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Just for kicks An outside-the-box slant on draft-weekend pick 'emsPosted: Monday April 15, 2002 5:26 PM
This isn't necessarily how it's going to go. This is only how we want it to go. Everybody and their brother is going to spend some time this week projecting how the NFL draft will shake out. But we're not interested right now in projection or prognostication. We're feeling power hungry. We want the red phone. We want to do the picking. If we were running everybody's war room, common sense -- and a little sense of irony -- would rule the day. So sit back, relax, and patch us through to the commissioner. After exhaustive study that began late Sunday afternoon, here are 10 selections we'd make sure to make next weekend:
The Bills apparently aren't sold on Harrington's arm strength. But hey, you can barely throw the ball in Buffalo once the winds of November come howling anyway. Besides, Harrington seemed to do OK playing in less than ideal weather conditions in Eugene, Ore. Harrington won't even mind being assigned to upstate New York. After the obscurity of the Pacific Northwest, Buffalo will pass for life in the big city. What's not to like about this kid? He's a proven winner, and a proven leader. He's got just enough moxie for a quarterback, and has the ideal build for the position. Could it be that some teams think taking a quarterback in the top five just isn't worth the risk or the financial commitment? Not us.
Comparisons to the Deion Sanders era are too inviting to pass up. Could Jammer take away his half of the field each week like Mr. Primetime did in his prime? Would the Dallas D once again rise to the level of dominant with a shutdown corner added to the mix? Some how the idea of Jammer ending up in Detroit, Carolina or San Diego just doesn't get the old hype machine cranked up to the same level. Here's decreeing that Jammertime in Dallas begins at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Stringer played on the right side, and Williams would likely be asked to handle the more demanding left tackle role. But for Mike Tice and the Vikings, just having the challenge of molding another first-round tackle into a Pro Bowl pick would probably offer some sense of life's renewal.
The other part about this pick that's enticing is that it came to the Raiders from Tampa Bay in the Jon Gruden trade. Knowing Al Davis' love of revenge, how sweet would it be for the Raiders to have Lelie blossom into a star, while the receiver-needy Bucs sit this first round out, contenting themselves with their head coach. That one would be filed under be careful what you wish for.
Nope. If Baltimore loses any more players, the administration is making noise about canceling the program. So it's time to re-stock. And where better to start than on defense, where the Ravens have been decimated and are down to just 13 bodies? Sheppard makes solid sense because Baltimore lost cornerback Duane Starks, who came out of Miami in 1998's first round. Sheppard is a Sunshine State product himself and offers the Ravens an immediate replacement. Breaking even is about the best Baltimore can hope to do these days.
Eagles fans will boo any pick they don't like, just ask McNabb. But how can they go against a guy named Green? Not since Jim Brown went to Cleveland has the confluence of need and color scheme been stronger at running back.
So, naturally we send him to Green Bay where veteran NFL problem-child receiver Terry Glenn can mentor him, teaching him everything he knows (before getting suspended for the last 10 games of the season). Bryant will be fine as long as he does everything opposite of Glenn's instincts. Shoot, after these two, Antonio Freeman could end up being remembered as a choir boy.
OK, Matt and Marty, if you thought Mike McMahon has too much going for him to justify taking a quarterback at No. 3, you have no such excuse at No. 35, in the second round. Admit it, you're not sure McMahon is going to work out. So select Ramsey, the draft's third-best quarterback, and let him and McMahon fight it out for the future at quarterback. Many times, two arms are better than one.
In a typical family pattern of the son doing the opposite of what his father does, Johnson Jr. became a cornerback's mortal enemy, a receiver. Pittsburgh actually has quite a history with receivers named Johnson: Charles (1994-98), Jason (1979), Malcolm (1999-2000) and Troy (1988) all have played the position for the black and gold. And did you know that Ron Johnson Jr. and Sr., as well as Ron Johnson, the old, two-time 1,000-yard Giants running back, were all born in Detroit? We didn't think so.
But that's not the good part. The Colts in 1994 owned two of the draft's top five picks. With the No. 2 selection, they took running back Marshall Faulk, out of San Diego State. With the fifth pick, they selected Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts. Is that perfect or what? Can Trev -- short for Treverance -- Faulk play for anybody but the Colts? Indianapolis, you might remember, doesn't have either one of their 1994 first-round picks still on hand. Faulk's rare gifts were given away to St. Louis in 1999, clearing a path for running back Edgerrin James. As for Alberts, well, he was one of the bigger draft busts in recent memory, lasting just three seasons in the NFL before getting into television, a job he was much more suited to. We know this, because the NFL's loss was CNNSI's gain. Keep talking, Trev. That's what you're good at. Don Banks covers pro football for CNNSI.com.
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