Sunday, April 16, 2000No. 1: Peter Warrick, WR, Florida State
Bengals get a touchdown maker
BY John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Peter Warrick showed up for an introductory press conference in a black-and-blue, tastefully plaid, three-piece suit. The sport coat went to his knees. His loafers matched the fabric of his coat.
Peter Warrick's suit and jewelry befit his flash on the field.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
| ZOOM |It wasn't the kind of ensemble you'd pick off the rack.
Warrick also wore a diamond earring. His watch band was decorated with diamonds.
The Bengals added a lot of flash when they picked Warrick, a wide receiver from Florida State, with the fourth pick in Saturday's NFL draft. (ESPN.com profile)
“He scores touchdowns,” offensive coordinator Ken Anderson said. “The National Football League is a league of playmakers. He is a big-play wide receiver.”
Warrick also comes in with extreme confidence.
“It's not where you go,” he said, “it's what you do.”
Warrick's path to Bengals began on a rainy March day in Tallahasse, Fla. NFL scouts and coaches were there to watch Warrick run the 40-yard dash. The rain forced him to run inside.
Warrick dominated the Sugar Bowl
(AP photo)
| ZOOM |“It was a gym right out of Hoosiers,” said Bengals receivers coach Steve Mooshagian.
Warrick didn't have the right shoes. His times ranged from 4.57 to 4.63, fast by human standards, slow by NFL receiver standards.
In those 4.6 seconds, Warrick dropped from the No.1 player in the draft to No.4, where the Bengals picked him Saturday.
Mooshagian was stunned by the stock other people were putting in Warrick's workout.
“I said, "Wow, you're going to drop him based on what he ran on a basketball floor,'” Mooshagian said.
“I'm a football player, not a track star,” Warrick said.
And he's an exceptional football player.
Warrick was an All-American in 1998 and '99. Last season, he caught 71 passes for 934 yards and eight touchdowns, and led the the Seminoles to a national championship, scoring two more TDs and returning a punt for another in the Seminoles' 46-29 victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. He also scored on a two-point conversion, giving him a Sugar Bowl-record 20 points in the game.
“He was very productive at a big-time school,” Bengals coach Bruce Coslet said.
Warrick, a 5-foot-101/2, 196-pounder, played quarterback in high school. At FSU, he threw two touchdown passes.
“One of our problems, and it's a good to have, is figuring out ways to get him the ball,” Coslet said.
Warrick has run a 4.48 40-yard dash since his March workout. But that's not what drew the Bengals to him.
“The story with Warrick starts after he catches the ball,” Coslet said. “He's outstanding. Run-after-catch is the more important stat with receivers. This guy is the real deal.”
Warrick was considered the Heisman favorite before some off-field trouble. He was arrested and later plead ed guilty to misdemeanor theft after he accepted some clothing from a Dillard's store at a 90-percent discount.
“He made a mistake and he owns up to it,” Bengals general manager Mike Brown said. “He has paid the penalties. He has straightened out everything concerning this, and we don't have any concerns about about him at all.”
As part of his sentence, Warrick must complete 30 days of community service. His assignment is to pick up trash 10 hours a day in Tallahassee. He planned to put another day of it on Monday.
“I paid my dues,” he said. “I'm still paying them. I want to put it behind me and focus on football.”
Warrick comes from one of the premier college program in the country. Florida State won 12 games last season; the Bengals have won 14 in the last three years.
He isn't sure how he would deal with losing.
“It hasn't happened to me,” he said. “I'd have to be mature about it and not let the negative stuff suck me in, try to stay positive.”
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No. 1: Peter Warrick, WR, Florida State