Ellington

When the 2003 NFL Draft began Saturday, everything appeared to be going as planned.

The Cincinnati Bengals began draft day with quarterback (QB) Carson Palmer already under contract. The Heisman trophy-winner from USC was the only sure thing during the first round of the draft. Palmer, who may spend most of next year as backup for Jon Kitna, will look to join as a tandem with ex-Husky Corey Dillon, heading the Bengals' offensive attack.

Palmer will need to hurdle the expectations of a number-one draft pick, while also trying to break the stigma of the Bengals' horrid draft history. Since the 1992 draft, the Bengals have "qualified" for 10 different top-10 draft slots. These picks have wielded such epic busts as QB David Klinger, (running back) RB Ki-Jana Carter and QB Akili Smith.

While this may be a heavy burden to carry for Palmer, he has the strict fundamentals and necessary size to become the franchise quarterback so desperately needed by Cincinnati.

Five uneventful and particularly expected draft picks followed the Bengals' selection. The Detroit Lions, who publicized their interest in Michigan State wide receiver Charles Rogers, selected the athlete to provide a target for Oregon alumnus Joey Harrington.

The Houston Texans snagged wide receiver (WR) Andre Johnson of Miami with the third pick to complement sophomore QB David Carr. The Jets took highly touted defensive lineman Dewayne Robertson at number four, followed by cornerback Terence Newman going to the Cowboys and defensive lineman (DL) Jonathan Sullivan going to the Arizona Cardinals.

After an unremarkable and rather boring hour spent on the first six picks, the Minnesota Vikings were on the clock, and, like a repeat of 2002, decided to add an unexpected twist to the draft.

On draft day, teams are allotted 15 minutes each to make their first-round draft picks or to trade their picks to a different team. The Vikings, led by coach Mike Tice, failed to complete the 15-foot trek up to the draft table to submit their draft card. The card was not submitted in time.

Not in time? What happened, Mike, did you pull a hamstring? Drop the draft card? After months of preparation for this day, what could possibly hold you back from submitting your draft card within the subscribed time?

Tice insisted that his crew had confirmed a trade with the Ravens, but the Ravens had not confirmed with the league. Consequently, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the following pick, were on the clock, while the Vikings had the opportunity to submit their choice at any time.

The Jaguars' organization was on top of the situation -- moving faster than Randy Moss' Lexus through a controlled intersection -- selecting Marshall QB Byron Leftwich immediately. Despite Leftwich's recent injuries, expect him to gain the future QB throne in Jacksonville, succeeding UW alumnus Mark Brunell.

With the Jaguars stealing the Vikings' draft slot, the Carolina Panthers were then on the clock.

Within seconds, the Panthers decided upon Utah offensive tackle Jordan Gross, dropping the fumbling Vikings further down the draft list.

Finally, the Vikings crawled their way to the draft table -- selecting DL Kevin Williams of Oklahoma State -- a pick their representatives insist was their choice from the beginning of the fiasco.

The Baltimore Ravens, who had nearly beaten the Vikings in a dash to the draft table, immediately followed by selecting the highly scrutinized Terrell Suggs of Arizona State. Suggs, who pummeled Husky QB Cody Pickett with four sacks in last season's Husky vs. Sun Devil match up, went on to set the NCAA record with 24 sacks in a year. However, many teams have voiced concern over Suggs, because after months of training, he could not produce a time under 4.6 seconds in a 40-yard sprint at his recently publicized workouts.

Following the Ravens, the Seattle Seahawks sat with the 11th pick. Not surprisingly, the Seahawks jumped at the opportunity to select WSU center back (CB) Marcus Trufant. Many thought Trufant would go to the Vikings with the seventh pick. But Saturday was not a day for the Vikings to follow conventions. Expect Trufant to be the necessary catalyst, and an excuse for the Seahawks to finally trade the ever-whining Shawn Springs.

The New Orleans Saints picked DL Jimmy Kennedy in the 12th slot, which closed out the selection of superstar athletes. The remainder of the draft was a jostling of second-tier athletes who permeated the class of 2003.

Only one other collegiate standout remained -- Heisman trophy-finalist Willis McGahee of Miami, an RB. McGahee fell to the 23rd pick of Buffalo after suffering three torn ligaments in his knee during the Hurricanes' championship-game loss to Ohio State. Despite the injury, McGahee was still the first RB chosen in the draft, four picks ahead of another Heisman finalist, Larry Johnson of Penn State, who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Seahawks' draft day was considered a success due to the acquisition of Trufant. However, Seattle's primary objective in the draft was to select a promising DL to upgrade the NFL's most poorly run defense. However, the Seahawks were distracted from picking up one of numerous DLs in the draft when Trufant fell to the 11th slot. Seattle's only DL pick came in the sixth round, leaving many 'Hawk fans concerned.

Despite strong representation of Pac-10 athletes in the draft, the Huskies' weak senior class failed to graduate to the pros when no UW players were chosen in the seven-round affair.

Husky prospects included tight end (TE) Kevin Ware, WR Paul Arnold, inside linebacker (ILB) Ben Mahdavi and outside linebacker (OLB) Kai Ellis. Of the four, Ware had the most likely chance of joining a team at his natural position, while the others would most likely only see special-teams duties in the NFL.

Joining these Washington athletes in the undrafted pool was the Cougars' QB Jason Gesser, who is widely considered by NFL scouts as undersized. He and teammate Rien Long took the biggest-losers-on-draft-day title. Long, who was expected to stay for his final season in Pullman, chose to offer his unproven self on draft day. Concerns over his ability to perform at the level of the 2002-03 season dropped Long to the fourth round.

While the 2003 NFL Draft was a production featuring relatively weak athletes, the day was once again highlighted by the Vikings' blunders and Mel Kiper Jr.'s stylishly flowing hair. In 2004, the UW campus may once again swell with pride, when a few of our athletes are finally chosen in the draft -- maybe even a lucky one in the top 10. Let's just hope Reggie doesn't get chosen by the Bengals.