The Redskins, who traded their first round pick for Sean Gilbert, went
   into the draft looking to draft an offensive tackle with the seventh
   pick on the second round.
   
   But they started to get nervous when tackles started to go off the
   board late in the first round. Jermane Mayberry went to Philadelphia
   at No. 25, John Michels went to Green Bay at No. 27 and Pittsburgh
   grabbed Jamain Stephens at No. 29.
   
   The Redskins were now down to one tackle they liked -- Andre Johnson
   of Penn State -- and there were seven players to be selected before
   they could make the pick. They were particularly worried about Tampa
   Bay, which selected two spots in front of them on the second round.
   
   The Bucs had wanted an offensive tackle on the first round with their
   second choice, but decided they couldn't pass up defensive tackle
   Marcus Jones at the 22nd spot. That meant the Bucs would be looking at
   a tackle on the second round.
   
   Redskins general manager Charley Casserly decided he wouldn't risk
   losing Johnson. He gave the Dallas Cowboys a third round pick to move
   up from the 7th spot on the second round to the 30th spot on the first
   round and grabbed Johnson.
   
   Casserly said, "I think everyone in the NFL knew we wanted to take an
   offensive tackle with our second pick and yet we felt we could be
   sitting there and get jumped for it pretty easily. The decision was
   let's make the deal, get the player and then we have it done, instead
   of sitting there, hoping and praying the guy's available.''
   
   By trading up, the Redskins got only one pick on the first day of the
   draft. But they still considered it a productive draft because they
   got Gilbert for the first pick and the offensive tackle they liked.
   They also think they got a steal with running back Stephen Davis with
   their fourth round pick. They had him rated much higher than that.
   
   The Redskins have now selected three offensive linemen with what
   amounted to their second round pick the last three years -- Tre
   Johnson, Cory Raymer and Andre Johnson -- and they think they're built
   the foundation of their line for the future. Round 1 -- Andre Johnson,
   OT, Penn State -- Johnson is expected to be the team's left tackle of
   the future because Jim Lachey's career is winding down.
   
   Round 4 -- Stephen Davis, RB, Auburn -- A productive running back at a
   big school, Davis fell in the draft because he had arthroscopic knee
   surgery last year, but the Redskins feel he can be a good backup to
   Terry Allen and eventually be a feature back.
   
   Round 5 -- Leomont Evans, DB, Clemson -- After missing much of his
   junior year with recurring headaches caused by eating too much
   chocolate, Evans could be a find because he is a good run defender who
   is similar in style to strong safety James Washington and figures to
   be a backup this year.
   
   Might Surprise -- Kelvin Kinney, DSE, Virginia State -- Each year the
   Redskins like to take a so-called "fun'' pick late in the draft -- a
   defensive lineman who might develop fast enough to make it. The last
   two years, they took Dexter Nottage and Rich Owens, and they both made
   the team. Kinney has a small school background, but he's put on more
   than 20 pounds since January and the team thinks he could develop.
   
  NOTES, QUOTES , ANECDOTES:
  
   
   
   Besides Johnson, Davis, Evans and Kinney, the club's other two draft
   picks were linebacker Jeremy Asher of Oregon and wide receiver Deandre
   Maxwell of San Diego State, who's a nephew of Redskins veteran Henry
   Ellard. Both are longshots to make it. Asher doesn't have good size
   and Maxwell isn't a burner although he could push Tydus Winans for a
   spot on the team.
   
   It's ironic that Simeon Rice, who was drafted by Arizona, and Andre
   Johnson wound up in the same division because Casserly discovered
   Johnson when he went to Illinois to look at Rice. He watched the Penn
   State film and saw Johnson hold Rice without a sack or a tackle. Now
   Johnson will block Rice in the NFL twice a year.
   
   Johnson said, "There was a lot of hype (about Rice) before the game
   and going out and playing the way I did made me feel real good about
   myself. Patience has a lot to do with it. He has a lot of moves and I
   just tried to wait on him.''
   
   It was noteworthy that Jerry Jones, the Dallas owner, traded his first
   round pick to the Redskins, a division rival. The Redskins also traded
   with the Cowboys in 1989, 1991 and 1992. When Casserly was asked what
   his mentor, the late George Allen, would have thought about trading
   with the Cowboys, Casserly said, "First of all, George wouldn't have
   had the second and third (round picks) to trade because they would
   have been gone four years ago.''
   
   Incidentally, with the two picks Dallas got from the Redskins, the
   Cowboys took defensive end Kavika Pittman in the second round and
   center Clay Shiver in the third. It'll be interesting to see how they
   turn out compared to Andre Johnson.
   
   The Redskins were surprised Davis fell to the fourth round although
   the fact he carried 41 fewer times in his senior year than he did as a
   junior and his knee surgery hurt him.
   
   "Stephen could be (a steal),'' said running backs coach Bobby Jackson,
   who compared him to Herschel Walker and Chris Warren. "He has
   outstanding athletic ability, size, speed and he had the production in
   a big time league. He's best deep off the ball where he has a chance
   to read his block and make his cuts.''
   
   Evans had to overcome a strange problem in college. After Evans passed
   out in college during a practice and briefly couldn't move or speak,
   he was diagnosed as suffering from hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
   They decided he was eating too much chocolate.
   
   Don't look for defensive Tim Johnson to return to the Redskins. "I
   don't see any way that Tim will be back with the Redskins,'' said his
   agent, Brett Senior. "After they traded for Sean Gilbert, they more or
   less indicated to Tim that he wasn't in their plans.''