The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • Page 40

TI IK DKSHRT SUN C6 2006 NFL TEAM-BY-TEAM DRAFT PICKS oSf Car n. Raiders call on Huff to help replace Woodson $325.00 A iu IT) Six (6V) Batteries (ft I Carry Out Only W75' insIalld 7 (760) 340-0588 fflftPAl is fl unoc.misctiP.ms Cathedral City Palm Desert INDIAN SPRINGS (iOLf AKO CoVNTUT ClV Oklahoma running back Jacob Gutierrez (21) is tackled by Texas safety Michael Huff (7) in this Oct. 8, 2005 photo, in Dallas. Huff was selected by Oakland as the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Call Today for Automotive, Commercial, Marine, Industrial Golf Batteries! (760) 275-3218 INSTALLATIONS ONLY Indio Thousand Palms' For Tec Times Call: (760) 200-8988 WUTHMHOMk i (tut QUINT I hkmmvih $79 Weekday $50 Twilight $89 Weekend $60 Twilight I Valid April 28th -May 25th I I Between I lam to lpm with coupon. I (Not valid with Twilight or Tournaments)j Oakland's picks 1 (7) Huff, Michael, SS, 6-0, 203 Texas 2 (38) Howard, Thomas, OLE, 6-3, 240, Texas-El Paso 3 (69) McQuistan, Paul, 6-6, 313, Weber State Today's picks 4 (101); 6 (176); 7 (214); 7 (255) lowing a 9-7 season in '94 and then rehired in February to replace the fired Norv Turner. "He's an outstanding football player. He's an aggressive football player. He's a kid that can play in the box.

He's a kid that has outstanding range, coverage ability. We just feel that he's going to come in and make an impact on our football team." Huff, who will join the team for its first mini-camp next weekend, recorded 318 tackles in a Texas career that ended with a 41-38 Host Of The 1999-r2002 Game tab CB Cromartie 2006 Spring Resident Rates Now Arailjible For CoachelU Valley Residents South Nortb MonThurs $49 $65 yT FriSun $59 $75 I I ARIZONA 1 (10) Matt Leinart, qb, USC 2 (41) Duc8 Lutul, g. USC 3 (72) Leonard Pope, te, Georgia. ATLANTA 2 (37) Jimmy Williams, db, Virginia Tech. 3 (79) Jerious Norwood, rb, Mississippi State.

BALTIMORE 1 (12) Haloti Ngata, dt, Oregon. 2 (56) Chris Chester, Oklahoma. 3 (87) David Pittman, db, Northwestern State. BUFFALO 1 (8) Donte Whitner, db, Ohio State. 1 (26) John McCargo, dt, N.C.

State. 3 (70) Ashton Youboty, db, Ohio State. CAROLINA 1 (27) DeAngelo Williams, rb, Memphis. 2 (58) Richard Marshall, db, Fresno State. 3 (88) James Anderson, lb, Virginia Tech.

3 (89) Rasriod Butler, ot, Miami. CHICAGO 2 (42) Danieal Manning, db, Abilene Christian. 2 (57) Devin Hester, db, Miami. 3 (73) Dusty Dvoracek, dt, Oklahoma. CINCINNATI 1 (24) Johnathan Joseph, db, South Carolina.

2 (55) Andrew Whitworth, ot, LSU. 3 (91) Frostee Rucker, de, USC CLEVELAND 1 (13) Kamerion Wimbley, de, Florida State. 2 (34) D'Qwell Jackstin, lb, Maryland. 3 (78) Travis Wilson, wr, Oklahoma. DALLAS 1 (18) Bobby Carpenter, lb, Ohio State.

2 (53) Anthony Fasano, te, Notre Dame. 3 (92) Jason Hatcher, de, Grambling. DENVER 1 (11) Jay Cutler, qb, VanderbilL 2 (61) Tony Scheffler, te, Western Michigan. DETROIT 1 (9) Ernie Sims, lb, Florida State. 2 (40) Daniel Bullocks, db, Nebraska.

3 (74) Brian Calhoun, rb, Wisconsin. GREEN BAY 1 (5) A.J. Hawk, lb, Ohio State. 2 (47) Daryn Colledge, ot, Boise State. 2 (52) Greg Jennings, wr, Western Michigan.

3 (67) Abdul Hodge, lb, Iowa. 3 (75) Jason Spitz, Louisville. HOUSTON 1 (1) Mario Williams, de, N.C. State. 2 (33) DeMeco Ryans, lb, Alabama.

3 (65) Charles Spencer, ot, Pittsburgh. 3 (66) Eric Winston, ot, Miami. INDIANAPOLIS 1 (30) Joseph Addai, rb, LSU. 2 (62) Tim Jennings, db, Georgia. 3 (94) Freddie Keiaho, lb, San Diego State.

JACKSONVILLE 1 (28) Marcedes Lewis, te, UCLA. 2 (60) Maurice Drew, rb, UCLA. 3 (80) Clint Ingram, lb, Oklahoma. KANSAS CITY 1 (20) Tamba Hali, de, Penn State. 2 (54) Bernard Pollard, db, Purdue.

3 (85) Brodie Croyle, qb, Alabama. MIAMI 1 (16) Jason Allen, db, Tennessee. 3 (82) Derek Hagan, wr, Arizona State. MINNESOTA 1 (17) Chad Greenway, lb, Iowa. 2 (48) Cedric Griffin, db, Texas.

2 (51) Ryan Cook, New Mexico. 2 (64) Tarvaris Jackson, qb, Alabama State. NEW ENGLAND 1 (21) Laurence Maroney, rb, Minnesota. 2 (36) Chad Jackson, wr, Florida. 3 (86) Dave Thomas, te, Texas.

NEW ORLEANS 1 (2) Reggie Bush, rb, USC 2 (43) Roman Harper, db, Alabama. NEW YORK GIANTS 1 (32) Mathias Kiwanuka, de, Boston College. 2 (44) Sinorice Moss, wr, Miami. 3 (96) Gerris Wilkinson, lb, Georgia Tech. NEW YORK JETS 1 (4) D'Brickashaw Ferguson, ot, Virginia.

1 (29) Nick Mangold, Ohio State. 2 (49) Kellen Clemens, qb, Oregon. 3 (76) Anthony Schlegel, lb, Ohio State. 3 (97) Eric Smith, db, Michigan State. OAKLAND 1 (7) Michael Huff, db, Texas.

2 (38) Thomas Howard, lb, UTER 3 (69) Paul McQuistan, ot, Weber State. PHILADELPHIA 1 (14) Brodrick Bunkley, dt, Florida State. 2 (39) Winston Justice, ot, USC 3 (71) Chris Gocong, lb, Cal Poly. PITTSBURGH 1 (25) Santonio Holmes, wr, Ohio State. 3 (83) Anthony Smith, db, Syracuse.

3 (95) Willie Reid, wr, Florida State. ST. LOUIS 1 (15) Tye Hill, db, Clemson. 2 (46) Joe Klopfenstein, te, Colorado. 3 (68) Claude Wroten, dt, LSU.

3 (77) Jon Alston, lb, Stanford. 3 (93) Dominique Byrd, te, USC SAN DIEGO 1 (19) Antonio Cromartie, db, Florida State. 2 (50) Marcus McNeill, ot, Auburn. 3 (81) Charlie Whitehurst, qb, Clemson. SAN FRANCISCO 1 (6) Vernon Davis, te, Maryland.

1 (22) Manny Lawson, de, N.C. State. 3 (84) Brandon Williams, wr, Wisconsin. SEATTLE 1 (31) Kelly Jennings, db, Miami. 2 (63) Darryl Tapp, de, Virginia Tech.

TAMPA BAY 1 (23) Davin Joseph, Oklahoma. 2 (59) Jeremy Trueblood, ot, Boston College. 3 (90) Maurice Stovall, wr, Notre Dame. TENNESSEE 1 (3) Vince Young, qb, Texas. 2 (45) LenDale White, rb, USC WASHINGTON 2 (35) Rocky Mcintosh, lb, Miami.

JUS B-ise Follow Tioor, Norman Couples Y2sr TErn Ta Formerly Landmark Golf club For details Call 760-775-2000 www.golfclub-terralaqo.com By Janie McCalxey 'I'HH ASSUCIATHI) CHIINS ALAMEDA Michael I IulT grew up a big fan of Charles Woodson, dating to the star cornerback's Heisman Trophy days at Michigan, Now, Huff will be called upon to help fill the shoes of the departed four-time Pro Bowler. The Oakland Raiders showed they are serious about continuing to upgrade their improving defense, selecting Huff out of national champion Texas with the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft on Saturday. "I grew up watching him," Huff said of Woodson, who signed Wednesday with the Green Bay Packers after eight seasons in silver and black the last two as the team's franchise player. "It looks like I get to wear No. 24 next year.

Hopefully, I can take over where he left oft and hopefully it will be great for the Raiders' secondary." With their next pick, 38th overall and sixth in the second round, Oakland chose outside linebacker Thomas Howard out of UTEP filling another spot where they had hoped to add depth and speed through the draft. USC quarterback Matt Leinart was still available for Oakland, but the Raiders went with the fast, athletic Huff a year after using their top two picks on corner-backs Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt. The 6-foot, 198-pound Huff played every position in the Longhorns' secondary, and Raiders coach Art Shell envisions him getting plenty of opportunities as a rookie, though in what position is the question. "We really feel good about this kid," said Shell, back for his first draft with the Raiders in more than a decade after being fired fol- Chargers Injury concerns pushed former Seminole down draft board By Bernie Wilson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO Antonio Cromartie might need to get a refresher on how to run out of the tunnel before games. The San Diego Chargers used the 1 9th pick overall in Saturday's draft to pick the Florida State cor-nerback, who missed the entire 2005 season after tearing up his left knee in a summer voluntary workout.

While his resume is somewhat lacking, his confidence isn't. "My game is as good as anybody that's in the draft now, if not better," said Cromartie, who started one game in college but estimated that he was in for 60 percent of the Seminoles' snaps as a freshman and sophomore. He skipped his senior season in order to turn pro. Cromartie's agent is even more confident than his client. "He's ready to go," said Jason Fletcher, whose brother, Jamar, wasn't re-signed by the Chargers this offseason.

"This man, hands down, will be the best corner on that team, in my personal opin- Draft Continued from CI games, and I'm coming in there to help the city get turned around," Bush said. Bush also comes in amid questions concerning who paid the rent for a home his parents lived in, and whether an agent was involved, which could violate NCAA rules. He's adamantly insisted there was no wrongdoing. Leinart said Titans coordinator Norm Chow his former offensive mentor at USC was fighting for him "but it wasn't his decision." It wasn't, and now Tennessee will find out if the elusiveness and arm strength that Young used to lead the Longhorns can translate to the NFL. "Last night at 2:30, 1 was on my knees praying he will rewrite the position," said Floyd Reese, the Titans' general manager.

"This guy, he led the nation in college as a junior in passing efficiency," he said. "This guy is special. Now we have to get him special in the NFL, and that's why it's going to take a little bit of time. And we realize that. It's a big jump." For LeinarJ, landing in Arizona lllls A.SSUi:IATIiU I'RhiS victory over unbeaten USC in the Rose Bowl.

Shell didn't waste any time comparing Huff to Woodson, either. "He has that kind of ability, versatility," Shell said. "Charles Woodson was an outstanding player for the, Raiders for a number of years with the ability to play the safety position as well as the corner position. Michael Huff has those kinds of qualities also." The Raiders, coming off three losing seasons in a row and a win-less record against the AFC West last year, are eager to see how quickly Huff picks up the complicated defensive schemes in the NFL. Huff started every game the past two seasons at sorong safety and recorded a career-high 109 tackles in 2005.

He caused four fumbles, recovered two and ran one of those back for a touchdown. He also deflected 1 4 passes and made two interceptions. with James Lofton, now the Chargers' wide receivers coach. "I don't think they gambled at all," Cromartie said. "I'm back to health, I'm 100 percent, and I'm just ready to get to work.

My goal is to be starting by the end of the season, or before the end of the season." This is the third time in five seasons the Chargers have taken a cornerback with a first-round pick. Quentin Jammer, taken in 2002, hasn't played to his pedigree and has never been to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, general manager A.J. Smith could have taken safety Troy Polamalu at No. 15, but traded down to 30th to select Sammy Davis.

Polamalu went to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 16th pick and became a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. Davis was a bust and was traded to San Francisco recently for receiver Rashaun Woods. In college, Cromartie was compared with Deion Sanders, another former Seminole. "It's a great compliment," Cromartie said. "I'll probably tackle a little bit more than he did.

That's probably the only difference between me and him." Cromartie, who's 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, had four interceptions as a sophomore and five in his career. He had 4 1 tackles overall. Virginia at No. Green Bay picked Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk fifth and San Francisco followed with Maryland tight end Vernon Davis.

Oakland, which might have taken a quarterback, went instead for Texas defensive back Michael Huff; Buffalo pulled a slight sur prise by taking Ohio State safety Donte Witner, expected to go about 10-15 picks later, and Detroit chose Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims. Then Leinart finally went at No. 10. That prompted Denver to move up with the first trade of the round a swap with St. Louis that enabled them to take the third first-round quarterback, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler.

That didn't exactly indicate much confidence in Jake Plummer, although Cutler, who like Plummer is mobile, will have plenty of time to learn behind the incumbent. The first three rounds ended after nearly 1 0 hours with four more quarterbacks taken: Kellen Clemens of Oregon by the Jets and Tarvaris Jackson of Alabama State by the Vikings in the second round and Charlie Whitehurst of Clemson by San Diego and Brodie Croyle of Alabama by Kansas City in the third, San Diego's picks 1 (19) Cromartie, Antonio, CB, 6-2, 207, Florida State 2 (50) McNeill, Marcus, OT, 6-7, 337, Auburn 3 (81) Whitehurst, Charlie, QB, 6-5, 222, Clemson Today's picks 4 (113); 5 (151); 6 (187); 6 (188) 7 (225); 7 (227) ion." That might not be a stretch. While the Chargers weren't willing to take a chance on quarterback Drew Brees because of his shoulder injury, they were willing to take a player coming off a major injury because their secondary has been so bad. San Diego's cor-nerbacks had only three interceptions last year, including one by Jamar Fletcher, as they finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons. Some viewed the pick as a stretch, especially since offensive tackle Winston Justice was still available.

The Chargers need depth at left tackle, particularly with untested Philip Rivers taking over for Brees. The Chargers did get a tackle in the second round Auburn's Marcus McNeill. In the third round, they picked Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, whose father, David, played for Green Bay from 1976-83. David Whitehurst played in Green Bay under coach Dennis Green puts him on what should be one of the NFL's most explosive offenses with the newly signed running back Edgerrin James and the outstanding receiver tandem of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If Bush and Leinart slipped, some of their highly touted Trojan teammates really took a plunge.

LenDale White, who shared running back duties with Bush, wasn't picked until the middle of the second round, when he went to Tennessee with the 45th overall pick. He slipped from high in the first round because he didn't work out at the scouting combine, then showed up at USC's scouting overweight and with a hamstring injury. Offensive tackle Winston Justice, considered a first-rounder, also dropped to the second, where he went to Philadelphia. The Texans took Williams over Bush because they decided the 6-foot-6'4 292-pound pounder is the kind of defensive impact player who can take a team to a Super Bowl. He had agreed Friday night to a contract that includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money.

After Young with the third pick, the New York Jets took offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson of -1, teiwiiTHi mil urni mi iii ja. V'. A A- iimtiii in i i unii UNLIMITED GOLF at theffiffltlfr iiniimitiv moir Additional rvundi based on amhMity. Must present od at I rfiedhn. 0fe( not oppltaible for groups or other soevol often or promotions and does not Include tonxoddie.

Tee Bmej may be booked up to 5 days In advance expires iftsOi. BavmianxMCar 75 200 NORTHSTAI! RESORT CCWY. PALM DESERT, CA I i I HEISMAN LIST Where recent Heisman Trophy winners were drafted. 2005 Reggie Bush, junior, USC, RB, 2006, New Orleans, first-2nd pick. 2004 Mart Leinart, junior, USC, QB, 2005, not eligible.

In 2006, Arizona, first-lOth pick. 2003 Jason White, junior, Oklahoma, QB, 2004, not eligible. In 2005, Not selected. 2002 Carson Palmer, senior, USC, QB, 2003, Cincinnati, first-lst.