Page One

While the Dow and NASDAQ continued to plummet in the week leading up to the NFL draft, former Cal cornerback Deltha O’Neal’s stock was going up. The Denver Broncos took the kick return specialist sooner than almost anyone expected on Saturday, and with three other ex-Cal players being selected in the later rounds, it was clearly a Bear market. 

O’Neal, selected with the 15th overall pick, was the first cornerback, and the first of four Pac-10 players chosen in the first round. One day and five rounds later, Cal center John Romero broke the drought, becoming the Philadelphia Eagles’ sixth-round pick. In the seventh and final round, Cal linebacker Sekou Sanyika and defensive end Jeremiah Parker were selected within two picks of each other, by the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, respectively.  

Hailed as “the best corner...and best return man in the draft” by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., O’Neal is expected to contribute immediately, at least on kick returns, for the Broncos, and possibly help fill the pass coverage void left by the suspension of star cornerback Dale Carter.  

“We like (Deltha’s) skills at defensive back,” Denver head coach Mike Shanahan told ESPN’s Chris Berman immediately following the pick. “He plays the ball extremely well, and once he does get the interception, he can do some things with it.” 

Romero, a graduate of Berkeley’s own St. Mary’s High School, happens to be the second offensive lineman from Cal drafted in two years by the Eagles. Last year, Philadelphia picked up former Bears guard John Welbourne with the second pick of the fourth round. Defensive lineman Brandon Whiting and wide receiver Dameane Douglas – both teammates of Romero at Cal – also appear on the Philadelphia roster.  

“(Being drafted) is quite an accomplishment, he’s quite an inspiration,” said St. Mary’s High head football coach Dan Shaughnessy, who coached Romero in his years as a Panther. “He’s got to make it first. It’s one thing to get drafted, and another thing to make the squad, but I talked to his position coach (at Cal), and he said (John) had a future in the NFL.” 

Conspicuously absent from the weekend’s draft board was tenacious linebacker Matt Beck, who was considered an early-rounder before suffering a season-ending foot injury during the 1999 season. Many draft pundits expected an NFL team to take a chance on Beck in the late rounds, despite his injury-riddled collegiate career.