Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 27

STREET EDITION STATE EDITION Monthly, April 42, 1991 The Arizona Republic 1)3 NFL DRAFT Cardinals insist they didn't waste No. 6 pick on Swann CARSiHALS' DRAFT PICKS 6th PICK, FIRST ROUND Eric Swann, DL, 6-4, 31 1, no college Has physical skills that are rare for a man his size. However, he is only 20 and never played in college. He played one season for the Bay State Titans, a minor league team in Massachusetts. The Cardinals think his weaknesses can be overcome with coaching.

32nd PICK, SECOND ROUND Mike Jones, DL, 6-3, 282, North Carolina St An explosive pass rusher, he had 10 sacks last season for the Wolfpack. He tends to be inconsistent and needs to improve his run defense and strength. 59th PICK, THIRD ROUND Aeneas Williams, CB, 5-10, 189, Southern Great speed, runs the 40 in 4.39 seconds. Had 11 interceptions last season, but some scouts think he has poor technique. Gave up four touchdowns against Jackson State.

Cardinals will try him at corner, but could move him to safety. 86th PICK, FOURTH ROUND Dexter Davis, CB, 5-9, 175, Clemson Good cover man with quickness and fine all-around athletic ability. But he lacks size and does not have blazing speed. A reliable open-field tackier and can make the big play. ---t I VV Swann's flight unique From high school to semipro to pros By Kent Somers Th Arizona Republic Maintenance men across America knelt to give thanks Sunday.

One of their own has made it big. Eric Swann was stunned when he saw his name flash across the television screen as the Cardinals' first-round pick and the sixth overall. After all, only a year ago he was raking leaves and mowing grass at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. "I'm still floating on Cloud No. 9," Swann said.

"I can't even explain the feeling that went through my heart." A year ago, when he was taking home about $300 every two weeks from his maintenance job, Swann didn't think this was possible. He was humiliated. His mother is a teacher, his father an accountant. He has a sister in medical school. Swann was making $6 an hour.

"I hated that job," he said in a recent interview. "I'd be wondering, 'Am I going to be here for the rest of my life, or I was seeing guys in their 30s, 40s, 50s, doing the same job as me." Now, he can afford to have someone rake leaves for him. Mark Carrier, last year's sixth pick, received a deal worth $3.65 million over five years. "Never in my wildest dreams," said Swann, when asked if he thought a day like Sunday was possible. Swann, a defensive lineman, is the first non-college player to be drafted by the NFL since Emil Sitko (who was nicknamed "Six Yard" for some reason) was drafted by the Rams in 1946.

Sitko, however, never played for the Rams. Instead, he went to Notre Dame and played with the 49ers in 1950 and the Cardinals in 1951-52. Swann, without question, was the biggest risk of the first round. Will he be a bargain or a bust? Proponents think the Cardinals made a great pick because there was Lisa BuiThe Associated Press Eric Swann (right) gets a hug from his father, Leslie Swann, after he was drafted sixth overall by the Cardinals in Sunday's NFL draft. CARDINALS, from page Dl in a lifetime," Wilson said.

"We feel that we got that guy." The Cardinals also drafted defensive end Mike Jones of North Carolina State with their second-round pick (No. 32 overall), Southern University cornerback Aeneas Williams in the third round (No. 59) and cornerback Dexter Davis of Clcmson in the fourth round (No. 86). The Cardinals, who spent Sunday addressing their defensive needs, have nine picks remaining today in the final eight rounds, including three in the eighth.

The Cardinals were 26th against the rush last season, giving up an average of 144.9 yards. In Swann and Jones, plus Plan free agent defensive lineman Jeff Faulkner (6-foot-3, 305 pounds), the Cards believe they've gone a long way toward solving a major problem. "For us to improve," Wilson said, "particularly in our division (NFC East), we've got to compete with those teams and we've got to be big and aggressive to do that, particularly up front." Jones, a good friend of Swann who played host to him in 1988 when Swann went to North Carolina State on a recruiting visit, said he can provide immediate help to the pass rush, "I'm just ready to get in and do well for myself and the Cardinals and my family," Jones said. The Cardinals were interested in taking a cornerback in the second round, but their top choices, Notre Dame's Todd Lyght, Nebraska's Bruce Pickens, Ohio State's Vince Clark and Illinois' Henry Jones, already were taken. So they filled that need in the third round by taking Williams instead of Davis.

Williams is a speedster (4.39-second 40-yard dash) who is considered a raw talent and a potential safety. He said coming from a small school won't hinder him. "My ability is comparable to anyone's," Williams said. "It's a matter of adjusting to the professional game." Swann is the first defensive lineman drafted by the Cardinals in Round 1 since 1980, when Curtis Greer was the sixth player taken. Williams is the team's highest-drafted cornerback since Cedric Mack was taken in the second round in 1983.

The Cardinals are convinced Swann is the long-term answer to their desperate need for defensive linemen. Although Lyght nearly fell to the Cardinals, sources close to the organization said they still would have taken Swann. The Cardinals considered trading up to make sure they'd get Swann. It's also known that Green Bay called to talk about trading for the Cards' sixth pick, but it was determined who gets around like that, in any draft," said Fritz Shurmur, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator. Not everyone raves about Swann.

One NFL player personnel director said picking Swann could mean a quick trip to the unemployment line. At 20, he was the youngest player in the draft and the least experienced. In his first year out of high school, Swann worked at the fairgrounds while trying to pass the SAT to gain entrance to North Carolina State. He failed the test eight times. In his second year out of high school, he played for the Bay State Titans, a minor league team in Massachusetts.

Swann called it semi-pro ball, but put the emphasis on semi. Players were not paid unless a fan made a donation. In his third year out of high school, Swann will be playing in the NFL. Talk about upward mobility. Because of Swann's inexperience, his technique is poor.

Swann sees that as being easily corrected. "Technique-wise, it'll take less than three weeks, and I could have it down pat," he said. "I'm not a dumb kid. I have great athletic abilities and basically I know what I need to learn." The Cardinals evaluated him like they were choosing someone for the Rockettes they concentrated on the lower body. They love his quickness and explosiveness.

The only weaknesses the Cardinals saw resulted from inexperience. Shurmur said Swann's stance needs work, which may be an indication of how far Swann is away from being a star. "I think there is no question we see some great innate ability In him," Shurmur said. "We all felt reasonably comfortable that this young man has a great opportunity to be a great football player in this league." Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton, who coached Swann at Bay State, said Swann made tremendous strides last season. "He reminds me, especially when he gets to be a fully developed player, of like a big Bruce Smith (of Buffalo)," Hamilton said.

"He's capable of being that kind of dominating player, only bigger. "Potential-wise, Eric Swann has everything you want in a defensive lineman. Everything. Whether or not he'll develop as fast as you want him to is another question." that the offer wasn't sweet enough. There also was the concern Swann might not be available much longer.

Swann's agent, Dick Bell, sent letters to all 28 teams prior to the draft saying he would be willing to sign Swann for less money than people expected. "I said we were prepared to do something realistic to get my client drafted in the first round," said Bell, who negotiated the letter of agreement with Charley Schlegel, the team's treasurer and chief financial officer, i But what mattered most to the Cardinals was Swann's size (6-4, 311 pounds), his speed (4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash), his innate physical ability, his intelligence and ability to learn and, of course, his position. "He possesses all the intangibles we're looking for in a quality football player," Bugel said. Swann and Bell are scheduled to arrive in Phoenix on Wednesday. Bell also represents Mike Jones.

"The goal is to go out and get Eric's (contract) completed and begin talking about Mike," Bell said. no one else in the draft with his combination of size (6-foot-4, 311 pounds) and speed (4.8 for 40 yards). "I can't remember a 31 1-pound guy 1991 models only Convertible M5 not included Sewe provided bv Cross Country Motor Club. Boston. MA 02155 except in CA, where services are provided by Cross Country Motor Club of Calif Boston.

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