on the SIDELINES

Tillman an over-achiever who lived life to its fullest\nTEMPE, Ariz. -- Pat Tillman overachieved in football, and just about everything else.\nToo slow to be a great safety, too small for an NFL linebacker, he got by on toughness, effort and brains.\nHe worked his way from seventh-round draft pick to starting safety for the Arizona Cardinals, then walked away from millions of dollars to join the Army Rangers and serve his country.\nThis week, he paid with his life. Tillman was killed in an ambush Thursday night in Afghanistan. He was 27.\n"Pat represents all that is good with this country, our society and, ultimately, the human condition in general," said Seattle Seahawks general manager Bob Ferguson, who was GM with the Cardinals when Tillman was drafted.\n"In today's world of instant gratification and selfishness, here is a man that was defined by words like loyalty, honor, passion, courage, strength and nobility. He is a modern-day hero."\nU.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers said Saturday that Tillman was killed in a firefight at about 7 p.m. on a road near Sperah, about 25 miles southwest of a U.S. base at Khost.\nAfter coming under fire, Tillman's patrol got out of their vehicles and gave chase, moving toward the spot of the ambush. Beevers said the fighting was "sustained" and lasted from 15 to 20 minutes.\nBeevers said Tillman was killed by enemy fire, but he had no information about what type of weapons were involved in the assault or whether he died instantly.\nAn Afghan militiaman fighting alongside Tillman also was killed, and two other U.S. soldiers were wounded.\nA record number of trades in draft\nNEW YORK -- Right from the beginning, it was one of the busiest NFL drafts.\nA record number of trades, from Eli Manning for Philip Rivers at the top to one involving the 226th pick near the bottom, signified just how strong a crop was available this year. Such college stars as John Navarre and Quincy Wilson went in the seventh round. All-America linebacker Grant Wiley wasn't even drafted.\nAfter 10 trades in the first round and 18 on the first day, NFL executives didn't slow down much Sunday. In between selecting obscure defensive tackles from Delta State and tight ends from Nebraska-Omaha, they made 10 more deals for a total of 28, breaking the record of 26 set in 1999.\nEven veterans were involved in the bartering.\nThe Chiefs sent Philadelphia their fifth-round pick this year and fourth-round choice in 2005 for John Welbourn, a five-year veteran guard/tackle who probably will replace John Tait at right tackle. Tait signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent.\nWelbourn recently criticized the Eagles' front office and wanted a new contract.\nThe Jaguars dealt receiver Kevin Johnson to Baltimore for the Ravens' fourth-round pick Sunday. Jacksonville used it to take receiver Ernest Wilford of Virginia Tech.\nThe Jaguars also went for Delta State defensive tackle Anthony Maddox with another fourth-rounder. Maddox missed three seasons after being arrested in 1999 for possession of marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting arrest. He was arrested again in 2000 for driving without a license and speeding.\n"He's been pretty clean the last few years at Delta State," Jaguars personnel director James Harris said. "We're satisfied he can come in and exist within our team. ... If we eliminate every player who had an incident, we probably wouldn't have a draft."\nThere was a 255-pick draft this weekend, leading off with Mississippi quarterback Manning being chosen by San Diego against his wishes. An hour later Saturday, he was traded to the Giants in the first -- and most massive -- of the deals.