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Impressions of the fifth round

The Titans veered from their usual practice of drafting cornerbacks and converting them to safeties when they selected Michigan State S Aric Morris. They will groom Morris to eventually take over for either Blaine Bishop or Marcus Robertson. Morris is short for a safety and tends to struggle in coverage, but he still was the sixth-highest-rated safety on Joel Buchsbaum’s draft board.

The Colts traded up to draft Brigham Young’s Matt Johnson, an overaged (will be 27 this fall) 330-pounder who will presumably need lots of work to become a solid pro. Although he was a guard in college, the Colts may try Johnson at center. He doesn’t move very well, but he is a widebody.

The Raiders continued their push to improve their special teams back to the level they were at a few years ago, drafting Texas A&M P Shane Lechler. Although he is the top-rated punter on Buchsbaum’s draft board, his selection elicited derisive jeers from the audience at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, perhaps because the Raiders had already used a first-round pick on PK Sebastian Janikowski. The Raiders would love to see Lechler become another Ray Guy, and he appears to have the leg to do it, but first he must become more consistent and learn to get his punts off more quickly.

Dallas is hoping for a diamond in the rough with its selection of Ohio State’s Michael Wiley. Although he played running back for the Buckeyes, the Cowboys figure to use the 5-10 ½, 189-pounder primarily as a kickoff returner while trying to groom him as home-run threat at wide receiver. However, he must do a better job of catching the ball if he is to make it as a wideout in the NFL.

Posing problems for announcers everywhere will be Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, whom the Packers selected in the fifth round. Gbaja-Biamila is expected to be used as a situational pass rusher for the Pack if he can make the roster.

Pick No. 150 was perhaps the most traded pick of the draft. The choice originally belonging to Baltimore passed through three teams before eventually winding up in the hands of San Francisco. The 49ers used it to select John Milem, a defensive end from Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) who escaped the notice of many because he played at such a small school. Milem will be a 25-year-old rookie who has spent two years in the Marines and one year in the workforce. At 6-6½, 281-288 pounds, Milem has run the 40 in the 4.7-4.9 range, and his workout numbers are extremely impressive. According to Buchsbaum, Milem’s workout numbers would equate to first-round ability, but his experience, football skills and game tapes tell a different story. If he comes close to translating his workout numbers to the gridiron, the 49ers will have a steal with this pick.

Just in case Kordell Stewart can’t put it all together now that he has Plaxico Burress to throw to, the Steelers drafted QB Tee Martin from Tennessee. Buchsbaum recently ranked Martin as the third-best quarterback in the draft and said he could have been drafted as high as the second round with good workouts. However, Martin displayed poor accuracy in his workouts and reportedly didn’t score well on the Wonderlic intelligence test. With Stewart as the starter, backup QB Kent Graham will be able to tutor Martin.

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