''This is a great pick. We need another wide receiver,'' Johnson gushed while working as a draft analyst for ESPN. ''This guy is much like me. I'm going to teach him how to play from the point of attack.''

He won't get the chance.

The Panthers deemed their older former USC receiver was expendable Tuesday. Johnson, the 6-foot-4 possession receiver and 1996 No. 1 overall pick, was released to make way for a younger 6-foot-4 possession receiver taken with the 45th pick.

''We appreciated the contribution of Keyshawn in his season with the Panthers,'' coach John Fox said. ''He brought us high production, but at this time, we are in a situation in which we have a number of young receivers and thought this was the right time to make the decision.''

The Panthers also selected receiver Ryne Robinson in the fourth round of the draft. While he will likely be primarily used as a punt returner, he did catch 91 passes at Miami of Ohio last season. The Panthers also have receivers Drew Carter and Keary Colbert - plus star Steve Smith.

Johnson, who will turn 35 in July, had 70 catches for 815 yards and four touchdowns last season and became the 16th player in NFL history with 800 career catches. The Panthers signed Johnson last year after he was released by Dallas.

Around the league

Buccaneers: Tampa Bay, which used seven of 10 picks in last weekend's draft to select defensive players, on Tuesday acquired defensive tackle Ryan Sims, the sixth overall pick in 2002, who was a huge disappointment in five seasons with Kansas City.

The Chiefs received an undisclosed future draft pick.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Sims was often overweight and injured in Kansas City. He appeared in 59 games with 36 starts. Over that span, he had 149 tackles - 79 unassisted - with five sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Dolphins: Former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, signed last season as a free agent receiver, was waived by Miami. Vick appeared in one game with the Dolphins after spending some of the year on the practice squad.

Jaguars: Jacksonville released punter Chris Hanson on Tuesday, two days after the team drafted Maryland's Adam Podlesh in the fourth round.

Chiefs: Kansas City released defensive end Eric Hicks, three days after taking defensive lineman Claude ''Turk'' McBride of Tennessee in the second round of the NFL draft.

Hicks, who made the Chiefs' roster as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland in 1998, has appeared in 128 games with 104 starts over nine seasons.