First Few Picks in the Draft Go According to the Script

NEW YORK, April 26 -- There were no draft day tumbles Saturday like those experienced in recent years by quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn.

The six players on hand at Radio City Music Hall for the proceedings were taken with the first six picks of the draft: Jake Long first to the Miami Dolphins, Chris Long second to the St. Louis Rams, Matt Ryan third to the Atlanta Falcons, Darren McFadden fourth to the Oakland Raiders, Glenn Dorsey fifth to the Kansas City Chiefs and Vernon Gholston sixth to the New York Jets.

Dorsey said the players didn't discuss the topic backstage but it was on everyone's minds.

"It didn't come up," said Dorsey, a defensive tackle from Louisiana State. "But you can tell guys want to get out of there as soon as possible. You didn't want to be the last one sitting there."

Three years ago, Rodgers went 24th to the Green Bay Packers. Last year, Quinn went 22nd to the Cleveland Browns. Both players were on hand at the draft.

Gholston a Popular Choice

The Jets' choice of Gholston, a defensive end from Ohio State, went over big with the locals, who cheered the selection loudly. The Jets not only got one of the draft's best pass rushers, they kept Gholston from the rival New England Patriots, who had the seventh pick. The Patriots traded down to 10th and took Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo. . . .

The eight tackles taken in the first round (counting Virginia's Branden Albert, who played guard in college but is projected as a left tackle in the NFL) included two surprise first-rounders, Sam Baker of Southern Cal and Duane Brown of Virginia Tech. . . . The Washington Redskins passed on Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling at 21st, and he surprisingly tumbled out of the first round. He was chosen by the Dolphins with the opening selection of the second round. . . .

The 3 1/2 -hour first round might enable the league to hold the draft's opening round during prime time on a Friday. That's the next logical step, many in the league believe, after Commissioner Roger Goodell's speed-up measures successfully reduced the length of the opening round from last year's record 6 hours 8 minutes. . . .

No wide receivers were taken in the first round. In the previous 10 drafts, 43 wideouts had been chosen in the opening round. That was more first-rounders than any other position produced over that span.

Raiders Running-Back Rich

The Oakland Raiders have a bit of a population explosion at running back with the addition of McFadden. The Raiders re-signed Justin Fargas, renegotiated Dominic Rhodes's contract, and have Michael Bush and LaMont Jordan, who is likely to be off the team before training camp.

"I like the way he uses his running backs," McFadden said of Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin. "When he was at USC he moved his running backs around a lot. I just love the way he does that, I feel it's something I can bring to Oakland, being a versatile player, that I can move around and give them a different style."

News services contributed to this report.