The spectacular performance by University of Texas quarterback Vince Young in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday gave the Longhorns a national championship and college football fans a night to remember. It also gave Young something else to think about as he ponders whether to return for his senior season at Texas or enter April's NFL draft.
Two executives from NFL teams contacted yesterday said that Young's exploits in Texas's 41-38 triumph over USC increased the likelihood of him being chosen within the first three picks of the draft if he decides to bypass his senior season.
"How could you not pick him after seeing that?" said one NFL general manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Young has not officially declared his draft intentions.
Even Texas Coach Mack Brown wouldn't blame Young for leaving.
"He'll be the front-runner for the Heisman [Trophy] if he comes back," Brown said yesterday. "We'll have a great chance to go back to the Fiesta Bowl if he comes back. We'll be sitting there with him breaking all kinds of records. [But] the other side of that is that he could be around the first or second pick in the draft and make millions of dollars the next day."
It has been widely assumed around the NFL that the Houston Texans will select USC tailback Reggie Bush, the Heisman winner who is expected to leave school early, with the top overall pick. Even Young's electrifying performance against the Trojans -- he ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 267 yards on 30-for-40 passing -- likely won't change that, because the Texans have former top overall draft selection David Carr at quarterback.
The New Orleans Saints have the No. 2 choice and are expected to get rid of quarterback Aaron Brooks in the offseason. That could leave them choosing between Young and USC quarterback Matt Leinart. The next two teams in the draft order, the Tennessee Titans at No. 3 and the New York Jets at No. 4, also are quarterback-needy, with the Titans' Steve McNair near the end of his career and the Jets' Chad Pennington coming off shoulder surgery.
Texas has been able to get other players, such as Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams, to decide against entering the draft early. There have been recent indications that Young was leaning toward returning to the school next season. But it would be difficult for him to top what he did Wednesday night, and difficult to pass up the sort of money that comes with being a top-three selection.
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards, the third overall pick in last year's draft, signed a five-year contract with the Cleveland Browns worth $29 million, including $18.2 million in bonuses. Quarterback Alex Smith, last year's top overall selection by the San Francisco 49ers, signed a six-year, $49.5 million deal that included $24 million in bonus money.
"The worst thing that could possibly happen would be for a coach to try to convince a young guy to come back if it was not best for him," Brown said. "Vince is very bright, has a wonderful family, a great support system, and he has done as much for the University of Texas as any single student-athlete in any sport has ever done. How ungracious of us to force him into making a selfish decision. And like I said, if he is back and unhappy, that is the worst thing you could possibly have."
The introspection has begun for Young. He said he was moved to the tears when he returned to his hotel room early yesterday morning after hanging out with family and friends. Everyone was asleep, he said, so he listened to some ESPN highlights of the game and sat on the balcony. What went through his mind, he said, was "just a big flashback of me growing up . . . [and] me making that big transition to work hard at football and get away from the negative things going on in my life."
A front-office executive with another NFL team said he had minor concerns about Young's unorthodox throwing motion, which is more sidearm than over the top. Young, the executive said, still must weigh his options carefully in the coming weeks and must realize that his stock could fall during the pre-draft evaluations done by teams.
But Young, the Heisman runner-up who led the nation in passing efficiency this season, has been a precise passer in college, and the executive said that he and his peers can't help but dream about Young possibly being a quarterback who runs as well as Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons' Pro Bowler, and throws the ball more accurately.
"If you were to pass this guy up and then have him become what it looks like he could become," the executive said, "you'd never forgive yourself or hear the end of it."
