WHAT:

68th Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting.

WHERE:

The Theater at Madison Square Garden, between 31st and 33rd Streets in New York City.

WHEN:

Noon ET, Saturday, April 26, 2003 (Rounds 1-3).

11:00 AM ET, Sunday, April 27, 2003 (Rounds 4-7).

The first three rounds will conclude on Saturday by approximately 10:00 PM ET.  In 2002, the first round consumed five hours and 48 minutes; the second, three hours and 15 minutes; and the third, one hour and 30 minutes.  The draft will resume on Sunday at 11:00 AM ET for the final four rounds, ending at approximately 6:00 PM ET.    

DRAFTING:

Representatives of the 32 NFL clubs by telephone communication with their general managers, coaches and scouts.

ROUNDS:

Seven Rounds – Rounds 1 through 3 on Saturday, April 26; and Rounds 4 through 7 on Sunday, April 27.

There will be 262 selections, including 13 by the second-year Houston Texans and 32 compensatory choices that have been awarded to 15 teams which suffered a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year.

The Texans will receive one pick in Rounds 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 and two in Round 3.  They also will receive a supplemental selection in Rounds 3 and 4 and two supplemental selections in each of Rounds 6 and 7. 

The following 32 compensatory choices will supplement the 230 regular choices in the seven rounds – Round 4: Philadelphia, 34; Jacksonville, 35; Tampa Bay, 36; Baltimore, 37; Seattle, 38.   Round 5: Miami, 34; St. Louis, 35; Chicago, 36; St. Louis, 37; Baltimore, 38.  Round 6: Chicago, 33; N.Y. Giants, 34; Indianapolis, 35; Miami, 36; Arizona, 37; N.Y. Giants, 38; Green Bay, 39; Miami, 40.  Round 7: Miami, 34; N.Y.Giants, 35; Baltimore, 36; St. Louis, 37; Kansas City, 38; Green Bay, 39; St. Louis, 40; N.Y. Giants, 41; Green Bay, 42; Green Bay, 43; Baltimore, 44; Cincinnati, 45; Detroit, 46; Chicago, 47.

Four teams have two selections each in the first round – New England (Nos. 14 and 19), New Orleans (17 and 18), N.Y. Jets (13 and 22) and Oakland (31 and 32).  Atlanta, Miami, Tampa Bay and Washington do not have first-round picks.

TIME LIMITS:

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

PLAYERS AT DRAFT:

The following players will be at Madison Square Garden on Saturday for the draft: Penn State DT JIMMY KENNEDY, Marshall QB BYRON LEFTWICH, Kansas State CB TERENCE NEWMAN, Southern California QB CARSON PALMER, Michigan State WR CHARLES ROGERS, Kentucky DT DEWAYNE ROBERTSON and Arizona State DE TERRELL SUGGS.

TELEVISION:

This year, ESPN will televise the draft in its entirety.  ESPN’s coverage on Saturday will run from 12:00 PM ET to approximately 10:00 PM ET, and on Sunday will run from 11:00 AM ET to approximately 6:00 PM ET.  

TICKETS:

Free tickets to the 2003 NFL Draft will be made available to fans on a first-come, first-serve basis on Saturday, April 26.  The tickets will be distributed at the Madison Square Garden box office beginning at 9:00 AM on Saturday.  Tickets also will be available on Sunday beginning at 9:00 AM.  One ticket will be distributed per person.  All seating is general admission.  Doors will open at 10:30 AM on Saturday and 10:00 AM on Sunday.  The Theater at Madison Square Garden seats 4,000 fans for the draft.

DRAFT ONLINE:

NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com) will carry complete NFL Draft coverage. The site features in-depth information on numerous draft prospects.  NFL.com will provide live coverage throughout draft weekend.  Fans can follow every pick of the draft as it occurs and listen to press conferences with drafted players.  Fans can bid on team jerseys, autographed on-site by newly selected NFL players attending the draft.  Leading up to the draft, fans can read diaries by USC QB CARSON PALMER, Kansas State CB TERENCE NEWMAN, Mississippi State LB MARIO HAGGAN and Northwestern C AUSTIN KING.  Fans can also participate in live chats with top picks and interact with NFL draft experts GIL BRANDT and PAT KIRWAN.   NFL.com will also stream a live radio show throughout the first round, hosted by STEVE COHEN and Brandt.  NFL.com's "Draft Tracker" will analyze the draft as it unfolds and track selections by player, position, team and other categories.