Ahmaad Galloway joins anoverstocked stable of running backs.

GRADE: B

Kansas CityChiefs2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Larry Johnson RB Penn State 27

2 Kawika Mitchell LB South Florida 47

3 Julian Battle CB Tennessee 92

4 Brett Williams OT Florida State 113

5 Jordan Black OT Notre Dame 153

6 Jimmy Wilkerson DE Oklahoma 189

7 Montique Sharpe DT Wake Forest 230

7 Willie Pile S Virginia Tech 252

The Chiefs got the player they wanted inthe first round in RB Larry Johnson, asecurity blanket in case RB Priest Holmeship injury doesnt fully heal. Johnson isblessed with great size and speed. He has aburst to hit the hole and is an improvingreceiver. LB Kawika Mitchell is speedyand a perfect fit for this scheme. He is pro-ductive and left South Florida as the all-time leading tackler. He is versatileenough to play any of the three LB posi-tions, a boost for a defense in dire need ofmore speed. S Julian Battle is gifted ath-letically but is not a hard worker. Some

teams see him as a cornerback, but he canrun and hit, with the potential to be animpact safety. Kansas City added depth toits talented, veteran offensive line on DayTwo, bringing in OT Brett Williams andOT-OG Jordan Black. Both could havebeen taken higher. Williams is technicallysound but could be moved inside becausehe has shorter arms. He will benefit great-

ly learning from Willie Roaf and WillShields, two of the best offensive linemenin the game. Black is not a pure athlete buthas the size and frame to be an offensivetackle. He gets off the ball quickly but canbe clumsy. Vonnie Holliday signed in free

agency, but junior DE-DT Jimmy Wilker-son provides a safety net at defensive endand a player who could be a future starter.Wilkerson is a lot like Holliday in that hesbig enough to play every down but is not agifted pass rusher despite a decent burstoff the line. He could have used anotheryear in school to improve his strength. DTMontique Sharpe is an undersized interiorlineman. S Willie Pile has the measure-ables and aggressiveness but is a liabilityin coverage.

GRADE: B

OaklandRaiders2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Nnamdi Asomugha CB California 31

1 Tyler Brayton DE Colorado 32

2 Teyo Johnson WR Stanford 63

3 Sam Williams LB Fresno State 83

3 Justin Fargas RB USC 96

4 Shurron Pierson DE South Florida 129

5 Doug Gabriel WR Central Florida 167

6 Dustin Rykert OT BYU 204

7 Jeremy "Siddeeq" Shabazz S New Mexico State 246

7 Ryan Hoag WR Gustavus Adolphus 262

Three years down the road, the Raiderscould easily be the winners of this draft.On the other hand, with so many risk-reward picks, it could prove to be a disas-ter. Oakland took athletes with great mea-surables and potential. The team canafford to develop young players behindtheir packed cast of veterans. First-roundpicks CB Nnamdi Asomugha and DE


27.Johnson 28.Woolfolk 29.Barnett 30.Davis 31.Asomugha

Right on: QB Byron Leftwich was the secondquarterback selected, taken seventh overall

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Tyler Brayton are workout warriors. Aso-mugha could be a third cornerback andstart at safety because hes 6-2, but he runsin the 4.4s. WR-TE Teyo Johnson cameout too early, but has potential as a tightend or H-back because he is 6-7 and ath-

letic. LB Sam Williams may be moved todefensive end. He has good timed speedand upper-body strength. RB Justin Fargaswill be a return man unless injury strikesCharlie Garner. Fargas had a solid finalfour games of the season and helped him-self at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Com-bine. DE Shurron Pierson is another explo-sive player with as much potential as anyplayer in the draft. WR Doug Gabriel is abig receiver who can also return and couldmake this team as a fifth receiver. OTDustin Rykert has upside, especially con-sidering he was the 204th pick in the draft.S Jeremy Siddeeq Shabazz is similar toAsomugha, though hell be used inside.And dont count out Mr. Irrelevant, WRRyan Hoag. Hoag is raw, but he is a dili-gent worker with good timed speed andmeasurables.

GRADE: B

San DiegoChargers2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Sammy Davis CB Texas A&M 30

2 Drayton Florence CB Tuskegee 462 Terrence Kiel S Texas A&M 62

3 Courtney Van Buren OT Arkansas-Pine Bluff 80

4 Matt Wilhelm LB Ohio State 112

5 Mike Scifres P Western Illinois 149

6 Hanik Milligan S Houston 188

7 Andrew Pinnock FB South Carolina 229

It seems as if it was all secondary, all thetime for the Chargers, who ranked 32nd inthe NFL in pass defense in 2002. CBSammy Davis is a lot like last years first-round pick, Quentin Jammer, in that hesphysical and aggressive. Hes a bump cor-ner who will attack you every snap and hasthe instincts to make big plays. His former

secondary mate at Texas A&M, S TerrenceKiel, is a pure, fluid athlete who can playin the box and will challenge for the start-ing spot at free safety. He knocks the snotout of opponents when he reads the playcorrectly. CB Drayton Florence openedsome eyes at the Senior Bowl with his

great speed and hands. He will strugglewith bigger receivers, a problem whenDenver and Oakland come to town. Theteam needed an offensive lineman, and aswas the case with John Butler, new gener-al manager A.J. Smith went for a small-

school product in Arkansas-Pine BluffsCourtney Van Buren. Other teams willconsider this pick a reach, but Van Buren is6-6, 350, and moves well for a man hissize. Hell need time, but OL coach Hud-son Houck gets the most out of his playersand is the perfect teacher. LB Matt Wil-helm is stiff but athletic for a player hissize. When he plays compact, he has fewother flaws. Hes the kind of worker headcoach and former linebacker Marty Schot-tenheimer loves. Wilhelm plays too tightbut is similar to Ben Leber. The first kick-er selected in the draft was Western IllinoisP Mike Scifres, who went in the fifth

round. Scifres has a good leg and can kickdirectionally. S Hanik Milligan is a lights-out tackler who cannot cover. Like Kiel,Milligan will challenge for time this year.FB Andrew Pinnock can back up bothLorenzo Neal at fullback and LaDainianTomlinson at running back. Hes athletic

and runs hard with the ability to produce inshort-yardage situations.

GRADE: B

N F C E A S T

DallasCowboys2003 DRAFT PICKS


1 Terence Newman CB Kansas State 5

2 Al Johnson C Wisconsin 38

3 Jason Witten TE Tennessee 69

4 Bradie James LB LSU 103

6 B.J. Tucker CB Wisconsin 178

6 Zuriel Smith WR Hampton (Va.) 186

7 Justin Bates OG Colorado 219

The Cowboys filled needs in the firstthree rounds. CB Terence Newman is the

the shutdown corner this team lacked. Hewill start and give Dallas a potential-packed secondary, paired with S RoyWilliams. Grabbing C Al Johnson inRound Two was a solid pick and findingJason Witten, ranked the top tight end by


32.Brayton 33.Steinbach 34.Bailey 35.Tillman 36.Wilson 37.Stinchcomb

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MISSED BY MANY:

Without Joel, draft weekend was incompletehe NFLs 68th annual selection meeting went onas scheduled April 26-27 in New York City.ESPN televised both days live. Hundreds of fanswaited hours in the rain before they were let in

to pack themselves into the seats in the balcony atthe Theater at Madison Square Garden.There weretons of trades 24 in two days of action. There wasa rare pass by the Vikings that dropped them downtwo spots. Willis McGahee cried when he was select-ed by the Bills in the first round only 16 weeks afterseriously injuring his knee.The Jets traded up to grab

DT Dewayne Robertson, an underclassman, fourthoverall. And the Patriots zoomed up and down thedraft board, piling up quality players and extra picks.

Somewhere Joel Buchsbaum was smiling.I just wish I could have seen it for myself. But I

guess God had a greater plan in mind for PFWs high-ly respected personnel expert when He took Joel fromthis earth at the young age of 48.

You see, my first NFL draft was supposed to be somuch more than it was. Dont get me wrong, I had agreat time experiencing the media event that the drafthas become. Being there among the other nationalmedia and amongst the fans as each team tookanother step into its future was truly memorable. Ithink its safe to say the NFL draft has become thebiggest offseason event in the national sports scene.

And I will never forget the view of the concrete jun-gle that is New York City from the 86th-floor observa-tion deck of the Empire State Building.

But, truth be told, the main reason why I was look-ing forward to covering the draft for PFW was thechance to see Joel in his element at the event that heloved so much and cared so deeply about.

Its almost impossible to think about this wholeprocess without him, NFL.com writer and ex-Jetsassistant player personnel director Pat Kirwan saidlate on the first day of the draft. He was a big part ofbringing (the draft) public and turning it into an event.Hell probably never get the credit for making it the

event its become, but I think he was one of the firstguys that club executives felt comfortable endorsing.

There are plenty of other people who make waymore money than Joel made who pass the eyeballtest and all those things. But this guy was about sub-stance. Guys I know who are very private, who dontshare their opinion on things, who would never really

give much credit to an outsider, would say, Joelknows what hes doing. Joel knows.

When the Jets traded up, outmaneuvering Dallasand New England, among others, to select KentuckyDT Dewayne Robertson with the fourth overall pick, Icouldnt help but think back to December whenRobertson declared himself eligible for the draft. I real-ly didnt know much about the junior run-stuffer fromKentucky, but Joel knew. He was fully aware ofRobertsons talent and his potential, saying that hewas one of the top two or three defensive tackles in

the country. As soon as the Jets picked Robertson, Iimagined Joel praising them for getting such a promis-ing player.

I remember when Robertson came out, (Joel) toldme that he was a top-10 pick, that hed give the draftmore depth at defensive tackle, Patriots head coachBill Belichick recalled.All during the spring, Joel wassomeone I would talk to two or three times a week about workouts or different guys that I had just seenand what he thought of them. Maybe questions abouthow he wrote about them in his book (PFWs ProProspects Preview or PFWs Draft Preview Guide).

Its funny, we went back to his fall ratings onEugene Wilson (the Pats selected the Illinois corner-back in the second round, 36th overall) and he hadhim as his second-rated corner. Its pretty funny howJoel had this guy rated last year as the No. 2 cornerand there he was the No. 2 corner behind (KansasStates Terence) Newman on our board. So, I thinkonce again we saw things the same way.

Belichick and Buchsbaum had a close friendship foryears and considered each other dear friends. I hadonly gotten to know Joel in the last three months ofhis life, talking daily on the phone whenever Joel hadan idea to offer o

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