The old adage that it "takes two to tango" was never more obvious than in the opening rounds of the NFL Draft on Saturday, when a paucity of trades converted war rooms around the league into what one NFC general manager called "bore rooms."

For the first time since 1983, there were no first-round swaps. The second round produced only two trades, both minor deals. Tampa Bay and Carolina switched picks and the Panthers picked up the Buccaneers' choice in the fourth round. Near the end of the round, Tennessee traded its choice to Philadelphia for choices in the third and fifth rounds. There were no trades in the third round.

The lack of action was counter to what most general managers, and SportsLine.com as well in its draft preview on Friday, felt would occur. In a draft in which subjectivity reigns, the tendency is generally to move up and down the draft board in pursuit of "need" players, those who might fill specific needs for a team. But this draft defied logic and convention from the time it reached the No. 5 overall pick, when Baltimore kept its choice instead of trading back from that spot.

Most general managers contacted Saturday night by SportsLine.com cited two factors for the lack of trade action: Those teams that wanted to trade down found very few buyers in a draft that had few marquee players. The franchises that wanted to move up the board found the cost of doing business prohibitive.

"From what you were hearing," said Green Bay vice president of personnel Ken Herock, "teams just overpriced the spots they wanted to trade out from. When the draft started, everyone seemed to be braced for a lot of action. But nothing ever developed. Once it got past the No. 5 (Ravens) and No. 6 (Philadelphia) spots and there weren't trades there, you got the feeling that maybe there wouldn't be many deals."

Certainly the No. 5 spot was a lightning rod for offers all day Friday and for a while on Saturday morning. When the Ravens reached a contract agreement with unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Sam Adams of Seattle early Saturday morning, an accord first reported by SportsLine.com, it appeared that Baltimore would trade its choice to a team wanting to move up to take Florida State defensive tackle Corey Simon. Instead the Ravens kept the pick and drafted Tennessee tailback Jamal Lewis, who has a chance to be an immediate starter.

Baltimore fielded trade offers from Green Bay, which offered its first-, second- and fourth-round picks to move up for Simon. There also were proposals from Oakland and the New York Jets. While they were on the clock, the Ravens phoned the Packers and sought first-, second- and third-round picks for their spot, but Green Bay didn't even respond to that offer.

By two-thirds of the way through the round, according to personnel directors, there weren't even teams making calls trying to move up or down. An indicator of how tough deals were to come by: For a week, Washington personnel director Vinny Cerrato phoned teams apprising them that his third-round pick, the second choice in the round, was for sale.

Cerrato was seeking extra picks in the fourth or fifth rounds but couldn't find anyone willing to deal and was forced to keep the pick and take North Carolina State cornerback Lloyd Harrison. He noted, however, that Harrison was such a value pick for the Redskins that they probably would not have traded even if the opportunity to do so was there.

"But the bottom line," said Cerrato, "is that no one called back. It just seemed like teams would identify players they wanted and then figure the guy would be there when they picked."

Dubious strategy I

Because they overpriced the No. 5 overall choice and had to use the choice rather than trade it, the Ravens also will end up overpaying for Lewis. There seems little doubt that the Ravens, who went into the draft with the goal of netting two offensive skill-position players with its pair of first-round choices, could have gotten Lewis more toward the middle of the round.

They probably could have made the much-rumored trade with Green Bay, moving down to the No. 14 spot overall, and still landed Lewis.

Now having taken Lewis (No. 5) and Florida wide receiver Travis Taylor (No. 10), they probably will be forced to pay more than $10 million in signing bonuses. Had they moved down the board, the Ravens might have been able to reduce that out-front outlay by 40 percent or more.

One note on Taylor, which reflects the differences of opinion over prospects in this draft: Denver coach Mike Shanahan, who generally likes Florida receivers, had Taylor assessed as a third-round prospect. One NFC East general manager didn't feel that Taylor was as good as Gators alums Reidel Anthony (Tampa Bay) or Ike Hilliard (New York Giants).

The Brown deal

The contract agreed to by Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown with Cleveland on Saturday morning is for seven years and $45 million. With additional incentives, the total could hit $56 million. Brown will receive a signing bonus of $10.9 million and the contract voids after the first three seasons if the Nittany Lions star reaches certain predetermined performance levels.

Brown will earn about $14 million in his first three seasons and then it is believed that there is a buy-back structure that will earn him, in essence, a second signing bonus. Word is that Brown's signing bonus is stretched out over three years, as Cleveland did last year with quarterback Tim Couch, the first pick in the 1999 draft.

Cornering the market

Carolina surprised some people with its first-round choice of Jackson State cornerback Rashard Anderson, the physical kind of cover player coach George Seifert prefers. But the Panthers have a trio of veteran cornerbacks already and the speculation in Carolina already is that one of those players will be eventually released or traded.

The current starters are Eric Davis and Doug Evans, the latter a disappointment in his two years with the Panthers. The team also signed unrestricted free agent Jimmy Hitchcock of Minnesota earlier this spring. Seifert and personnel director Jack Bushofsky claimed Anderson's selection will not necessarily mean the departure of a veteran, but the Panthers have way too much salary cap room tied up now in corners.

Dubious strategy II

Rollicking kicker Sebastian Janikowski will fit in nicely with traditionally rowdy Oakland fans, but it's still hard to justify the team's decision to use the No. 17 overall pick in the entire draft on the former Florida State star. Raiders officials pointed out that all eight of the team's defeats in 1999 were by 7 points or fewer and a total of 34 points. In fact, Oakland lost three games by only a field goal.

"We had identified him as a guy we had to get in this draft and we didn't feel like he would be there for us in the second round," said coach Jon Gruden. "People can say what they want, but he is a difference maker, especially the way the game is played now, with so many close outcomes. I think he'll make more impact on our team than any position player we would have taken."

Perhaps so, but there are plenty of ways to make up less than a touchdown a game, including the selection of a skill position player like wide receiver Sylvester Morris of Jackson State, a player who was available when the Raiders chose Janikowski and who fit one Oakland need. Then again, the Raiders took punter Ray Guy in the first round of the 1973 draft, so no one should have been too shocked at Saturday's unconventional move.

Certainly Janikowski, who technically could still be deported to Poland if he is found guilty of bribing a police officer to reduce charges against a friend, wasn't surprised.

"Hell, I'll win as many games as some of those running backs and wide receivers will," said the colorful kicker. "I think it makes sense. The league hasn't seen a kicker like me in a long time, so why not spend first-round money on a guy who is going to win you football games?"

That stance aside, most personnel directors panned the Raiders' decision. Noted one: "If he gets booted out (of the country), he's going to need the strongest leg in history to make field goals all the way from Poland."

Janikowski is only the third place kicker in NFL modern history to be chosen in the first round, joining Steve Little (Cardinals, 1978) and Russell Erxleben (New Orleans, 1979). There have been only seven kickers or punters selected in the first or second round of the draft since 1970.

Dillon foiled

What probably was the last hope for disenchanted Cincinnati Bengals tailback Corey Dillon to be traded away evaporated when the Seattle Seahawks selected Alabama tailback Shaun Alexander with the No. 19 choice in the first round. Had the Crimson Tide star slipped just two more spots, to the Kansas City choice at No. 21, there was a good chance Dillon would have been sent to the Chiefs. The Bengals would then have taken Alexander with the choice gained from the Chiefs.

While there was not a contingency deal in place for such a trade, as some broadcast reports had indicated, officials from both teams told SportsLine.com the odds were good that a deal would have been consummated. But the Bengals needed to be in position to select a replacement for Dillon and Alexander was the last first-round caliber tailback to go off the board.

Kansas City officials actually spoke to Dillon and agent Marvin Demoff on Saturday, to see if the player would at least sign the one-year qualifying offer made to him by the Bengals, a move that would have been necessary for the trade. A player cannot be traded unless he is under contract.

"I would have signed whatever was necessary to get the heck out (of Cincinnati)," said Dillon, who reiterated his threat to sit out the first 10 games of the 2000 season and play only in the final six contests, the number necessary for him to be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. "I wasn't about to get my hopes up (for the trade), but I sure am crushed now. But my plan hasn't changed. They didn't get a back to replace me and they won't have me for a long time, either."

Pennington miffed at Steelers

Don't invite Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher to dinner together. Pennington claimed Cowher phoned him on Friday and told him that if he was on the board at the No. 8 pick in the first round, the Steelers were prepared to draft him.

Indeed, Pennington was available and Pittsburgh passed on him to instead select Michigan State wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

"The guy gave me his word," Pennington said of his conversation with Cowher. "He flat-out said they would take me. I mean, I'm not a stupid guy, so I don't think I misunderstood the message he was delivering. I figured I was their guy. Talk about feeling like an idiot."

Pennington and his family hosted a party for four dozen family members and friends on a boat and the quarterback noted that when the Steelers did not select him, he "felt like jumping over the side. It was kind of an embarrassing thing for me. But things turned out all right in the end."

The New York Jets, who actually had attempted earlier in the week to trade up in the first round for a shot at Pennington, selected him with the No. 18 overall pick.

This marked the third time in seven drafts that Pittsburgh used its first-round pick on a wideout, and it would be a stretch to say the Steelers have reaped the benefits of those choices. Pittsburgh took Charles Johnson in 1994 and Troy Edwards in 1999.

No quarterback quandaries

The scouts all noted in advance what a poor draft this was for quarterback prospects and then went out and proved it on Saturday. Of the 94 choices in three rounds, only three were passers: Pennington, Gio Carmazzi of Hofstra (San Francisco, third round) and Louisville's Chris Redman (Baltimore, third round).

Still on the board heading into Sunday are Tee Martin (Tennessee), Tim Rattay (Louisiana Tech), Tom Brady (Michigan), Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech), Todd Husak (Stanford) and Marc Bulger (West Virginia), among others.

The 49ers floated a lot of smoke about their interest in Martin and Rattay, but considered the former too erratic and inaccurate and the latter not mobile enough for their system. They seemed to keep their preference for Carmazzi a pretty good secret, except to the player and his agent. The Niners like the Hofstra star's movement skills, accuracy and smarts. They auditioned him a few weeks ago and came away very impressed.

Risers and fallers

Outside of Oaklands' choice of Janikowski, there weren't many stunning events on the first day of the 65th draft. But two players who were expected to be only second-round picks, wide receiver R. Jay Soward of Southern California (Jacksonville, No. 29) and tailback Trung Canidate (St. Louis, No. 31), went in the first round. Soward is a terrific playmaker, clearly one of the most skilled offensive performers in the draft, but most teams backed off him because of a series of past off-field problems.

The selection of Canidate, arguably the fastest tailback in the draft, reinforced the notion that the Rams love speed and players who can go the distance from anywhere on the field. Two years ago, Canidate had touchdown runs of 48, 66 and 80 yards.

In addition to the first-rounders, there were a few "risers" -- players who went significantly higher than projected -- on the first day. Among them were defensive end Michael Boireau if Miami (Minnesota, second round), safety Travares Tillman of Georgia Tech (Buffalo, second round) and Tulane wide receiver JuJuan Dawson (Cleveland, third round).

There were far more "fallers" on the day, including the offensive line trio of Cosey Coleman of Tennessee (Tampa Bay, second round), Adrian Klemm of Hawaii (New England, second round) and Todd Wade of Mississippi (Miami, second round), All were projected as possible No. 1 picks. Safety Deon Grant of Tennesse fell all the way to the 57th overall pick before Carolina ended his slide in the second round. Georgia Tech wideout Dez White lasted until pick No. 69 before he was grabbed by Chicago. Defensive end Darren Howard, another player expected to be taken in the first round, didn't go until the second stanza, to New Orleans. In the first round, it was expected that Syracuse linebacker Keith Bulluck would go about the midway point, but he dropped all the way to pick No. 30, the next-to-last choice in the round, to Tennessee.

Black is back

Earlier this month, SportsLine.com opined in a feature that the traditionally black universities, which had not contributed a first-round pick to the draft since Pittsburgh selected North Carolina A&T offensive tackle Jamain Stephens in 1996, were making a comeback. Saturday certainly bore that out.

A pair of players from Jackson State, wide receiver Sylvester Morris (Kansas City) and corner Rashard Anderson (Carolina), were selected in the first round. It marks the first time Jackson State had a first-rounder since Lester Holmes (Philadelphia) in 1993. Jackson State had two players taken in the '75 lottery, all-time leading rusher Walter Payton (Chicago) and linebacker Robert Brazile (Houston Oilers).

After being selected, Morris phoned Anderson -- at that point still on the board -- to see how his close friend was doing. In the middle of the conversation, Morris was cut off. Turns out it was Carolina officials asking the operator to break in on Anderson's phone line.

"For us to be only the second (tandem) from our school in the first round, and for Walter Payton to be one of the other guys, that's an honor," Morris said. "We play a good brand of ball. I know everyone says it's just Division I-AA, but we have guys capable of playing in the league. I think the black schools definitely are on the way back and this should help. Kids are going to take some notice of this and realize that, if you're good, the scouts will find you."

The triplets

The Bengals attempted to trade veteran wide receiver Carl Pickens in the days preceding the draft and then phoned several possible suitors on Saturday. But at the end of the day, the malcontent wideout still was on the roster and is likely to stay there.

Coach Bruce Coslet agreed the team will use more three-wideout sets now. Pickens and Darnay Scott will line up at the outside receiver positions and first-round pick Peter Warrick in the slot. Owner Mike Brown has been urging Coslet to go with more three-wideout formations and now it appears he'll get his way.

Operating out of the slot, where he will draw single coverage most of the time, will hasten the progress of Warrick, the former Florida State star agreed. "I don't think," he said, "there are a lot of safeties or linebackers who are going to want to line up against me. You put me one-on-one and you're going to get six (points) a lot of times."

Warrick insisted he was not disappointed at having dropped out of the top overall spot in the month leading up to the draft and said he is looking forward to playing in Cincinnati. The Bengals feel that he will team with second-year quarterback Akili Smith, scheduled to start this year, to serve as the young foundation for a revamped passing attack.