One trade and all the predictions may go down the drain

NEW YORK -- At the 1986 NFL draft, Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers traded down and down and down, ending up with eight players who had key roles on two Super Bowl champion teams.

Three years ago, Mike Ditka traded away New Orleans' entire draft to get Ricky Williams. The Saints are still trying to recover, although they got back some of their lost choices by trading Williams to Miami last month.

"We all know there is nothing perfect about the first round," says Tampa Bay general manager Rich McKay, who traded away his first two picks for the next two years to get coach Jon Gruden from Oakland. "It takes away from the excitement, be assured of that, and the pressure you feel early in the day. But we'll be fine."

The dealing could start early today -- with the third pick, held by Detroit. The centerpiece is Joey Harrington, the Oregon quarterback some teams think is better than David Carr, who will be taken by Houston as the No. 1 selection.

The Lions are saying they are happy with quarterback Mike McMahon, who was decent in limited appearances as a rookie last year. Is that a ploy, and might they still take Harrington? Or are they likely to be open to a trade for extra picks? It's not clear.

Buffalo is next at No. 4. If Detroit takes cornerback Quentin Jammer of Texas, the Bills might trade down to a team that really loves Harrington. The Bills probably don't want Harrington -- they're still negotiating with New England for Drew Bledsoe -- and there's nothing wrong with listening to what other teams offer.

Who has their eyes on Harrington? The Chiefs at No. 8, and perhaps the Bengals at No. 10.

Washington, which picks 18th, almost certainly wants him, too, despite what coach Steve Spurrier says about the ability of Danny Wuerffel, who won a Heisman Trophy for Spurrier at Florida but has done nothing during a five-year NFL career.

Even if there's no deal involving Harrington, there certainly will be moves, most of them in later rounds. When Bobby Beathard -- who recently signed on as a consultant with Atlanta -- was running things in San Diego and Washington, he was famous for trading up in the second round by giving up his team's first-round pick the following year.

One example of a team that might trade down this year is the New York Jets. They could try to move if the top tier of defensive tackles is gone when their turn comes at No. 22.

The Jets like defensive tackle Larry Tripplett of Washington and cornerback Mike Rumph of Miami, both of whom could be around late in the first round or early in the second.

The Raiders, who have the 21st and 23rd choices in the first round, might use one or both to try to move up for a player they like.

Expansion team Houston has an extra pick after every round starting with the second and could get even more picks with a trade in lower rounds.

"I liked what we were able to get done in the expansion draft and free agency," Texans coach Dom Capers says. "The foundation of our team will be through the draft this year and next."

Every extra pick will help.