Two Catches

R. Jay Soward tried to avoid watching the NFL draft, tried to dodge the televised proceedings as if they were stalking defensive backs, tried to avoid getting caught in the emotional roller coaster, even if this was his future at stake. So he mingled among the 50 or so people who flooded the family home in Rialto instead of staring at the TV.

Maybe it helped that he had an idea what would happen.

A lengthy conversation with Jacksonville officials Friday all but convinced Soward that would be the team to take him in the first round, and that came true Saturday when the Jaguars selected the USC receiver with the 29th pick, the culmination of hope and a gut feeling.

Soward wanted to play in a warm-weather city and got it. After meeting Coach Tom Coughlin during a personal workout, he liked the idea of playing for Coughlin. He was pegged as a first-round choice and got that honor. He recorded his fastest 40 time in the on-campus once-over for the Jaguars several weeks earlier and had the good phone conversation on Friday, all of which got him feeling it would be Jacksonville.

“This was a team I wanted to go to,” Soward said. “I had a real good personal workout for Coach Coughlin. He was someone I wanted to play for.

“This was great for me. I’m very happy and I’m very excited. But more than that, I’m ready to get to work.”

He gets that chance, immediately.

Soward was scheduled to leave for Jacksonville on a Saturday night red-eye. That would get him to his new city Sunday morning. . . . for a few hours. After meeting team personnel, touring the Jaguar facilities and a likely press conference, he is scheduled to return to Southern California on Sunday night.

Briefly. Soward expects to leave again Tuesday and participate in mini-camp later in the week.

“I’m just ready for business,” he said. “I’m ready to go play. I know I have a big job ahead of me.”

Part of that will be convincing skeptics that problems with a consistent work ethic, which threatened to knock him into the second round, are in the past. But being a No. 1 pick and fifth receiver selected--after Peter Warrick to Cincinnati, Plaxico Burress to Pittsburgh, Travis Taylor to Baltimore and Sylvester Morris to Kansas City--is an endorsement of his speed and ability as a return man on special teams.

Soward became the seventh first-round pick from USC in the last eight years, a streak interrupted only by the 1998 proceedings, when Brian Kelly, the lone Trojan selected, went in the second round. Additionally, all of the previous six No. 1s went in the top 10 overall: Chris Claiborne (ninth in 1999 to Detroit), Darrell Russell (second to Oakland in ‘97), Keyshawn Johnson (first to New York in ‘96), Tony Boselli (second to Jacksonville in ‘95), Willie McGinest (fourth to New England in ‘94) and Curtis Conway (seventh to Chicago in ‘93).

Only defensive back Deltha O’Neal from California and defensive end Erik Flowers from Arizona State were selected from the Pacific 10 before Soward went 29th.-- Arizona running back Trung Canidate was the final pick of the first round by St. Louis, while Wildcat wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, from Dorsey High, was the first selection of the second round, going to Cleveland.

Moments after that, the Atlanta Falcons made USC’s Travis Claridge the 37th selection. Claridge played tackle last season but could end up at guard in the NFL.

“I played guard for three years,” Claridge said. “I think they said they wanted me to play both positions.”

Arizona State running back J.R. Redmond, who attended Carson High, was selected in the third round (76th overall) by New England. Oregon running back Reuben Droughns, who attended Anaheim High, was the third-round pick (81st overall) of Detroit.

The final four rounds will be held today.

Among USC players, David Gibson and Windrell Hayes are given good chances at being selected and Chad Morton--speedy, but only 5 foot 8--Jason Grain and Donta Kendrick are considered possibilities.

Among Bruins, Danny Farmer and Durrell Price are expected to go and Eric Whitfield and Ali Abdul Azziz might.

THE LOCALS

R1: R. Jay Soward, USC

No. 29, JAGUARS

R2: Travis Claridge, USC

No. 37, Falcons