Posted by Will Brinson NEW YORK -- Being the No. 1 overall draft pick entails a lot of expectations. It also entails a lot of cash and a pretty big signing bonus.
Interestingly, two of the top choices in play for Carolina at No. 1 -- A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson -- both said that they would take less money to be picked at the top of the draft.
"Oh yeah," Peterson told CBSSports.com. "Being No. 1 -- that means a lot. A cornerback's never done that before."
Green agreed, though he obviously wouldn't be the first wide receiver taken at the top of the draft.
"Oh, definitely," Green said while speaking before his workout at the Gatorade Sports Science Lab. "It doesn't matter. Whatever it takes."
It's a pretty fascinating question (and, um, why I asked it, right?), because being taken in the No. 1 slot of the NFL Draft means that you're in the history books forever, be it for better or for worse.
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That's not knocking Peterson, who clearly understands the impact and importance that being taken No. 1 would involve; the scrutiny on him as the only cornerback taken with the first pick would most certainly be intense.
But, by all accounts, he seemed ready to deal with whatever comes with being the first guy off the board.
And while both guys, if they're taken first, will almost inevitably be compared to Cam Newton for the rest of their careers, it probably behooves the Panthers to consider whether or not they could pull off an even bigger discount by making an unorthodox choice at the top of the draft.
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