Congratulations to the Houston Texans, winner of the number-one overall pick in the April 29 NFL draft. Though they may have earned it by throwing half of their games, the Texans now have the awesome power to choose their favorite player among one of the most talented draft classes since even before Maurice Clarett knew how to rob people at gunpoint.
One week ago, the Texans locked up the pick with a 20-17 overtime loss to the equally horrible San Francisco 49ers, and people were calling the game the Bush Bowl in honor of the most-hyped player in college football: USC’s Reggie Bush. A San Diego native, Bush put together an inhuman junior year, earning himself a Heisman Trophy, a feature film’s worth of highlight reels and a sure spot in the top spot of the draft. This was all before his team even suited up for the Rose Bowl, where they were a seven-point favorite to win their third straight national championship.
Then, Bush’s sure-footing as the best talent in college football slipped away after being upstaged on the biggest stage by University of Texas quarterback Vince Young. Young ran and threw for 467 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with 19 seconds left. As Young waltzed the eight yards into the end zone to put the Longhorns up 41-38 for good, college football suddenly had a new poster boy; as Young was on the “Tonight Show” the next day, Bush was left to ponder his status come draft time.
As of now, Bush has yet to commit to either USC or the NFL, but given his current stock after this record year and the gazillions of dollars waiting for him at the professional level, it is a safe bet to assume he’ll be throwing his hat in the ring soon enough. The top three draft picks of the Texans, the New Orleans Saints and the Tennessee Titans will have a talent-laden top three of Bush, Young and Matt Leinart to fill their respective teams’ gaping holes. Now the question is, which player is number one?
Bush was the automatic answer throughout the regular season, but his Rose Bowl performance was far less spectacular than everyone expected, given his knack for 300-yard games and multitouchdown attacks. His brainfart of a lateral and mortal 84 yards on the ground and 95 yards through the air showed that Bush can be held at bay at the college level, so what can we expect from him in the pros? Critics say Bush might be undersized at 6 feet and 200 pounds and that the bigger and faster NFL defenses will pound on him. However, the bottom line is that this guy’s explosive speed and ankle-breaking moves make up for any size disadvantage he might face. He is a playmaker at any level and we will see this guy on the “SportsCenter” Top 10 quite often in years to come.
Joining Bush on “SportsCenter” will be Young, who has the arm, the legs and the size to be a more effective and improved Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb. Young single-handedly toppled the USC dynasty in the Rose Bowl with one of the most impressive performances this sportswriter has ever witnessed. He has an accurate, powerful arm and his legs, though not as quick as Vick’s, make up for speed in other ways. Young has great size and the field vision to find the holes in the secondary to hit his receivers and when the coverage is there, he can use that same excellent vision to find ways to exploit defenses with his feet. My only doubt with Young is his throwing technique; although he has proven to be accurate and can throw the ball deep, he uses a sidearm throwing motion, which must be tweaked if he is to succeed in the NFL. With a more over-the-top arm action, Young could be leading his team to victory in the Super Bowl on an 8-yard run with 19 seconds left in the near future.
While Young exemplifies the next generation of quarterbacks with his arm and leg dual-threat, Leinart offers the traditional pocket-passer with anything but traditional talent. He had an incredible career at USC, and despite the losing effort in the Rose Bowl, Leinart did all he could to put USC on top. His efforts were in vain, though, as he saw LenDale White give the ball back to the Longhorns and the Trojan defense give up the winning touchdown. Leinart is a very efficient passer, as he proved in the national championship with his 72-percent completion record, and is capable of being a leader in the NFL if he is given some time to develop. The question about Leinart is whether he can succeed without the supporting cast he had at USC. It included two 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver to help him tear up opposing defenses; having Bush and White line up with him guaranteed that opponents had to monitor the run, leaving him with plenty of man-to-man coverage that receivers like Dwayne Jarrett could easily shake. However, even without a superstar offense, given a couple of decent receivers, Leinart will be able to use his well-developed pocket presence and great arm to succeed in the NFL.
Bush, Young and Leinart all fought for the Heisman Trophy, with Bush coming out on top. The Rose Bowl gave the Texans, Saints and Titans the luxury of having one more game than the Heisman voters to judge the talent of the players. All three of these guys have incredible skills and have the potential to be superstars someday, but all have question marks hovering above them about how good they can, and will, be next September.
Every draft choice is a gamble, but I think I would throw the dice on Bush. Even though he was less than everyone expected in Pasadena, he still had more than 175 yards of total offense and his one touchdown run exemplified just how well he can turn the corner and make it to the outside. Once he does that, there are not many players who can figure out how to get an angle on Bush as he is zooming down the sideline. He will be exciting to watch in the NFL and any team will be greatly improved with him on their roster. After Bush, I see the Saints taking Young. He proved in the Rose Bowl that he is just as effective of a passer as Leinart, but also adds the ground attack for a dangerous dual threat to really exploit defenses. Next, the Titans should scoop up Leinart to replace the decrepit Steve McNair and bring a young, talented quarterback to their embarrassment of a team. We will all see whether the Texans, Saints and Titans agree with my assessment and then we will get to see these great athletes play come opening day 2006. If their NFL games are anything like their last college game, I can’t wait to see them in action.
