Drafted players stuck in limbo

Patrick Peterson is resigned to the fact that this will not be just any ordinary draft class. The LSU cornerback, taken fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, is part of a group of rookies about to embark on a highly unusual start to their NFL careers.

Actually, it isn't much of a start at all.

For all the 254 players drafted during the past three days, the only thing they know for sure is where they'll be playing. What they don't know is when they'll be playing.

Early on the second day of the draft, a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay of an injunction that had previously lifted the league's six-weeks-old lockout. That means all the rookies, as well as everyone else in the league, remain in limbo as the NFL and the players remain at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement.

"It's a little weird, but you've just got to deal with it," Peterson said. "You have to keep yourself in shape and be ready when it's time to go."

When that will be remains to be seen. Last Monday night, judge Susan Nelson issued a preliminary injunction which lifted the lockout. Friday morning, teams opened their doors to players, but the ruling by the Court of Appeals reinstated the lockout, and now it's back to more legal wrangling.

The two sides await the Eighth Circuit court's ruling on a permanent stay of Nelson's injunction. If the court approves it this week, then the lockout will remain in place until the injunction appeal is completed, probably sometime in June. But if the court lifts the temporary stay, the league will resume operations until a ruling on the appeal.

SEE PHOTOSMr. Irrelevant

"We're all just letting the process play out," Peterson said. "We're hoping we get to play."

Here's how strange the process has become: Players drafted before the Court of Appeals issued its ruling were allowed to meet with their teams and coaches, and received playbooks. Those drafted after the league reinstituted the lockout were prohibited from receiving playbooks and doing anything other than a meet-and-greet with the coaches.

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder was one of the lucky few. He was drafted 12th overall by the Vikings and arrived at team headquarters Friday, early enough to meet with coach Leslie Frazier and the rest of the coaching staff and become introduced to the team's offensive scheme.

"We don't know how long this window will be open so we have to take advantage of every moment . . . ," Frazier said after Ponder was introduced to the media. But Ponder had only a few hours to learn the system before the lockout was reinstated.

"It's back to how it had been before, so we pretty much can't pass anything out," Titans first-year coach Mike Munchak said Saturday. "Once the draft is over, we are done."

It ended early Saturday night, when Rice linebacker Cheta Ozougwu was chosen with the 254th and final pick of the draft. Dubbed Mr. Irrelevant for being the final selection, Ozougwu was the NFL's final transaction for what could be quite some time.