Trojans should heat up cold draft next spring

Daily Trojan - Sports

By Dan Greenspan

Since when has the job duties of an NFL general manager come to overlap with those of your friendly neighborhood ticket scalper?

"Hey, buddy, I got a Patrick Surtain for ya. All I need is a second-round pick. Come on, a three-time Pro Bowl corner for a second - it's a bargain."

"Who needs the No. 1 overall pick in the draft?"

"Need an offensive tackle in the 15 to 25 area of the first round."

The NFL draft begins next Saturday morning in New York City, but nothing is certain at the top of the board.

There is no Carson Palmer, Ron Mexico - excuse me, I meant Mike Vick - David Carr or Eli Manning waiting to be taken first and be made into an instant millionaire.

Instead, everybody holding one of the first few picks is looking to bail out faster than Terrell Owens from his current contract.

Without a must-have prospect, the San Francisco 49ers are being pushed into making a decision between California quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Utah's Alex Smith.

Uh oh.

New 49ers coach Mike Nolan must be developing his first stress ulcer as he decides who is the lesser of two evils.

It might not be the epic (at the time) Manning versus Leaf debate, but it's close.

Rodgers held his own against the powerful USC defense, setting an NCAA record of 23 straight completions and leading the Golden Bears to an overall mark of 10-2. He has the physical tools and can certainly dink-and-dunk a team to death.

But he is a Jeff Tedford protégé, and everybody knows the "Tedford curse" has produced a series of noteworthy busts in the NFL.

Smith possesses tremendous intelligence, but took nearly all his snaps from the shotgun.

Rodgers can deliver much sooner, but Smith has the upside.

Or the 49ers can choose Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards, who somehow passed ex-Trojan Mike Williams as the dominant wideout in the draft.

Apparently, Edwards caught 10 balls for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl, but I can't remember any one of them.

Why is that?

Oh, yeah, because the Wolverines lost that game.

But I do remember a big man wearing No. 1 in cardinal and gold burning UCLA for 11 catches, 181 yards and two scores in about five minutes of work a couple of years ago.

The team of Montana, Young and Rice could take Auburn's fabulous tailback Ronnie Brown. The H2 who split time with the Cadillac has a perfect mix of size (6-foot-2), speed (4.4 40-yard dash) and skills for the pro game.

Or Texas stud linebacker Derrick Johnson, whose "bolo punch" can create instant turnovers for a defense that produced only 35 last season.

Sorry.

Too much money invested in the obnoxious duo of Kevan Barlow and Juilan Peterson.

The trouble extends from the Bay Area to South Beach and everywhere in between.

That is the problem with the 2005 NFL draft.

Too much uncertainly at the top.

Too many bargains later on.

My advice for everybody unsure about 2005: wait 'til next year.

Because coach Pete Carroll has a one-stop talent shop for all you scouts, pundits and GMs.

Heisman Trophy-winner Matt Leinart? Available in 2006.

Mr. Electric Reggie Bush? Available in 2006.

The powerful LenDale White? Available in 2006.

Master of the one-handed catch Dominique Byrd? Available in 2006.

Hard hitting safety Darnell Bing? Available in 2006.

Top offensive linemen such as Winston Justice or Deuce Lutui? Available in 2006.

He's even gone through the trouble of finding a terrific punter for you.

So NFL, line up your season tickets and sit-downs with coach Carroll. Get those scouts to South Bend for October 15 and South Central for December 3. Print up jerseys with No. 5, 11 and 20, among others, and set up the caps at MSG.

Think Miami.

Think LSU.

Think Ohio State.

Because USC is the new premier talent factory. And it's just warming up.

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To comment on this article, e-mail dtrojan@usc.edu or call (213) 740-8829.