Teams, draft experts and fans spent months prophesizing where and when college football’s best players would be selected in this season’s NFL Draft. However, the first day of the draft proved to be pretty bizarre as many surprises unfolded during the opening day of the draft Saturday in New York City.
Day one started as predicted, with the Cincinnati Bengals using the overall No.-1 pick to take University of Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer. The process was done rather ceremoniously, though; the Bengals and the Heisman Trophy winner Palmer had agreed in principle on a 6-year, $40 million deal earlier in the week. Palmer is the first Heisman winner to be the top pick in the draft since the Tampa Bay Buccanneers took Vinny Testaverde in 1986.
The next four selections went as expected, with the Detroit Lions taking Michigan State wideout and Biletnikoff-award winner Charles Rodgers for the second pick. The Houston Texans took Miami receiver Andre Johnson third. The New York Jets, who traded the 13th and 22nd overall picks to the Chicago Bears to move up to the No.-4 spot, took Kentucky defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson. The Dallas Cowboys took Kansas State cornerback and Thorpe award winner Terence Newman with the fifth pick.
Then came the fireworks. The Minnesota Vikings were on the clock with the seventh pick, entertaining trade offers to move down to a later position in the first round. However, as time ran out for Minnesota to make its pick, trade negotiations broke down. When the clock read zero, the Vikings did not submit a pick, thereby passing on their selection spot. Jacksonville, which owned the eight pick, quickly ran up and took Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich. Although Minnesota could submit its pick whenever it wished, it failed to get it in before the Carolina Panthers skipped Minnesota and took offensive tackle Jordan Gross from Utah. After falling two spots, the Vikes finally chose Oklahoma State defensive tackle Kevin Williams.
The Baltimore Ravens directly benefited from the chaos that ensued ahead of them by capitalizing on their two first round picks. With the 10th pick, the Ravens took Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs. Suggs, who was the Lombardi-award winner and a consensus All-American in 2002, slid down to the Ravens, who eagerly picked him up.
With their second pick of the round, 19th overall, Baltimore took Kyle Boller, the highly touted quarterback from California. Boller’s stock rose due to impressive workouts; he was projected as a possible high first-round draft pick. The Ravens took advantage of both Suggs and Boller slipping slightly and got two potential franchise players in the first round.
The unpredictability that is a trademark of the NFL Draft shone through late in the first round. With the 22nd pick, the Chicago Bears took Florida quarterback Rex Grossman. The Bears took Grossman even though they signed former Pittsburgh quarterback Kordell Stewart in the off-season. Grossman, whose strong arm and mobility made him a projected first or second round pick, will now most likely sit behind Stewart as Grossman himself is groomed to be Chicago’s quarterback of the future.
With the next pick, the Buffalo Bills chose Miami running back Willis McGahee. McGahee was considered to be a top-five pick until he blew out his knee in the national championship game in January. Since beginning rehab, McGahee has been seen as a risky but potentially beneficial pick. Buffalo rolled the dice in taking him, hopefully finding a high-impact player that can help the team in the future.
Another team that secured its depth at running back, the Kansas City Chiefs, traded down from the 16th to the 27th pick and took Penn State bruiser Larry Johnson. Johnson, a Heisman finalist, will be brought in to back up Priest Holmes. Holmes, who accumulated nearly 2,300 total yards and scored 24 touchdowns, is still recovering from a late-season hip injury. Holmes believes that he will be ready for training camp, but the Chiefs took Johnson to secure their running back situation.
Overall, many teams made the defensive line their top priority in the first round. Viewed by experts as the strength of this year’s draft class, 11 defensive linemen were taken in the first round, more than any other position. The weakest positions in the draft proved to be running back, tight end and linebacker; teams took only a combined total of four in the first round.
