April 27, 2006) -- The quarterback position is the ultimate team need. That's why 26 quarterbacks have been selected first overall since the beginning of the draft in 1936.

In the last five drafts, and seven of eight, a QB was selected No. 1 overall. In 2000, Cleveland took defensive end Courtney Brown with the first choice. Chad Pennington was the first signal-caller taken, but he wasn't plucked off the board by the Jets until No. 18.

Of the past 11 quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall, nine have led their respective teams to the playoffs. The only exceptions, so far, are David Carr (Houston, 2002) and Alex Smith (San Francisco, 2005). With experience on their side, don't bet against Carr and Smith in the near future.

Since 1970, four quarterbacks taken with the first overall selection started on teams that have won a total of 11 Super Bowls -- Terry Bradshaw (four) and Troy Aikman (three) were with the same team that drafted them. Also, Jim Plunkett (two) and John Elway (two) were with clubs other than the ones they were drafted to.

Tom Brady was the 199th player selected in the 2000 draft. And at 28 years old, Brady has already won three Super Bowls.

The last time a quarterback was not taken in the first round was 1996, which was the eighth time in NFL history that has happened. In 1988, no quarterbacks went in the first two rounds, with Chris Chandler being the first one off the board at No. 76 in the third round.

In the 1958 draft, two quarterbacks were selected from the same school, Rice University. The Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona) took King Hill with the first overall pick and the Los Angeles Rams (now St. Louis) chose Frank Ryan at No. 55. Hill played 14 years and Ryan played 13. Also, two QBs from the University of Washington were taken in 1993. Billy Joe Hobert was a third-round pick of the Raiders and Mark Brunell was the Packers' fifth-round selection.

I have spent many hours trying to figure out who the best quarterback is; I'm still working to separate the big three. I do believe that all three have the ability to be very productive in the NFL in the future.

1. Vince Young, Texas (6-4 5/8, 228, 4.58)

2. Matt Leinart, USC (6-4 7/8, 223)

3. Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (6-3¼, 226, 4.80

4. Kellen Clemens, Oregon (6-1 5/8, 224, 4.99)

5. Brodie Croyle, Alabama (6-2½, 205, 4.92)

6. Charlie Whitehurst, Clemson (6-4¾, 223, 4.75)

The contenders are emerging from the pack as the 2006 NFL Europe regular season continues. The Amsterdam Admirals claimed sole possession of first place by defeating the previously undefeated Rhein Fire for the second week in a row. The Frankfurt Galaxy has forced their way into a tie for second place with a 18-17 win over the Berlin Thunder. The Cologne Centurions improved to 2-4 on the season, keeping the Hamburg Sea Devils winless in the process.

Raiders K David Kimball connected on four of six field goal attempts for Frankfurt in the win over Berlin. His 25-yarder with :02 left to play was the game-winner. DT Anttaj Hawthorne finished second on the Galaxy with five tackles. Raiders DE Jeff Green chalked up three tackles and a quarterback sack, and DB Hiram Eugene tallied one defensive and one special teams tackle in a losing effort for the Thunder.

Raiders P Glenn Pakulak averaged 45.3 yards per punt with a long of 52 for Amsterdam in the Admirals 30-21 win over the Rhein Fire. LB Shawn Morgan got in on a special teams tackle for Amsterdam.

OT William Obeng saw action for the Centurions in Cologne's 20-17 win over the Hamburg Sea Devils. Raiders RB DeJuan Green carried the ball five times for 13 yards and caught one pass in a losing effort for Hamburg.

The 71st Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting takes place this Saturday and Sunday and will originate from Radio City Music Hall in New York. The 2006 NFL Draft will get underway at 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Saturday. Selections resume at 8:00 a.m. Pacific on Sunday. The Oakland Raiders currently hold the #7 pick overall.

Representatives of the 32 NFL clubs will be in telephone communication with their organizations throughout the weekend. Those representatives will communicate selections and completed trade information to NFL officials.

The Draft consists of Seven Rounds - Rounds 1 through 3 will take place on Saturday, April 29; with Rounds 4 through 7 on Sunday, April 30.

There will be 255 selections, including 32 compensatory choices that have been awarded to 19 teams which suffered a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year. The Raiders' compensatory pick is #255 - the final selection in this year's Draft.

The time limits for each Round are as follows:

Round 1: 15 minutes each team.
Round 2: 10 minutes each team.
Rounds 3 through 7: Five minutes each team.