If there was a change in the NFL draft in the first year of free agency, it was a subtle one.
After quarterbacks went 1-2 in Sunday's draft for the first time in 22 years, teams got down to the basics. As in most years, the big guys went quickly - a half dozen offensive linemen in the first 19 picks and an equal number of defensive linemen in the first round."It's always a dance of the elephants," general manager George Young of the New York Giants said after the first round. "You got five offensive tackles that go. All the big guys go, whether they're linebackers or defensive linemen. They always go early."
There were no surprises at the top other than the trade by the New Orleans Saints of linebacker Pat Swilling, the 1991 defensive MVP, to Detroit. In return, the Saints got the eighth overall pick in the draft, which they used on offensive tackle Willie Roaf of Louisiana Tech.
Drew Bledsoe, the Washington State quarterback, went to New England and Rick Mirer of Notre Dame to Seattle. Bill Parcells, the Patriots' new coach, said Bledsoe had been his team's first choice all along, although he considered both Mirer and a trade.
Teams like Atlanta, Houston, Washington, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Indianapolis drafted specifically to fill holes lost by defecting free agents, and there were seven first-round trades - six swaps of draft position, the seventh one the Swilling deal.
But there were others who went to the best available athlete theory, like Pittsburgh, which needs linebackers, had plenty of defensive backs and still went for cornerback Deon Figures of Colorado.
"When you're drafting 23rd in the first round, you don't always have the luxury of doing that," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.
The draft resumed today, when New England opened the fifth round by selecting kicker Scott Sisson of Georgia Tech.
Sunday was a typical draft day. After Bledsoe and Mirer, no quarterbacks went until Washington's Billy Joe Hobert went to the Los Angeles Raiders on the last pick of the second round and was the only other quarterback picked in Sunday's four rounds.
But there were predictable moves by the usual suspects:
- Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson, who couldn't sit still when he had multiple high draft choices from the Herschel Walker trade, couldn't sit still again.
With the 29th and last pick in the first round after winning the Super Bowl, he traded it away for three later choices. Then his first two picks came from the college he used to coach - wide receiver Kevin Williams and linebacker Darrin Smith of Miami, who will join a half-dozen other ex-Miami players on the Cowboys.
- San Diego's Bobby Beathard, who never met a first-round pick he wanted, got stuck with taking Stanford defensive back Darrien Gordon with his first pick.
But Beathard, who had just one No. 1 in his dozen years in Washington, made up for it in the second round by trading to San Francisco next year's top pick to move up and take running back Natrone Means of North Carolina. That was a reprise of what he did two years ago when he traded his 1992 No. 1 to the Redskins to move up in the second round for guard Eric Moten and that pick turned out to be Desmond Howard.
Parcells' choice of Bledsoe was hardly a surprise. But unlike TroyAikman, who was made an instant starter in 1989, when Johnson took him No. 1 for a 3-13 Dallas team, Bledsoe may not be an instant starter.
"In the final analysis, we thought Bledsoe had a little more ability to throw the ball effectively," Parcells said. "But I promise you I will not throw him to the wolves and he will not play until he's ready to play."
Mirer went No. 2 and was happy to be going west rather than east.
Then Phoenix swapped places with the New York Jets and took Georgia running back Garrison Hearst; the Jets took linebacker Marvin Jones of Florida State and Cincinnati took Alabama defensive lineman John Copeland.
Eric Curry, the other Alabama defensive end, went to Tampa Bay; Chicago took USC wide receiver Curtis Conway; the Saints took Roaf; Atlanta took offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy and the Los Angeles Rams took Notre Dame running back Jerome Bettis, one of four Fighting Irish players taken in the first round. That was one short of the record set by Southern California in 1968.
With the 11th pick, Denver took defensive end Dan Williams of Toledo; the Raiders took safety Patrick Bates of Texas A Houston took tackle Brad Hopkins of Illinois, Cleveland took center Steve Everitt of Michigan and Green Bay took Clemson linebacker Wayne Simmons.
Then Indianapolis took California wide receiver Sean Dawkins; Washington took Notre Dame cornerback Tom Carter; Phoenix took South Carolina tackle Ernest Dye; Philadelphia took Jackson State tackle Lester Holmes and New Orleans took Notre Dame tight end Irv Smith.
Minnesota then took running back Robert Smith of Ohio State; the Chargers took Gordon; the Steelers chose Figures; Philadelphia took defensive tackle Leonard Renfro of Colorado; Miami took Penn State wide receiver O.J. McDuffie; San Francisco took defensive linemen Dana Stubblefield of Kansas and Tood Kelly of Tennessee; Buffalo took defensive back Thomas Smith of North Carolina and Green Bay finished the round with Alabama defensive back George Teague.
The last time quarterbacks led off the draft was when Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini went 1-2-3 in 1971. This draft also marked the third time in the last four years an underclassman was No. 1 overall - Bledsoe, Steve Emtman last year and Jeff George in '90.
There was a lot of compensating for losses in free agency.
Atlanta, which lost its starting guards under the new system, chose Kennedy rather than a needed defensive back. The Rams lost their fullback, Robert Delpino, and replaced him with Bettis.
Carter was taken to replace the departed Martin Mayhew at corner for the Redskins; Houston needed an offensive lineman to replace Don Maggs, who signed with Denver, and the Colts had to have the departed Billy Brooks in mind when they chose Dawkins.
San Francisco's two defensive linemen were picked to replace Pierce Holt and Tim Harris, who departed as free agents.
Three teams were without first-round picks.
The Giants used theirs to take quarterback Dave Brown in the supplemental draft last year and made their first pick defensive end Mike Strahan of Texas Southern; Kansas City surrendered its pick in the deal for Joe Montana and made its first pick, in the third round, guard Will Shields of Nebraska.
Dallas took Williams in the second round after trading down..
And, of course, everyone was as happy as Phoenix coach Joe Bugel, who signed Gary Clark as a free agent, then beefed up his offense with Hearst.
"We're going to score touchdowns," Bugel said.
"Now we can throw the ball 48 times to Gary Clark and give it to this guy 48 times and we'll be all right."
They all say that in April.
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(Chart)
NFL draft first-round selections
1. Patriots, Drew Bledsoe, qb, Washington State.
2. Seahawks, Rick Mirer, qb, Notre Dame.
3. Cardinals, Garrison Hearst, rb, Georgia.
4. Jets, Marvin Jones, lb, Florida State.
5. Bengals, John Copeland, dt, Alabama.
6. Buccaneers, Eric Curry, de, Alabama.
7. Bears, Curtis Conway, wr, Southern Cal.
8. Saints, Willie Roaf, ot, Louisiana Tech.
9. Falcons, Lincoln Kennedy, ot, Washington.
10. Rams, Jerome Bettis, rb, Notre Dame.
11. Broncos, Dan Williams, de, Toledo.
12. Raiders, Patrick Bates, db, Texas A&M.
13. Oilers, Brad Hopkins, g, Illinois.
14. Browns, Steve Everitt, c, Michigan.
15. Packers, Wayne Simmons, lb, Clemson.
16. Colts, Sean Dawkins, wr, California.
17. Redskins, Tom Carter, db, Notre Dame.
18. Cardinals, Ernest Dye, ot, South Carolina.
19. Eagles, Lester Holmes, ot, Jackson State.
20. Saints, Irv Smith, te, Notre Dame.
21. Vikings, Robert Smith, rb, Ohio State.
22. Chargers, Darrien Gordon, db, Stanford.
23. Steelers, Deon Figures, db, Colorado.
24. Eagles, Leonard Renfro, de, Colorado.
25. Dolphins, O.J. McDuffie, wr, Penn State.
26. 49ers, Dana Stubblefield, de, Kansas.
27. 49ers, Todd Kelly, de, Tennessee.
28. Bills, Thomas Smith, db, North Carolina.
29. Packers, George Teague, db, Alabama.
*****
(Chart)
5-round team picks
ATLANTA FALCONS
1, Lincoln Kennedy, ot, Washington
2, Roger Harper, db, Ohio State
3, Harold Alexander, p, Appalac. St.
5, (121) Ron George, lb, Stanford
BUFFALO BILLS
1, Thomas Smith, db, North Carolina
2, John Parella, dt, Nebraska
4, (111) Russell Copeland, wr, Memphis St.
5, (136) Mike Devlin, c, Iowa
5, (139) Sebastian Savage, db, N.C. State
CHICAGO BEARS
1, Curtis Conway, wr, USC
2, Carl Simpson, dt, Florida State
3, Chris Gedney, te, Syracuse
4, Todd Perry, g, Kentucky
4, (100) Myron Baker, lb, Louisiana Tech
4, (112) Albert Fontenot, de, Baylor
CINCINNATI BENGALS
1, John Copeland, dt, Alabama
2, Tony McGee, te, Michigan
3, Steve Tovar, lb, Ohio State
3, Ty Parten, dl, Arizona
4, Marcello Simmons, db, SMU
5, (117) Forey Duckett, db, Nevada
CLEVELAND BROWNS
1, Steve Everitt, c, Michigan
2, Dan Footman, de, Florida State
3, Michael Caldwell, lb, Middle Tenn. St.
5, (124) Herman Arvie, t, Grambling
DALLAS COWBOYS
2, Kevin Williams, wr, Miami
2, Darrin Smith, lb, Miami
3, Mike Middleton, db, Indiana
4, Derrick Lassic, rb, Alabama
4, Ron Stone, ot, Boston College
DENVER BRONCOS
1, Dan Williams, de, Toledo
2, Glyn Milburn, rb, Stanford
3, Jason Elam, k, Hawaii
4, Jeff Robinson, de, Idaho
5, (126) Kevin Williams, wr, UCLA
DETROIT LIONS
2, Ryan McNeil, db, Miami
3, Antonio London, lb, Alabama
3, Mike Compton, c, West Virginia
GREEN BAY PACKERS
1, Wayne Simmons, lb, Clemson
1, George Teague, db, Alabama
3, Earl Dotson, ot, Texas A&I
5, (118) Mark Brunell, qb, Washington
5, (119) James Willis, lb, Auburn
HOUSTON OILERS
1, Brad Hopkins, g, Illinois
2, Michael Barrow, lb, Miami
4, (102) Travis Hannah, wr, USC
5, (131) John Mills, te, Wake Forest
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
1, Sean Dawkins, wr, California
2, Roosevelt Potts, rb, NE Louisiana
3, Ray Buchanan, db, Louisville
3, Russell White, rb, California
4, Derwin Gray, db, BYU
4, (107) Devon McDonald, lb, Notre Dame
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
3, Will Shields, g, Nebraska
4, (103) Jaime Fields, lb, Washington
5, (130) Lindsay Knapp, g, Notre Dame
LOS ANGELES RAIDERS
1, Patrick Bates, db, Texas A&M
3, Billy Joe Hobert, qb, Washington
3, James Trapp, db, Clemson
5, (125) Orlando Truitt, wr, Mississippi State
LOS ANGELES RAMS
1, Jerome Bettis, rb, Notre Dame
2, Troy Drayton, te, Penn State
5, (122) Sean Lachapelle, wr, UCLA
5, (127) Chuck Belin, g, Wisconsin
MIAMI DOLPHINS
1, O.J. McDuffie, wr, Penn State
3, Terry Kirby, rb, Virginia
4, (105) Ronnie Bradford, db, Colorado
5, (132) Chris Gray, g, Auburn
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
1, Robert Smith, rb, Ohio State
2, Qadry Ismail, wr, Syracuse
3, John Gerak, ol, Penn State
3, Gilbert Brown, dt, Kansas
4, (106) Ashley Sheppard, lb, Clemson
5, (133) Everett Lindsay, t, Mississippi
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
1, Drew Bledsoe, qb, Washington State
2, Chris Slade, de, Virginia
2, Todd Rucci, t, Penn State
2, Vincent Brisby, wr, NE Louisiana
4, Kevin Johnson, dt, Texas Southern
4, (110) Corwin Brown, db, Michigan
5, (113) Scott Sisson, k, Georgia Tech
5, (138) Richard Griffith, te, Arizona
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
1, Willie Roaf, ot, Louisiana Tech
1, Irv Smith, te, Notre Dame
2, Reggie Freeman, lb, Florida State
4, Lorenzo Neal, rb, Fresno State
4, (109) Derek Brown, rb, Nebraska
5, (137) Tyrone Hughes, db, Nebraska
NEW YORK GIANTS
2, Michael Strahan, de, Texas Southern
3, Marcus Buckley, lb, Texas A&M
4, Greg Bishop, ot, Pacific
5, (123) Tommy Thigpen, lb, North Carolina
NEW YORK JETS
1, Marvin Jones, lb, Florida State
2, Coleman Rudolph, de, Georgia Tech
4, David Ware, ot, Virginia
5, (115) Fred Baxter, te, Auburn
5, (120) Adrian Murrell, rb, W. Virginia
5, (129) Kenny Shedd, wr, Northern Iowa
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
1, Lester Holmes, ot, Jackson State
1, Leonard Renfro, de, Colorado
2, Victor Bailey, wr, Missouri
3, Derrick Frazier, db, Texas A&M
3, Mike Reid, db, NC State
PHOENIX CARDINALS
1, Garrison Hearst, rb, Georgia
1, Ernest Dye, ot, South Carolina
2, Ben Coleman, t, Wake Forest
4, Ronald Moore, rb, Pittsburg St.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
1, Deon Figures, db, Colorado
2, Chad Brown, lb, Colorado
3, Andre Hastings, wr, Georgia
4, (108) Kevin Henry, de, Mississippi State
5, (135) Lonnie Palelei, g, UNLV
5, (140), Mark Woodard, lb, Mississippi State
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
1, Darrien Gordon, db, Stanford
2, Natrone Means, rb, North Carolina
4, Ray Lee Johnson, de, Arkansas
4, Lewis Bush, lb, Washington State
5, (134) Walter Dunson, rb, Middle Tenn. St.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
1, Dana Stubblefield, de, Kansas.
1, Todd Kelly, de, Tennessee
2, Adrian Hardy, db, NW Louisiana
5, (116) Artie Smith, dt, Louisiana State
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
1, Rick Mirer, qb, Notre Dame
2, Carlton Gray, db, UCLA
4, Dean Wells, lb, Kentucky
5, (114) Terrence Warren, wr, Hampton
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
1, Eric Curry, de, Alabama
2, Demetrius DuBose, lb, Notre Dame
3, Lamar Thomas, wr, Miami
3, Joe Cocozzo, g, Michigan
3, John Lynch, db, Stanford
4, Rudy Harris, rb, Clemson
4, (104) Horace Copleand, wr, Miami
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
1, Tom Carter, db, Notre Dame
2, Reggie Brooks, rb, Notre Dame
3, Rick Hamilton, lb, Central Florida
3, Ed Bunn, p, UTEP
4, (101) Sterling Palmer, de, Florida State
5, (128) Greg Huntington, c, Penn State