Bucking the odds

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

Shawn Springs of Ohio State and Bryant Westbrook of Texas have approximately the same size, speed and athletic ability. Westbrook has more experience, having played four years in a major college program (Springs played three). But Springs doubles as a kick returner. Come draft day, teams may need a coin toss to separate the two premier cornerbacks in the 1997 draft.

That shouldn't be necessary, opines Springs.

"If I was a betting man," he says, "I would go with Ohio State."

That's one point that cannot be debated. The Buckeyes have been the NFL's best producer in the 1990s. Ohio State has had a firstround selection in each of the past six drafts. Only Michigan can match that. Ohio State has had 10 first-round picks this decade. Only USC can match that The Buckeyes also have had three first-round picks in each of the past two drafts and a chance for a three-peat in 1997 with Springs, offensive tackle Orlando Pace and safety Rob Kelly.

Not only are the Buckeyes high picks, they are safe picks. Eddie George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 but slid to the 14th spot in the 1996 NFL draft. He wound up rushing for 1,368 yards for the Oilers and winning NFL Rookie of the Year honors. The runner-up? His former Ohio State teammate Terry Glenn, who set an NFL rookie record with 90 catches for the Patriots.

Joey Galloway, another Buckeyes receiver was a first-round selection of the Seahawks in 1995 and an all-rookie pick. The other receiver on the '95 all-rookie team? His former Ohio State teammate Chris Sanders, a third-round pick of the Oilers who wound up leading the NFL with an average of 23.5 yards per catch. Springs had to cover Galloway, Sanders and Glenn at Ohio State practices as an underclassman. That's one of the reasons he's so attractive to teams in this draft.

"He accepts a challenge," says Terry Bradway, the director of college scouting for the Chiefs. "When he would go against Galloway and Glenn in practice, there would be some great battles. He loves the competition. When he has to compete against the top players all the time (in the NFL), it's going to make him even better."

Springs projects as a top-five pick in this draft. So does Pace, who won the Outland and Lombardi trophies for his prowess as a blocker. Pace and Springs are skipping their senior seasons to turn pro. If they go that high, it will mark the third consecutive draft that one school has produced two players in the top five. The others also were Big Ten schools--Penn State in 1995 (running back Ki-Jana Carter and quarterback Kerry Collins) and Illinois in 1996 (linebacker Kevin Hardy and defensive end Simeon Rice).

Springs and Westbrook also headline one of the deepest talent pools at cornerback in decades. There could be five or more selected in the opening round and 10 in the first two rounds. In the past 20 years, no more than eight corners have been selected in the first two rounds of any draft. Last year, there were six. There also is a solid second tier of corners, including Ohio State's Ty Howard, that will spill quality cover players into the third, fourth and fifth rounds.

On the offensive side of the ball, tight end is the position of value and depth. There are blockers (Greg Clark of Stanford), receivers (Tony Gonzalez of California) and players who do both (Freddie Jones of North Carolina). Last year was a great year for tight ends, with 14 selected. There could be 16 or more taken this time, including two from LSU (David LaFleur and Nicky Savoie).

The thinnest positions are fullback and middle linebacker. Both could get shut out of the first round. Quarterback, as usual, and defensive tackle have some quality but the talent falls off quickly. The most interesting player in the draft is Danny Wuerffel, who won the Heisman Trophy at Florida. He picked apart college secondaries for four years on his way to 32 school passing records. Then NFL talent evaluators picked him apart this spring--questioning his mechanics and delivery ... wondering whether he was good enough to even play in their league. Opinions remain split

"I'm very impressed with the guy who won the Heisman Trophy, because I'm not sure how he won it," says Mike Ditka, the new coach of the Saints in mock humor at the drafting process. "People tell me he can't do this and can't do that. But I keep seeing him making plays, getting hit and getting up. He exemplifies every quality you look for in a quarterback, starting with toughness.

"I'm not sure how people rate people anymore. But that's probably me. I'm old-fashioned. I've been away from the game for a long time (four years). I forget how they play the position of quarterback."

Overall, this draft is not as deep in blue-chip players as it was a year ago, when it dropped off after about 20 players. It could be a dozen this year. The 16th player in this draft may not be much different than the 26th player. But teams will find contributing rookies well into the fourth and fifth rounds, as was the case in '96. What follows are the position-by-position ratings of the '97 draft class, as compiled from interviews with NFL coaches scouts and personnel directors.