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Q & A Chargers GM Butler 'masterful' during draft weekend
CNNSI.com spoke to NFL analyst Pat Kirwan for his thoughts on the 2001 NFL Draft. CNNSI.com: The Chargers turned to a new regime for this draft. Is it the front office that blew it by passing up Michael Vick, or did it know exactly what it was doing all along? Pat Kirwan: It's too soon to tell if San Diego "blew it" with Michael Vick -- he could become an all-pro quarterback someday. The guy is a phenomenal athlete, what I like to call a "new wave" sort of player. But, it's pretty clear to me that general manager John Butler never really wanted to "hire" Vick and coach him. [Offensive coordinator] Norv Turner wanted to coach Drew Brees, and he got him. And by moving down to No. 5, they got the running back of their choice, LaDainian Tomlinson. When you look at what it's going to cost to sign Tomlinson and Brees, there's not much difference between that and what it would have taken to sign just Vick. Then look deeper into their draft. One of Butler's traits is that, often, many of his mid-to-late round picks make his football team. I see all eight of the Chargers' picks making the roster, and I particularly like what they did in the fifth round, where they got Southern Cal linebacker Zeke Moreno and Elliot Silvers, a big 6-foot-6 tackle out of Washington. Watch those two players. In my mind, Butler was masterful this weekend. CNNSI.com: If you had to give an award for best steal of the draft, which team would you give it to? Kirwan: I think Tampa Bay getting offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker was really significant, but how the Bucs got him is the interesting part of the story. A few days before the draft they cut defensive end Chidi Ahanotu for salary-cap reasons. The Bengals tried desperately to sign Ahanotu right up until the draft. They were unsuccessful. If they had signed him, they were going to take Walker with the fourth pick in the draft. They didn't get him, so they took Justin Smith instead. Walker fell in the draft, all the way into the laps of the Bucs at No. 14. I don't know if Ahanotu has ever done anything more important for the Bucs than not signing that Bengals deal. CNNSI.com: Walker is going to be something special, but if you had to pick a guy who was going to make an immediate impact on offense next season, who would it be? Kirwan: I think three players will make an immediate impact on offense from this draft:
CNNSI.com: Let's not leave anyone out -- what about on the defensive side? Kirwan: I like two players to come in and do something right away:
Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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