NFLDRAFT

WILLIAMS NEW YORK (AP) - There is now a clear-cut No. 1 pick in the NFLdraft. And it's not Reggie Bush.

The Houston Texans opted instead for defensive end Mario Williams, pulling one of the biggest shockers in recent history. They signed the North Carolina State

standout to a six-year, $54 million contract, with $26.5 million guaranteed Friday night, hours before the start of the draft Saturday.

Though many thought the Heisman Trophy winning Bush would get the nod as the top pick, the Texans pulled a reverse of their own and went with defense.

"I think if people had just listened to what we had said, they would have seen that we were serious about Mario Williams," Texans general manager Charley Casserly said in Houston. "Once we brought him in here our statements never changed that we were seriously considering him for the first pick in the draft and I understand that people didn't believe it, but we always said it and we believed it."

The draft was to begin Saturday morning and continue all weekend on ESPN and ESPN2.

Throughout the college football season, Bush dazzled with his with his electrifying moves and stunning speed at Southern California and seemed to be a shoo-in to become the first running back taken No. 1 since Ki-Jana Carter went to the Bengals in 1995.

BUSH But now, the Texans' move left the New Orleans Saints with an opportunity to take Bush as the No. 2 pick.

Bush has had more on his mind than the draft after questions were raised concerning who paid the rent for a home his parents lived in, and whether an agent was involved, which could violate NCAA rules. He's adamantly insisted there was no wrongdoing.

"I've got enough controversy going on in my life right now," Bush said Thursday, "but I'm sure it will all be worked out in a matter of weeks and that all the answers will be the right ones."

Williams, who has been described as a cross between Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor, saw his stock soar after his amazing performance at the NFLcombine in February. The 6-foot-6 1/2, 292-pound Williams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds and had 35 reps on the 225-pound bench press.

He becomes the first defensive end taken No. 1 overall since Courtney Brown went to the Cleveland Browns in 2000, and the 12th defensive lineman to be picked at the top of the draft.

Even though the suspense is over for the top pick, there are still plenty of questions about what the other 31 teams will do. After New Orleans, Tennessee faced a hard choice between Texas quarterback Vince Young and Matt Leinart of USC.

Young led the Longhorns to the national championship with a terrific performance, passing for 267 yards, running for 200 more and scrambling 8 yards on fourth down with 19 seconds left for the winning touchdown in a 41-38 win.

The Titans are in need of a quarterback to replace the aging Steve McNair. But they are also interested in Leinart, who played for offensive coordinator Norm Chow at USC.

After his performance in the Rose Bowl, Young seemed poised to be the No. 1 pick. Then questions arose about whether he is well-suited to play in a pro-style offense.

"A lot of people have their own opinions and they aren't afraid to say them," Young said. "It's not for me to go ask the critics why or answer the critics. I go on the field and work out and for the coaches and they see what I can do, and that's what matters.

"Since the Rose Bowl, a lot of people are trying to find something negative about me and they can't."

The Texans had nothing negative to say about Williams, and now they are looking forward to the rest of the draft.

"This is a decision that took a lot of time to make, but at the end of the day we felt this was the best player for our football team," Casserly said. "Both players, Reggie Bush and Mario Williams, are going to, I think, be great pros. We made the decision to go with defense."