Pasquarelli: Harrington never wavered
Tracking draft-day trades
Cowboys get Williams and extra pick
Chiefs trade up for defensive tackle
Dan Patrick: Bengal Blues
 NFL Draft 2002
David Carr officially becomes the No. 1 draft pick.
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NFL Draft 2002
David Carr hasn't had a quiet moment to digest his new fame.
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NFL Draft 2002
Julius Peppers is confident with his ability to make an impact with the hometown Carolina Panthers.
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 Building excitement in Pontiac
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Joey Harrington was surprised to be the Lions pick
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Longhorn stampeding to Buffalo
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Former Longhorns tackle Mike Williams says the hardest transition will be the cold Buffalo winters.
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Sims celebrates at home with friends, family
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Ryan Sims is the sixth pick by the Chiefs
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Heading for New Orleans
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Wide receiver Donte Stallworth talks about being picked 13th in the draft.
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In the Mark Bavaro tradition
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Tight end Jeremy Shockey of Miami is headed to the Meadowlands
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Lelie headed for mountains
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Ashley Lelie of Hawaii proved to be a good pick for the Broncos.
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Patriotic selection
NFL Draft on ESPNRadio: Tight end Daniel Graham is heading to the home of the defending champs.
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Saturday, April 20, 2002
Updated: April 22, 12:47 AM ET
Carr joins Texans as No. 1 pick in NFL draft
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Fresno State quarterback David Carr officially
became the expansion Houston Texans' first draft pick, going No. 1
overall in Saturday's NFL draft.
Carr and the Texans agreed during the week to a seven-year
contract worth $46.2 million. He led college passers in yards and
touchdowns last year and won the John Unitas Golden Arm Award as
the top senior quarterback.
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Patience is a virtue
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Some days, fans in Houston are going to wonder, "What in the world is this guy doing?" But they'll have to be patient -- QB is the toughest position to play in football -- especially as a rookie. Carr is a mature guy, but he will struggle -- it's inevitable when you're dealing with a 22-year-old kid.
-- Tim Brown, Raiders wide receiver |
Carolina, as expected, used the second pick for a local player,
North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, a junior. Peppers, who
also played basketball for the Tar Heels, has been compared to
Tennessee Titans star Jevon Kearse.
"He plays the game physical, he plays the game tough. I mean,
he's strong," said John Fox, the Panthers' new coach. "The thing
that people make reference to is consistently dominating. You see
this physical prowess in him."
In a mild surprise, Detroit went for quarterback Joe Harrington
of Oregon at No. 3. The Lions finished last season with 2001
fifth-round pick Mike McMahon at quarterback, but they had been
thought to have their sights on Texas cornerback Quentin Jammer.
"I was unbelievably surprised," Harrington said. "Honestly, I
had been told five minutes earlier that they were going in another
direction. So, I was just about to sit down with my mom and dad and
watch the Lions pick someone else, and I got a phone call. I was
shocked. I was caught off-guard, but I'm thrilled to be there."
Harrington led Oregon to a No. 2 ranking last season and was the
MVP of the Fiesta Bowl.
Massive offensive tackle Mike Williams of Texas was chosen
fourth overall by Buffalo. The Bills get one of the biggest
blockers in the nation -- the 6-foot-5{ Williams goes anywhere from
360 to 375 pounds. Williams could replace the declining John Fina
on the Bills' line.
Jammer, considered the best cover cornerback available, became
the second straight Longhorns player selected, going fifth to San
Diego. The Chargers ranked 20th in pass defense last season.
With their former coach and expert drafter Jimmy Johnson
watching from the ESPN tower at the Theater at Madison Square
Garden, the Dallas Cowboys used up all 15 minutes of their time
without making a selection, eliciting a loud groan from their fans
in the crowd -- and taunts from fans of other teams.
Kansas City acquired the Cowboys' No. 6 choice, however, and
selected during Minnesota's time on the clock, but before the
Vikings picked a player. The Chiefs grabbed Ryan Sims, a defensive
tackle who played alongside Peppers at North Carolina.
Dallas acquired Kansas City's first-round choice, No. 8 overall,
and the Chiefs' third-rounder, No. 75, plus a sixth-round pick in
next year's draft.
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Grand theft
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McKinne is the best overall tackle in this year's draft. I thought we'd (the Vikings) concentrate on defense first, but they can adjust that later in free agency. They couldn't pass up a guy like Mckinnie -- many people thought he was going to be the No. 1 overall pick just a few weeks ago -- but he slid to seventh. The Vikings got a grand-larceny type of steal with this pick of McKinnie.
-- Corey Chavous, Vikings cornerback |
Sims' stock rose rapidly at the Senior Bowl and during
postseason workouts. Originally, he was projected as the
fourth-best player at the deep defensive tackle position. But
Kansas City found him valuable enough to trade up.
The Vikings then took All-American tackle Bryant McKinnie, the
first player chosen from national champion Miami. The 6-8,
330-pound McKinnie never has allowed a sack and will move into the
left tackle spot held by Korey Stringer before he died last summer
from heat stroke.
Dallas got the player it was expected to take, anyway, taking
big-play safety Roy Williams of Oklahoma in the eighth spot.
Williams should start immediately for a defense that was vastly
improved in 2001 and ranked fourth overall.
Jacksonville made Tennessee's John Henderson, who should fill a
huge void at defensive tackle, the ninth overall choice. The
rebuilding Jaguars are particularly weak on the defensive line
after losing two tackles in the expansion draft.
Cincinnati made the biggest surprise choice of the first 10,
taking Arizona State tackle Levi Jones. Many projected him to drop
until late in the opening round.
Six linemen went in the first 10 spots -- three offensive
tackles, two DTs and one DE.
Another defensive lineman, Syracuse sacks specialist Dwight
Freeney, was chosen No. 11 overall by Indianapolis. Freeney led the
nation with 17½ sacks last season, but was considered an outsider
to go in the opening round.
The run on defensive linemen continued when Wisconsin's Wendell
Bryant was chosen by Arizona, which is weak throughout its line.
Donte Stallworth of Tennessee was the first wide receiver
chosen, by the Saints at No. 13. Stallworth, a junior, originally
entered the draft, then changed his mind. But the NCAA would not
reinstate his eligibility.
Next up were the Titans, but they traded down one spot with the
Giants, who were afraid someone would move up to get Miami tight
end Jeremy Shockey. The Giants, who also gave up a fourth-round
pick in the deal, haven't had a top tight end since Mark Bavaro.
The Titans then went for an in-state product, Tennessee's Albert
Haynesworth, the last of the four high-quality defensive tackles to
go. He was the third Volunteer chosen in the opening 15 picks.
Cleveland took care of one of its biggest holes by taking the
top-rated running back, William Green of Boston College, at No. 16.
Browns coach Butch Davis made no secret before the draft of his
desire for a feature back.
Oakland swapped its No. 21 pick to Washington for the 18th spot
-- the Redskins also got a third-rounder -- and then dealt with
Atlanta for the 17th pick. The Falcons acquired No. 18 and a
fifth-rounder.
For their maneuvering, the Raiders got ball-hawking cornerback
Phillip Buchanon, the third Miami Hurricanes player taken in the
opening round.
Atlanta, using the pick from Oakland, added to an already deep
backfield with running back T.J. Duckett of Michigan State. That
could signal the end of Jamal Anderson's career with the Falcons.
Denver, which never found a replacement for Ed McCaffrey after
he was injured in the 2001 opener, found one in the draft: junior
Ashley Lelie of Hawaii.
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren then made a trade with his former
team, giving the Packers the 20th overall spot and a fifth-rounder
for No. 28 in the first round and the Packers' second-rounder.
Green Bay used the 20th pick for Florida State receiver Javon
Walker, generally regarded as a second-rounder.
Washington coach Steve Spurrier, with a chance to take his
former receiver at Florida, Jabar Gaffney, instead sent the 21st
spot to New England. The Super Bowl champions took Colorado tight
end Daniel Graham and gave up picks in the first (32nd overall),
third (89th), and seventh rounds.
Another first-round shock was provided by the New York Jets, who
took UAB defensive end Bryan Thomas. The Jets, who needed a tackle
on their defensive line, have drafted three ends in the last three
years.
Oakland aided its defense even more, adding the top-rated
linebacker, Napoleon Harris of Northwestern, to Buchanon. Then
Baltimore, in a rebuilding mode just one year after winning the
Super Bowl, took yet another Miami Hurricanes player, safety Ed
Reed, possibly to replace Rod Woodson.
The Hurricanes tied the record for most first-rounders, five,
when cornerback Mike Rumph was chosen by San Francisco with the
27th pick. Southern California had five in 1968.
Before Rumph, DE Charles Grant of Georgia went to New Orleans at
No. 25 with the Dolphins' pick that was part of the Ricky Williams
deal, and cornerback Lito Sheppard of Florida was selected 26th by
Philadelphia.
Seattle took the third tight end, local product Jerramy Stevens
of Washington, at No. 28. Chicago followed with Boston College
tackle Marc Colombo and Pittsburgh drafted another tackle, Kendall
Simmons of Auburn, who also can play guard.
St. Louis took UCLA's Robert Thomas, just the second linebacker
chosen in the first round. He went 31st, then the Redskins
completed the round with quarterback Patrick Ramsey of Tulane.
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