Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 45

wwwstar-telegramcom NFL I COLLEGES Wednesday April 26 2006 90 NFL NOTES Williams out Favre stays in iWL Draft BY STAFF YV RITER CILYREAN WILLIAMS A 19 A 20 A 21 A 22 A 23 OB nB OL ST LB A 24 A 25 Today Thurs WR TE DL DB SPOTLIGHT I MARIO WILLIAMS Former back now top defender Briefly Revenue sharing: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue added five teams Houston Green Bay Cleveland Detroit and St Louis to a committee that will help determine how a new revenue-sharing plan will work under the new labor deal Seahawks-Bears trade: Seattle acquired safety Mike Green who has 437 tackles in six seasons with Chicago for a sixth-round draft pick Senior Bowl: NFL Network has acquired the rights to televise the Senior Bowl Los Angeles Coliseum: City officials next week will pitch plans to the NFL for an $800 million upgrade of the stadium hoping to lure a team Vikings: Suspended running back Onterrio Smith has been notified by the NFL that he will not be reinstated This report contains material from wire reports liams told the Dolphins he was quitting after only five seasons But Williams lost sympathy from teammates when he later revealed that a third failed drug test had played a part in his decision The league cleared return last July and he rushed for 743 yards and scored six touchdowns while sharing carries with rookie Ronnie Brown is a league decision and we are disappointed in what it means for Ricky and the said Dolphins coach Nick Saban who had testified in support of Williams at the April 10 hearing did an outstanding job for the Dolphins not only as a player but also what he added as a person to the chemistry and to our overall Williams rushed for more than 1000 yards in four of his first five NFL seasons He had 3129 yards and 16 touchdowns By CHAREAN WILLIAMS 1 AH I HI-GRAM STAFF WRIIFR Ricky return to the NFL was short-lived It was only 274 days from the day he was reinstated until Tuesday when the NFL denied his appeal of a one-year suspension fourth violation of the substance abuse policy leaves him ineligible for the 2006 season and could spell the end of his career disappointed with the decision but I respect Williams said in a statement released by the Miami Dolphins adding that he hopes to return to the Dolphins in 2007 Williams who be allowed to train at the team facility can apply for reinstatement to the league a year from now But in 2007 he will be 30 years old and will have missed two of the previous three seasons A week before the start of training camp in 2004 Wil COWBOYS I DEMARCUS WARE mil i 1H1 DeMarcus Ware might have blindsided fans and opponents alike as Scouts see the next Julius Peppers when they watch North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams But Williams once dreamed of becoming the next Jerome Bettis Injuries forced Williams to double as a running back his senior season in high school and he rushed for 590 yards and three touchdowns on only 58 carries was lighting it Williams said guys always want to touch the ball and run around I had a chance to do that and it was a great feeling and something I really Williams grew out of the position though reporting to the Wolfpack as a 6-foot-6 250-pound freshman North Carolina State had a couple of plays designed for Williams on offense last year but never used them wanted to play running back but I guess I was a little Williams said Now really Williams will stick with defensive end in the NFL thank you He is rated as the best defender and a likely top-five pick The Houston Texans who have the top choice even had him visit had some up and down games this year as most people do but a tremendously talented Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson said looks OVERVIEW The depth is better than usual North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams has been called the best prospect at his position since Julius Peppers He should be a top-five pick Florida State's Brodrick Bunkley and Oregon's Haloti Ngata are top prospects at tackle and certain first-round picks Williams' linemate at North Carolina State Manny Lawson has been projected by some as an outside linebacker and is expected to be drafted in the first round COWBOYS' NEEDS Before the Cowboys switched to the 3 4 in 2004 they signed nose tackle Jason Ferguson in free agency and drafted ends Chris Canty and Marcus Spears Veteran Greg Ellis proved he is not too small to play in the three-man front by tying outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware for the team lead in sacks with eight But Dallas could use depth at the nose after losing perennial Pro Bowler La'Roi Glover who wasn't a fit for the 3-4 and signed with the St Louis Rams TOPS Mario Williams North Carolina State 6-7 295 470 The team MVP is projected as a rare game-changing defender Brodrick Bunkley Florida State 6-3 306 501 He has been compared to Tampa Bay defensive tackle Anthony McFarland Haloti Ngata Oregon 6-4 338 513 The defensive tackle was Oregon's first consensus All American since Mel Renfro in 1962 Kamerlon Wimbley Florida State 6-4 248 461 Before Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis' success he would have been considered too small as an end Tamba Hall Penn State 6-3 275 475 The defensive end fled the civil war in Liberia as a 10-year-old to join his father in the SLEEPER Jason Hatcher Grambllng 6-6 284 482 The defensive end has been compared to New England's Richard Seymour TEXAS' TIES Dusty Dvoracek Oklahoma 6-3 306 501 The Lake Dallas product was an All Big 12 interior lineman in 2005 after being kicked off the team in 2004 Rodrlque Wright Texas 6-5 300 508 The defensive tackle should be a first-day pick after finishing his career with 227 tackles and 175 sacks Johnny Jolly Texas ASM 6-3 317 541 The defensive tackle showed toughness by working out at the combine on an injured ankle Larry Dibbles Texas 6-2 285 510 Wright's inside mate could be a late-round pick THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former NC State defensive end Mario Williams is projected as a top-five pick in the NFL Draft like what you draw up You want him to get off the bus first" Williams set school records with 145 sacks and 275 tackles for loss last season giving him 255 and 555 for his career Pro Football Weekly says he has of Fame Mel Kiper Jr said he can expect a of Pro NFL Draft Scout compares him to Peppers and Jevon Kearse A running back at heart Williams is a pass rusher by trade just do what I Williams said just out there and coming off the ball second nature I just play like instincts something that I From out of nowhere in three seasons with the New Orleans Saints and rushed for 3225 yards and 25 touchdowns in two seasons with the Dolphins before leaving abruptly before the 2004 season Williams owes the Dolphins $86 million for breaching his contract when he retired in 2004 Miami does hold his rights for two more seasons at $585000 and $670000 Favre reportedly to return Brett Favre has told Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy he will return to play this year ESPNcom reported citing anonymous team and league sources Favre 36 threw a career-high 29 interceptions last season while playing for a 4-12 team depleted by injuries and free-agency losses and said he sure he wanted to be part of what he saw as a possible long-term rebuilding effort STAR-TELEGRAMRALPH LAUER a fast-rising prospect out of Troy Florida State defensive end Kamerion Wimbley is the guy who is white hot right Mayock said gave him a third-round grade too before the season Now he is between 12 and 20 He lit it up at the combine He ran a 44 seconds in the Ware likes the talk of the Cowboys getting another rush linebacker to play opposite him But his focus is building on his rookie year and becoming a consistent force for the Cowboys Ware has set a goal of 15 sacks in 2006 "I have been working all Ware said have gained weight But mainly I have studied I have learned formations I have watched what I did wrong last year I want to be more instinctive so I can just play without thinking" As far as on-field work goes Ware said he is using his hands more as a pass rusher dropping into coverage and re-routing receivers was more of an upfield rush guy I use my Ware said I am upfield but I use my hands more I wall use my power and my quickness Anybody can stop speed Just cut it off I need to do stuff to counter that ONLINE: dallascowboys com ureme Hill Jr (H17) VH 77i 0 hill slur rWcgnim com I Senior risers Draft prospects whose stock rose following strong senior seasons andor good showings at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine Position Player School Linebacker Manny Lawson North Carolina State Ran a 44 in the 40-yard dash at the combine to move up the board Defensive end Kamenon Wimbley Florida State Questions remain about size and strength but not speedy Quarterback Jay Cutler Vanderbilt Unknown outside the SEC before the season some see Cutler as draft's best quarterback Wide receiver Sinorice Moss Miami Wasn't as highly productive on the field but proved during combine and Senior Bow he is a big play threat Defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley Florida State Had a so-so three years in college before coming on strong as a senior TEXAS BASKETBALL DANIEL GIBSON Gibson enters NBA mix Sophomore Daniel Gibson joins teammate PJ Tucker in adding his name to the list of early NBA Draft entrants By MIKE JONES STAR-TFLEQRAM STAFF WR ITER AUSTIN Texas sophomore guard Daniel Gibson joined teammate PJ Tucker in plans to put his name in the June NBA Draft Gibson issued a statement Tuesday to that effect but he and Tucker said they plan to hire agents thus preserving their college eligibility "Playing in the NBA has always a dream for me since I was a little Gibson said in the statement now I have the opportunity to test the waters to see where I stand comfortable with where I feel I will be drafted stay in the draft If not be back at Gibson might be best served by returning for another season He is projected as an NBA point guard but has not asserted himself at Texas in that position That in part has caused his NBA stock to drop Gibson and the began to flourish last season hen coach Rick Barnes utilized freshman AJ Abrams at the point freeing Gibson to exploit his shooting passing and driving skills from the wing Incoming UT freshman DJ Augustine joins the backcourt rotation next season and is a gifted point guard wrho may share that role with Abrams Gibson at 6-foot-2 is not regarded as tall enough to play shooting guard at the next level And though he set single-season record for 3-point field goals (101) Gibson w'ent through a 10-game shooting slump during the Big 12 season His draft value might be determined by how well he performs in team workouts or in the pre-draft camp in early June in Orlando Fla Gibson has until June 18 to withdraw But by entering his name this season he have the option to withdraw next season have to decide to leave or stay for his senior year By losing LaMarcus Aldridge who is hiring an agent and possibly Tucker and Gibson Texas will slide from a preseason top-10 team to one that is reloading with a talented incoming class that features Augustine and Kevin Durant Mike Jones 0 jjones iftir ft onm DeMarcus Ware recalls his rise to prominence from Troy to the 2005 Draft By CLARENCE HILL JR I AR I KRAMSIAFF WRIT On Sunday Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware walked around Abacas Restaurant in Dallas chatting with sponsors and mingling with guests as one of the hosts of the Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party benefiting the North Texas Food Bank There was no talk of his modest football upbringing or out-of-nowhere rise to prominence the past year After a sensational year in which he shared the team lead with eight sacks and earned all-NFL rookie honors Ware has indeed arrived as one of the brightest albeit improbable stars looking back still kind of Ware said I went through where I came from It was like hitting the Ware is not necessarily talking about the financial aspect of making it big in the NFL But his contract $13 million over five years with $10 million guaranteed allow ed him to purchase a royal blue 1972 Chevy Chevelle granddad had one" Ware said like the muscle That was my dream car and I got When Ware talks about the lottery he really means his unlikely path to being picked 11th overall by the Cowboys in the 2005 NFL Draft A native of Auburn Ala Ware was not highly rated by the recruiting services He played only two years of high school football Southeastern Conference football powers Auburn and Alabama want him He eventually ended up at Troy University After three productive seasons at Troy Ware was still a question mark heading into his senior year because he was considered undersized the beginning of the season I was maybe a fourth-round Ware said all of sudden I started getting a lot of sacks No matter who I went against Pac 10 SEC It matter My draft stock started going Still questions remained wanted to know if I was big enough if I could play with the bigger Ware said So Ware to the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine and shined was like a platform for Ware said got up to 250 pounds and they asked if I could gain more weight So I got up to 255 at the combine I ran well with it I moved well with it They scouts were like maybe he can do this I learned it was not about pub and media hype It was about how you play As long you get out there and play you will be all Ware blossomed from a second-day pick into the first linebacker taken in the draft Ware showed me last year at the Senior Bowl that he was a first-round NFL Network Draft analyst Mike Mayock said loved him last year" Mayock said players who have the potential to make a Ware-like rise in the 2006 draft after not being highly thought of before the season are North Carolina State linebacker Manny Lawson who the Cowboys are looking at with the 18th overall pick and 2006 NFL DRAFT Saturday Sunday Radio City Music Hall New York TV: Saturday (Rounds 1 3) 11 a 6pm ESPN and 6pm until conclusion on ESPN2 11 a until conclusion on NFL Network Sunday (Rounds 4 7) 10 a m-noon ESPN and noon until conclusion on ESPN2 noon-3 and 6 7 NFL Network FIRST-ROUND DRAFT ORDER qles 15 Denver Broncos 16 Miami Dolphins 17 Minnesota Vikings 18 Dallas Cowboys 19 San Diego Chargers 20 Kansas City Chiefs 21 New England Patriots 22 San Francisco 49ers 23 Tampa Bay Bucs 24 Cincinnati Ben- I Houston Texans 2 New Orleans Saints 3 Tennessee Titans 4 New York Jets 5 Green Bay Packers 6 San Francisco 49ers 7 Oakland Raiders 8 Buffalo Bills 9 Detroit Lions 10 Arizona Cardinals II St Louis Rams 12 Cleveland Browns fj Baltimore Ravens 14 Philadelphia Ea gals 25 New York Giants 26 Chicago Bears 27 Carolina Panthers 28 Jacksonville Jaguars 29 New York Jets 30 Indianapolis Colts 31 Seattle Seahawks 32 Pittsburgh Steelers From Atlanta From Washington through Denver From Denver.