| So what do you think? Now that the Chargers
have traded the top overall pick in the draft to Atlanta, are there more bombshells in the
offing?
Will the Cardinals switch gears away from either Florida DT Gerard Warren or Missouri
DE Justin Smith and end up spending the draft’s second overall pick on massive Texas
OT Leonard Davis?
Is new Browns head coach Butch Davis really serious about trading down from the third
overall spot in the hopes of landing Miami (Fla.) LB Dan Morgan a few picks later?
Will high-profile skill guys such as Mississippi State RB Deuce McAllister and North
Carolina State WR Koren Robinson keep slipping down the first-round ladder and end up
making whichever teams select them very happy a la Randy Moss to Minnesota a few years
back?
Will the Chiefs swallow their pride and finally bite the bullet by trading their No. 1
pick (12th overall) to the Rams for QB Trent Green?
In less than 24 hours, a draftnik’s delight of gargantuan proportions will begin
to unfold with answers to these and many more questions. Making this year’s draft
especially spellbinding is the fact that, aside from Vick, there are no players available
with instantly recognizable superstar potential.
And now, it appears, it’s hardly etched in stone that Vick will indeed end up as
the top overall pick.
Especially if his agents continue to insist on a signing bonus in the $15 million
range.
But as far as this longtime draft observer is concerned, the most intriguing action
will take place in the war rooms of the 49ers and the Packers, who at least for the moment
own the ninth and 10th picks, respectively, in the 2001 draft’s first
round.
What makes these teams so special? The answer to that one is easy — "the big
W’s."
As in Bill Walsh, the general manager of the 49ers who will be turning over his duties
to top assistant Terry Donahue after this weekend, and Ron Wolf, who is retiring in June
and will be conducting his 10th and final draft as the Packers’ GM.
When it comes to drafting, nobody has done it any better than these two over the long
haul. Walsh is the architect of what is widely considered the best draft of all-time
— the 1986 masterpiece in which six draft-day trades yielded amazingly high-value
players in the lower rounds such as WR John Taylor (third), CB Tim McKyer (third), DE
Charles Haley (fourth), DT Kevin Fagan (fourth), OT Steve Wallace (fourth) and CB Don
Griffin (sixth). Wolf, armed with five of the first 82 picks in this year’s draft, is
the man primarily responsible for the Packers’ NFL-best 84-35 record since the advent
of free agency.
Both men would love to score big in their swan songs and have been working feverishly
behind the scenes in an effort to do so. For a while now, Walsh has let it be known that
he’d love to trade down in an effort to pick up extra picks, but he has been unable
to find any takers.
Until yesterday, that is, when word leaked out that the Broncos, currently holding the
24th spot in the first round, could be interested in swapping places with the
Niners in addition to relinquishing their No. 2 pick (No. 58 overall) and a pair of
fourth-rounders. As a result, San Francisco would have six selections in the first six
rounds. Last season all of the Niners’ 11 picks made the roster, with five starting
at some point in the season. Similar success this year would further solidify Walsh’s
reputation as arguably the all-time drafting ace.
Wolf, meanwhile, is said to be considering a different plan of attack. While a record
number of teams are looking to trade down like the Niners, the Packers have been one of
the few teams reported to be considering a move up the ladder. Both the Cards’
No. 2 and the Browns’ No. 3 are there for the taking, and, unless he’s crying
wolf (sorry, I just couldn’t resist), the Packers’ sagacious GM could make a
pitch for one of those two spots with the intention of grabbing a top-line defender, most
likely Warren.
Both San Francisco and Green Bay have more than a few needs. The 49ers made great
strides on defense last year, but they still ranked 29th overall and could use
help at every defensive position. On the other hand, with Charlie Garner moving across the
bay to Oakland, the Niners also have a major need for a quality running back and could be
hard-pressed to pass on that alternative.
The Packers also need help on defense, especially up front. But with Antonio Freeman
regressing big-time, they also could use a quality wide receiver, of which there are said
to be more than a few this year.
In a draft overflowing with suspense, the decision-making of "the big Ws"
shapes up as the featured attraction.
The clock is ticking. |
