Quinn has a royally long wait

By Sam Farmer

April 29, 2007 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

NEW YORK —

You can go home again. Brady Quinn proved it.

But for the Notre Dame quarterback, that trip back to Ohio was long, tortuous and breathtakingly expensive. Quinn, who a day earlier held out hopes he’d be among the first three players selected Saturday in the NFL draft, was chosen 22nd by the Cleveland Browns -- four hours after Oakland made Louisiana State quarterback JaMarcus Russell the top pick.

Cleveland snubbed Quinn the first time around, so did Minnesota and then Miami. After the first seven selections, he was the last remaining player in the green room, the fourth consecutive year a quarterback has been the last man sitting. In previous years, the passers playing the waiting game were Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Leinart.

This time, the NFL mercifully provided Quinn and his family a suite tucked away in Radio City Music Hall, safe from the prying eyes of most TV cameras. For two-thirds of the longest first round in NFL history -- one that stretched six hours, 10 minutes -- this workout warrior hung out in the “wait” room.

“In my head, I had a spot in which I didn’t think I was going any further,” said Quinn, who grew up in Dublin, Ohio, and still has the No. 19 Bernie Kosar jersey he wore as a kid. “Obviously, it exceeded that point.”

Quinn wasn’t the only one twiddling his thumbs. For the first time since 1987, the opening round passed without the selection of a player from USC or UCLA. Three Trojans were potential first-round picks: center Ryan Kalil, and receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith.

The first to go was Jarrett, who left school a year early and was selected 45th by Carolina, which already has USC receivers Keyshawn Johnson and Keary Colbert. Kalil went to the Panthers, too, with the 59th pick. Smith was selected 51st, by the New York Giants.

For the eighth time in 10 years, the first player selected was a quarterback. Next, Detroit took Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson -- the fourth time in five years the Lions have chosen a receiver in the top 10 -- who was coveted by Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Washington and others. The two most popular positions in the first round were defensive end (five) and safety (four).

After Russell, three of his teammates were selected in the opening round: safety LaRon Landry, sixth by Washington; receiver Dwayne Bowe, 23rd by Kansas City; and receiver Craig Davis, 30th by San Diego.

Of being chosen first, Russell said, “I kind of had faith in it. Everybody had been talking about it for a while. It’s a dream come true. Growing up as a kid playing every sport in life and always seeing the guys on the professional level, and here I am today.

“I can’t wait to get in the black and silver and get to work.”

Character concerns, real or perceived, didn’t seem to affect where California running back Marshawn Lynch, Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss, or Miami safety Brandon Meriweather were selected. They were chosen between the 12th and 24th spots. Nevada Las Vegas cornerback Eric Wright, whose legal problems led to his leaving USC, was chosen 53rd by Cleveland, roughly around the time he was expected to go.

The most surprising move of the opening round was Miami selecting Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr. with the ninth pick. He was expected to go near the end of the round, and the Dolphins need help on the offensive and defensive lines, cornerback, and quarterback.

Quinn was convinced he was Miami-bound once Cleveland and Minnesota passed on him, but when the Dolphins didn’t select him, it looked as if Quinn would go 23rd to Kansas City. The Baltimore Ravens called his cell phone, however, suggesting they were angling for a trade with Dallas at 22 to get him. Then, his phone beeped. It was Cleveland on the other line.

“I had to click over, and once it picked up they said, ‘Hey ... we made a trade. We’re going to come get you right now.’ ”

The Browns gave up a lot to move into that spot. They traded their second-round pick Saturday, plus their first-round pick next year to the Cowboys.

So just like that, his favorite team since childhood, the one that passed over him at No. 3 in favor of Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas, was his favorite team again. And his future employer.

The slide from No. 3 to No. 22 was costly. By comparison, the third pick last year, Tennessee’s Vince Young, signed a six-year, $54-million contract with $26.5 million guaranteed; the No. 22 pick, San Francisco’s Manny Lawson, signed a five-year, $8.5-million deal.

“People kept saying I was losing money,” Quinn said with a shrug. “I was sitting back there with my wallet; I have a dollar in cash and it’s still in there. ... If you’re successful and you’re going to win games in the NFL, you’re going to make more money in your second contract. But it’s not about that anyway. It’s about winning.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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Highly regarded

Quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall in the draft since 1970:

1970 -- Terry Bradshaw Pittsburgh

1971 -- Jim Plunkett New England

1975 -- Steve Bartkowski Atlanta

1983 -- John Elway Baltimore

1987 -- Vinny Testaverde Tampa Bay

1989 -- Troy Aikman Dallas

1990 -- Jeff George Indianapolis

1993 -- Drew Bledsoe New England