Smith taken 174th; Raiders deal Moss to Pats

The Buckeyes quarterback went to Baltimore on the final pick of the fifth round.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Troy Smith is taking his Heisman Trophy to Baltimore. Randy Moss is bringing his sinking reputation to New England.
The second day of the NFL draft hardly was without big names and drama. No, Sunday couldn't match the slide of Brady Quinn and the dealing of three 2008 first-round picks. But it had some juicy angles, including Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, going to the Ravens on the final pick of the fifth round. That's 174 picks overall, the ninth quarterback and seventh Buckeye chosen.
"The wait, that's not a concern for me," Smith said. "The concern was the chance to be a part of an organization which is the ideal fit, playing for a winning team and a winning organization and getting a chance to learn from guys like Steve McNair, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, coach [Brian] Billick and Ozzie Newsome."
Baltimore's seasoned roster of winners is a major reason Newsome grabbed Smith.
"I said, 'Here you are, coming off a big-time career at Ohio State, playing in the national championship game, the Heisman Trophy winner, and you're probably going to be a nobody because we've got some Hall of Famers that are in that locker room.' And you know what? He really relished that opportunity."
Moss dealt for fourth-rounder
Moss never took advantage of his few opportunities with the Oakland Raiders and was dealt to the Patriots Sunday for a fourth-round pick, No. 110 overall.
"Just really last night me and coach [Bill] Belichick really talked for the first time about what's been going on," Moss said. "He asked me how excited I [would be] if the opportunity would present itself for me to become a Patriot and, really, I was overwhelmed because I didn't expect to hear from coach Belichick."
It took him two years to become a pariah with the woeful Raiders. Less, actually, because the former All-Pro receiver in Minnesota even admitted he didn't always go all-out as Oakland plummeted to 2-14, the worst record in the league.
Moss, who made five Pro Bowls in seven seasons with Minnesota, had 102 catches for 1,558 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Raiders. But he had career lows last season with 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns.
"We felt this was the best scenario for both the Raiders and Randy," Oakland coach Lane Kiffin said.
So did Moss, who refuted the impression he has a bad reputation in the NFL.
"I have a microscope [on me] and my microscope is very big," he said. "The people that talk about me, as far as my work ethic and my competitive nature and me going out there and playing football, the best thing I can say to you, male or female, all you have to do is line up against me and see what happens."
Succeeded with Dillon
New England never has shied from taking on other teams problem players -- perhaps most notably running back Corey Dillon -- and has succeeded with them. Now the Patriots have Moss to bolster their receiving corps, and they chose safety Brandon Meriweather of the Miami Hurricanes in the first round. Meriweather played a prominent role in Miami's brawl with Florida International last season and served a one-game suspension.
Then there was Michael Bush, a likely first-rounder before breaking his leg in Louisville's opener last season. The big, fast running back was the opening pick of the second day after the Raiders had nearly 12 hours to contemplate the selection.
"I was just stunned," Bush said of not going in the first three rounds, probably because he needed a second surgery in March, when a new rod was inserted into his leg after the bone didn't heal quickly enough. "I didn't know what to expect, what to think. My agent and I didn't have anything to go by. I just felt like maybe it wasn't right for me to go on the first day. It was a little disappointing, but everything worked out fine."
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