NFL

Draft not as bleak for Miami

DAVIE -- Barring a trade, the Dolphins will wait about seven hours until the 49th pick to make their first choice Saturday in the draft, so it's difficult to say who they'll select.

But it's easy to guess who they won't take.

"If there's one thing you want to know, we're probably not going to draft a running back in the second round," vice president Rick Spielman said.

That's because Miami has Ricky Williams, the league's leading rusher last season and the reason that, for the second consecutive year, the Dolphins don't have a first-round pick. Williams was acquired from New Orleans in March 2002 for Miami's first-round choice last year and a conditional pick in 2003. Because Williams topped 1,500 yards rushing, the 2003 pick was upgraded from a third-round choice to a first-rounder.

Still, the Dolphins' draft prospects aren't as bleak as a year ago, when they didn't have a first- or second-round choice and drafted just five players. This time they expect to land a potential starter with the second-round selection, and they have seven other picks.

They remain in the market for help at offensive tackle, receiver and safety. Possible second-round picks include Georgia tackle Jon Stinchcomb or Tennessee receiver Kelley Washington. Several Florida State stars also are a possibility -- tackle Brett Williams and receivers Talman Gardner and Anquan Boldin.

BENGALS: Coach Marvin Lewis said "things are going very smoothly" in attempting to reach a contract agreement with Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer before the draft. Cincinnati plans to use the No. 1 pick on the Southern California quarterback. David Dunn, Palmer's agent, is in Cincinnati as negotiations continue. He didn't return phone messages.

PACKERS: Green Bay claimed Eric Crouch off waivers from the Rams and said they will give him a shot at quarterback. Crouch won the 2001 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Nebraska, but sat out last season after the Rams tried to convert him into a receiver.

STEELERS: Linebacker Larry Foote has reached a plea agreement on a disorderly person charge following a February brawl at a restaurant near the Michigan campus. The misdemeanor charge will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the next three months, his attorney, Jim Acho, said.

NFL FIRINGS: The league fired 35 writers, editors and designers at its Los Angeles office and two in New York as it shut down its money-losing publications division. The unit produced books, inserts for game programs and a magazine. The work will go to teams and outside firms.

ARENA FOOTBALL: The Tampa Bay Storm released wide receiver/defensive back Alvin Ashley to make room on the roster for former Buccaneer T.T. Toliver. Ashley, 33, needs 362 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns to become the fourth player in league history with 15,000 all-purpose yards and 150 touchdowns. In other team news, offensive/defensive lineman Rod Williams, who tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, will be placed on injured reserve.

-- Times writer Frank Pastor contributed to this report.

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