Forget about Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Matt Leinart... the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft will be Mario Williams.
Yes, that's Mario Williams of N.C. State.
Williams is the first non-quarterback taken first overall since 2000, and only the second defensive player to go first since 1993. His selection will continue the trend of NFL teams shying away from drafting running backs at #1. The reason why? Running backs have very limited shelf lives. Since 1982, only two RB's have gone #1 -- Bo Jackson and Ki-Jana Carter -- and both had their careers shortened by injuries. That may well have been a factor in Houston's decision NOT to select Reggie Bush.
Amazingly, of all the great players to come through the ACC, Super Mario is the FIRST to be the NFL's #1 pick. Mind you, there is an asterisk here: Roman Gabriel of State went number one in the AFL draft in 1962. (Ernie Davis of Syracuse was the NFL's number one that year).
So State can lay claim to not one, but TWO number one picks. And that puts the Pack in some very elite company.
Since 1936, there have been 77 Number One Picks. (That number includes the AFL drafts conducted between 1961 and 1966, and it also includes this year's draft since Mario already has a contract.) During that time only seven schools have had more than two #1 picks. Those schools? Southern Cal (5), Notre Dame (5), Auburn (4), Ohio State (3), Georgia (3), Stanford (3) and Texas (3).To put that in perspective, State now has more #1's than such football factories as: Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA and LSU. Those schools all have one apiece and, believe it or not... Florida and Florida State have a combined total of ZERO number one picks!
Bottom line? There's been some football played on Tobacco Road, too...
Mario should have some first-round company Saturday. Manny Lawson, Williams' running mate at defensive end, is projected to be a mid-first-round pick. The various mock drafts online have him going as high as 12 (to the Browns), but if I were betting on this I'd pick Miami at 16. (Of course, betting on the NFL Draft would be one terribly bad investment...)And there may be a third: Pack DT John McCargo's getting some late first round looks. The Bears are said to really like him at 26, and let's face it... they know a thing or two about defense in the Windy City.
I caught up with NC State coach Chuck Amato shortly after the Mario-#1 story broke, and he understandably had the look of a proud Papa. When I asked him what having two -- and possibly three -- first round picks would mean for his program... Amato smiled and said, "It means we know how to recruit defensive linemen!"
Well said! And well done for three outstanding defensive linemen.
