And then there are the non-surprises. Steve Spurrier took a Florida Gator while Arizona and Minnesota representatives ran around like a Chinese Fire Drill while on the clock. Then there is Dallas coach Bill Parcells. As expected, he went ahead and got his shutdown corner Terence Newman with the #5 overall pick. And as expected, Newman is now delivering water to Parcells during mini-camp workouts. Coach also is sending the rooks through their paces sans the logo on their helmets (they haven�t earned the right yet) and has them running into the woods each time a player forgets an assignment.

Good news is that Newman is taking his initiation in stride, and has not been referred to as �she� yet. Better yet, Parcells has not been located at any gentelman�s clubs in Pensacola in recent days. The NFC draft rundown is as follows�

DALLAS (B+) � Many are giving the Cowboys an A, and although I do like center Al Johnson (2/38), they could had traded down a little and still got him. Still a nice pick who should start immediately. Tight end Jason Witten should be a solid pick in round three, who I like better than the likes of Dallas Clark, Bennie Joppru, and L.J Smith who were taken before him. Team then got some solid values who should contribute as back-ups and/or special teamers in LB Bradie James (fourth round), raw but speed corner B.J Tucker (6th round), and WR/return man Zuriel Smith (sixth round).

NY GIANTS (B-) � Even though rival Philadelphia traded up to land fellow DT Jerome McDougle, NYG wound up doing well standing pat at #25 and landed fellow Hurricane D-tackle William Joseph. The following rounds saw some typical Ernie Accorsi reaches. The #56 overall pick saw the selection of talented, but raw Troy State DE Osi Umenyiora. Osa did not play organized football until the 11th grade and probably could have been had second day. Team took another flier in round 3 on Morgan State TE Vishante Shiancoe, who has been a workout wonder and should be involved in some two tight-end sets with Jeremy Shockey. Secondary needs were addressed on the second day with polished, but small CB Roderick Babers (4/123) followed by Tuskegee�s Frank Walker (6/207). That school is quickly becoming a pipeline for potential NFL corners, with Drayton Florence in this draft along with fellow corner Roosevelt Williams (Bears) last year.

PHILADELPHIA (A-) � Replacement search for the departed Hugh Douglas achieved in trading #30 overall pick, along with a second rounder for the #15 pick which was used for off-the-edge rusher Jerome McDougle. Next two picks were used to revamp the receiving corps, taking late-rising TE L.J Smith (Rutgers) late in Round 2 � he should prove to eventually be an upgrade over incumbent Chad Lewis. Possession wide-out Billy McMullen (Virginia) was the pick late in round 3. Eagles went back into the Hurricane program at the end of round 4 to grab old McDougle bookend Jamaal Green, who will project as a situational type.

WASHINGTON (C) � In reality, Skins draft consisted of signing restricted free agents Laveranues Coles (WR), Jermaine Haley (DT), Chad Morton (RB/KR), and Matt Bowen (S). By the time draft day rolled around the Skins were left with only a second, third, and seventh round selections. The selection of Florida receiver Taylor Jacobs (42nd overall) could be looked at as merely coach Spurrier adding to his Gator receiver collection, but the team actually got good value for the pick and Taylor should be able to be a cog in Spurrier�s interchangeable receiving parts. Massive guard/tackle Derrick Dockery (6�6� 338) was selected in the third round and should add some O-line versatility.

CHICAGO (B) � DE Michael Haynes may not have the flashiest of workout numbers around, but should be a solid contributor for years. Myself, I was not crazy about the selection of QB Rex Grossman at #22 overall, but the early returns from mini-camp have been good and I could be proven wrong down the road. Would had gone for Dave Ragone in Round 3 myself. Bears strengthened their already stout defense with corner Charles Tillman early in Round 2, followed by inside backer Lance Briggs in Round 3. Team then tapped the Florida program in Round 4 with solid safety Todd Johnson, followed by interior D-lineman Ian Scott. Bears then went for receivers in Round 5, going back to Arizona to select Bobby Wade before taking Missouri�s tall/rangy Justin Gage just four picks later. Draft was capped off by taking yet another inside backer in Purdue�s Joe Odom, who should be a special teams contributor. A solid draft from top to bottom.

DETROIT (A) � Best draft of any NFL team, and when you�re selecting at the beginning of every round nothing less should be expected. Lions were tempted to take offers for the #2 overall selection, which could had meant Andre Johnson v. Charles Rogers plus an extra high pick, but team made the wise move getting the home-state attraction in Rogers, who should be a star for years. The real coup of the draft was grabbing Georgia backer Boss Bailey at #34 overall, who was pushing top-ten on many draft boards. That should prove to be a steal. Team then got D-line depth with Texas� Cory Redding in Round 3, followed by workhorse back Artose Pinner in Round 4. Safety Terrence Holt of N.C State was selected in Round 5, he should have huge impact on special teams. Lions then went back into their backyard to grab another receiver in Grand Valley State�s David Kircus in the sixth rounds. Many have drooled over him in the past few months, although he could prove just be another over-hyped Bill Schroeder type. Lions even scored in the seventh round with Wisconsin tackle Ben Johnson along with Colorado fullback Brandon Drumm. An unbelievable draft in which Mariucci and Millen should really see the results of 2-3 years down the road.

GREEN BAY (B-) � You knew something was up when coach/GM Mike Sherman made the trip to Corvallis, OR (I guess not the easiest place in the world to get to) to attend Oregon State�s Pro Day. Sure enough, speedy linebacker (some say safety type) Nick Barnett goes with the 29th overall selection, with teammate James Lee (DT) going later on in Round 5. Myself I would had gone with E.J Henderson or Boss Bailey in Round 1, who incidentally GBP will now have to deal with both twice a year in the division. The best pick of this draft should be D-end Kenny Peterson of Ohio State, who went in Round 3. The speculation of finding Brett Favre�s replacement in this draft did not come to pass. However current third-stringer Craig Nall is currently lighting it up in NFL Europe, and the team thinks they can work with ex-Heismann winner Eric Crouch.

MINNESOTA (B) � One of the best scenes of Draft Day was the video coming out of the Vikings Draft Party as time ran out on their first round pick. An aside: I'm beginning to seriously wonder if Jesse Ventura has secretly become the club president, especially in light of embattled ex-XFL coach Rusty Tillman being added to the coaching staff. Put me in the camp feeling that the Vikes blew it by not getting extra value out of what turned out to be a #9 instead of #7 overall selection. Vikings do get their man, Oklahoma State D-tackle Kevin Williams at #9, just so the organization is not shocked when the agent asks for #7 money (which will yet again lead to a lengthy holdout). Not in debate was the Vikes made a stout pick in tackling machine E.J Henderson at #40 overall. Another good pick-up was somewhat troubled RB Onterrio Smith in the fourth round, who will contribute as a back-up/return man.

ATLANTA (C) � The de-facto #1 Draft Pick (which was #22 overall) was in fact trading for WR Peerless Price, which filled the teams most pressing need. In round two the Falcons went for corner Bryan Scott out of Penn State (they should had won the National Championship with that D), who runs a 4.4 and goes 6�1� 220. Team then goes for more receivers in Rounds 5/6 with Jon Olinger (Cincinnati) and LaTarence Dunbar (TCU). Dunbar could help in the return game if Falcons elected to let go of veteran Allen Rossum. Word has it Packers coach Mike Sherman would do like a Utah hiker and give his right arm to get the talented Rossum back.

CAROLINA (B+) � Once Arizona traded down and other teams started passing up on Terrell Suggs, the thought of devastating bookends in Suggs and Julius Peppers had to sound tempting. But Carolina elected to stay the course, getting the �safest/cleanest� player available in tackle Jordan Gross. Look for Gross to immediately start at RT this year, then move over to left tackle down the road. Panthers then got further O-line help with Iowa G/C Bruce Nelson in Round 2, followed by blocking tight end Mike Seidman (UCLA) in Round 3. Team then goes back into the UCLA program just six picks later to nab undersized corner Ricky Manning, who could also figure into the return game. If you heard about a recent assault charge levied on Manning, don't fret about it, that was dropped. Panthers tap into another Pac-10 program in the later rounds nabbing Stanford safety Colin Branch along with fullback Casey Moore. Versatile D-lineman Kindal Moorehead (Alabama) along with Illinois posession receiver Walter Young completes the bounty. A conservative, but effective draft.

NEW ORLEANS (B-) � Is it possible that the Saints saved on scouting costs this year and just checked out Florida State and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl three days after the season ended??? Turns out that four of the seven draft picks were from the two institutions that participated in the New Year�s contest. Organization was desperate to trade up from their #17 and #18 overall picks to get interior D-line help, moving up to #6 to select DT Johnathan Sullivan, which was probably a slight reach. Team did do well getting O-line help, getting Georgia OT Jon Stinchcomb in Round 2 along with Florida State guard Montrae Holland in Round 4. Coach Haslett got one of his types in Round 3 in speedy/aggressive (but raw) OLB Cie Grant (Ohio State). Team then took a fifth-round flyer on Kansas State DE Melvin Williams, who tore an ACL on the next-to-last play of his college career. Saints closed things out by looking for receiving help in the final two rounds, getting USC�s Kareem Kelly followed by FSU�s Talman Gardner. Gardner was projected as a first day pick until running afoul from the law just before the draft in a case that's already been resolved (year probation/community service). Look for at least one of the wideouts to pan out.

TAMPA BAY (C+) � De-facto first round pick for this year was the right to hire coach Jon Gruden away, which immediately paid off in an elusive Super Bowl title, so in reality this grade was an A before even making a pick. Wisely went into �best player available� mode with the final picks of Rounds 2 and 3, getting Louisville DE Dwayne White along with Texas QB Chris Simms. Although not a big fan of Simms, I think he fell into the right situation and that the Simms/Gruden marriage will ultimately be a good one. Look for Simms to be at least a decent starter three years down the road. Highlighting the Day 2 selections was scrappy Northwestern center Austin King along with CB Torrie Cox, a three-time special teams Captain at Pittsburgh.

ARIZONA (C-) � I was not a fan of either side of the Arizona/New Orleans draft pick swap. Myself, I would had kept Terrell Suggs in Sun Devil Stadium with the #6 pick. However the Cards elected to send the draft into a left turn (before the Vikings took it completely off-road), especially when they turned around and reached for Wake Forest�s Calvin Pace at #18. The #17 pick was utilized for Penn State receiver Bryant Johnson, which fills a need but was probably a reach as well. Cards also addressed receiving in the second round with FSU�s Anquan Boldin. Run-stuffer Gerald Hayes (Pittsburgh) went in Round 3. Best pick of the draft was Alabama DE Kenny King in Round 5, who is a weight room monster and an Academic All-American.

ST LOUIS (B-) � It happens every spring. Someone is projected high enough that he gets an invite to New York, and arrives with Armani suit and huge entourage in tow, expecting to be one of the first names called. As fate would have it, he inevitably slides, and spends what seems to be an eternity (like someone stood-up at the Prom) in the Green Room watching Mel Kiper on a monitor explain why he hasn�t been picked yet. Welcome to Jimmy Kennedy�s world. Fortunately, the talented Penn State DT falls into a situation (as the #12 overall selection) with a potential contender where he will start right away. Rams seemed to have had a liking for Hawaii�s Pisa Tinoisamoa, and sure enough they reach for him in Round 2. Had Kennedy not slid Boss Bailey probably would had been the choice in Round 1. Then to the surprise of no one the Rams addressed receiving, secondary, and return needs in subsequent rounds, taking undersized WR�s in Kevin Curtis (5�11�) along with Shaun McDonald (5�8� according to the combines). Nebraska�s Dejuan Groce (5�10�) went with the pick after McDonald, and look for the CB to shine in the return game. Rams went for more secondary help in Round 5 with Senior Bowl star Shane Walton (Notre Dame) along with lightning-quick Kevin Garrett (SMU).

SAN FRANCISCO (B-) � Niners were looking for O-line help and found it in their backyard when Stanford�s Kwame Harris (6�7� 310) falls to #26 overall. Considered a bit of a project but immense potential. One-gap specialist Anthony Adams was the second round selection (how many D-lineman from Penn State went in this draft???), followed by Miami DE Andrew Williams and Illinois receiver Brandon Lloyd (good pick). More receiving help came in the later rounds with Notre Dame�s Arnaz Battle (work in progress). QB Ken Dorsey deserves a look on intangibles alone, and was worth a seventh-round selection.

SEATTLE (B+) � This draft should be a turning point in the Mike Holmgren regime. Hawks get the man they want in CB Marcus Trufant at #11 overall, followed by more secondary help with hard-hitting Arkansas safety Ken Hamlin in Round 2. Weight room freak Wayne Hunter should provide solid tackle help in Round 3 while Seneca Wallace is worth a look and could do no worse than being a goal-line/Antwaan Randle El like specialist. Run-stuffer Solomon Bates should also provide some inside-back help. Seahawks close things out in Round 7 taking a receiver by the name of Taco Wallace. You have to like the name if nothing else, it remains to be seen if he has what it take to be �Puttin� On the Ritz� in this league.