Shaun Rogers could be dangled as trade bait
By Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News
Feeling the draft, and what might breeze through the NFL's grapevine by the time the last player goes off the board next weekend:
* Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, who was the steal of the 2001 draft as a second-round pick, will be dangled as trade bait by the Lions and pursued by other teams.
If the offer is right -- a first-round pick -- then Lions President Matt Millen might make the deal.
Rogers had a great rookie season. He was motivated to prove he would have been a top-10 pick had he not suffered a serious ankle injury in his last year at Texas. The Lions got him as damaged goods at the bottom of the second round.
Instead of stepping up to elite status last year, Rogers took a step back. Ankle surgery in training camp, and a broken thumb in the second game, held him back. But Rogers gained weight and did not play with the passion he displayed in 2001.
The draft is loaded with defensive tackles, all the way through the second round. Not many have the potential to match what Rogers displayed in 2001. The Rogers of 2002 is another matter.
If the Lions don't trade Rogers, it's logical to assume they want word to get back to him that he was being shopped. It's a motivating tool.
* Owner Jerry Jones will play his annual starring role if the Cowboys allow ESPN's cameras in their draft headquarters. And that will be fine with Bill Parcells, Jones' new head coach.
The predicted clash of egos between Parcells and Jones has not materialized publicly for a simple reason. Parcells has shut out the Dallas media. He lets Jones do the talking.
The Cowboys have the fifth pick in the first round. Look for Jones to milk every ounce of drama possible -- supposedly weighing trade possibilities to move up and down -- then stay put and take cornerback Terence Newman of Kansas State.
* The aforementioned depth at defensive tackle will not overshadow Anthony Adams of Penn State and Detroit King High School. Adams is just 5-foot-11, but his stock is rising.
Adams is aggressive, quick and bright. And at 299 pounds, he's well built. One drawback is short arms, which can allow offensive players to engulf him at times.
Adams was recognized as the leader of a Penn State defense that had more celebrated teammates.
* The first three rounds are Saturday. The last four are Sunday. Drew Henson, the former Michigan third baseman, will be drafted on the second day.
The 2000 season was Henson's only full year as Michigan's full-time starter at quarterback. He left school during spring practice in 2001 to sign a big contract with the Yankees.
Henson is playing, and struggling, for the Yankees' minor-league team in Columbus. If he committed to playing football today, he'd be a first-round pick Saturday -- perhaps a top-10 pick. He has that much natural talent.
This is the first year Henson is automatically eligible for the draft because it has been five years since he enrolled as a freshman -- 1998. Previously, he had to declare, and didn't.
The only way for Henson to qualify as a free agent in the NFL this year is if he is not drafted. Then, he will be a free agent and never bound by the NFL draft again.
Otherwise, he could be tied to the draft for a maximum of two years.
Any team that drafts him this year retains his exclusive rights until the day before the 2004 draft. If Henson doesn't sign, he goes back into the 2004 draft and can be taken by any team, except the one that drafts him this year.
If Henson is drafted again in 2004 and doesn't sign, he'll be a free agent in 2005.
By then, he should be hitting the curve.
* The Lions will unveil their new uniform design in a presentation at Ford Field on Wednesday.
It has been as closely guarded as the design for the latest edition of the Thunderbird. However, occasional glimpses reveal that the traditional Honolulu blue and silver remain the predominant colors.
Black has been introduced as an outline for the lion helmet decal, and to highlight some of the apparel items -- such as the sleeves on stadium jackets.
* These are my projections for the first six picks:
Subject to change, of course.
1. Quarterback Carson Palmer by Cincinnati; 2. Wide receiver Charles Rogers by the Lions; 3. Wide receiver Andre Johnson by Houston -- unless the Texans trade down; 4. Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson by Chicago; 5. Cornerback Terence Newman by Dallas; 6. Defensive end Terrell Suggs by Arizona.
By Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News
Feeling the draft, and what might breeze through the NFL's grapevine by the time the last player goes off the board next weekend:
* Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, who was the steal of the 2001 draft as a second-round pick, will be dangled as trade bait by the Lions and pursued by other teams.
If the offer is right -- a first-round pick -- then Lions President Matt Millen might make the deal.
Rogers had a great rookie season. He was motivated to prove he would have been a top-10 pick had he not suffered a serious ankle injury in his last year at Texas. The Lions got him as damaged goods at the bottom of the second round.
Instead of stepping up to elite status last year, Rogers took a step back. Ankle surgery in training camp, and a broken thumb in the second game, held him back. But Rogers gained weight and did not play with the passion he displayed in 2001.
The draft is loaded with defensive tackles, all the way through the second round. Not many have the potential to match what Rogers displayed in 2001. The Rogers of 2002 is another matter.
If the Lions don't trade Rogers, it's logical to assume they want word to get back to him that he was being shopped. It's a motivating tool.
* Owner Jerry Jones will play his annual starring role if the Cowboys allow ESPN's cameras in their draft headquarters. And that will be fine with Bill Parcells, Jones' new head coach.
The predicted clash of egos between Parcells and Jones has not materialized publicly for a simple reason. Parcells has shut out the Dallas media. He lets Jones do the talking.
The Cowboys have the fifth pick in the first round. Look for Jones to milk every ounce of drama possible -- supposedly weighing trade possibilities to move up and down -- then stay put and take cornerback Terence Newman of Kansas State.
* The aforementioned depth at defensive tackle will not overshadow Anthony Adams of Penn State and Detroit King High School. Adams is just 5-foot-11, but his stock is rising.
Adams is aggressive, quick and bright. And at 299 pounds, he's well built. One drawback is short arms, which can allow offensive players to engulf him at times.
Adams was recognized as the leader of a Penn State defense that had more celebrated teammates.
* The first three rounds are Saturday. The last four are Sunday. Drew Henson, the former Michigan third baseman, will be drafted on the second day.
The 2000 season was Henson's only full year as Michigan's full-time starter at quarterback. He left school during spring practice in 2001 to sign a big contract with the Yankees.
Henson is playing, and struggling, for the Yankees' minor-league team in Columbus. If he committed to playing football today, he'd be a first-round pick Saturday -- perhaps a top-10 pick. He has that much natural talent.
This is the first year Henson is automatically eligible for the draft because it has been five years since he enrolled as a freshman -- 1998. Previously, he had to declare, and didn't.
The only way for Henson to qualify as a free agent in the NFL this year is if he is not drafted. Then, he will be a free agent and never bound by the NFL draft again.
Otherwise, he could be tied to the draft for a maximum of two years.
Any team that drafts him this year retains his exclusive rights until the day before the 2004 draft. If Henson doesn't sign, he goes back into the 2004 draft and can be taken by any team, except the one that drafts him this year.
If Henson is drafted again in 2004 and doesn't sign, he'll be a free agent in 2005.
By then, he should be hitting the curve.
* The Lions will unveil their new uniform design in a presentation at Ford Field on Wednesday.
It has been as closely guarded as the design for the latest edition of the Thunderbird. However, occasional glimpses reveal that the traditional Honolulu blue and silver remain the predominant colors.
Black has been introduced as an outline for the lion helmet decal, and to highlight some of the apparel items -- such as the sleeves on stadium jackets.
* These are my projections for the first six picks:
Subject to change, of course.
1. Quarterback Carson Palmer by Cincinnati; 2. Wide receiver Charles Rogers by the Lions; 3. Wide receiver Andre Johnson by Houston -- unless the Texans trade down; 4. Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson by Chicago; 5. Cornerback Terence Newman by Dallas; 6. Defensive end Terrell Suggs by Arizona.
