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Quarterback class thin this year
Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2000 03:21 PM
In an era of elusive quarterbacks, NFL teams are finding quality prospects at that position in this year's draft are precisely that -- elusive. Chad Pennington is likely to be the only quarterback taken in the first round, a far cry from last year when there were five first-rounders. Pennington separated himself from this year's class by demonstrating a quicker release and better all-around passing skills than Chris Redman at the Senior Bowl, and his speed is intriguing to teams looking for someone in the Steve McNair mold. Redman is more likely to go to a team whose offense features a stand-still quarterback -- someone like the Patriots, Cowboys or Giants. But don't be surprised to see Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski, a legitimate offensive weapon, taken before a second quarterback is drafted.
For the most part, the immediate impact players in the backfield will be running backs. Thomas Jones, a fast, cutback type has been called "a mix between Barry Sanders and Fred Taylor," and he could be the first to go, though some teams are wary of the fact that he's only 5-10. Shaun Alexander, Jamal Lewis and Heisman winner Ron Dayne all should go in the first round. One team has Lewis as the top back on its board. Kansas City's Gunther Cunningham, a defensive-minded head coach, who prefers giving the ball to a big, grind-it-out clock-killer, would likely take Dayne even if one of the others fell to the 21st pick. Three teams desperately in need of running back help -- the Patriots, Dolphins and Chargers -- do not have first-round picks. But there is enough depth that there might be some quality around when they finally get on the clock. J.R. Redmond and Travis Prentice will be productive second-round picks, as will Reuben Droughns, whose history of injuries has forced some teams to back off -- that's the same kind of doubt that caused Curtis Martin to slip all the way to the fourth round. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer.
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