Self-defense

Sporting News, The, April 21, 1997 by Rick Gosselin, Carl Moritz

Ten members of the vaunted Steel Curtain defense arrived in Pittsburgh via the draft, including Hall of Famers Mel Blount, Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert. That defense powered the Steelers to four Super Bowls. More recently, the Cowboys constructed the Defense of the 1990s with drafts, claiming Russell Maryland, Robert Jones and Kevin Smith with first-round picks and Darren Woodson, Ken Norton, Dixon Edwards and Darrin Smith with seconds. That defense paved the way for three Super Bowls this decade.

There has always been a premium on defense on draft day. There will be an even greater sense of urgency Saturday, because there just aren't enough quality defensive players to go around in the 1997 draft. That will drive up the value of the defensive difference-makers on the board. And it means, if you want defense, you'd better get it before it's gone.

So here's what to expect on draft day:

* There will be a run on defensive players at the very top. It helps that there are no franchise quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers in the talent pool. As many as eight defenders could go in the top 10.

* Cornerbacks will go early and often. It's the deepest position in this draft. There could be as many as 17 in the first three rounds.

* The positions of strength down the middle of defenses--tackle, middle linebacker and safety--will be goal-post thin. That will increase the value of North Carolina tackle Rick Terry, Louisville middle linebacker Tyrus McCloud and Ohio State safety Rob Kelly, who will be drafted higher than they should based on the theory of supply and demand.

* The defensive end/outside linebacker boards will be mixed. This draft is filled with pass rushers who are too small to play end but lack the coverage background to play linebacker. That will increase the value of players who do have the size and skill to play those positions, such as ends Kenny Holmes and Kenard Lang of Miami and linebackers James Farrior and Jamie Sharper of Virginia.

* The NFL will always reach for pass rushers. Jason Taylor of Akron and Marcellus Wiley of Columbia face huge jumps in their caliber of competition, but their extraordinary speed and pass-rush abilities will make them premium picks.

* There will be runs on running backs and wideouts in the third and fourth rounds. That's when the blue- and red-chip defensive players will be depleted. There's a solid second tier of runners (such as George Jones of San Diego State and Darnell Autry of Northwestern) and receivers (such as Keith Poole of Arizona State and Mike Adams of Texas) that will stand out on draft boards at that point.

* Tight ends will be popular on the second day of the draft. There are about 10 that figure to go between the third and seventh rounds. The Packers won with Keith Jackson and Chmura at tight end last season. Now everyone wants two.

Here are the top 75 players in the draft:

1. Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State. He thinks he's the best player in the draft. If the NFL agrees, Pace will become the third Buckeye to go No. 1 overall but the second in four drafts.

2. Darrell Russell, DT, USC. Super Bowl champs have dominating tackles: Leon Lett at Dallas, Bryant Young at San Francisco and Gilbert Brown at Green Bay. Russell is the one tackle with that potential in this draft.

3. Peter Boulware, DE, Florida State. Quarterbacks have always worn a bull's-eye in the NFL. Boulware was college football's best marksman last season.

4. Shawn Springs, CB, Ohio State. Will be drafted higher and become a better player than his dad, Ron, who played in Tony Dorsett's shadow at Dallas. Shawn will cast the shadow this time.

5. Bryant Westbrook, CB, Texas. A big physical corner who matches up with those big, physical wideouts such as Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin.

6. Dwayne Rudd, OLB, Alabama. A more complete outside linebacker than Derrick Thomas but not the pass rusher.

7. Walter Jones, OT, Florida State. At 301 pounds, he can overpower defensive ends. With 4.58 speed, he can outrun them. But what he does best is block them.

8. Tom Knight, CB, Iowa. In any other draft Knight would be the first corner. He's more consistent than Westbrook or Springs.

9. James Farrior, OLB, Virginia. The 4-3 defense places a premium on linebackers that can cover. Farrior has more career interceptions than Springs.

10. Yatil Green, WR, Miami. A big man with little-man speed.

11. Reinard Wilson, DE, Florida State. A run stuffer on the strongside with weakside pass-rush skills.

12. Antowain Smith, HB, Houston. A bigger man with little-man speed.

13. Rae Carruth, WR, Colorado. The most explosive runner after-the-catch in this draft. Carruth has the speed to turn 7-yard slants into 70-yard touchdowns.

14. Tony Gonzalez, TE, California. The best power forward in the draft.

15. Byron Hanspard, HB, Texas Tech. He was the best runner in college football last season.

16. Kenny Holmes, DE, Miami. The Hurricanes' third all-time leading pass rusher with 29 sacks.

17. Reidel Anthony, WR, Florida. Caught more TD passes last season than eight NFL teams.