The Eagles should pass on Ricky and draft a QB

Sporting News, The, March 1, 1999 by Dan Pompei

That the Browns should pass on Ricky Williams with the first overall pick is a foregone conclusion--there really isn't even a good debate to be had about it.

That the Eagles should pass on Williams at the No. 2 spot also has become increasingly apparent to some of us. This, however, will make for a better debate than a discussion on presidential ethics.

The Eagles don't need the most productive college running back in history as much as they need a franchise quarterback, so they should do whatever necessary to secure the player they think is the second-best quarterback in the draft. It would be different if there weren't any outstanding quarterback prospects. But there are at least three in Tim Couch, who is expected to be chosen by the Browns, Akili Smith and Daunte Culpepper, and possibly four if you add Donovan McNabb.

The whole structure of the Eagles' organization cries out for the team to take a quarterback on draft day. The Eagles hired a coach, Andy Reid, who is a quarterback specialist. The cornerstone of their new team is an offense that is predicated on a quarterback who can make quick decisions and throws with accuracy. The Eagles have given up on Bobby Hoying, their last quarterback of the future. They signed free agent Doug Pederson, who is not a long-term answer but is familiar with Reid's offense. He could keep the pressure off a rookie by starting for a season or so while helping the rookie learn.

Running back, meanwhile, isn't even a remote need. The Eagles have a solid young tailback in Duce Staley. He does everything well--run, catch and block. He isn't a fumbler. His intangibles are above average. Staley was productive last season, rushing for 1,065 yards and averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Unlike Williams, Staley doesn't have the potential to be truly special. He lacks top-end speed. But the Eagles need a special quarterback more than they need a special running back. "Duce fits into the offense well," Reid says. "If you look at West Coast offenses, great speed is not a requisite for a running back. He'll be able to catch and block--that's huge in this offense."

Staley is an example of why teams don't have to select running backs high in the draft. You can find them elsewhere without giving up as much for them in terms of the high draft choice, money and cap space. Staley was a third-round draft pick. The best two backs in the NFL last season, Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson, were chosen in the sixth and seventh rounds. The name of 1,000-yard rusher Priest Holmes never was called on draft day. Look at how teams acquired some of the other top running backs: The 49ers signed Garrison Hearst as a free agent, and the Steelers traded for Jerome Bettis.

But, aside from a couple of freak exceptions, there's really only one way to get a potentially great young quarterback--pick him high in the draft. Once a team gets a great young passer, it will never let him go.

There are no guarantees with picking a quarterback high, but it's even riskier to select a running back high. In the last 20 drafts, 15 running backs have been chosen among the top five picks. Of those 15, only two--Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders--have had careers that were both fruitful and long. Hearst, Marshall Faulk and Curtis Enis still could join them.

Many of those runners never fulfilled their promise. Among them: Freeman McNeil, Brent Fullwood and Blair Thomas. Others had their careers cut short, or their abilities hindered, by injuries. Among them: Billy Sims, Bo Jackson and Ki-Jana Carter.

What history is telling us is that Ricky Williams has a better chance of having a George Rogers-type career than a Barry Sanders-type career, even though it's difficult to find fault with Williams. Scouts and coaches from 31 teams took a good look at Williams at the combine in Indianapolis last weekend and tried like heck to pick him apart.

The best they could do was question his interest in playing baseball (he does not appear to be totally committed to making himself the best running back he can be, and weighed in over the weekend at a porky 244), wonder about his choice of agents (hiring No Limit Sports, which never has negotiated an NFL contract, was a curious move) and worry if he'll be a fumbler (he had five last season).

Some football men came away from the combine concerned about Williams' short arms and small hands, which measure nine inches (outstretched) from the tip of his middle finger to the tip of his thumb. Ideal hands for a running back are 10-to-10 1/2 inches long.

That said, he is as complete a prospect as there is in the draft after Couch. But Williams doesn't play the right position for the Eagles.

The real question facing the Eagles is whether they should try to trade down. The question shouldn't be: Can they live with the worst of the top three quarterbacks after Couch? The question should be: Which quarterback is best for the Eagles? Their best option, then, might be to stay put, because the Bengals likely will select a quarterback at the No. 3 spot.