Mike Williams just made someone a lot of money.
The Southern California receiver had nothing to do with it, of course, but some lucky guy in Saturday's first round will be there because Williams isn't. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit took care of that Monday by upholding the NFL's draft-eligibility rules.
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| Mike Williams might have to hope for a supplemental draft.(AP) |
Surprisingly, though, their college careers aren't exactly over if they don't get into the draft. The NCAA told SportsLine.com on Monday there is an appeals process. Players have regained eligibility in other sports after turning pro and signing with an agent. Typically, if the athletes are reinstated, they are first suspended for a number of games because they have accepted money from an agent.
Williams is more likely than Clarett to return to school. Although, he is not taking classes this semester, he still has two years of eligibility and might be welcomed by Trojans coach Pete Carroll, who understands the pro process completely.
"We don't know yet if this is a permanent situation," Carroll said of Monday's ruling. "But it is unfortunate that it continues to turn back and forth for these guys. They don't know where they stand.
"We'll continue to help our guy out, just like we did when he was making his decision. ... Nothing definitive has been declared by the NCAA. Some steps would have to be taken for the players to get back into college football."
USC would have to start the process after consulting with Williams. The NCAA has a group that deals with eligibility reinstatement. It would look over the case and make a ruling. If USC didn't agree with it, it could appeal to an eligibility reinstatement committee of its peers.
Clarett's case is a bit more dicey. He was suspended by the school last year and, like Williams, is not taking classes this semester. Both players might have to take summer school classes to get eligible for the fall.
"We will look at each case separately," NCAA president Myles Brand said. "We will not prejudge them in any way. The NCAA is working hard to be student-athlete friendly. In this case it means we will give full consideration in applying our rules in a timely way to each individual."
Short of returning to college, the best Williams and Clarett can hope for is a supplemental draft. Their options still aren't dead even for this weekend's draft. They could also play in the Arena League or Canadian Football League. NFL Europe is not an option.
Clarett wasn't judged a first-round pick, but Williams was projected by some in the top 10. If he doesn't get into the weekend roulette, then someone -- who knows who? -- just picked up first-round money because of his absence.
1. San Diego -- Eli Manning, QB, Mississippi. Marty Schottenheimer is desperate to trade down. He once won in Kansas City with Steve DeBerg at quarterback. What does he need with a young, competent quarterback?
2. Oakland Raiders -- Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh. We love Fitz, but how is Rich Gannon going to stay upright if the offensive line isn't addressed?
3. Arizona Cardinals -- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Miami (Ohio). Is the Josh McCown era over? Better question: When did it ever start?
4. New York Giants -- Robert Gallery, OT, Iowa. Safest, best pick in the draft. Gallery is guaranteed to be around in 10 years still de-cleating guys.
5. Washington Redskins -- Kellen Winslow Jr., TE, Miami. Can't pass up this perfect combination of speed, pass-catching and mad blocking skills. Joe Gibbs is getting a sixth offensive lineman, too, if he takes K2.
6. Detroit -- Sean Taylor, S, Miami. Stock is rising because of awesome hitting ability and flexibility to play corner at 6-feet-2, 225 pounds.
7. Cleveland -- DeAngelo Hall, Virginia Tech, CB. Not many teams' best player is a cornerback, but that's what Hall was at Virginia Tech. He is a bargain here because he returned punts in college.
8. Atlanta -- Vince Wilfork, DT, Miami (Fla.). He has a little bit of Chester McGlockton in him, but when Wilfork wants to bring it, he can't be stopped.
9. Jacksonville -- Kenechi Udezi, DE, Southern California. Deep at receiver, Jags will go after defensive line first.
10. Houston -- D.J. Williams, LB, Miami (Fla.). Quick with a nose for the ball. Jonathan Vilma was more steady. Williams made the spectacular plays at Miami.
11. Pittsburgh -- Philip Rivers, QB, North Carolina State. Rivers should be shopping for homes in the Pittsburgh area. The franchise is selling out totally for this talent that has shot up the draft board despite an unorthodox delivery.
12. New York Jets -- Chris Gamble, CB, Ohio State. Fantastic athlete Jim Tressel couldn't keep off the field. Rangy size will befuddle quarterbacks and receivers.
13. Buffalo -- Roy Williams, WR, Texas. Imagine Drew Bledsoe being bracketed by Eric Moulds and Williams.
14. Chicago -- Will Smith, DE, Ohio State. Pure sack artist who will improve the Bears' defense immediately.
15. Tampa Bay -- Steven Jackson, RB, Oregon State. The best back in a thin running-back pool. Jackson showed he could catch in college.
16. San Francisco -- Reggie Williams, WR, Washington. Probably will need some seasoning, but has a body similar to -- dare we say it -- Jerry Rice.
17. Denver --Lee Evans, WR, Wisconsin. The Broncos moved up in the trade with the Bengals so they could take a receiver. Evans is seen as an immediate-impact guy despite knee surgery in 2002. Possibly the fastest receiver in the draft with a 4.39-second 40.
18. New Orleans -- Jonathan Vilma, LB, Miami (Fla.). Yeah, he's undersized, but he's smart and just keeps making plays.
19. Minnesota -- Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech. The Vikes addressed corner with the signing of Antoine Winfield. That allows them to go after backfield help in the first round.
20. Miami -- Jacob Rogers, OT, Southern California. Dolphin Nation wants a sexier pick, but believe us, this guy might be more valuable to the Fish than any skill player available.
21. New England -- Darnell Dockett, DT, Florida State. The Patriots are well on their way to having the best draft with the Corey Dillon trade. That frees them up to address the defense with their two first-round picks.
22. Dallas -- Vernon Carey, OG, Miami (Fla.). Versatility. Carey can play both guard and tackle.
23. Seattle -- Randy Starks, DT, Maryland. Perfect replacement for the retiring John Randle.
24. Cincinnati -- Will Poole, CB, Southern California. Played one year at USC and gets himself into the first round. Poole should still be available here after the trade with Denver.
25. Green Bay -- Derrick Strait, CB, Oklahoma. With Mike Williams off the board, it might be smart to concentrate on the weakness in the secondary. Strait is a little undersized, but he's tenacious as a lock-up corner.
26. St. Louis -- Rashaun Woods, WR, Oklahoma State. Mike Martz can never have enough good receivers.
27. Tennessee -- Tommie Harris, DT, Oklahoma. Dropping like a rock. Harris was able to dominate college players, but he needs to be a two-gap player in the NFL. Coming out a year early apparently didn't help his chances.
28. Philadelphia -- Michael Clayton, WR, LSU. Aside from Terrell Owens, the Eagles receivers look malnourished. Clayton adds bulk, speed and the possibility of a nice bookend for T.O.
29. Indianapolis -- Dunta Robinson, CB, South Carolina. A shutdown corner is needed badly. Robinson is the best of a core of good corners that will go late first and/or early second.
30. Kansas City -- Michael Jenkins, WR, Ohio State. Chiefs might draft a defensive tackle at this spot but the brass was adamant earlier in the week that their top three needs were receiver, kicker and defensive tackle. Jenkins is slight (6-4, 217) but his potential is limitless. When he did get the ball in Jim Tressel's conservative offense, he excelled.
31. Carolina Panthers -- Ben Troupe, TE, Florida. Not as good a blocker as Winslow but a lot of people thought Troupe was just as good a pass-catcher in college.
32. New England -- Daryl Smith, LB, Georgia Tech. Plenty of options here for the Patriots. Smith is essentially a second-round pick at this spot, but he has plenty of upside.
