War Eagle, baby. The first round of the NFL Draft was steeped in Auburn mania, and the Washington Redskins played a big part in it, selecting Auburn alumni with both of their first round picks.

Having lost Fred Smoot to free agency during the offseason, the Redskins’ chiefest need in the draft was in the defensive backfield. Washington used their ninth pick to select Auburn cornerback Carlos Rogers, one of a trio of top corners, along with Adam Jones and Antrell Rolle, that went in the opening half of the first round. Rogers is coming off a fantastic season at Auburn, having been named an All-American and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the NCAA’s top defensive backfielder. He’ll be expected to step in right away.

That might not be the case for Washington’s second first round pick, Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell. In what has been called “the worst kept secret in draft history,” Campbell was taken with the first round pick obtained this past week from Denver. The decision to draft Campbell while Patrick Ramsey sits as the supposed incumbent starter was controversial from the moment news of the Redskins intention slipped out to the press. Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser is already worked into a lather over the choice, and makes a good point in wondering how good Campbell had to be with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams in Campbell’s backfield.

With later picks, Washington drafted Louisville linbacker Ronald McCune, Stanford linebacker Jared Newberry, and a pair of fullbacks – UCLA’s Manuel White and the Citadel’s Nehemiah “It Has Already Been” Broughton.