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Trade winds set to blow as NFL draft approaches
By Chris Harry | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 18, 2004
Get a good look at the order for the 2004 NFL Draft today -- because it may look different tomorrow. And it might be unrecognizable by noon next Saturday when Commissioner Paul Tagliabue calls the annual affair to order.
For now, the San Diego Chargers have the No. 1 pick, but the switchboard at team headquarters is about to start burning up. Offers will pour in from clubs looking to jump to the top spot and select either Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning or Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery.
After Manning and Gallery -- the consensus top two players on most draft boards -- there are four more players that front offices from Miami to Seattle are projecting to provide instant impact. They are Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Texas wide receiver Roy Williams, Miami tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. and UM free safety Sean Taylor.
A fifth player, USC sophomore wide receiver Mike Williams, could figure into that mix, but he and former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett won't know their eligibility status until an appeals court in New York hears Clarett's underclassmen case Monday.
There's no reason for any team not picking in the top six to panic if this dynamic collection is gone when their club is put on the clock. In this draft, there will be plenty more players. And after they're gone, more still.
"Usually, what you're looking for is the one area you say, 'Geez, there just aren't any of those guys,' " Atlanta General Manager Rich McKay said. "I don't think a lot of teams are saying that this year."
Said San Diego Coach Marty Schottenheimer: "This draft probably goes deeper in the early rounds than in most years."
Especially with guys who catch passes.
"This is the deepest draft at receiver since I've been doing this," said Tampa Bay Director of College Scouting Ruston Webster, now in his 16th season evaluating prospects. "I've never seen so many -- and they're big."
There also are quarterbacks (maybe as many as four in the first round), tight ends and a nice crop of cornerbacks. The abundance at those positions is such that some good players will be available on Sunday because of the simple fact Saturday's session lasts only three rounds.
That means it'll be a tougher call in draft rooms whether to wait for a choice and pick from hot names left on the board vs. identifying a "must-have" guy and trading up to get him.
Denver made its Round 1 decision last week, sending cornerback Deltha O'Neil to Cincinnati and swapping first-round picks with the Bengals to jump from 24th to 17th.
Don't be surprised if some other familiar (and currently disgruntled) veterans -- New England cornerback Ty Law, Washington tackle Chris Samuels, Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon, Dallas guard Larry Allen and Philadelphia guard John Welbourne, for example -- are on the move this week as teams look to arm themselves with as many picks as possible.
These are the decisions facing every team right now, with the exception of the Chargers, who are on the clock. The New York Giants reportedly are dangling wide receiver Ike Hilliard and the fourth overall choice for the chance to swap places with San Diego to take Manning.
The trend of unheralded quarterbacks winning Super Bowls -- Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Tom Brady and Brad Johnson -- hasn't devalued the most valuable position on the field, Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi said.
"Without any disrespect to anybody who's played in the last five Super Bowls, answer me one question," Accorsi asked reporters last week. "In his prime, would any of these coaches say, 'Yes, I'd take [John] Elway?' How many of 'em would say, 'I'll go with what I have?' I know the difference [a great one] can make. I know when they walk on the bus how you feel."
At the same time, Accorsi added a disclaimer.
"We won't give the store away," he said.
Cleveland might. Coach Butch Davis, now in control of football operations, doesn't want to miss out on one of those can't-misses and is expected to put together some sort of package to offer Oakland in hopes of landing Gallery at No. 2.
The Raiders -- unless owner Al Davis is set on taking Gallery -- might be the most willing trade partner in the top three, given that one of their biggest needs is a wide receiver. To trade down just six spots, fill that need and add a pick or picks would qualify for that Mel Kiper Jr. draft-day term known as "value."
Arizona, on the other hand, will not be moving from the No. 3 hole. New Coach Dennis Green covets Fitzgerald. "I think he's the No. 1 player coming out of college football," Green said.
If the Giants stay at No. 4, it's there that the draft's complexion could alter drastically. Do they move? Does a team get there and start a run on receivers? Do the Giants take Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who could fall out of the top 10 if he's bypassed by the Giants? Where does North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers, whose stock has soared the past month, figure in the mix?
And don't forget about the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl champions are the only team in the first round with two picks (21st and 32nd); they also have two second-rounders and two fourth-rounders.
The Patriots' most glaring need is at running back, though the best in the draft -- Oregon State's Steven Jackson -- figures to be gone before they go on the clock. With all those picks, though, Coach Bill Belichick could move as high as he wants.
"I definitely wouldn't rule it out," Belichick said.
In a draft this uncertain and this deep, nothing should be.
Chris Harry can be reached at [email protected].
By Chris Harry | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 18, 2004
Get a good look at the order for the 2004 NFL Draft today -- because it may look different tomorrow. And it might be unrecognizable by noon next Saturday when Commissioner Paul Tagliabue calls the annual affair to order.
For now, the San Diego Chargers have the No. 1 pick, but the switchboard at team headquarters is about to start burning up. Offers will pour in from clubs looking to jump to the top spot and select either Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning or Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery.
After Manning and Gallery -- the consensus top two players on most draft boards -- there are four more players that front offices from Miami to Seattle are projecting to provide instant impact. They are Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Texas wide receiver Roy Williams, Miami tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. and UM free safety Sean Taylor.
A fifth player, USC sophomore wide receiver Mike Williams, could figure into that mix, but he and former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett won't know their eligibility status until an appeals court in New York hears Clarett's underclassmen case Monday.
There's no reason for any team not picking in the top six to panic if this dynamic collection is gone when their club is put on the clock. In this draft, there will be plenty more players. And after they're gone, more still.
"Usually, what you're looking for is the one area you say, 'Geez, there just aren't any of those guys,' " Atlanta General Manager Rich McKay said. "I don't think a lot of teams are saying that this year."
Said San Diego Coach Marty Schottenheimer: "This draft probably goes deeper in the early rounds than in most years."
Especially with guys who catch passes.
"This is the deepest draft at receiver since I've been doing this," said Tampa Bay Director of College Scouting Ruston Webster, now in his 16th season evaluating prospects. "I've never seen so many -- and they're big."
There also are quarterbacks (maybe as many as four in the first round), tight ends and a nice crop of cornerbacks. The abundance at those positions is such that some good players will be available on Sunday because of the simple fact Saturday's session lasts only three rounds.
That means it'll be a tougher call in draft rooms whether to wait for a choice and pick from hot names left on the board vs. identifying a "must-have" guy and trading up to get him.
Denver made its Round 1 decision last week, sending cornerback Deltha O'Neil to Cincinnati and swapping first-round picks with the Bengals to jump from 24th to 17th.
Don't be surprised if some other familiar (and currently disgruntled) veterans -- New England cornerback Ty Law, Washington tackle Chris Samuels, Cincinnati running back Corey Dillon, Dallas guard Larry Allen and Philadelphia guard John Welbourne, for example -- are on the move this week as teams look to arm themselves with as many picks as possible.
These are the decisions facing every team right now, with the exception of the Chargers, who are on the clock. The New York Giants reportedly are dangling wide receiver Ike Hilliard and the fourth overall choice for the chance to swap places with San Diego to take Manning.
The trend of unheralded quarterbacks winning Super Bowls -- Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Tom Brady and Brad Johnson -- hasn't devalued the most valuable position on the field, Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi said.
"Without any disrespect to anybody who's played in the last five Super Bowls, answer me one question," Accorsi asked reporters last week. "In his prime, would any of these coaches say, 'Yes, I'd take [John] Elway?' How many of 'em would say, 'I'll go with what I have?' I know the difference [a great one] can make. I know when they walk on the bus how you feel."
At the same time, Accorsi added a disclaimer.
"We won't give the store away," he said.
Cleveland might. Coach Butch Davis, now in control of football operations, doesn't want to miss out on one of those can't-misses and is expected to put together some sort of package to offer Oakland in hopes of landing Gallery at No. 2.
The Raiders -- unless owner Al Davis is set on taking Gallery -- might be the most willing trade partner in the top three, given that one of their biggest needs is a wide receiver. To trade down just six spots, fill that need and add a pick or picks would qualify for that Mel Kiper Jr. draft-day term known as "value."
Arizona, on the other hand, will not be moving from the No. 3 hole. New Coach Dennis Green covets Fitzgerald. "I think he's the No. 1 player coming out of college football," Green said.
If the Giants stay at No. 4, it's there that the draft's complexion could alter drastically. Do they move? Does a team get there and start a run on receivers? Do the Giants take Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who could fall out of the top 10 if he's bypassed by the Giants? Where does North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers, whose stock has soared the past month, figure in the mix?
And don't forget about the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl champions are the only team in the first round with two picks (21st and 32nd); they also have two second-rounders and two fourth-rounders.
The Patriots' most glaring need is at running back, though the best in the draft -- Oregon State's Steven Jackson -- figures to be gone before they go on the clock. With all those picks, though, Coach Bill Belichick could move as high as he wants.
"I definitely wouldn't rule it out," Belichick said.
In a draft this uncertain and this deep, nothing should be.
Chris Harry can be reached at [email protected].
