Saturday, April 24, 2004
Will Smith was the highest selection, going to the Saints at No. 18.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Will Smith is headed from the Buckeye State to the Bayou. Some of his former Ohio State teammates also are moving to favorable locations.
New Orleans selected Smith with the 18th overall pick in the NFL draft Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 267-pound defensive end should immediately help the Saints, who had the league's 27th rushing defense last season by allowing 140.1 yards per game.
Panthers take Gamble
Buckeyes cornerback Chris Gamble went to defending NFC champion Carolina with the 28th pick and, with the next selection, wide receiver Michael Jenkins was given the chance to catch passes from Michael Vick in Atlanta.
It could be a big draft for the Buckeyes, who have a chance to set an NFL record with as many as 15 players selected. The Miami Hurricanes set the record two years ago with 11.
The Buckeyes had three first-round picks for the first time since 1999, when David Boston, Antoine Winfield and Andy Katzenmoyer were selected.
Smith had 101/2 sacks and 49 tackles, including 20 behind the line of scrimmage, in a 2003 season that saw him earn second-team All-America honors and the Big Ten defensive player of the year award.
He's confident the Saints' defense will be better now that he's a part of it.
"I played in a 4-3 and a 3-4 scheme in college and I've played the linebacker position and I'm very skilled at that," Smith said. "We had a real complex scheme where I blitzed a lot or dropped into coverages. I did a lot of different things for Ohio State and I think that kind of made me a complete player."
Reunited
Smith will be reunited in New Orleans with former Ohio State players LeCharles Bentley and Cie Grant, his teammate on the Buckeyes' 2002 national champions.
Now that he'll be living in a city known for its restaurants and Cajun cuisine, Smith said he's looking forward to finding out whether Bentley is the cook he claims to be.
"When he was at Ohio State he used to always talk about what he cooked, but nobody actually ate the food," Smith said, drawing laughs from reporters on a conference call. "So I get a chance to go out and see if he can really cook or not."
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