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Pick 6 Led by QBs, draft shaping up to be top-heavyPosted: Wednesday March 06, 2002 12:15 PM
Six prospects are emerging as the top talent for April's draft. And when two franchise quarterbacks are available, it's considered a good draft -- no matter what else is out there. If you believe everything you read, it seems Houston is a lock to take David Carr. Not so fast. Joey Harrington had to accomplish four things at the combine last weekend to set up a heavyweight quarterback duel:
If the Texans can convince teams in the next few weeks that they like Harrington, Charley Casserly will start getting some calls about his No. 1 pick. After finding a guy who can throw the ball, the rule of thumb dictates that you look for someone who can go after that guy. Defensive end Julius Peppers could easily be the top pick in a year without a big-time quarterback. One defensive coordinator told me, "I know the guy could be treating me to a trip to the Pro Bowl next year if we move up to take him." Offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie was just as impressive in Indy. One GM said, "Into our interview room came this 6-foot-8, 343-pound mountain of a man who looked lean, confident and I just knew he was going to Honolulu 10 times before it's all over." A great draft also always has a great cover corner. I asked every secondary coach whether any corner has a chance to be the next Deion Sanders. The name I heard from everyone was Quentin Jammer. Teams will try to move up because cover corners are hard to find; a few clubs feel they will have to get ahead of Detroit's third pick if they want Jammer. And by the way, could there be a better name for a corner than "Jammer?" The final piece to an exceptional top group is defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. He was initially targeted as a second-round pick but he's rising like a rocket. He surpassed teammate John Henderson during the weekend when Henderson struggled in the football drills and lacked explosion in the jumps. Obviously, opinions change. Think back to last spring, when the National Scouting Service rated Carr tied with Stanford's Randy Fasani for third among quarterback prospects, behind Kurt Kittner and David Garrard. Harrington was ranked 11th. Now, a year later, Carr and Harrington could be the first two picks in a top-heavy draft. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated.
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