Teams bargain shop

The second day of the NFL draft was “slash” day.

As in Michael Robinson, qb/rb; Brad Smith, qb/wr; Marques Hagans, qb/wr/kick returner; Reggie McNeal, qb/wr, and …

Jeremy Bloom, skier/kick returner/wr.

Such is the way on most Sundays at the draft, when teams look for bargains in skill players who are either too small, too slow, or deemed not fit for the NFL at the position at which they starred in college.

Thus it was with Robinson, who was the Big Ten offensive MVP as he quarterbacked Penn State to the league title. He was chosen by San Francisco with the third pick of the fourth round and designated as a running back, one of the positions he played – along with wide receiver – before becoming a full-time QB in his final year in Happy Valley.

Three picks later, the New York Jets took Smith, a quarterback at Missouri who was projected as a wide receiver. Then in the fifth round, Hagans, Virginia’s QB, was taken by St. Louis two picks before Bloom, the Olympic moguls skier, went to Philadelphia. Bloom was chosen by the Eagles despite missing two years at Colorado after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for accepting endorsements for his skiing career.

McNeal went in the sixth round to Cincinnati.

Before the draft, Robinson called it “a misconception” that he wanted to be a QB in the NFL. But Smith made no secret of his desire to stay there.

Who can blame him, after his performance in leading Missouri to a 38-31 comeback win over South Carolina in the Independence Bowl? In that game, he passed for 282 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 150 yards and three scores.

He said the right things after the Jets chose him, although he acknowledged: “I’m a quarterback at heart.”

“I’m coming as a team player and athlete,” he added. “Hopefully I get to play running back or quarterback as well as other positions. … The Jets have honored me with the selection by picking me and saying I can help the team out.”

Rams sign hoops player

Connecticut basketball player Ed Nelson signed a two-year, free-agent deal with the St. Louis Rams on Sunday following the NFL draft.

Nelson, a 6-foot-8, 265-pound senior power forward, hasn’t played football since his freshman year of high school.

Nelson played 29 games as a reserve for UConn after transferring from Georgia Tech, where he was the ACC rookie of the year in 2001-02. He averaged three points and three rebounds at Connecticut.

McNair’s future unknown

Steve McNair’s tenure with the Tennessee Titans could be over within the next 24 hours, according to his agent. Team officials don’t agree, even though they gave permission for McNair’s agent to talk with the Baltimore Ravens.

Agent Bus Cook said the team was considering releasing McNair or trading him to the Ravens, with something possibly worked out today.

General manager Floyd Reese said a few hours later the Ravens indeed had discussed a trade with Tennessee. But the Ravens’ offer was insufficient, and Reese said the talks died right there.

“Steve’s a Tennessee Titan. That has not changed,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said.

Eagles move up … twice

The Philadelphia Eagles made three trades to move up in the fourth round and select guard Max Jean-Gilles and wide receiver Jason Avant.

The Eagles sent defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and a fourth-round pick (108th) to New Orleans to move up nine spots to get Jean-Gilles, an All-American last season at Georgia.

The Eagles then maneuvered their way back up in the fourth round by trading starting left guard Artis Hicks and a later fourth-round selection (127th) to Minnesota for a fourth-rounder (115th) and a sixth-rounder (185th). They quickly sent both of those picks to Green Bay for the fourth-round pick (109th) they used to select Avant.

•San Diego obtained tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from St. Louis for a fourth-round draft pick.