I tried pasting the article here but it was too long so I am inserting the link..

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/columns/story?columnist=smith_michael&id=2419503

4/24/2006 1:09:29 PM

long read

but quality

4/24/2006 1:15:55 PM

mario is a beast

4/24/2006 1:18:43 PM

have we ever produced a #1 NFL draft pick?

4/24/2006 1:20:18 PM

i thikn Roman Gabriel might have been a #2, but thats' the closest we've gotten

4/24/2006 1:23:12 PM

Roman went number one in the AFL draft also


but no, we've never had a #1 pick in the NFL

4/24/2006 1:31:18 PM

I think the no.1 pick is awesome but I am just worried that it is highly probable that Mario is not the popular choice in Houston and the kind of reception he is going to get.. the extra pressure on him etc etc.

4/24/2006 1:32:45 PM

Great article and the guy makes some great points.

4/24/2006 1:34:09 PM

It'd be cool, but I'm about 99.99% convinced Bush is going No. 1.

4/24/2006 1:34:10 PM

If the texans don't trade the pick to someone else in the top 4, they are the biggest idiots I have ever witnessed.

there are 4 players in this extemely front loaded draft that could go #1 in almost any other draft (Leinart, Bush, Williams, and Ferguson) and the texans would be a better team with any of them, plus they would have an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick, whatever they can get for the #1.

What I would do is trade the #1 with the Jets, who will most likely take Leinart, then the Saints, who have a QB and a RB, get Williams, then the Titans will have to choose between a possible bust or great QB Young, or take an unexpected (that he is still on the board) Bush.

When the #4 pick rolls around, if Bush is still there, take him, and if not get D'Brick. even if they trade with the #5 or 6 team, there are still no bad choices there. Either D'Brick is likely to still be there, or they will "have to" draft hometown hero Young, who, even if he doesn't turn out to be incredible (up in the air) he will still boost attendance like crazy.

The only bad choice they could make, IMO, is not trading the pick. They have so many holes to fill, and one player, whether an amazing RB or an amazing DE, will not fill them.

4/24/2006 1:35:18 PM

Quote :

"The Pac-10 said Sunday it will investigate the reported connection between a home where Reggie Bush's family lived and a man who sought to market the Southern California star tailback. "

http://sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9392472

more reason to go with mario

4/24/2006 1:35:19 PM

i think mario would beat reggie . . . of course, he would have to be able to catch him first

4/24/2006 1:39:53 PM

As a spin off... Peter King on SI

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/04/24/mmqb/index.html

4/24/2006 1:44:12 PM

i really hope mario doesnt end up with the saints, but its lookin that way

4/24/2006 1:44:47 PM

There could not be a better draft for trading down. I would take Mario #1 for the same reasons Michael Smith pointed out. I just don't see the point in a stud RB if you don't have the other pieces in place to let him do his thing. A stellar pass rush makes your secondary better.

4/24/2006 2:12:37 PM

awesome article

4/24/2006 2:14:10 PM

Doesn't P-Riv technically count as a #1 pick?

4/24/2006 2:45:26 PM

meh Mel kiper said manny had a much better cahnce to make an immediate impact than mario today.

4/24/2006 2:52:09 PM

Quote :

"There could not be a better draft for trading down."

Wrong. This is a terrible draft for moving down, which is why it isn't happening. If Houston could actually move down decently, they would have already. You can't move down without having any buyers.

Sure Houston could move down to the Jets pick, but why the hell would the Jets want to move up to #1? Sure they'll get Bush, but to do so, they have to spend upwards of twice as much money & have to give up a #2 also. The difference in talent between the top 7 (counting VY, Davis, Hawk) is marginal, so why would you pay much more money & give up another high pick to move up.

Bush is good, but he's not worth 3 players (the 2 picks to get him & the sizeable cap space lost that could go to a FA)

The good drafts for moving down are those that have clear cut top picks (Vick/Manning/etc.), which are significantly above other high picks.

4/24/2006 2:54:41 PM

There aren't any people moving up because it is such a good draft. Teams are comfortable with what they can get at their position. You only move up when you feel there isn't enough talent left at your position. I mean if you don't trade up to get Mario or Bush then you have to "settle" for D'Brickshaw, Hawk, etc... not shabby at all. The draft isn't artificially infalted with QB's, RB's and WR's this year. The first round is LOADED with quality. Hell, the second round is beefy.

4/24/2006 3:17:09 PM

Which is exactly why this is a terrible draft to try to move down. Marginal talent differences. I wasn't saying the draft was wattered down, just that the top picks are similar.

4/24/2006 3:25:07 PM

Quote :

"meh Mel kiper said "

4/24/2006 3:25:48 PM

lol just stating not agreeing

4/24/2006 3:26:49 PM

Mario was just on ESPN for a small Crosshairs piece. he said he used to work at Subway, and would eat the chicken sub quite often. he said of course he didn't lose weight like Jared did, haha. Mario made a funny. i thought it was cool that he was wearing his State letterman jacket, and his jersey underneath. way to rep NC State Mario.

4/24/2006 3:28:46 PM

http://googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=Mario+Williams&word2=Reggie+Bush


pwn3d

4/24/2006 3:36:39 PM

front page of http://www.espn.com

4/24/2006 3:43:39 PM

Quote :

"I can't say I've been to a school where they train me to be mentally tough."

wtf?

4/24/2006 3:53:05 PM

^you may want to rethink the tone of your post.

4/24/2006 3:56:22 PM

lol

4/24/2006 4:06:03 PM

Get Your Own Personal Mario Williams Autographed N.C. State collectors football before he goes top 5 in the NFL DRAFT on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MARIO-WILLIAMS-Signed-Autographed-Football-NC-State-NFL_W0QQitemZ8801500608QQcategoryZ73401QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pictures and Prices on website to verify authenticity.

4/24/2006 4:11:09 PM