Browns hope Winslow will be prize catch
The Hall of Fame bloodlines and college background were right. And to the Cleveland Browns, so was the price to get Kellen Winslow Jr.
Unable to trade for Iowa tackle Robert Gallery, the Browns moved up one spot in the first round of the NFL Draft yesterday and selected Winslow, Miami's talented tight end with a reputation for big plays -- and a big mouth.
Cleveland swapped first-round picks (No. 7 for No. 6) with Detroit and the Browns also gave the Lions their second-round selection (No. 37 overall) to get the 6-foot-4-inch, 251-pound Winslow.
"We just picked a heck of a football player and I am fired up," said coach Butch Davis, who helped recruit Winslow to the Hurricanes before taking the Browns' job in 2001.
When Gallery, the top-rated player on their list, went to Oakland at No. 2, Davis decided he wasn't going to take any chances at missing out on Winslow and made the deal with Detroit.
The Browns love Winslow's speed, hands, and versatility. They're counting on the son of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow to make an immediate impact in an offense that should be better with new quarterback Jeff Garcia.
But did the Browns give up too much to get him? In previous drafts, a third- or fourth-round pick was enough to move up a single position in Round 1. Davis said the Lions told him they were going to take Winslow at No. 6, leaving the Browns little choice but make Detroit an offer it couldn't refuse.
"The compensation was maybe a little bit higher than people would have thought," Davis said. "But at that point, to get the guy that we want, that fits our offense and fits our needs, it was worth it." Winslow, who left Miami after his junior year, led the Hurricanes with 60 receptions last season. He was named a first-team All-American and won the John Mackey Award, given to college football's top tight end.
He aspires to be the best tight end in league history, even better than his father.
"I'm not going to lie," Winslow said. "I think I can be."
However, Winslow's accomplishments at Miami were overshadowed by a postgame tirade following a loss to Tennessee when he criticized officials and compared himself to a soldier.
During the 10-6 loss to the Volunteers, Winslow also drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He also stood over and taunted a defender after making a block.
"It's war," Winslow screamed at reporters in the locker room. "They're out there to kill you, so I'm out there to kill them. We don't care about anybody but this U. They're going after my legs. I'm going to come right back at them. I'm a . . . soldier."
Winslow later apologized for the remarks.
Little arrested
St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little was arrested and cited for driving
while intoxicated early yesterday, police in Ladue, Mo., said. In a fatal accident in 1998, he was driving drunk and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Little was stopped for speeding on the highway and he was booked and released after being issued two traffic summons, police said.
Little went to his first Pro Bowl after last season and has played with the Rams his entire six-year career. He was fifth in the NFL in sacks last year with 12 1/2. He was suspended for the first eight games of the 1999 season after pleading guilty in a 1998 crash that killed a woman. Little was sentenced to 90 days in the city workhouse and four years probation.
Tillman honored
Pat Tillman was praised at the draft in New York as a hero by commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who wore a black ribbon with Tillman's name on it and a Cardinals helmet pin with the No. 40 attached.
Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals in May 2002 to join the Army Rangers, died Thursday in an ambush in Afghanistan. His jersey was hung below a video screen, along with a photo of the former Cardinals safety.
"Pat Tillman personified the best values of America and of the National Football League," Tagliabue said. "Like other men and women protecting our freedom around the globe, he made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for his country."
A moment of silence was held in Tillman's honor, after which the crowd at Madison Square Garden chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick yesterday recalled becoming acquainted with Tillman and following his career from afar.
"I spent a lot of time with that whole [1998] draft class at Arizona State. I was down there for a couple of days and I kept in touch with Pat and communicated with him the last couple of years when he went into the service," Belichick said. "Obviously, it's a sad day for me personally, our country, and the NFL. Pat, I think, stands for everything we all believe in and admire." More on Tillman, Page A22.
Michael Vega of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
