Palmer heads list of draftees
by Rawly Bransom , Reporter

 

    Saturday's NFL draft begins the road toward next year's Super Bowl.
    Carson Palmer is this week's king. Not only is the Heisman trophy winner expected to go first, but many teams might make a trade with Cincinnati to get "the best player in the draft."
    Palmer finished last season with 309 of 489 passes (63.2 percent) for 3,942 yards, 33 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in 13 games. He also ran for four touchdowns on 50 carries and broke the old school record of 3,425 yards set in 1993. In the Orange Bowl Palmer went 21 of 31 passes for 303 yards.
    So, Cincinnati takes Palmer, but do not be shocked if they do not trade down for a running back and a pick as well. Cincinnati needs a lot of help in a lot of areas, and a guy like Palmer would not be able to fix all the holes they have.
    So we might see a last second trade, from maybe Cleveland or St. Louis, for multiple draft picks, or maybe even a surprise pick in the running back area or defensive backfield.
    Detroit has the number two pick, and if Cincinnati shocks the world and doesn't pick up Carson Palmer, then Detroit will. If Palmer is gone, then look for either Ken Dorsey of Miami or Rex Grossman from Florida to be picked up here.
    Houston already has its quarterback of the future in David Carr, so look for Houston to pick up some offensive power on the outside with a quality receiver such as Florida State's Anquan Bordin or take a risk with South Carolina receiver James Adkinsson. Adkinsson, who was set up to be South Carolina's primary receiver, had an early knee injury that slowed his progress.
    With Chicago's needs, expect them to think D. They could pick up All-Big-10 linebacker Matt Wilhelm from Ohio State or maybe go for Miami's defensive tackle William Joseph, who led the team with 29 pressures last season.
    Bill Parcells' Cowboys have the number five pick and hopes of another great draft class. Last year's number one pick, Roy Williams, was an instant contributor and led the team in tackles after Darren Woodson went down. Hoping to repeat that success, the Cowboys will definitely choose carefully.
    Look for the Cowboys to go for cornerbacks early. Dallas should have its choice of any cornerback in the draft, but Texas cornerback Roderick Babers seems to be leading the pack of Cowboy interests.
    Not all the excitement will be in the first round though. Watch for some surprise picks throughout the draft. Quarterbacks like Chris Simms from Texas and Kliff Kingsburry of Texas Tech could go anywhere from late first round to even fifth or sixth round depending on whatever a team wants.
    Miami running back Willis McGahee could go in any round. During the National Championship game last year, McGahee received a nasty knee injury which required surgery the very next day.
    Don't worry over McGahee though; one day before the game, McGahee took out a very lucrative insurance policy on his legs.