NFL Draft’s Winners Tapped Talent Pool

A review of the 1999 NFL Draft, and while some teams draft for need and others pick the best player available, the Cowboys successfully solidified their standing as America’s team, selecting in order: Ebenezer, Solomon, Dat, Wane, Peppi, Martay and some guy named Mike packing the last name, “Lucky.”

As for winning, here’s hoping Troy, Emmitt and Michael have something left to keep pace with Arizona, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Denver, which took advantage of this draft’s talent pool.

The loser, of course, is always the Chargers. Last year they took Ryan Leaf, giving away this year’s first-round pick--the eighth overall selection--which could have been quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper or Cade McNown.

Pencil them in for 2000, too, already minus their No. 1 pick, using it to get Mikhael Ricks in the second round a year ago. Club officials say Ricks is a wide receiver.

Yes, it’s all about projections, and after two days of picking--OK, one for the first time in NFL history if you were the New Orleans Saints--the conflict between productivity and potential has never become so pronounced.

Akili Smith, who began his senior season working as co-starter at the University of Oregon telling friends his great hope at season’s end was to win a free-agent opportunity with some NFL team, came within 12 hours of being the No. 1 pick because of his meteoric rise in pre-draft workouts.

Tim Couch was the prep athlete of the year entering college, stood tall for an overmatched football program in one of the toughest conferences in the game, and he needed a last-minute dazzling workout to stave off the promise of Smith.

Edgerrin James shared time with James Jackson and Najeh Davenport in the University of Miami backfield earlier this season, finished his career with 17 starts and yet was selected before Ricky Williams, the college game’s all-time ground-gainer.

Minnesota took defensive lineman Dimitrius Underwood in the first round, and he didn’t play a down this past season because of an ankle injury. The New York Giants took running back Joe Montgomery in the second round and he wasn’t even a starter for Ohio State.

“If you’re going to run with the big dogs, you’ve got to get off the porch,” said St. Louis Coach Dick Vermeil, and since no one in the Ram organization knew what he was talking about they passed on a guy named “Champ” to take Torry Holt, a receiver to replace the receiver they traded to New Orleans for a second-round pick a few weeks ago.

Much of it makes no sense:

* New England needs a running back to replace Robert Edwards, who replaced Curtis Martin, and with two first-round picks the Patriots came away with a center and linebacker. No wonder Boston politicians refuse to give them money for a new stadium.

* Indianapolis already had Marshall Faulk, the second player taken in the 1994 draft who led the NFL last year with 2,227 yards from scrimmage, and gave him away for second- and fifth-round choices. The Colts used the draft, therefore, to make a lateral move, maybe even fumbling, passing on a proven Williams to take James.

* New Orleans gave away eight potential players for Williams as if the Saints are one player away from reigning supreme. The Saints don’t have to concern themselves with Williams’ small hands, which reportedly kept Indianapolis from taking him. New Orleans has no one to throw the ball to him.

* The AFC West Division, which potentially will start Leaf, Rich Gannon, Jon Kitna, Elvis Grbac and Bubby Brister at quarterback this season, failed to get involved in the richest quarterback class since 1983, settling for only Brock Huard (77th choice) as understudy for Kitna in Seattle.

* Oakland took offensive tackle Matt Stinchcomb in another obvious move to irritate fans and force a move back to Los Angeles.

* Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson, who has expended high picks on running backs Karim Abdul-Jabbar and John Avery in recent years, used three choices on running backs in this draft, including McNeese State’s Cecil Collins in round five. Collins was deemed an untouchable by most teams because of drug problems and pleading guilty recently to two misdemeanors and two felonies for breaking into two apartments and fondling two women.

“He’s got tremendous running ability, can break tackles with great speed and he makes things happen every time he touches the ball,” said Johnson, and isn’t that all that counts?

But kudos to:

* Washington. When’s the last time Washington and wins appeared in the same sentence? The Redskins not only got the player they wanted in Georgia defensive back Champ Bailey with the seventh selection after trading out of the fifth hole, but set up whoever buys the team with three No. 1 picks in next year’s draft.

* Philadelphia. Unshaken by the Cleveland vacillation between Couch and Smith, the Eagles stuck to their convictions and took Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb, and then kept adding quality football players. Why didn’t they do that when they had Ricky Watters?

* Tampa Bay. Now annually on top of its game during the draft, the Buccaneers picked up the best defensive lineman in Louisiana State’s Anthony McFarland, added some competition for Trent Dilfer--which meant any warm body--with the choice of Tulane quarterback Shaun King and then one-upped Cleveland by taking the only decent kicker available in Kansas State’s Martin Gramatica.

* Denver. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. didn’t have Eastern Illinois defensive back Chris Watson ranked in his top 150 players and had him tabbed as the 32nd best cornerback available, but Coach Mike Shanahan, a former Eastern Illinois quarterback, used the 67th pick to take him, making him the 11th cornerback picked. Kiper or the two-time defending Super Bowl coach? Who do you go with?

* Arizona. The Cardinals picked up a starting wide receiver in Ohio State’s David Boston and then another starter in offensive tackle L.J. Shelton, while also getting quality in Florida linebacker Johnny Rutledge. Teams always seem to get serious when they are facing a referendum for a new stadium (next month).

* Detroit. The Lions, feeling pretty good stealing USC linebacker Chris Claibrone with the ninth pick, traded up 12 spots to get 380-pound offensive tackle Aaron Gibson. Gibson makes the team so long as he doesn’t fall on Barry Sanders.

* Atlanta. The Falcons had to choose between picking a wide receiver like Tennessee’s Peerless Price to catch Chris Chandler’s passes or a tight end like Mississippi State’s Reginald Kelly to block for Jamal Anderson. A no-brainer. They traded next year’s No. 1 to get Kelly in the second round after making a solid defensive end choice in round one in Virginia’s Patrick Kearney.

* Green Bay. The Packers ran out of cornerbacks trying to keep up with Viking wide receiver Randy Moss, so they used their first three picks on corners. Plans for kidnapping remain on the table.

And finally, Pennsylvania running back Jim Finn earned “Mr. Irrelevant” honors for being the final player selected in the draft, a title that’s really misplaced, belonging to Virginia’s Aaron Brooks.

The good news, Brooks could tell everyone Sunday was that he was selected in the fourth round of the draft by the Packers. The bad news for the quarterback, however, is he’s going to a team with Brett Favre.

Now that really makes him irrelevant.