BEARS
1, Walt Harris, db, Mississippi State (13); 2, Bobby Engram, wr, Penn State (52); 4, Paul Grasmanis, dt, Notre Dame (116); 5, Chris Villarrial, g, Indiana, Pa. (152); 6, Jon Clark, t, Temple (187); 7, Marcus Keyes, dt, North Alabama (233); 7, Michael Hicks, rb, South Carolina State (253).
Comment: Two immediate contributors should make this Dave Wannstedt’s best draft in terms of quick production. Harris will get thrown into the fire in tough division for receivers. Engram will return punts and compete for playing time as the third receiver because it won’t take long for him to pick up system.
Arizona Cardinals
1, Simeon Rice, de, Illinois (3); 2, Leeland McElroy, rb, Texas A&M (32); 3, Johnny McWilliams, te, Southern California (64); 4, Aaron Graham, c, Nebraska (112); 5, James Dexter, t, South Carolina (137); 5, Harry Stamps Jr., t, Oklahoma (161); 5, Dell McGee, db, Auburn (162); 6, Mike Foley, dt, New Hampshire (169); 7, Jarius Hayes, te, North Alabama (212); 7, Ethan Brooks, t, Williams (229).
Comment: Vince Tobin wanted defense and got the top pure pass rusher in Mt. Carmel’s Rice. McElroy slid to them and could push Garrison Hearst for playing time and boost the return game. McWilliams also slid past most projections and could give new quarterback Boomer Esiason an athletic target.
Atlanta Falcons
3, Shannon Brown, dt, Alabama (84); 4, Richard Huntley, rb, Winston-Salem (117); Juran Bolden, db, Mississippi Valley CC (127); 5, Gary Bandy, de, Baylor (164).
Comment: Brown provides some bulk to a notoriously underweight defensive front, but Falcons expect virtually no help from draft. Their top choice went to Indianapolis for quarterback Jeff George two years ago and they spent their second choice to land reluctant former No. 1 safety Patrick Bates from the Raiders.
Carolina Panthers
1, Tim Biakabutuka, rb, Michigan (8); 2, Muhsin Muhammad, wr, Michigan State (43); 3, Winslow Oliver, rb, New Mexico (73); 3, J.C. Price, dt, Virginia Tech (88); 4, Norberto Garrido, t, Southern Cal (106); 4, Emmanuel McDaniel, db, East Carolina (111); 5, Marquette Smith, rb, Central Florida (142); 6, Scott Greene, rb, Michigan State (193); 7, Donnell Baker, wr, Southern U. (217); 7, Kerry Hicks, de, Colorado (234).
Comment: Second-happiest draft room behind Rams, Panthers wanted Biakabutuka to fall to them to fill glaring need with speed and great potential. Muhammad is another developing big receiver with more potential than others in a deep crop. With time on their side, Panthers have bright future.
Dallas Cowboys
2, Kavika Pittman, de, McNeese State (37); 2, Randall Godfrey, lb, Georgia (49); 3, Clay Shiver, c, Florida State (67); 3, Stepfret Williams, wr, Northeast Louisiana (94); 3, Mike Ulufale, dt, Brigham Young (95); 5, Kenneth McDaniel, g, Norfolk State (157); 5, Alan Campos, lb, Louisville (167); 6, Wendell Davis, db, Oklahoma (207); 7, Ryan Wood, rb, Arizona State (243).
Comment: World champions traded out of first round and tried to fill gaps in depth where they have lost front-line producers in last two years. Godfrey may be able to replace starting middle linebacker Robert Jones. To stay on top, Cowboys need pass-rushing prospects like Pittman and 1994 top choice, Shante Carver, to give Charles Haley help.
Detroit Lions
1, Reggie Brown, lb, Texas A&M (17); 1, Jeff Hartings, g, Penn State (23); 3, Ryan Stewart, db, Georgia Tech (76); 4, Brad Ford, de, Alabama (129); Kerwin Waldrop, dt, Central State, Ohio (158).
Comment: Brown is fastest linebacker in draft, but can he fit into the system fast enough to help replace team leader Chris Spielman? Hartings will start immediately at guard or center, wide-open positions in Detroit. The Bears loved him. Stewart is a Bennie Blades-type hitter with questionable cover skills.
Green Bay Packers
1, John Michels, t, Southern Cal (27); Derrick Mayes, wr, Notre Dame (56); 3, Mike Flanagan, c, UCLA (90); 3, Tyrone Williams, db, Nebraska (93); 4, Chris Darkins, rb, Minnesota (123); 6, Marco Rivera, g, Penn State (208); 7, Kyle Wachholtz, qb, Southern Cal (240); 7, Keith McKenzie, lb, Ball State (252).
Comment: Michels is a future prospect, but Mayes is a big playmaker who could contribute immediately in Brett Favre’s stable of receivers. Darkins is a sprint champion with possibilities as a changeup to Edgar Bennett, but not a polished running back. The Pack had similar hopes once for LeShon Johnson.
Minnesota Vikings
1, Duane Clemons, de, California (16); 2, James Manley, dt, Vanderbilt (45); 3, Moe Williams, rb, Kentucky (75); 4, Hunter Goodwin, te, Texas A&M (97); 5, Sean Boyd, db, North Carolina (148); 6, Craig Sauer, lb, Minnesota (188); 7, Jon Merrill, g, Duke (223).
Comment: Losing Roy Barker, Broderick Thomas and James Harris this year, and Henry Thomas and Robert Harris last year, decimated the defensive front. Clemons and Manley have to contribute faster than last year’s No. 1, Derrick Alexander. Williams came out as a junior after leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing and could help immediately.
New Orleans Saints
1, Alex Molden, db, Oregon (11); 2, Je’Rod Cherry, db, California (40); 3, Brady Smith, de, Colorado State (70); 4, Ricky Whittle, rb, Oregon (103); 5, Mercury Hayes, wr, Michigan (136); 5, Tom Ackerman, g, Eastern Washington (145); 5, Terry Guess, wr, Gardner-Webb (165); 6, Keno Hills, t, SW Louisiana (179); 6, Toderick Malone, wr, Alabama (204); 7, Henry Lusk, te, Utah (246).
Comment: Saints needed more help in secondary and got it with top cornerback in Molden and a big combination corner-safety in Cherry. Smith was an impressive pass rusher in the postseason, so could be a find.
New York Giants
1, Cedric Jones, de, Oklahoma (5); 2, Amani Toomer, wr, Michigan (34); 3, Roman Oben, t, Louisville (66); 4, Danny Kanell, qb, Florida State (130); 6, Doug Colman, lb, Nebraska (171); 6, Scott Gaylon, lb, Tennessee (182); 7, Conrad Hamilton, db, Eastern New Mexico (214).
Comment: When Phillips slipped, the Giants didn’t get the top offensive or defensive linemen they figured would fall to the fifth spot, so they had to compromise with Jones, good but undersized. Toomer has good size and speed.
Philadelphia Eagles
1, Jermane Mayberry, t, Texas A&M-Kingsville (25); Jason Dunn, te, Eastern Kentucky (54); 2, Brian Dawkins, db, Clemson (61); 3, Bobby Hoying, qb, Ohio State (85); 4, Ray Farmer, lb, Duke (121); 5, Whit Marshall, lb, Georgia (147); 6, Steve White, de, Tennessee (194); 6, Tony Johnson, te, Alabama (197); 6, Phillip Riley, wr, Florida State (199).
Comment: If coach Ray Rhodes gets as much out of his second draft as he did his first, look out for the Eagles. Mayberry and Dunn both are small-school prospects with big-time potential. Dawkins is an emotional producer and Hoying is in right spot to move into contention for playing time fast behind Rodney Peete and Ty Detmer.
St. Louis Rams
1, Lawrence Phillips, rb, Nebraska (6); 1, Eddie Kennison, wr, LSU (18); 2, Tony Banks, qb, Michigan State (42); 2, Ernie Conwell, te, Washington (59); 3, Jerald Moore, fb, Oklahoma (83); 4, Percell Gaskins, lb, Kansas State (105); 5, Fred Miller, t, Baylor (141); 6, Derrick Harris, rb, Miami (175); 6, Hayward Clay, te, Texas A&M (201); 7, Chuck Osborne, dt, Arizona (222).
Comment: This is the best draft of the bunch if . . . Phillips keeps off-field problems under control, Kennison turns one big year into consistent performance, ex-baseball player Banks continues to develop after coming to football late. Moore is a squatty talent in the Jerome Bettis mold.
San Francisco 49ers
2, Israel Ifeanyi, de, Southern Cal (46); 3, Terrell Owens, wr, Tennessee-Chattanooga (89); 4, Daryl Price, de, Colorado (128); 5, Iheanyi Uwaezuoke, wr, California (160); 6, Stephen Pitts, rb, Penn State (198); 7, Sean Manuel, te, New Mexico State (239); 7, Sam Manuel, lb, New Mexico State (254).
Comment: Nightmare draft for play-by-play announcers. Ifeanyi is a Nigerian who started playing football in 1992 and was eating only one full meal a day as late as last year. 49ers even traded up to get him, but their chances for this year don’t rest with draft choices. They spent their No. 1 last year to move up and land J.J. Stokes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1, Regan Upshaw, de, California (12); 1, Marcus Jones, dt, North Carolina (22); 2, Mike Alstott, fb, Purdue (35); 3, Donnie Abraham, db, East Tennessee State (71); 4, Jason Odom, t, Florida (96); 4, Eric Austin, db, Jackson State 104); 5, Jason Maniecki, dt, Wisconsin (140); 6, Nilo Silvan, wr, Tennessee (180); 7, Reggie Rusk, db, Kentucky (221).
Comment: The Bucs enter their 20th building year under new coach Tony Dungy with same game plan–find somebody who can rush the passer. Upshaw and Jones are supposed to be two of the best, but so was Warren Sapp last year and Eric Curry three years ago. Alstott will pound way into lineup.
Washington Redskins
1, Andre Johnson, t, Penn State (30); 4, Stephen Davis, rb, Auburn (102); 5, Leomont Evans, db, Clemson (138); 6, Kelvin Kinney, de, Virginia State (174); 7, Jeremy Asher, lb, Oregon (215); 7, DeAndre Maxwell, wr, San Diego State (250).
Comment: After trading out of the first round to get Rams defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, the Redskins traded back into the round to get a starter on the offensive line. Davis had knee surgery after second 1,000-yard season, but has been compared in running style and size to Herschel Walker and could fill big need.
