NEW YORK (AP) -For a league so in love with the passing game, NFL teams probably won’t exactly be rushing to take wide receivers right away in the draft.
Yes, Michael Crabtree’s a coveted prospect, and his talent will eventually be too much to ignore. But for most teams, picking a pass-catcher is a task that can wait.
Crabtree aside, it’s possible all the other talents in this year’s draft – Jeremy Maclin, Kenny Britt, Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks and others – will have to wait until early Saturday evening and possibly later to hear their names called.
In a draft with few superstars and possibly not as talent-rich as some others, teams are even more uncomfortable spending first-round money on a player unlikely to be a consistent game-changer.
ll said.
That said, it’ll be hard for too many teams to pass on Crabtree, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder with the body control of a ballet dancer. Of course, a recently discovered stress fracture in his foot will give some teams pause, too.
After the Texas Tech star comes off the board, there’s plenty of talented, but not flawless, receivers available.
Maclin was a star in Missouri’s high-octane offense, and has shown fearlessness over the middle, but his route-running needs some work. Florida’s Harvin was an even bigger star in college, but durability and size concerns will keep him on the board for a while.
Britt of Rutgers, Nicks of North Carolina and Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland also could be taken in one of Saturday’s two rounds. And all have the talent to contribute to championship NFL teams.
Eventually.
Throw in a rough economy and the possibility of a 2010 season with no salary cap, and teams will probably be looking for a more immediate return from a high pick.
“It’s the year before going into an uncapped year, you’ve got different signing issues on picks than you had last year, and so this year is going to be a real challenge in the first round,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
the first time since 1967, though eight of the next 20 picks were wideouts.
One team likely to be looking for a receiver with its first pick is Chicago. The Bears recently acquired Jay Cutler – and gave up three picks to do it. Denver got this year’s No. 18 pick, a third-rounder and a first-round selection in 2010.
Chicago’s first selection will be at No. 49 overall. Getting Cutler someone to throw to seems like a logical move.
“The receiver position is certainly something that we’re looking at strongly for the obvious reasons, but I don’t want to rule out other players at other positions that we feel will be better players, in all honesty, that could help our football team as well,” Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said.
Angelo said he doesn’t want to pick a pass catcher who turns out to be “just a vanilla cone.”
“We want to come out with something that has some sprinkles on it or has a little twist to it,” he added. “Bring a little playmaking ability to the position and that’s what we’re fixed on. If we don’t feel we’re going to get a little twist to this guy, then we don’t want to take him. We want a guy who has a little juice to him.”
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AP Sports Writers Gregg Bell in Seattle and Rick Gano in Chicago contributed.
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