Monday-morning quarterbacking the picks
Arizona: The Cardinals are famous for fouling up drafts, but things appear to be changing for the better in the desert. Dennis Green, a Bill Walsh disciple, is in his second year as coach and has a clear idea of how to turn that franchise around. When Tennessee, drafting sixth in the first round, surprisingly took West Virginia cornerback Adam Jones, Green quickly snapped up the highest-rated corner two spots later, Antrel Rolle of Miami, then bagged a productive if diminutive running back in the second round, J.J. Arrington of Cal, followed by two third-round picks for another versatile corner and blue-chip linebacker.
Dallas: The consensus around the league is that Bill Parcells outperformed everyone. The Cowboys coach wants to switch to a 3-4 defensive alignment and, with two first-round picks Saturday, selected speed and might. It began with defensive ends Demarcus Ware from Troy, and Marcus Spears from LSU. Parcells took highly regarded linebacker Kevin Burnett of Tennessee in the second round.
Cleveland: The Browns have a new brain trust in general manager Phil Savage, who came from Baltimore, and coach Romeo Crennel, who came from New England, and they've made an early impact. Sitting at No. 3 in the first round and targeting the best receiver in the draft, Braylon Edwards of Michigan, the Browns didn't bite on a trade offer from Miami to move up to No. 2. Holding firm, the Browns took Edwards, and in the second and third rounds landed Oklahoma safety Brodney Pool, first-round material, and possibly underrated quarterback Charlie Frye of Akron.
Minnesota: The only flaw of Mike Tice's offseason was getting caught selling Super Bowl tickets. Other than that, the Vikings go to the head of the class for shrewd moves in free agency and the draft. With two first-round picks, courtesy of their trade with the Raiders for Randy Moss, they grabbed a speedy receiver in South Carolina's Troy Williamson and continued to patch their defense, starting with touted Wisconsin pass-rusher Erasmus James. Lower picks Sunday were interesting, too.
Buffalo: The Bills didn't have a first-round pick because they swapped with Dallas last year, nor were they able to deal disgruntled veteran running back Travis Henry to move up. By the time their turn arrived in the second round, the running backs and offensive linemen they coveted had vanished.
Denver: The Broncos, also without a first-round pick, drew attention for boldly selecting former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett to conclude Saturday's first three rounds after using their previous three picks on cornerbacks. The jury is out on Clarett's readiness after a year of inactivity, and the run on corners with other roster needs was puzzling.
Seattle: The scuttlebutt from the Seahawks' war room was that their trade bids went nowhere, except for a minor deal with Oakland, and thus they didn't get the prime defensive help they sought. They chose Mississippi center Chris Spencer in the first round from a not-too-deep crop of offensive linemen.
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