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Win-win situation Niners, 'Skins both feel good about the deal
Posted: Sunday February 27, 2000 09:51 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Five tables apart in a downtown steakhouse Saturday night, the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers each toasted their success after what is sure to be the biggest draft-pick trade of the 2000 season. The 49ers, who have plenty of holes to fill, traded the third overall pick in April's draft to Washington for the 12th and 24th picks in the first round, plus the Redskins' 4th- and 5th-round picks. The deal left Washington sitting on the second and third picks. The deal was consummated at the annual NFL Scouting Combine, where virtually every head coach and front-office staffer comes to size up the incoming talent.Early reviews on the deal were mixed. One longtime NFL coach said, "Dumb Washington. They gave up too much, especially this far before the draft. I think they could have done more with those two first-round picks than with the third pick overall." But one NFC general manager said he felt Washington got the better of the deal. "Look at it this way," the GM said. "Washington gets the third pick in the draft and probably gets a real star, somebody like [Penn State linebacker LaVar] Arrington or [Alabama tackle Chris] Samuels. The 12th pick overall should certainly be a starting player, but the 24th player is hit or miss. And the fourth- and fifth-round picks ... you'll be lucky if one of those guys makes your team. I'd rather have a star any day." But this was not a hasty decision on either team's part. "We actually began talking about this when we played the 49ers in the regular season," Washington director of football operations Vinny Cerrato said while sipping iced tea at his table. "[San Francisco GM Bill Walsh] approached me, asking us if we'd have any interest in talking about one of our high picks. It heated up this week. And then this morning we met and hammered it out." Walsh said Saturday night that the 49ers possess massive cap problems -- the club was $24 million over the 2000 salary cap in early January -- and those problems led to this deal. "We're unable to sign free agents because of our cap situation," Walsh said. "With that in mind, we have to build through the draft. In fact we hope to trade further as draft day approaches or on draft day." Walsh said he'd like to deal the 49ers' second-round pick (the third in the round, 34th overall) down a half-dozen spots or so to pick up another third- or fourth-round pick. Currently, the 49ers have two picks in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds this April and one pick in the second, third and sixth, for a total of 11 picks in the seven-round draft. While the 49ers seek quality depth they can acquire no place else, the Redskins are in fine-tuning mode. Club sources suggested Saturday night that the Redskins would be happy to take any of the top four players on most teams' draft boards -- Florida State receiver Peter Warrick; 'Bama's Samuels; and Penn State defensive stars Courtney Brown, an end, and Arrington. Cleveland holds the first pick of the draft and will take either Brown, Warrick or Arrington. The Redskins are now set to pick second and third, followed by Cincinnati and Baltimore.
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