NFL Draft, April 20-21

April 20, 2002

Saturday, April 20, 2002
As expected, the Carolina Panthers selected Julius Peppers with the No. 2 overall pick. Peppers is the highest draft pick from North Carolina since Lawrence Taylor was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1981 draft by the New York Giants.

"I think I am ready for this league," said Peppers, who was in New York for the draft. "I think it will be good for me to stay around (North Carolina), so my family and friends can see me play."

Defensive tackle Ryan Sims was selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs, coached by Dick Vermeil, traded up to grab the 6-4, 311-pound Tar Heel. Kansas City, who originally had the No. 8 pick, swapped places with the Dallas Cowboys' No. 6 spot.

"He (Sims) was coached by one ours, John Bunting," Vermeil told former Bunting teammate Ron Jawarski on ESPN. "He's big, strong, physical and he has no flaws. He's very smart and did well on all his tests. I think he will represent Kansas City with class and the style that we demand here in Kansas City."

For the first time in school history, two North Carolina players were selected in the first six picks of the NFL draft. Peppers and Sims are the fifth and sixth Top 10 picks from North Carolina in school history.

Carolina Draft Notes

Carolina has had 14 players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft all-time. The most recent first-round selection was Ebenezer Ekuban who went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 20 overall.

The last time a Carolina player was chosen in the top five was in 1981 when the New York Giants selected outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor with the second overall pick. Carolina's only other top five picks were Ken Willard (second overall) in 1965 to the San Francisco 49ers and Ken Huff (third overall) in 1975 to the Baltimore Colts.

The last time Carolina had at least two players selected in the first round was 1998. That year, Greg Ellis was the eighth overall selection by the Dallas Cowboys, Brian Simmons was picked 17th by the Cincinnati Bengals and Vonnie Holliday was drafted 19th by the Green Bay Packers. Two Tar Heels also were drafted in the first round in 1981. That year, outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor was selected second overall by the New York Giants and defensive tackle Donnell Thompson was the 18th overall pick by the Baltimore Colts.

Carolina is expected to have two defensive linemen selected in the first round on Saturday. If that occurs, the Tar Heels will have had five defensive lineman taken in the first round in the last five years - Ellis and Holliday in 1998, Ekuban in 1999 and Peppers and Sims in 2002. No other school in the ACC can match that accomplishment.

The last time a former Tar Heel walk-on was selected in the NFL Draft was in 1993 when cornerback Thomas Smith was picked 28th overall in the first round in 1993. Linebacker David Thornton, who was a walk-on at Carolina until earning a scholarship prior to the 2001 season, is expected to be drafted this weekend.

Carolina is the only ACC school to have at least one player selected in every NFL Draft since 1971.

Carolina is third in the ACC with 14 first-round picks, behind Florida State's 26 and Clemson's 19.

Last season, North Carolina was tied for ninth with 27 former players on opening day NFL rosters.

Since the NFL shortened its draft to seven rounds in 1994, the highest number of Tar Heels selected in one draft was seven in 1998.

North Carolina's First Round Picks (14)
Ken Willard - 1965, second overall, San Francisco 49ers
Don McCauley - 1971, 22nd overall, Baltimore Colts
Ken Huff - 1975, third overall, Baltimore Colts
Lawrence Taylor - 1981, second overall, New York Giants
Donnell Thompson - 1981, 18th overall, Baltimore Colts
rian Blados - 1984, 28th overall, Cincinnati Bengals
Ethan Horton - 1985, 15th overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Harris Barton - 1987, 22nd overall, San Francisco 49ers
Thomas Smith - 1993, 28th overall, Buffalo Bills
Marcus Jones - 1996, 22nd overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Greg Ellis - 1998, eighth overall, Dallas Cowboys
rian Simmons - 1998, 17th overall, Cincinnati Bengals
Vonnie Holliday - 1998, 19th overall, Green Bay Packers
Ebenezer Ekuban - 1999, 20th overall, Dallas Cowboys

Newstand
Thornton Soaring To New Heights
by Neil Amato, Durham Herald-Sun

Sims Stock Soars
by Barry Svrluga, Raleigh News & Observer

Drafting Sims Would Be Fashionable Pick
by Bart Hubboch, Florida Times-Union

Carolina's Sims Steals Spotlight at Defensive Tackle
by Randy Covitz, Kansas City Star

Peppers Has Ability To Dominate
Chris Harry, Orlando Sentinel

Peppers Projects As Top Three Pick
by Jenna Fryer, Associated Press

Player Ratings
Mel Kiper's Big Board

Defensive Tackles Move To Top Of Draft
Len Paquarelli, ESPN

Rating The Defensive Linemen
by Gil Brandt, NFL.com

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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