So what were supposed to be a suspense-free first two picks had a touch of drama. It wasn't ''Murder, She Wrote,'' but the Colts kept them holding their breaths.

Manning said before the draft that it would be a thrill to go first over all, and the heady youngster is heading to Indianapolis, a franchise in need of a savior. Leaf is relieved to know that he will be on the West Coast, where he feels he will get better coaching with the Chargers. Leaf was so excited that when San Diego made it official, he let out a hoot that might have made the 100 or so rowdy Jets fans on hand proud. His mother, Marcia, cried and his father, John, gave him a bear hug.

''I'm excited about getting started and playing,'' Manning said. ''This is a special day in my life, and I can promise the franchise and the city that they are getting a player who will dedicate everything he has to the game.''

The quarterbacks were the story of what turned out to be a fairly stable first round and first day. There were trades -- the Super Bowl runner-up Green Bay Packers traded their 29th and 60th picks to move into Miami's 19th spot, so they could choose North Carolina defensive tackle Vonnie Holiday, and the Jets, whose first pick was supposed to be No. 41, moved even further down in a trade with Pittsburgh. But there were not the many trades that scouts and personnel men had expected.

The New York teams had a good first day. The Giants used their first pick, the 24th over all, for U.C.L.A.'s Shaun Williams, a 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound safety who was regarded as one of the best athletes in the draft, and their second, No. 55 over all, for the 6-5, 228-pound Penn State receiver Joe Jurevicius. The Jets, trying to recoup some of the draft picks they lost in aquiring Coach Bill Parcells and running back Curtis Martin, traded the 41st pick to Pittsburgh for Nos. 56, 87 and 149 and took Dorian Boose, a 6-4 1/2, 280-pound defensive end from Washington State, at No. 56.