Anyone shocked that Drew Brees wound up in San Diego just wasn't listening to what Mr. Cool was saying before the draft. In an interview almost three weeks before draft day, the Purdue quarterback told SportsLine that the Chargers had sent a "serious" armada of coaches and front-office types to Indiana to work out, chalk test and interview him.

If the Chargers had LaDainian Tomlinson and Brees in mind all along, much of their public process of interviewing and pumping up Michael Vick was strictly a smokescreen in hopes of creating a market for the raw Virginia Tech QB who was generally rated the No. 1 prospect strictly on potential. The Falcons were the only team that even made an offer, which shows most teams had clear doubts about how long it might take to polish Vick into an NFL quarterback.

The Michael Vick intrigue will be one of the legacies of the 2001 draft. (AP)

If Brees turns out to be a big-time guy, a lot of teams -- Pittsburgh, Detroit, Miami, Carolina, Oakland, etc. -- are going to have some explaining to do about why they passed on drafting him in the first round. It also will be fun to see in coming seasons to see if the Cowboys (Quincy Carter of Georgia) and Raiders (Marques Tuiasosopo of Washington) knew more or less than the experts when they were accused of the felonious draft crime of seriously "reaching" for their QB prospects in the second round.

And if Vick turns out to be the great QB some believe -- Joe Theismann just about needed a sedative raving about Vick during ESPN's draft coverage -- the Chargers are still covered. They can always say they wanted Vick but could not in good conscience pay his heavy asking price while he sat on the bench while learning his trade the next few years.

Football columnist Bob Glauber had this take in Newsday:

"Upon further review, I'm convinced the Chargers had no intention of taking Vick, even if the Atlanta Falcons didn't offer to trade up to No. 1 from the fifth overall spot. In spite of Chargers officials' raves about the kid, they were simply too scared of his lack of experience and passing accuracy.

"The reason there were contract problems with Vick's agents in the days leading up to the draft was because the Chargers simply didn't want to get the deal done. Simple as that."

Glauber (and many others) also got in some rips on the Cowboys' owner/big cheese/personnel expert: "Why did Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones trade away two third-round picks to move up to pick Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter in the second round? He should have stood pat and taken Carter later, considering most experts had him going as low as the sixth round. And even if Carter were gone, why not go for Chris Weinke or Mike McMahon of Rutgers? Time for Jones to hire a general manager and stop calling the personnel shots."

Broncos board: Barlow or bust

One of the things that make the NFL Draft such a fun trip is the difference of opinion. The Denver Post reported that the Broncos, even with a backfield loaded with 1,000-yard rushers Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson, tried to trade up in the third round to draft Pitt back Kevan Barlow. The Broncos had Barlow rated even on their draft board with Tomlinson, the fifth overall pick. If Denver's rating is close, San Francisco got a sweet bargain when it took Barlow with the 80th overall pick before the Broncos could get a deal done. Six tailbacks were taken between the first (Tomlinson) and Barlow.

If Barlow is as good as Denver rated him, other choices such as Chicago's Anthony Thomas (second round, 38th overall) and Cleveland's James Jackson (third round, 65th overall), may require some explaining, too.

Hard to dismiss Denver's judgment on running backs, not when you consider Davis was a sixth-round pick (196th overall), Gary a fourth-rounder (127th overall) and Anderson a sixth-rounder (189th overall), and now are all NFL 1,000-yard rushers ...

The Kansas City Star reported that the Chiefs must have really wanted Rutgers quarterback Mike McMahon in the fifth round. The team's post-draft press release mistakenly listed McMahon as the Chiefs' pick that round. McMahon was taken by the Lions one pick before. The Chiefs consoled themselves with quick Stephen F. Austin running back Derrick Blaylock after McMahon was chosen.

Lions new GM Matt Millen said he likes McMahon and his confident, edgy attitude that reminds him of another McMahon, the one who wore sunglasses in Chicago and shot moons during the Super Bowl XX buildup in New Orleans. Millen is quite a fun change from the stolid Bobby Ross regime.

Ricky changes workout approach

Among the people who took the biggest beating at the draft was Saints running back Ricky Williams, who became The Story of the '99 draft when Mike Ditka gave up his whole draft for a chance to pick the Texas star. Well, Williams has spent as much of his NFL time injured as he has healthy, and his refusal to participate in the team's off-season program (he has since, go figure, decided to join his teammates) made him a target when the Saints surprisingly drafted back Deuce McAllister in the first round with a "message" pick.

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star offered this now-prevailing opinion on Williams and some others in the post-draft haze:

"The New Orleans Saints had the best draft. Picking up running back Deuce McAllister late in the first round was a brilliant move. Former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams is an unreliable, injury-prone flake ... McAllister's arrival will force Williams to perform. If Williams doesn't meet the challenge, McAllister is a big-play back in the mold of Robert Smith ...

"The Dolphins were stupid for passing on Brees with the 26th pick. Jay Fiedler is a stiff. And I know they signed Ray Lucas during the off-season. They'll regret skipping Brees."

And Whitlock's draft ratings:

Best player in the draft: Tomlinson. He patterns himself after Emmitt Smith and figures to be only a cut below the Cowboys' future Hall of Fame back.

Fastest player: Santana Moss. Just watch him go on punt and kickoff returns.

Biggest reach: Ryan Pickett, defensive tackle, Ohio State. Rams reached way too high at 29th overall for Pickett, who might have dropped to the third round.

Overrated: Michael Vick. He has all the talent in the world, but inexperience will hurt the Virginia Tech star, especially if Dan Reeves force-feeds him into the lineup too early.

Underrated: DeLawrence Grant, DE, Oregon State. A steal for the Raiders in the third round.

Biggest question mark: Fred Smoot, CB, Mississippi State. Fell to the second round to Washington, for good reason. He's just not good enough to be as cocky as he is.

Surviving the draft

And out Boston came news that Boston College quarterback Tim Hasselbeck was bummed about not being drafted and has signed as a free agent with Buffalo. Hasselbeck's biggest claim to fame, even bigger than that his father Don being a former New England Patriots tight end or his brother Matt now being starting QB for the Seattle Seahawks, is his famous girlfriend, Elisabeth Filarski. She is a fellow BCer and one of four left standing on this season's version of CBS smash Survivor. Miss Elisabeth has become a prime-time American princess in the process.

But now is not the time to ask Tim about Elisabeth. The draft hurts many feelings.

"I'm almost glad to be in the situation I'm in now," he told the Boston Globe in a free-agent mantra. "I'm mad about not being drafted, and I'm disappointed. I feel people made a mistake by not taking me. I'm going to try my best to make the team and prove people wrong."

No word yet on whether Elisabeth is interested in trying to survive a Buffalo winter ...

The draft, with its complete dictionary of clichés, is great fodder for humor. Denver Post quipmeister Jim Armstrong offered this one: You'll be glad to know that Florida State defensive end Jamal Reynolds, the Packers' No. 1 pick, has 9-inch hands and "plays at a low pad level." It says so right here in these silly bios the league hands out. Too bad the Broncos couldn't have gotten Ohio State cornerback Nate Clements. He's a "hard hitter with good muscle definition." A football player with good muscle definition? No ...