April 21, 2001 SportsLine.com wire reports

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins got the receiver they needed, then picked a cornerback who could make it easier to say goodbye to Deion Sanders.

In his first draft as Redskins coach and director of football operations, Marty Schottenheimer took big Clemson receiver Rod Gardner with the No. 15 overall pick Saturday.

Schottenheimer then used his second-round selection (No. 45 overall) on Mississippi State's Fred Smoot, a projected first-rounder with Sanders-type confidence.

"I come there with a chip on my shoulder, with something to prove," Smoot said. "I'm like Warren Sapp and Randy Moss right now. Everybody that went past me will pay."

Days before the draft, reports surfaced that Smoot had faced a drug possession charge stemming from a small amount of marijuana found at a party he attended in November. The charge was dropped, and Smoot denied using drugs at the party.

"There was a single incident in which he was involved at a party with a number of people," Schottenheimer said. "As far as the state of Mississippi is concerned, it is no longer an issue."

Schottenheimer said the Redskins did "considerable background work" on Smoot and had him rated as the top cornerback in the draft.

"Quite frankly, it was not a difficult choice to make," Schottenheimer said.

Sanders is playing baseball in the minors and is expected to be promoted to the Cincinnati Reds next month. Schottenheimer reiterated Saturday that he expects Sanders to report to training camp in July -- an unlikely event -- and cutting Sanders after June 1 would save Washington millions this year under the salary cap.

Smoot wouldn't mind taking Sanders' place.

"God is setting me up to be the best that ever played the game," Smoot said.

Schottenheimer began the day hoping to trade down for more picks. Instead, he found a much needed player available both times the Redskins went on the clock, and only a major trade offer would have dissuaded him.

"When we realized Rod was the guy, we were no longer looking to move down," Schottenheimer said after the first-round pick.

The choice of Gardner was further evidence that Schottenheimer has been given true control of football operations by owner Dan Snyder. Former Redskins personnel director Vinny Cerrato said on Saturday that Snyder was big fan of Miami receiver Santana Moss.

Moss was available when the Redskins' turn came up, but Schottenheimer said Moss' size -- 5-foot-10, 175 pounds -- was cause for concern.

"Dan and I discussed before the draft a number of scenarios," Schottenheimer said. "We talked about what Gardner gives us. He said, 'Do what you think is best."'

In the last two months, the Redskins lost receivers Albert Connell and James Thrash to free agency and cut Irving Fryar in a salary cap move. Kevin Lockett was signed, but he's more of a third-down player, and Michael Westbrook is coming off a knee injury.

Gardner has size -- 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds -- and showed the ability to make the tough catch when draped by a defender. That should fit well into Schottenheimer's short-game, West Coast offense anchored by quarterback Jeff George.

"We wanted a wide receiver," Schottenheimer said. "This wide receiver gives us an opportunity to do the things we want to do. When Jeff had his best year up in Minnesota, he threw the ball to big, strong receivers.

"You don't get nearly as wide open in this league as you might in college, and (Gardner) showed an ability to make plays in contested situations. That to me was the key thing."

Scouts said Gardner's downsides are his speed and an occasional lack of concentration that causes him to drop the easy ones.

"There's some discussion about his speed, but in all the video I looked at he kept running by people," Schottenheimer said. "He does not have great 40 time on the track, but if you watch him run in the games, he runs pretty fast."

Gardner was a two-year starter at Clemson, where he had a school-record 166 career receptions for 2,498 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last year, he caught 58 passes for 1,050 yards and seven touchdowns.

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