Nobody Wants #7

The 1994 NFL Draft might be best remembered by the ridiculous pissing match between ESPN's Mel Kiper and Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Tobin. It was the most hilarious moment in my NFL Draft viewing history. That's not really saying much as the draft is very serious business. Kiper, as a supposed draft expert, was on record as saying that the Colts had to come out of this draft with a starting quarterback. They had two picks in the top-7 so they had the opportunity to select one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, Tennessee's Heath Shuler or Fresno St.'s Trent Dilfer. Tobin, content with Jim Harbaugh as his starter, selected neither. Kiper went off on Tobin's judgement and Tobin questioned Kiper's role in football and the draft. It was both pathetic and hilarious. The draftnik from the basement vs. the career football man. There's a battle. Lost in this drama was the revolving door that was the seventh pick of the 1994 NFL Draft. It even played a role in the Kiper-Tobin sniping.

The Atlanta Falcons ended the 1993 NFL season third in the NFC West with a 6-10. That record earned them the seventh pick of the 1994 NFL Draft. One month prior to the draft the Falcons traded that #7 pick, their third round pick, and a 1995 first round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for quarterback Jeff George. The Colts then entered draft day with the #2 and #7 pick of the first round. They selected San Diego St. running back Marshall Faulk with #2 pick. Very nice. The Colts couldn't wait for the #7 pick to make their next pick. They traded that #7 pick and the third round pick that they got from the Falcons to the Los Angeles Rams for the #5 pick. Ignoring Kiper's recommendation of a quarterback, the Colts selected Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts. That kicked off the Kiper-Tobin comedy. The draft continued. The Rams didn't use the #7 pick either. They traded the pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the #15 pick, a second round pick, and a third round pick. Finally, the 49ers used the #7 pick of the 1994 NFL Draft to select Notre Dame defensive tackle Bryant Young. Very nice. The Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers each had their name next to the #7 pick at some point before and during the 1994 NFL Draft. In a draft disrupted by a little extra drama and hysterics, the greatest action centered around one little pick of the first round. Three teams couldn't find a use for that pick, other than trading it, until one finally did. That #7 pick might have been the most traded first round pick in NFL history. I should look into that.