Redskins get receiving help

Apr. 27--ASHBURN -- The Washington Redskins entered the first day of the NFL draft hoping to get either a big receiver or a better selection of draft choices.

They wound up with both, plus an extra wide receiver.

The Redskins traded out of the first round, giving the 21st overall selection to the Atlanta Falcons. The Redskins gained Atlanta's first pick in the second round, 34th overall, as part of the deal. The Redskins then used that pick to select Devin Thomas, a 6-2, 216 pound wide receiver from Michigan State.

Thomas was a player the Redskins considered taking with that first-round pick. Had they done so, he would have cost considerably more money than they now will have to pay him.

"We were happy he was there," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. "That was the biggest surprise for us.

"He has size, speed and he can run after the catch. He's a young player with a lot of upside. How quickly he'll play depends on how well he picks up the offense. The athleticism is there. We just have to develop him."

The Redskins deal with Atlanta involved a number of draft choices. The Redskins sent their first, a third and their fifth round choices to the Falcons. In return, the Falcons gave the Redskins two second round choices, No. 34 and 48, and a fourth-round choice, 103 overall.

The Redskins used pick No. 48 to take Fred Davis, a tight end from the University of Southern California.

With the 51st pick overall, which was Washington's original second-round draft choice, the Redskins selected Malcolm Kelly, a 6-4, 219-pound wide receiver from Oklahoma.

"We had talked all week long about how, if we could get two picks from Atlanta, that would be an outstanding deal for us," said Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins executive vice president for football operations. "We gave up a couple of other picks here and there, but we wanted 34 and 48.

"We didn't know for sure what would be there, but as it worked out, basically the same guys that we were considering at 21 were the same guys we were considering at 34, minus Phillip Merling [defensive end from Clemson, drafted at No. 32 by Miami]."

Thomas was listed as a first-round draft choice by most draft analysts. Not only did he last until the second round, not a single receiver was taken in the first round. That last happened in 1990.