Event Date: January 1st, 1986
Event Description: Draft Profiles-RB's, WR's and TE's
Source: UPI
(Thumbnail sketches of leading players for the upcoming USFL and NFL drafts, listed alphabetically by position)
Halfbacks
Neal Anderson, Florida, 5-11, 208. Speed and breakaway ability, plus good hands for receiving and returning kicks. Also blocks.
Keith Byars, Ohio State, 6-1, 240. Twice-broken right foot cost him most of senior season and makes him draft's biggest question. Led nation in rushng and TDs as junior when showed excellent acceleration and strength. Runs to daylight. Can be All-Pro if injuries are behind him.
Darryl Clack, Arizona State, 5-10, 206. Gets to and turns corner. Elusive. Good hands and returns kicks. Injuries stagnated senior year.
Kenneth Davis, Texas Christian, 5-10, 212. Interesting sidelight to draft will be how teams react to highly rated junior, kicked off team as senior. Gets to hole quick and hard to bring down. Word used most often about offseason work was 'rusty.' May have to switch to FB.
Reggie Dupard, Southern Methodist, 6-0, 198. Electric. Great moves - inside and outside. Versatile: good hands, determined running and will block.
Gill Fenerty, Holy Cross, 5-11 , 191. Didn't go to combines due to head injury at end of season and some soured on him though he has been tabbed 100 percent healthy. Rushed for 1,368 yards. Div. I-AA also makes teams think.
Bo Jackson, Auburn, 6-1, 222. The first pick, especially since his dismissal from Auburn baseball team pushed him toward football. Great all-round athlete. Answered a lot about heart by playing with late-season injuries. Few ever have his skill package.
Garry James, Louisiana State, 5-10, 215. Teammate Dalton Hilliard got more press, but scouts are more impressed with James' potential. Strength over speed. Good hands and strong blocker. East-West Shrine Game standout.
Rueben Mayes, Washington State, 6-0, 200. Dropped off from junior season, but tools are impressive. Oustanding speed and acceleration. Set NCAA record with 357-yard rushing game as junior. Playing veer offense hurts. Good combine showing.
Napoleon McCallum, Navy, 6-2, 218. Obligated to serve 5 years in Navy. Some team will take him, but where? No later than a second-rounder if not for Navy hitch. Solid all-round skills and good person.
Allen Pinkett, Notre Dame, 5-7 , 183. Good nose for end zone. Low to ground with good first step to get through holes. Stood tall amid a bad situation at Notre Dame. Heady. Needs to add moves to accentutate quickness.
Barry Word, Virginia, 6-2, 218. Lost end of season to academic failings. Still, combination of speed, power and hands interests many. May be a FB.
Fullbacks
Rick Badjanek, Maryland, 5-8, 220. Too small and slow to start in NFL, but can provide dirty work. Nose for the goal.
Chuck Banks, West Virginia Tech, 6-0, 219. Late bloomer who made move from HB to FB in senior season. Impressive at combine. Good blocker.
Carl Bynum, Mississippi Valley State, 6-0, 234. Proved quality hands. Hurt by poor senior season. Will get straight-ahead yards. Unable to get to corner.
Kent Hagood, South Carolina, 5-11 , 221. Didn't show same flash after broken leg as junior. Veer offense hurts.
Cletis Jones, Florida State, 5-11, 225. Solid FB with ability to block and make tough inside yards. Lacks breakaway moves.
Christian Okoye, Azusa Pacific, 6-1 , 247. A project, but an appetizing one. Speed for such a big man makes him comparable to Pete Johnson. But, after playing in NAIA program, lacks polish. From Nigeria.
Tom Rathman, Nebraska, 6-0, 231. Pure FB, who is good athlete. Solid blocker and power short-yardage runner. The classic Cornhusker FB - knows he'll block and occassionally pops one. Will have to prove hands.
Thomas Rooks, Illinois, 6-1, 209. Flourished as receiver in Illini's open offense. Also showed ability to escape first tackler. With 4.57 speed, is fastest of top FB prospects.
Charles Sanders, Slippery Rock, 6-1, 224. The NFL can use a player from Slippery Rock. But it is Div. II so this is a project. Played TB in college, but speed probably necessitates pro switch. Strong East-West Shrine Game among top competition.
Anthony Toney, Texas A&M, 5-11, 227. Finds the end zone. Stock rose as senior. Little flash -- mostly straight line, power guy. Hands?
Ray Wallace, Purdue, 6-0, 215. Determination helps overcome some acceleration problems. Proven hands.
John L. Williams, Florida, 5-11, 219. Speed, durability, good hands and the willingness to block. Works for extra yards. Best FB available.
Wide Receivers
Lew Barnes, Oregon, 5-8, 163. Easy to overlook because of size, but always produces huge numbers. Finishes patterns and once catches ball is a big-league threat.
Bill Brooks, Boston University, 6-0, 188. Drawbacks are speed and Div. II play. Speed can be deceptive and wants the ball when it counts. Strong and a good athlete.
Ron Brown, Colorado, 5-10, 189. Still much to learn after switch from offensive backfield, but 4.4 speed and hands will make some team a willing teacher. Needs strength.
Reggie Bynum, Oregon State, 6-1, 190. Uncertainty on speed. Goes over middle and holds ball. Always produces numbers in end.
Bobby Joe Edmonds, Arkansas, 5-9 , 173. Qualities of a 3rd-down RB and kick returner. Good hands and super game-breaking potential -- moves and speed. Inconsistency in college combined with need for muscle.
Kelvin Edwards, Liberty Baptist, 6-1 , 192. Questions on consistency and hands. A teriffic athlete -- especially jumping ability - from small program.
Ernest Givins, Louisville, 5-9 , 170. Runs 40 in 4.5 and has drawn comparison to former Louisville star Mark Clayton. Can return kicks.
Allyn Griffin, Wyoming, 6-2, 190. Problems are with desire, not talent. Despite playing in wishbone, he stood out. Handles tough passes and height and jumping ability make a desirable target.
Steve Griffin, Purdue, 5-11 , 178. Runs short, disciplined routes with precision. No speed burner, but does job over middle.
Hassan Jones, Florida State, 6-0 , 198. One of those without elite speed, who somehow provides impressive per-catch average. Deceptive with sticky hands.
Glen Kozlowski, Brigham Young, 6-0, 193. Jimmy Cefalo mold. Knee injury suffered early ruined senior season. Lacks great speed, but finds down-field nooks by using head. Rarely drops.
Tim McGee, Tennessee, 5-9 , 174. Knows how to work seams. Disciplined pattern runner unafraid of middle. From a school that has produced other first-round WRs in recent years, he is likely the best. Some speed questions.
Walter Murray, Hawaii, 6-3, 200. Size makes him delectable when combined with big-league speed and hands. Can't escape questions about toughness.
James Pruitt, Fullerton State, 6-2 , 192. Shuttled in and out in college so numbers aren't impressive. Gets deep and leaps. Must improve precision routes.
Mike Sherrard, UCLA, 6-1 , 185. Broken clavicle took away part of senior season, but size and speed produces strong memories. Doesn't do much after the catch.
Webster Slaughter, San Diego State, 5-11 , 169. For small guy likes contact. Played little in high school but started at JC, and has been learning rapidly. Just get it near him and it's his.
John Taylor, Delaware State, 5-11 , 180. After first-year success of Jerry Rice in San Francisco, pros will be willing to try this type - dominating small college performer with speed and hands. Fun begins after catch. Also, a kick returner.
Vince Warren, San Diego State, 6-0, 185. Collegiate underachiever. Doesn't like middle, but is explosive and has good hands.
David Williams, Illinois, 6-4, 187. Comes from strong passing program and displayed standout hands, toughness and ability to discover seams. Productive. Only drawback is speed.
Tight Ends
Greg Baty, Stanford, 6-5, 226. Lacks speed. Sticky fingers. Good senior season. Needs bulk for blocking.
Cap Boso, Illinois, 6-3 , 229. Good speed and has way of getting open in clutch. Blocking showed improvement, but needs work. Sure hands.
Thornton Chandler, Alabama, 6-4 , 243. Does job over middle and showed ability to make hard catch. Needs work on blocking and consistency.
Joe Cormier, Southern Cal, 6-5 , 225. Needs some weight. Good athlete. Has tools to work wonders and inconsistency -- dropped passes, poor blocking -- to cause gray hairs.
Scott Gieselman, Boston College, 6-5 , 240. Draft value improved by sticking extra year at BC. Questions about toughness. Can do wonderful things, but does he want to?
Carl Hilton, Houston, 6-3, 230. Escapes line quickly and has speed desired at TE for high-tech offenses. Limited college offense hurts skills and knowledge.
Brent Jones, Santa Clara, 6-3, 250. Size and speed bring potential to get long from school that brought you Cowboys' Doug Cosbie.
Jeff Parks, Auburn, 6-3 , 231. High grades for blocking. Team didn't pass much. Unable to get deep, but good skills once ball caught.
Jim Popp, Vanderbilt, 6-4 , 240. Play dropped from junior season. Makes difficult grabs. Won't overpower anyone as blocker.
Donald Rolle, Michigan State, 6-3, 241. Good second TE-type: Blocks and catches possession passes, but will never get deep.
Willie Smith, Miami (Fla.), 6-3, 230. Set catch marks at pass-oriented school. A WR in high school, which shows in limited blocking expertise. Undersized. Could have gone back for 1 more season. Promised to graduate on time, but some are leery because if he doesn't they lose him.
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