Daily Columnist

The future is now the past.

At least in the National Football League that is.

With this past weekend’s draft, the NFL received its annual supply of fresh talent. And this year’s stock was a good one.

A draft’s true worth, though, will not be proven for quite some time. But for now, here’s a look at the hits and misses from Saturday’s first round.

The hits …

Arizona Cardinals, pick No. 3, Simeon Rice — If Arizona can hold onto Eric Swann, he and Rice could prove to be one of the league’s most devastating defensive line combos.

New York Giants, pick No. 5, Cedric Jones — In recent years, the Giants have concentrated on offense in the opening round, but finally decided to buck that trend in this draft with their first defensive line selection in 10 years. The run-stopping Jones will prove invaluable to New York in the NFC East.

St. Louis Rams, pick No. 6, Lawrence Phillips — The Rams’ getting Phillips is the steal and feel-good story of the draft. Phillips is giving every indication that he is a changed man and going to St. Louis, where they love their athletes, will only help in his development. Look for the former Cornhusker to win the NFL rushing title within three years.

New England Patriots, pick No. 7, Terry Glenn — One of Drew Bledsoe’s problems last year was that he had no one to throw to outside of Ben Coates. Glenn will not only take a ton of pressure off of Bledsoe, but Coates as well.

Carolina Panthers, pick No. 8, Tim Biakabutuka — Carolina was not far from the playoffs last year, but that should quickly change. The Panthers have a more than solid defense, a good young quarterback and now possibly a great running back. Timmy B. not only can shake tackles with the best of them, but he can now help Carolina shake the expansion label for good.

Houston Oilers, pick No. 14, Eddie George — Popular opinion seemed to be that George was not as good as his Heisman Trophy indicated. It won’t take long for popular opinion to quiet. With George and last year’s first rounder Steve McNair in the backfield, the future is looking very bright for the Oilers.

Indianapolis Colts, pick No. 19, Marvin Harrison — The Colts were in desperate need of a game-breaking wide receiver heading into the draft. The key word here is were. Jim Harbaugh will love throwing to this guy when he is not handing the ball off to Marshall Faulk.

Miami Dolphins, pick No. 20, Daryl Gardener — The last time the Dolphins picked a defensive lineman in the first round (Tim Bowens) he turned into the defensive rookie of the year. Expect the same after Jimmy Johnson gets a year with the 6-6 1/2, 320 pound Gardener.

Baltimore Ravens, pick No. 26, Ray Lewis — Baltimore was desperate for a solid linebacker and now they’ve got one. The speedy Lewis should plug the middle of the field for the Ravens for years to come.

The misses …

Baltimore Ravens, pick No. 4, Jonathan Ogden — Ogden is, and probably will be, a great player, but Baltimore blew it when they passed on Phillips. It’s nice to have a good offensive lineman, but it’s even nicer to have someone for him to block for.

Oakland Raiders, pick No. 9, Rickey Dudley — Recent years have proven that picking a tight end this early is not a smart move.

The draft is fun, but watching the class of 1996 develop over the next couple of years will be a blast.

Matt Downing is a freshman in sports management from Sioux City, Iowa. He is the sports editor of the Daily.