Event Date: April 26th, 1983
Event Description: NFL Draft
Source: UPI
Several National Football League teams, including the Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, used middle and late-round draft choices Tuesday to select players already competing in the new United States Football League.
The Redskins were the fourth team to go for a USFL player under contract, choosing North Carolina running back Kelvin Bryant, now playing for the Philadelphia Stars. Bryant, the USFL's leading rusher, was the final pick in the seventh round but would have been a first-round choice had he not opted to play for the Stars.
The first NFL team to draft a USFL player was San Diego, which went for Grambling wide receiver Trumaine Johnson, now playing for the Chicago Blitz. Johnson was the first choice in the sixth round but he also would have been a first-round choice.
Other current USFL players drafted were Southern Mississippi quarterback Reggie Collier (Birmingham) by Dallas in the sixth round; Southern Methodist running back Craig James (Washington) by New England in the seventh round; UCLA tackle Irv Eatman (Philadelphia) by Kansas City in the eighth round; and Wisconsin defensive back David Greenwood (Chicago) by the New Orleans Saints in the eighth round.
Dallas Coach Tom Landry said the Cowboys simply were going to see if history would repeat itself.
“You remember we took Roger Staubach in the draft when he was going into the Navy,” said Landry. “This is just something for the future. He might choose to play with us somewhere down the line or the league might go under, too.”
Also, the Chicago Bears may have erred in selecting Notre Dame center Tom Thayer in the fourth round. Earlier in the day, the Chicago Blitz announced that they had signed Thayer to a contract.
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