Buffalo
Pick to watch: Price. A good second-round value, he can have an immediate impact on the passing game.
Analysis: John Butler, the Bills' personnel chief, has a good reputation and he did well for a team drafting late, The Bills hit on their first two picks. Both filled needs because they've been hurting on the corner since Jeff Burris left a year ago and they needed another receiver to go with Eric Moulds now that Andre Reed is 35.
Grade: B
Indianapolis
Pick to watch: James. He has to prove he's as good as Ricky Williams.
Analysis: Bill Polian is a man with the courage of his convictions. If he took Williams and Williams was a bust, nobody would have blamed him. But now that he has taken James, he's on the hot seat. If James doesn't make it big, the move will be remembered as one of the biggest draft gaffes ever.
Grade: C
Pick to watch: Collins. His off-the-field problems make him a major gamble even as a fifth-rounder.
Analysis: Jimmy Johnson, who likes to wheel and deal, came up with a nifty move while drafting a new backfield in the second round. Since there were no running backs worth taking with the 24th slot in the first round, he traded down 15 picks to get the runner he wanted, Johnson. He then added Konrad as his fullback. On top of that, he gambled on Collins.
Grade: A
New England
Pick to watch: Faulk. He has to show he's big enough to replace Robert Edwards.
Analysis: The Patriots were stymied in their bid to trade up for a running back, but then made a strange move by giving up two picks to trade up for Woody, who probably would have been on the board three picks later. They got their running back in the second round in Faulk, but he's probably not big enough to carry the load. They probably lost ground in the division to Miami and Buffalo despite having two first-round picks.
Grade: D
Pick to watch: Thomas. The Jets' first pick was 57th overall.
Analysis: Bill Parcells got himself with his first-round pick because that selection went to the Patriots as the final piece of the package the Jets sent to New England to get the coach. That meant 56 picks were off the board before he selected Thomas to fill a need. Parcells, though, was worth the first-round pick.
Grade: C
AFC Central
Cincinnati
Pick to watch: Smith. How long will it take him to beat out Jeff Blake?
Analysis: Cornerback was their top need, but they bypassed Champ Bailey and waited until the second round to take Fisher. In the first round, they felt they couldn't pass on Smith, even though he had just one big year. Smith's play will determine the fate of this draft. The Bengals hope he's not another Jack Thompson or David Klingler. They added another quarterback, Covington, in the seventh round.
Grade: C+
Cleveland Pick to watch: Couch. The future of the franchise is on his shoulders.
Analysis: It's hard to not have a good draft with all the extra picks the Browns had. They may have gotten starters with their first four picks, but they didn't manage to get a running back until the final round. Couch, though, will make or break this draft.
Grade: B+
Jacksonville
Pick to watch: Smith. He has to upgrade the defensive line.
Analysis: There's no doubt the Jaguars have to improve their defense to take some of the burden off quarterback Mark Brunell's shoulders, so he doesn't have to outscore opposing teams all the time. That's why the Jaguars went strictly with need choices in the first two rounds, taking a defensive back and a defensive tackle and wound up going for defense with seven of their eight picks.
Grade: B-
Pick to watch: Edwards. He has to help Kordell Stewart get back on track.
Analysis: It was no surprise the Steelers selected the best available wide receiver. Edwards was the third receiver taken in the first 13 picks, but they had to get one and bypassed defensive end Jevon Kearse to take him. They also went with need with their next three picks until they made Zereoue their second third-round pick. That seemed to be one position where the Steelers were set.
Grade: B-
Tennessee
Pick to watch: Kearse. He needs to give the Titans a better pass rush.
Analysis: The Titans' top priority was to get a pass rusher, and they tried to trade up to get Kearse. They failed, and he still fell to them at No. 16. The question is whether he can play full time on running downs. They traded down in the second round and got more defensive help in Thornton.
Grade: B-
Denver
Pick to watch: Wilson. He can push middle linebacker Glenn Cadrez.
Analysis: The Broncos had a solid draft, selecting five players in the first three rounds and 12 overall. The problem is that it'll be tough for many of the draftees to make the team. The Broncos might have been better off packaging some of them to move up in the first round, but they failed in an attempt to do that.
Grade: B
Kansas City
Pick to watch: Cloud. He needs to combine with Bam Morris to give the Chiefs a running game.
Analysis: The Chiefs waited in the 14th slot while there was a run on quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Ten of the first 13 players picked were at those positions. The result was that the best offensive lineman, Tait, was still on the board and they grabbed him. Cloud should help a team whose top back now is Morris, the former Raven.
Grade: B
Oakland
Pick to watch: Stinchcomb. He has to prove he wasn't a reach at the 18th overall pick.
Analysis: The Raiders were looking for an offensive lineman and only two of them were off the board when they made the 18th pick. They then raised a few eyebrows by picking Stinchcomb over several linemen who were rated higher than him on most boards. But then Al Davis has always done things his way and there's no reason to change now. He only got three picks in the first four rounds.
Grade: C-
San Diego
Pick to watch: Fazande. The Chargers usually like players from small schools, but their top pick was actually from Oklahoma.
Analysis: The good news for the Chargers is that general manager Bobby Beathard didn't trade his 2001 first-round pick. He already had traded away his first-round pick in 2000 last year. He also couldn't resist players from obscure schools, including South Dakota State, McNeese State and Northern Alabama.
Grade: D
Seattle
Pick to watch: Huard. Mike Holmgren will try to turn him into the next Brett Favre.
Analysis: Operating without a second-round pick (he had to give it to Green Bay for letting him leave), Holmgren traded down twice in the first round to get three picks and then took King. But his key pick was grabbing Huard in the third round. Developing quarterbacks is his forte and he'll try to help Huard rebound from a subpar senior year.
Grade: B
Arizona
Pick to watch: Shelton. He'll be expected to replace Lomas Brown.
Analysis: The Cardinals were willing to trade down from the eighth to the 11th spot with Minnesota, which wanted cornerback Chris McAlister. The Cardinals then would have taken John Tait as the man to replace Brown. But when Minnesota wouldn't make a good offer, they stayed in the eighth slot to take Boston, then got their lineman in Shelton with the second first-round pick.
Grade: A-
Dallas
Pick to watch: Nguyen. One of the best stories in the draft, he's the first Vietnamese player ever picked.
Analysis: The Cowboys gave up a fifth-round pick to jump from No. 22 to No. 20 and leapfrog Arizona before taking Ekuban, even though the Cardinals planned to take an offensive lineman. The Cowboys said they were worried Seattle would trade the pick to another team that would take Ekuban. The Cowboys may have gotten bluffed.
Grade: C-
New York
Pick to watch: Petitgout. He has to prove he was the 19th-best player in the draft.
Analysis: It was no surprise that the Giants took an offensive lineman in the first round. The surprise was that Petitgout was the choice. Even the Giants said they expected most people to be shocked. They probably could have traded down and gotten him.
Grade: C
Philadelphia
Pick to watch: McNabb. Is he better than Ricky Williams?
Analysis: The Eagles, much to the chagrin of their fans, joined the club that bypassed Ricky Williams. That's going to put even more pressure on McNabb to perform well. The Eagles did get good value in the third round when they selected Brzezinski, who was a possible second-rounder.
Grade: C+
Washington
Pick to watch: Bailey. He's supposed to be the next Deion Sanders.
Analysis: GM Charley Casserly polished up his resume in case he gets fired by the next owner. When Indianapolis bypassed Ricky Williams, Casserly got eight picks from New Orleans to drop down to the 12th spot and then traded back to the seventh spot to take Bailey, the player he wanted all along. He also wound up with three No. 1 picks next year and didn't trade them away, even though he knows he might not be around next year. Casserly put the franchise's interests above his own.
Grade: A+
NFC Central
Chicago
Pick to watch: McNown. He'll try to become this year's Jake Plummer.
Analysis: It's always a surprise when the Bears, who've been shooting themselves in the foot for years, do something right in the draft. They did this year when they traded down from the seventh to 12th spot, gained four picks and still got McNown. They have many holes, so they needed the extra picks and selected 13 players, the most in the draft.
Grade: A-
Detroit
Pick to watch: Gibson. The Lions thought he was worth three picks.
Analysis: The Lions considered taking Gibson with the ninth pick, but decided Claiborne was rated too high to pass up. When Gibson was still on the board with the 27th pick, they gave up third- and fifth-round picks to move up 12 spots from the second round to grab Gibson. They think they got two blue-chippers in this draft. DeVries was a good value in the third round.
Grade: B-
Green Bay
Pick to watch: Vinson. He's the player they picked with the selection gained from the Seahawks for letting coach Mike Holmgren go to Seattle.
Analysis: The Packers have an obvious need at cornerback, so they took cornerbacks with their first three picks and added a fourth in the seventh round. They know they've got to stop the Minnesota passing game, so they loaded up at the position.
Grade: B-
Minnesota
Pick to watch: Underwood. He'll try to make a comeback after sitting out last year with a severely sprained ankle.
Analysis: Dennis Green said he doesn't draft for need, and he proved it. First, he didn't trade up with Arizona to get cornerback Chris McAlister. He then took Culpepper, who'll sit for a couple of years, and Underwood, who sat out last year with an injury. Green didn't get around to filling the cornerback need until the fourth round, when he took Wright.
Grade: D
Tampa Bay
Pick to watch: King. He'll be insurance for the future if Trent Dilfer falters.
Analysis: The Bucs were happy the top five quarterbacks were gone so they could pick McFarland without having the fans screaming for a quarterback. They then fortified the quarterback position by taking King in the second round and trading a sixth-rounder to the Ravens for Eric Zeier, a player Atlanta was willing to give up a third-round pick for last year. Tampa Bay also got the kicker it needed in the third round.
Grade: B+
Atlanta
Pick to watch: Kelly. He has to prove he was worth giving up the Falcons' first-round pick next year.
Analysis: Coach Dan Reeves wanted Kelly in the second round, so he gave up his first-round pick in 2000 to the Ravens. He's gambling the Falcons will have another good year and it'll be a late-round pick. But Kelly doesn't appear to be good enough to justify the risk. Reeves also drafted a 162-pound wide receiver (Baker) in the fifth round.
Grade: D
Carolina
Pick to watch: Terry. He'll be counted upon to upgrade the offensive line.
Analysis: The Panthers paid the price for giving up two first-round picks last year to get Sean Gilbert. If they hadn't made that deal, they could have selected Champ Bailey with the fifth pick. Instead, they didn't have a selection until they made Terry the 34th pick. Unless Gilbert revives his career in George Seifert's 4-3 defense, that move will haunt the Panthers.
Grade: D
New Orleans
Pick to watch: Williams. The one-man draft.
Analysis: Mike Ditka probably paid too much for Williams, but Ditka is so entertaining -- can you imagine any other coach welcoming Ricky Williams with a dreadlock wig? -- that you want to laugh with him, not at him.
Grade: B
St. Louis
Pick to watch: Holt. He has to show he's good enough to justify bypassing Champ Bailey.
Analysis: The Rams were surprised that Bailey was on the board at the sixth slot, but they stuck with their original plan to draft Holt. They needed cornerbacks enough to take them with the next two picks and may wind up regretting not taking Bailey. With Holt, Marshall Faulk and Trent Green, they hope they've revamped their offense.
Grade: C+
San Francisco
Pick to watch: McGrew. He'll be counted upon to make an immediate impact on defense.
Analysis: Bill Walsh was back running the draft, but he didn't seem to have the old Walsh touch as he failed to get a quarterback in a QB-rich draft. He also traded up for a short-armed defensive lineman (McGrew) in the first round, a player in the third round (Okeafor) who has flunked a marijuana test and a player (Streets) in the sixth round who probably will sit out the year with an Achilles' injury.
Grade: D
Perfect 10s?
The Ravens had the No. 10 overall pick for the second straight year, selecting cornerback Chris McAlister of Arizona. A look at the 10th picks in the NFL draft since 1987:
Year, Player, Pos., School, Team
1987 Rod Woodson, CB, Purdue, Steelers
1988 Eric Moore, OT, Indiana, Giants
1989 Eric Hill, LB, LSU, Cardinals
1990 Ray Agnew, DE, North Carolina, Patriots
1991 Herman Moore, WR, Virginia, Lions
1992 Ray Roberts, OT, Virginia,Seahawks
1993 Jerome Bettis, RB, Notre Dame, Rams
1994 Jamir Miller, LB, UCLA, Cardinals
1995 J.J. Stokes, WR, UCLA, 49ers
1996 Willie Anderson, OT, Auburn,Bengals
1997 Chris Naeole, G, Colorado, Saints
1998 Duane Starks, CB, Miami, Fla., Ravens
1999 Chris McAlister, CB, Arizona, Ravens
By position
Breakdown of selections in the NFL draft by position:
Def. back 45 Guard 18
Linebacker 33 Def. tackle 18
Wide receiver 32 Quarterback 13
RB 26 Tight end 12
Def. end 26 Center 4
Off. tackle 19 Punter 4
Kicker 3
By school
The leading schools in number of players drafted this weekend:
Florida 8 North Carolina 6 Arizona 4
Ohio State 8 Tennessee 6 California 4
Nebraska 7 Texas A&M; 6 Colorado State 4
Notre Dame 7 Virginia 6 Florida State 4
Clemson 6 West Virginia 6 Michigan 4
Georgia 6 Southern California 5 Mississippi State 4
Kansas State 6 Arkansas 4
Pub Date: 4/19/99