Ever since Tom Brady received his Super Bowl MVP trophy in January, football fans have been waiting for this coming weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, 261 aspiring professional athletes will be one step closer to realizing their dream when they are selected in the 2002 NFL draft. Teams that just missed last year will reload and try again, hoping to find that one player that will put them over the top. Of course, football fans can watch it all live on ESPN and hear analysts endlessly discuss bench presses, 40-yard dash times and the potential for greatness regarding players who will likely play in anonymity for the next few years. But that won't stop fans from speculating that Patrick Ramsey will be the next Dan Marino or Julius Peppers the next Lawrence Taylor. The only thing for certain is that few, if any, seniors on the Virginia football team will hear his name called this weekend.
Everyone knows whose name will be called first, however. After striking a seven-year deal with Fresno State quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist David Carr, the expansion Houston Texans will begin building around the young franchise-signal-caller-to-be. Carr may not be one of the best quarterbacks to ever come out of the draft, but with 4,839 yards passing and 46 touchdowns in his senior year, he is a solid No. 1 selection.
Although Carr has the potential to be a cornerstone player for the Texans, don't expect him to make an immediate impact. Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch was in Carr's shoes three years ago and is just beginning to emerge as a solid quarterback with enough options to throw to on offense.
North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers will be the likely No. 2 selection after he met with and impressed the Carolina Panthers' ownership. After watching Peppers wreak havoc on the Virginia offense in his four-year career at North Carolina, I expect Peppers to enjoy a fine NFL career, though visions of an LT clone may prove to be a pipe dream.
After the Panthers choose Peppers, the draft order could be changed significantly through trades. The key to the draft is Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington. Widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the draft, Harrington is a very attractive option for QB-hungry teams like the Washington Redskins. Do you think Daniel Snyder will let Steve Spurrier start the season with Danny Weurffel and Sage Rosenfels as the team's top options at quarterback? Unfortunately, the Redskins pick 18th and Harrington is unlikely to fall past both the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 8 and the lowly Cincinnati Bengals at No. 10. So Harrington should fall somewhere in the top 10, right? Not necessarily. Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil has faith in incumbent Trent Green and wants to select one of the talented wide receivers in the draft to help him out. Don't put it past the Bengals to give super-bust Akili Smith another shot at the starting job. They are the Bengals, after all. Even Harrington is acting like he won't be a top-10 pick by declining the league's invitation to the draft, an honor that is usually bestowed upon players the NFL feels destined to go early in the first round.
With this uncertainty over Harrington's status and the emergence of Tulane quarterback Patrick Ramsey as an attractive alternative for many teams, any team that drafts before the Chiefs will likely be offered deals for their picks. The Detroit Lions, who need talent at all the key positions, may be tempted to trade the No. 3 pick for more picks or a package of current NFLers and late first-round selections. Any team that trades down to get more selections will always have the opportunity to draft Ramsey, who has the talent to surprise people, given an adequate supporting cast.
Most teams will end up selecting a player few fans have heard of, who has impressed the experts with his ability to lift up a small car. Some will prove to be gems; most will struggle to be average. Even Carr could turn into the next Rick Mirer or Heath Shuler. But for two days only, reality will be suspended, and even sub-par professionals can bask in the hype of being the next big thing.
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