Now It’s Pick ‘Em at the Top

Not only is Texas’ Vince Young an incredibly mobile quarterback, he could be the NFL’s most upwardly mobile draft prospect.

Before Young’s spectacular performance in the Rose Bowl, and before his hometown Houston Texans secured the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, it was a reasonably safe assumption that the first selection would be USC running back Reggie Bush. He seemed to have a slight edge on teammate Matt Leinart. In fact, the regular-season finale between two NFL bottom-dwellers, the Texans and San Francisco 49ers, was widely referred to as the “Bush Bowl.”

But when Young announced Sunday that he would skip his senior season with the Longhorns, it marked the official start of a different kind of who’s-No. 1 debate.

“It’s a three-horse race,” agent Leigh Steinberg said. “But there’s a long season of scouting to go. ... To assume teams have made their final judgment in January is a little bit absurd.”

Bush, who won the Heisman Trophy this season, has not announced his intentions but certainly has tipped his hand. In recent days, he staged seven one-hour interviews with prospective agents and is believed to have narrowed the field to two -- David Dunn and Joel Segal. The interviews took place in Santa Monica and involved Bush and three of his advisors: his stepfather, LaMar Griffin; his cousin, J.C. Pearson; and Reebok’s Mike Ornstein.

On Monday, Bush and Dunn met for an hour with USC Coach Pete Carroll and Trojan running backs coach Todd McNair.

Later Monday, Carroll spoke of Young’s decision to turn pro, saying: “I think he took advantage of the opportunity that he created for himself. I’m sure there’s reasons why you could say he shouldn’t go and all that. But he saw it as a great opportunity and wanted to go for it.”

Soon, the coach could be saying the same thing about Bush, who beat out Young and Leinart for the Heisman.

Former 49er coach Bill Walsh, one of pro football’s best talent evaluators, believes that Leinart is the best quarterback prospect in the draft, and that Bush’s stock might have dropped a bit after the Rose Bowl because “he didn’t dominate.”

Walsh said Young “performed brilliantly” in the Rose Bowl, but the former coach said he isn’t sure whether Young’s scrambling style would work over the long haul in the pros.

“A lot of the running Young did in the Rose Bowl, he wouldn’t have been able to get away with in the NFL,” Walsh said. “Everybody’s a step or two or three faster, especially the linebackers. The punishment he would take in the NFL would start to slow him down.

“It’s a Michael Vick kind of thing,” Walsh said, referring to the Atlanta quarterback whom the Falcons are shaping into more of a traditional pocket passer. “It looks good early on, but it’s less and less a factor every game he plays.”

Still, there’s a groundswell of support in Houston for the Texans to draft Young. The Houston Chronicle ran a story Monday headlined: “Hometown hero is people’s choice: Forget Bush ... Young’s the new favorite to lead struggling Texans.” Although that might be the perspective of many fans, the Texans are said to be leaning toward Bush.

This much is clear: Quarterback situations are in flux all over the league, and more than one-fourth of the teams could have new starters at the position next season. Of the first six teams selecting in the draft -- Houston, New Orleans, Tennessee, the New York Jets, Green Bay and Oakland -- each conceivably could take a quarterback, and all but the Titans will have new coaches.

Quarterbacks Brett Favre, Steve McNair and Vinny Testaverde are inching closer to retirement; San Diego’s situation is unclear, with Drew Brees recovering from shoulder surgery and Philip Rivers waiting in the wings; and even Cincinnati, which two weeks ago signed Carson Palmer to a $118.75-million contract extension, now has to wonder how quickly he can recover from the devastating knee injury he suffered in Sunday’s playoff loss to Pittsburgh.

Could McNair leave the Titans for the Jets, reuniting with his longtime offensive coordinator, Mike Heimerdinger?

How about Rivers to Tennessee, where he would be reunited with his former offensive coordinator, Norm Chow, who coached him at North Carolina State?

Or what about the Saints drafting Leinart before eventually relocating to Los Angeles?

Steinberg, said to be in the running to represent Leinart, said he expected some teams with lower picks to try to trade up to grab Leinart or Young.

“As draft day grows more imminent, the traditional football wisdom will remind decision makers that it’s the franchise quarterback who transforms teams,” he said. “He’s the one who takes them to the playoffs and on to Super Bowls.”

Then again, there are always unpredictable twists and turns.

“This draft,” he said, “will come down to specific teams falling in love with specific players.”