Pro Football Weekly and Riddell present ...
2002 NFL draft

First-round impressions from New York

A look at the moves involving the Chargers, Cowboys, Joey Harrington and the Bengals

By Trent Modglin, Associate editor
April 20, 2002

Talent-laden at the top of the first round on Saturday

NEW YORK —

  I’m quite surprised the Chargers elected to go with CB Quentin Jammer out of Texas. Nothing against Jammer, who possesses excellent bump-and-run cover skills as arguably the most physical cornerback in college last year and is as tough as they come, but the Chargers are in dire need of help up front on the offensive line. I knew the Chargers were very fond of Texas OT Mike Williams and Jammer, and they weren’t about to pass if one of them was available at No. 5, but leaving a void at the offensive line is a bit puzzling. The addition of free-agent C Cory Raymer helped and OT Vaughn Parker is generally solid, but there isn’t much else there. And the Chargers know it, as they haven’t made an effort to re-sign many of their free agents on the line. With RB LaDainian Tomlinson and QB Drew Brees set as the cornerstones of your offense, it only seemed logical to beef up the area that will make their lives easier. Mammoth OT Bryant McKinnie from Miami (Fla.) slipped to the Vikings at No. 7 overall and was available for the Chargers’ taking. The guy hasn’t given up a sack in his life and would have made life much easier as an immediate starter. He still needs to work on finishing his blocks and avoiding a habit of relying too much on his talent and long arms, but he has gotten the job done at a high level and been at his best in the big games, which should mean a lot on draft day. The CB position is not in bad shape in San Diego, with Ryan McNeil coming off a quality first campaign in southern California and Tay Cody, last year’s third-round pick, showing he had what it took to step in and produce when the disappointing Alex Molden was hurt.

  The Cowboys have to be commended for what they did in the first round. They were high on both Jammer and Texas S Roy Williams but didn’t feel they could afford to move up and iron out a trade for the Lions’ pick at No. 3 overall. They knew the Chiefs were sold on DT Ryan Sims and wanted to beat the Vikings to the punch with him, and they also correctly figured Minnesota wouldn’t pass on McKinnie, so they used it to their advantage. The Cowboys got the Chiefs to commit to sending their third-round pick this season and sixth-rounder next season just to move up two spots to grab Sims off the board. The Cowboys willingly accepted, got their guy in Roy Williams and snuck off with two more picks to plan for the future. A communication problem almost prevented Kansas City from making the trade and getting Sims, however. It was announced that the Cowboys would have to pass because they missed the 15-minute decision deadline, and the Vikings, licking their chops in delight, quickly filled out their card with Sims’ name. But the announcement of the trade had indeed been made but just not relayed to the proper people, so the Chiefs were able to step in and get their guy afterall.

  Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg is known to be fond of Joey Harrington, who many believe is a perfect fit for his West Coast system. They were rumored to be working out a deal with the Cowboys to possibly flop first-round picks so the Cowboys could snatch Jammer, but in the end, the Lions were just too enamored with Harrington’s skills and leadership and the Cowboys didn’t want to surrender extra picks in the process.

  The Bengals almost always manage to pull off a surprising pick, and they did so again today, selecting Arizona State OT Levi Jones with their No. 10 pick. Choosing CB Phillip Buchanon from Miami (Fla.) or possibly trading down with the Giants or Seahawks, two teams with a strong interest in Hurricanes TE Jeremy Shockey, made more sense. Jones is a quality blocker, but No. 10 was too high for him. The Bengals could have moved down, collected more picks and still had a good chance at him in the middle of the round. The Titans liked Jones (and could have selected him at No. 14) or someone could have moved up to snare him if the Bengals had traded down, but it probably would have been worth the risk. Buchanon would have filled a more dire need in Cincinnati regardless, even with the free-agent acquisition of Jeff Burris.

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