Tom Curran • E-mail

Remember when the worst NFL teams used to get an April reward for getting smacked around from September until January?

Sure it sucked to take a beating all season long but at least when it came to draft time that team would be at the top of the heap and in position to use the No. 1 overall pick as a building block to the future.

But with each passing year that building block becomes more like an anchor. In the NFL, ownership of the No. 1 overall pick is the final leftover indignity from the previous seasons' missteps. Like finding a pair of XXXL panties under your bed three months after an evening of especially poor decisions.

Last year, the Raiders drafted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first pick. Russell then held out until September 12, got a six-year, $68 million contract with more guaranteed money ($31.5 million) than the one given to Tom Brady in 2005 (six years, $60 million with $26 million in guarantees and roster bonuses). Russell didn't appear in a game until December 2 and finished the year appearing in four games completing 36 of 66 passes with two touchdowns and four picks. Despite having already sunk all that money into Russell, Oakland now looks forward to having a full offseason of preparation with Russell so it can begin to find out if he's the real thing or not.

In 2006, the Houston Texans went a different route than Oakland and selected Mario Williams, a defensive end from North Carolina State in part because of his "signability." Williams seems to be on his way to being worthy of that No. 1 pick, but the Texans front office was buffeted by criticism for months on end after bypassing running back Reggie Bush and quarterback Vince Young.

The Niners were compelled to take a quarterback in 2005, drafted Utah's Alex Smith and are now saddled with a player they signed to a six-year, $49.5 million deal with $24 million guaranteed that finished the 2007 season at odds with head coach Mike Nolan.

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The contract sumo wrestling that goes on between the No. 1 overall pick and the woebegone team that selects him is draining. Add to that the fact that the team with the worst record normally has myriad issues to address that a massive contract at some point will prevent them from getting to and you can see why Miami's new personnel head Jeff Ireland put a "For Sale" sign up on the No. 1 pick during the Senior Bowl.

This week, coaches, scouts and personnel men will convene in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and the elephant in the room all week will be the fact that nobody wants to get stuck with the No. 1 pick.

Not this year when there really isn't a player whose talent screams "Can't Miss!" at the top of the board.

At this stage, some of the top candidates for the No. 1 overall pick this year are Virginia defensive end Chris Long, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. One of them is going to get drafted first and his agent is going to come to the bargaining table with Russell's contract details and lobby for similar dollars.

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