All N.F.L. employees wore Virginia Tech pins and Smith announced Buffalo's first-round pick, running back Marshawn Lynch.
The Giants' defensive front made the early statement, as Arizona's top draft pick, running back Thomas Jones, found out.
MATHEWS ON BOARD The 12th overall draft pick, running back Ryan Mathews, signed a five-year, $25.65 million contract, with more than $15 million guaranteed, with the San Diego Chargers.
The Cleveland Browns got into the frenzy, trading a ridiculous number of picks to move up one spot to No. 3 to pick running back Trent Richardson, apparently not getting the N.F.L. memo that picking running backs high is so 1993, as Mike Lopresti writes in USA Today.
(AP) RAMS SIGN TOP PICK -- The St . LouisRams signed their first-round draft pick, running back Steven Jackson of Oregon State, to a five-year contract yesterday.
The university president, Karen Hitchcock, joked that she was happy the Giants had a "great Dayne in their backfield," referring to the Giants' top draft pick, running back Ron Dayne.
The Giants selected three players from the Big Ten in the 2000 National Football League draft, beginning with their top pick, running back Ron Dayne of Wisconsin.
After Wheatley was selected with the seventeenth pick, running backs Napoleon Kaufman, James Stewart and Rashaan Salaam were chosen with the eighteenth, nineteenth and twenty-first selections, respectively.
Virgil Goode is the Constitution Party's pick running for the White House, while former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is competing as the Libertarian contender.
