Bledsoe Is Projected as Top NFL Draft Pick

After some top underclassmen announced last week that they were entering the NFL draft, the face of the first round was altered significantly. By our projection, eight of the first 13 players and nine in the first round of the draft will be juniors.

One of those juniors is Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who is the favorite to be the top pick April 25. New England owns that pick and could trade the choice, especially considering the uncertain status of its front office.

But, say Bill Parcells is the new coach of the Patriots. Does he rebuild his team around a quarterback or a linebacker in the mold of a Lawrence Taylor? If Parcells is involved, look for the Patriots to take Florida State linebacker Marvin Jones, another junior.

Here is the projected first round: (Team/projected pick/Comment)

1. New England Patriots/Drew Bledsoe, QB, Washington State/New owner, new coach, new quarterback.

2. Seattle Seahawks/Rick Mirer, QB, Notre Dame/Maybe they will trade up to get Bledsoe.

3. New York Jets/Marvin Jones, LB, Florida State/He can’t slip any further than this.

4. Phoenix Cardinals/Eric Curry, DE, Alabama/Pass-rush specialist can’t be ignored.

5. Cincinnati Bengals/Lincoln Kennedy, OT, Washington/Need to fill the hole left by Anthony Munoz.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers/John Copeland, DE-DT, Alabama/Bucs are building a formidable front four.

7. Chicago Bears/Garrison Hearst, RB, Georgia/Neal Anderson ain’t what he used to be.

8. Detroit Lions/Willie Roaf, OT, Louisiana Tech/Some rate him higher than Kennedy.

9. New York Giants/Forfeited pick by taking Duke QB Dave Brown in the supplemental draft.

10. Atlanta Falcons/Patrick Bates, S, Texas A&M;/Exactly what Glanville’s defense needs.

11. Los Angeles Rams/Jerome Bettis, FB-RB, Notre Dame/Ideal fit in Ground Chuck’s backfield.

12. Cleveland Browns/Curtis Conway, WR, Southern Cal/Too good of an athlete to pass up.

13. Los Angeles Raiders/x-Natrone Means, RB, North Carolina/The Eric Dickerson experiment is over.

14. Denver Broncos/Sean Dawkins, WR, California/A post-Christmas gift for John Elway.

15. Green Bay Packers/Ryan McNeil, CB, Miami/Need a bookend to go with Terrell Buckley.

16. Indianapolis Colts/Lester Holmes, OL, Jackson State/Time to start taking care of Jeff George.

17. Washington Redskins/Irv Smith, TE, Notre Dame/Need to add a special one to the package.

18. Kansas City Chiefs/Brad Hopkins, OT, Illinois/Need to restock both tackle spots.

19. Houston Oilers/Dan Williams, DE, Toledo/A player who could rise.

20. Minnesota Vikings/Wayne Simmons, OLB, Clemson/Some teams love him; some don’t.

21. San Diego Chargers/O.J. McDuffie, WR, Penn State/Help for Anthony Miller, Stan Humphries.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers/Dana Stubblefield, DT, Kansas/Steelers are too small where it counts.

23. Philadelphia Eagles/Deon Figures, CB, Colorado/Projected higher by some scouts.

24. New Orleans Saints/Carl Simpson, DL, Florida State/Will get offensive help via free agency.

25. Miami Dolphins/Glyn Milburn, RB, Stanford/Another weapon for Dan Marino.

26. San Francisco 49ers/Demetrius DuBose, LB, Notre Dame/Outside or inside, a solid draft choice.

27. Buffalo Bills/Andre Hastings, WR, Georgia/Lofton is aging; Kelly needs more targets.

28. Dallas Cowboys/Todd Kelly, DE, Tennessee/Speed rusher who fits the Dallas scheme.