Sanford knows top picks

Steve Guiremand

Friday, April 22, 2005 | 10:15 a.m.

Most college football coaches would consider themselves very lucky to have been able to coach a player who was the first overall pick of an NFL draft.

New UNLV head coach Mike Sanford could experience that thrill for the second time in a decade on Saturday morning if the San Francisco 49ers pick Utah quarterback Alex Smith as expected with the first pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Sanford was Utah's offensive coordinator the past two seasons and helped mold the 6-foot-4 Smith into a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior. He both recruited and coached Keyshawn Johnson, the first pick of 1996 NFL Draft, while he was a wide receivers coach at USC.

"That would be quite a neat thing," Sanford said of the possibility of Smith garnering the first pick Saturday. "I think the biggest thing if that happens is that I'd be happy for Alex. No matter what happens with the draft, he's going to do a great job. He's a hard worker. He's a smart guy. He'll study. He'll know what to do."

Did Sanford have any idea that Smith might one day be the first pick of the NFL Draft when he arrived at Utah two years ago?

"None," Sanford said. "We saw some ability there but he struggled a little bit at first. He ended up having a great spring game that year but he struggled a little bit in spring practice. And then he came on in two-a-days until he had a back problem."

However, early that season starter Brett Elliott broke his wrist and Smith was brought in off the bench.

"Alex took over the job and the rest is history," Sanford said. "It took some time. The biggest thing he did was every week he prepared himself. And he improved tremendously from year one to year two. Obviously we were further along in the offense then. But he also upped his game. The two of them went together."

By contrast, Sanford said he knew he had a special player the first time he watched Johnson, then playing at West Los Angeles Junior College, on tape.

"I thought he was going to be a great player," Sanford said. "I watched him on tape and all I needed to see was three plays. I said, 'Let's offer him and let's get him.'

"I think with receivers it's a little easier to tell," Sanford continued. "With the quarterback position there are so many intangibles. You see those articles about what does it take to be a great quarterback? And there's kind of an 'it' that people talk about. Some guys have it and some guys don't. Sometimes you don't find out until the heat of the battle and how they respond.

"Alex Smith has 'it.' "

Although Smith has been rumored to be the 49ers' choice for several days, his agent, Tom Condon, so far has not been able to work out a predraft deal with San Francisco. So it still isn't out of the question for the quarterback-starved 49ers could switch gears at the wire and select local favorite Aaron Rodgers of Cal, who has said he would take less money to play for the team he rooted for as a youngster.

It could be an interesting day for Rodgers if San Francisco sticks with Smith. Miami, which picks second and has been trying to trade down, needs help at both quarterback and running back and could go for versatile Auburn running back Ronnie Brown, arguably the top offensive prospect in the draft, and address their quarterback needs later.

If the Dolphins pass on Rodgers, there has been speculation he could slide all the way to the 24th pick where the Green Bay Packers might bring him in to groom as Brett Favre's replacement. And there has been some draft scuttlebutt that Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell may have even passed Rodgers on some teams' lists.

Depending on how things shake out in the later rounds Sunday, UNLV could break a school record for the number of players picked.

Four Rebels were picked in both the 2002 and 1975 drafts. Linebackers Adam Seward and Ryan Claridge are projected as potential first-day picks (rounds 1-3), while All-American safety Jamaal Brimmer is expected to go in the mid-rounds despite some disappointing 40 times at the NFL combine.

Whether the Rebels equal or break their school record will likely depend on whether Mountain West Conference rushing champ Domninique Dorsey, all-conference wide receiver Earvin Johnson and offensive guard Joe Critchfield get picked in the later rounds or are forced to go the free agent route.

Among the other interesting storylines going into this weekend's draft: