Draft heavy with tackles; No. 1 pick already signed

NEW YORK -- Expect an emphasis on bulk in the NFL draft. There are six coveted tackles who have a ton of talent and a total weight of 1,963 pounds.

As the late George Young said when he was general manager of the New York Giants: "I'm a 'Save the Whales' guy."

So, apparently are a lot of other GMs and coaches, even in a sport where there's been an increasing emphasis on speed.

Like last year, the No. 1 pick Saturday is set -- the expansion Houston Texans have signed Fresno State quarterback David Carr.

He is expected to be the main building block for a franchise that got some remarkably good players in the expansion draft and have signed more good ones during free agency. Carr probably will sit for a while behind journeyman Kent Graham, but could become a starter relatively early in the season.

The run on big men should come quickly -- at the same time the intrigue begins over Joey Harrington of Oregon, the other quarterback rated a first-rounder.

The second choice, by Carolina, which finished 1-15 last season, is expected to be defensive end Julius Peppers of North Carolina, who checks in at a mere 6-foot-6 and 283 pounds.

Then, somewhere in the top six or seven picks, the two mammoth offensive tackles will go -- Mike Williams of Texas, who weighs 375, and Bryant McKinnie of Miami, 343.

Mixed in with them will be the defensive guys: Ryan Sims of North Carolina (311 pounds), Albert Haynesworth (320) and John Henderson (306) of Tennessee, and Wendell Bryant (308) of Wisconsin. None of the six whales is expected to last beyond the 12th or 13th pick.

Harrington, meanwhile, could go anywhere in the top 10 -- or even beyond.

Detroit, which picks third, is acting as though it wants him. So might Kansas City, which picks eighth.

But what the Lions apparently would prefer is getting some team -- Cincinnati or Washington, perhaps -- to trade up for Harrington and give them extra draft picks. If that doesn't happen, Detroit probably will choose cornerback Quentin Jammer of Texas.

"There are a lot of questions in the top four," says John Butler, general manager of the Chargers, who pick fifth. "It's a little hard for us to know what will happen until our choice comes up. You don't know what kind of deals will be made early."

Peppers is probably the best all-around player in the early group, athletic enough to have played basketball at North Carolina until this year and good enough at that sport to be a borderline NBA prospect. With a premium on pass rushers, he would have been the first choice of many teams.

"If I had the first pick in the draft, I'd take him," Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil said. "Julius Peppers is one of those guys who comes along every 10 years. A bigger Deacon Jones."

Peppers and maybe Carr, Williams and McKinnie have futures as stars, but remember that last season's rookies of the year, running back Anthony Thomas of Chicago and linebacker Kendrell Bell of Pittsburgh, were drafted in the second round.

This draft is unusual in the positions that are well stocked.

It's thin on running backs. William Green of Boston College, T.J. Duckett of Michigan State, and possibly Clinton Portis of Miami are the only projected first-rounders. Napoleon Harris of Northwestern is the only sure first-rounder at linebacker.

But there are rarely this many solid defensive linemen available, plus ends Charles Grant of Georgia and Kalimba Edwards of South Carolina.

Safety Roy Williams of Oklahoma, a top 10 pick, will be the first player at that position to go that high since the Browns took the late Eric Turner at No. 2 overall in 1991. Jeremy Shockey of Miami and Daniel Graham of Colorado should be chosen in the middle of the first round -- they play tight end, a position that has produced few high picks lately.

Another twist is that there are three guards who could go in the first round -- Toniu Fonoti of Nebraska, Andre Gurode of Colorado and Kendall Simmons of Auburn.

Two teams have two first-round picks -- New Orleans at 13 and 25, courtesy of the trade that sent Ricky Williams to Miami. Oakland has 21 and 23, the first compensation from Tampa Bay for coach Jon Gruden. The Dolphins and Bucs are the only teams without a first-rounder for now.

National champion Miami could have six players taken in the first round: McKinnie, Shockey, cornerback Philip Buchanon, safety Ed Reed and maybe Portis and cornerback Mike Rumph.

Patrick Ramsey of Tulane has been moving up and might even be the third QB taken in the first round.