Baltimore Ravens
1, Peter Boulware, de, Florida State (4); 2, Jamie Sharper, lb, Virginia (34); 2, Kim Herring, db, Penn State (58); 3, Jay Graham, rb, Tennessee (64); 4, Tyrus McCloud, lb, Louisville (118); 5, Jeff Mitchell, c, Florida (134); 6, Steve Lee, rb, Indiana (167); 6, Cornell Brown, lb, Virginia Tech (194); 7, Chris Ward, de, Kentucky (205); 7, Wally Richardson, qb, Penn State (234); 7, Ralph Staten, db, Alabama (236); 7, Leland Taylor, dt, Louisville (238).
Comment: Boulware, Sharper and Seattle free-agent sacker Michael McCrary give league’s worst defense immediate help, although it’s still unclear how they will all line up. McCloud should allow undersized Ray Lewis to move outside. Graham helps Bam Morris on third down.
Buffalo Bills
1, Antowain Smith, rb, Houston (23); 2, Marcellus Wiley, de, Columbia (52); 4, Jamie Nails, t, Florida A&M (120); 5, Sean Woodson, db, Jackson State (153); 6, Marcus Spriggs, t, Houston (185); 7, Pat Fitzgerald, te, Texas (226).
Comment: Smith was the choice as the heir-apparent to Thurman Thomas. The Bills usually have good luck with small-college athletes, so the impressive Ivy Leaguer Wiley and the 387-pound Nails bear watching. Trying to replace retired Jim Kelly by trading a third-rounder to Oakland for Billy Joe Hobert is scary.
Cincinnati Bengals
1, Reinard Wilson, lb, Florida State (14); 2, Corey Dillon, rb, Washington (43); 3, Rod Payne, c, Michigan (76); 4, Tremain Mack, db, Miami (111); 5, Andre Purvis, dt, North Carolina (144); 6, Canute Curtis, lb, West Virginia (176); 7, William Carr, dt, Michigan (217).
Comment: Wilson must make transition to outside linebacker in Dick LeBeau’s new 3-4 scheme. Dillon is protection for Ki-Jana Carter after the departure of Garrison Hearst. Payne is a big-time athletic center who is very good value in the third round. Mack also was rated higher by some.
Denver Broncos
1, Trevor Pryce, dt, Clemson (28); 3, Dan Neil, c, Texas (67); 4, Corey Gilliard, db, Ball State (124).
Comment: They needed cornerbacks, but with free-agent addition Neil Smith and Pryce up front, the hope is the corners will be helped. The Broncos traded up to land Neil, who can play guard or center on a line that needs to protect John Elway better, and spent a second-rounder for ex-Ravens tackle Tony Jones.
Houston Oilers
1, Kenny Holmes, de, Miami (18); 2, Joey Kent, wr, Tennessee (46); 3, Denard Walker, db, LSU (75); 3, Scott Sanderson, t, Washington State (81); 4, Derrick Mason, wr, Michigan State (98); 4, Pratt Lyons, de, Troy State (107); 5, George McCullough, db, Baylor (143); 6, Dennis Stallings, lb, Illinois (181); 7, Armon Williams, db, Arizona (216).
Comment: Holmes and Walker must help fill huge shoes left by free-agent defections Micheal Barrow and Cris Dishman. Kent was the fifth receiver picked at a position that isn’t that deep, but he was Peyton Manning’s favorite target. This is the year for ’95 No. 1 Steve McNair at quarterback.
Indianapolis Colts
1, Tarik Glenn, t, California (19); 2, Adam Meadows, t, Georgia (48); 3, Bert Berry, lb, Notre Dame (86); 4, Delmonico Montgomery, db, Houston (117); 5, Nate Jacquet, wr, San Diego State (150); 5, Carl Powell, de, Louisville (156); 6, Scott Von Der Ahe, lb, Arizona State (182); 7, Clarence Thompson, db, Knoxville (219).
Comment: Bill Tobin paid big money for Bears reject Troy Auzenne last year, but had to draft two left tackles to try to protect Jim Harbaugh this year. Replacing CB Ray Buchanan will be tough, with Montgomery joining former Houston teammate Dedric Mathis at the position.
Jacksonville Jaguars
1, Renaldo Wynn, dt, Notre Dame (21); 2, Mike Logan, db, West Virginia (50); 3, James Hamilton, lb, North Carolina (79); 4, Seth Payne, dt, Cornell (114); 5, Damon Jones, te, Southern Illinois (147); 6, Daimon Shelton, rb, CS Sacramento (184); 7, Jon Hesse, lb, Nebraska (221).
Comment: Wynn provides immediate help in a soft middle of the defensive line. Logan also fills a need in the middle of the secondary. Jones has all the tools, but the Evanston kid who got into off-field trouble at Michigan must prove he can concentrate on career.
Kansas City Chiefs
1, Tony Gonzalez, te, California (13); 2, Kevin Lockett, wr, Kansas State (47); 4, Pat Barnes, qb, California (110); 5, June Henley, rb, Kansas (163); 6, Isaac Byrd, wr, Kansas (195); 7, Nathan Parks, t, Stanford (214).
Comment: Wanted Gonzalez to give new quarterback Elvis Grbac a Brent Jones-type target. Lockett fills a need for wideouts. Barnes is the intriguing pick. Already schooled in the West Coast offense, he is liable to give Grbac a run for the starting job. Losing Neil Smith hurts defense.
Miami Dolphins
1, Yatil Green, wr, Miami (15); 2, Sam Madison, db, Louisville (44); 3, Jason Taylor, de, Akron (73); 3, Derrick Rodgers, lb, Arizona State (92); 3, Ronnie Ward, lb, Kansas (93); 3, Brent Smith, t, Mississippi State (96); 4, Jerome Daniels, t, Northeastern (121); 5, Barron Tanner, dt, Oklahoma (149); 5, Nicholas Lopez, de, Texas Southern (157); 6, John Fiala, lb, Washington (166); 6, Brian Manning, wr, Stanford (170); 6, Mike Crawford, lb, Nevada (173); 6, Ed Perry, te, James Madison (177); 7, Hudhaifa Ismaeli, db, Northwestern (203).
Comment: Using high compensatory picks, Jimmy Johnson stocked up on value and filled needs. He said Green was his highest-rated receiver. Madison and Taylor also were rated as first-round prospects by some. Rodgers is undersized but speedy. Remember squatty Zach Thomas last year.
New England Patriots
1, Chris Canty, db, Kansas State (29); 2, Brandon Mitchell, dt, Texas A&M (59); 3, Sedrick Shaw, rb, Iowa (61); 3, Chris Carter, db, Texas (89); 4, Damon Denson, g, Michigan (97); 4, Ed Ellis, t, Buffalo (125); 5, Vernon Crawford, lb, Florida State (159); 6, Tony Gaiter, wr, Miami (192); 7, Scott Rehberg, t, Central Michigan (230).
Comment: Canty was the sixth and last corner in the first round, but the Patriots are desperate in the secondary. Shaw may replace Dave Meggett and back up Curtis Martin. Offensive-line needs weren’t addressed until the fourth round, picks courtesy of the Jets for stealing Bill Parcells.
New York Jets
1, James Farrior, lb, Virginia (8); 2, Rick Terry, dt, North Carolina (31); 3, Dedric Ward, wr, Northern Iowa (88); 4, Terry Day, de, Mississippi State (102); 4, Leon Johnson, rb, North Carolina (104); 5, Lamont Burns, g, East Carolina (131); 5, Raymond Austin, db, Tennessee (145); 6, Tim Scharf, lb, Northwestern (164); 6, Chuck Clements, qb, Houston (191); 7, Steve Rosga, db, Colorado (202); 7, Jason Ferguson, dt, Georgia (229).
Comment: Bill Parcells is in charge. Like Johnson, he preached volume. Farrior and Terry are the only obvious immediate starters, but the Jets are so bad that the rest of the picks not only will make the team but will make a difference. But keep track of the careers of Orlando Pace and Darrell Russell.
Oakland Raiders
1, Darrell Russell, dt, Southern California (2); 3, Adam Treu, g, Nebraska (72); 3, Tim Kohn, t, Iowa State (85); 4, Chad Levitt, rb, Cornell (123); 6, Calvin Brach, rb, Colorado State (172); 6, Grady Jackson, de, Knoxville (193).
Comment: Russell was a surprise, but paired with Chester McGlockton and Russell Maryland, the Raiders’ front should be formidable. Treu and Kohn are 300-pounders who must help fill holes in protection for Jeff George. Will they make Raiders forget Orlando Pace or Walter Jones?
Pittsburgh Steelers
1, Chad Scott, db, Maryland (24); 2, Will Blackwell, wr, San Diego State (53); 3, Paul Wiggins, t, Oregon (82); 3, Mike Vrabel, de, Ohio State (91); 5, George Jones, rb, San Diego State (154); 6, Daryl Porter, db, Boston College (186); 6, Rod Manuel, de, Oklahoma (199); 7, Michael Adams, wr, Texas (223).
Comment: The need to replace lost free agents overwhelmed their draft. Scott must contribute right away. Blackwell comes from sophisticated program and gives Kordell Stewart another target. The active Vrabel should fit into the 3-4 scheme. Ex-Bear Donnell Woolford also was a welcome draft-day addition.
San Diego Chargers
2. Freddie Jones, te, North Carolina (45); 3, Michael Hamilton, lb, North Carolina A&T (74); 4, Raleigh Roundtree, t, South Carolina State (109); 5, Kenny Bynum, rb, South Carolina State (138); 5, Paul Bradford, db, Portland State (146); 6, Daniel Palmer, c, Air Force (178); 7, Toran James, lb, North Carolina A&T (218); 7, Tony Corbin, qb, CS Sacramento (237).
Comment: Like Bears, they had no first-round pick. Like Bears, they wanted a tight end. Jones went seven picks after John Allred. Small-college picks like Hamilton, Roundtree, Bynum and Bradford are Bobby Beathard specialties. Bynum is former backup to Bears’ Michael Hicks.
Seattle Seahawks
1, Shawn Springs, cb, Ohio State (3); 1, Walter Jones, t, Florida State (6); 5, Eric Stokes, db, Nebraska (142); 6, Itula Mili, te, Brigham Young (174); 7, Carlos Jones, db, Miami (211).
Comment: The stars of the draft. Springs and Jones represent one-third of the “can’t-miss” prospects in the whole draft. Both instant starters at need positions, they will complement free-agent acquisitions Chad Brown, Willie Williams, and Bennie Blades.
