Clausen goes to Panthers in 2nd

Associated Press

NEW YORK

The big crowd at Radio City Music Hall for the second night of the NFL draft had to wait for the big names to go. They got a star-studded show while they hung around Friday.

Until Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Alabama’s Terrence “Mount” Cody were selected, the audience was treated to Jim Brown, Dan Marino and Ray Lewis. Floyd Little, Rod Woodson and John Randle.

Unfortunately, they were announcing the selections, not being picked.

Eventually, those choices became high-profile, beginning with Fighting Irish QB Clausen at 48th overall — more than 40 picks lower than some projected.

Clausen, a three-year regular under Charlie Weis, was 16-18 as a starter after being one of the nation’s most sought recruits. The Panthers’ choice drew scattered boos, but with Jake Delhomme gone and Matt Moore the incumbent, Carolina seems a good landing spot.

“I think it’s going to help me tremendously, being in coach Weis’ system,” Clausen said of the offense run by John Fox in Carolina. “Coach Fox told me he said it was the same exact system I’ve played in the last three years. I’m really excited about that.”

NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt noted that Clausen brought his team from behind four times to win — and brought his team from behind four times and lost.

“He’s an excellent football player, but he doesn’t have great arm strength. That’s all right though,” Brandt said.

Clausen, the first Notre Damer chosen this year, kicked off a spurt of more recognizable selections — and three All-Americans. The first Southern Cal player, safety Taylor Mays, went to San Francisco, followed by Alabama cornerback-kick returner Javier Arenas to Kansas City, and Gerhart, the Heisman runner-up, to the Vikings.

Minnesota, which did not select Thursday night, traded up 11 spots in the second round for Gerhart, also a top baseball prospect. The Vikings needed a backup to star runner Adrian Peterson after losing Chester Taylor in free agency.

“I’m there to complement the best running back in the league, Adrian Peterson,” Gerhart said. “It’s amazing. I remember when I first started college, Adrian Peterson was the man in college. I remember saying I want to emulate my game after him.”

Wideout Golden Tate, Clausen’s college teammate, went 60th overall to Seattle. Perhaps new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was swayed by Tate’s outstanding performance against his USC Trojans last year.

Early on, instead of Heisman Trophy winners and All-Americans, the choices were Indiana tackle Rodger Saffold, Virginia cornerback Chris Cook, and UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price. Yes, quality players, but hardly headline makers.

Needing a blocker for quarterback Sam Bradford, the first overall pick the previous night, the Rams ignored several trade offers to stay put. They went for an experienced player who started for four seasons with the Hoosiers.

“Oh man, it was a long night,” Saffold said. “Your heart’s racing the entire time and I’m just glad St. Louis called. I didn’t know how much longer I could have taken it.”

The Rams fielded plenty of bids for the pick.

“We would have had to move significantly back in the second round,” general manager Billy Devaney said, “and what we were going to get we didn’t think it was worth passing up a lineman that we deemed had this much talent.”

Minnesota, which traded out of the first round, has had injury issues at cornerback, so Cook should be helpful. And Tampa Bay’s defensive line has been a sieve, which it addressed with the selections of Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy at No. 3 overall and then Price.

Other notables on Day 2: Kansas City got a prime kick returner and receiving threat in 5-foot-8, 165-pound Dexter McCluster of Mississippi; Alabama’s 350-pound All-American defensive tackle, Cody, went to Baltimore; and South Florida safety Nate Allen was taken by Philadelphia with the second-rounder the Eagles got from Washington for Donovan McNabb.