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Tuesday, April 22, 1997

Image consultant plays role in draft for Cowboys

IRVING, Texas (AP) - In addition to the usual collection of coaches, scouts and bean counters, the Dallas Cowboys had a new face in their draft headquarters.

That was former star running back Calvin Hill, hired recently as a consultant to help the Cowboys spruce up an image which has been tarnished by a series of suspensions and legal scrapes.

The Cowboys completed their draft on Sunday, and Hill played a role in the selection process.

Owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys investigated not only the 40-yard dash times and bench press totals of prospective draftees.

"We did our homework on players," Jones said. "We made some decisions that were influenced by that issue. It wasn't the first time we've looked at the background of players we were thinking about drafting, but we spent a considerable amount of time checking."

The Cowboys certainly need to add some new faces to an aging roster that has been further depleted by another round of free agent defections. Dallas drafted nine prospects over the weekend, trying to help themselves at tight end, linebacker, in the secondary, on the offensive and defensive lines, and on special teams.

"If you would have told me before the draft that we'd get a tight end, a weak side linebacker and a few of the other positions we had emphasis on, I'd have said we'd have a pretty good draft," coach Barry Switzer said.

After investing their first-round pick on 6-foot-7, 280-pound LSU tight end David LaFleur, and two of their top three selections on offense, the Cowboys spent three of their final five picks in the last four rounds on defense.

With the first of three fourth-round selections, Dallas added to its depth along the defensive line by taking tackle Antonio Anderson, a 6-6 309-pounder from Syracuse. Starting tackle Leon Lett will be suspended for the first 13 games of the regular season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, making former backup Tony Casillas the starter beside Chad Hennings.

"We had a need at tackle," Switzer said. "Anderson has tremendous potential, as much upside as any player drafted in the fourth round."

Later in the fourth round the Cowboys took 6-5, 200-pound wide receiver Macey Brooks from James Madison. Dallas would like a tall target to pair with veteran Michael Irvin. The Cowboys will also look at veteran free agents to fill that void.

Two picks later, the Cowboys drafted 5-11, 257-pound fullback Nicky Sualua of Ohio State. Sualua will back up veteran Daryl Johnston.

With the last two selections, the Cowboys looked to their nickel defense and special teams. Wyoming cornerback Lee Vaughn, a 5-11 184-pounder from Wyoming, went to Dallas in the sixth round. Omar Stoutmire, a 5-11 198-pound safety from Fresno State, was taken by the Cowboys in the seventh round.

On Saturday the Cowboys drafted Appalachian St. linebacker Dexter Coakley, Wyoming offensive lineman Steve Scifres amd Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton with their three third-round selections.

At 5-10 and 215 pounds, Coakley would appear to be undersized for an NFL linebacker. But in the Cowboys defense, the weak side linebacker plays more like a strong safety. The premium is on speed and the Cowboys clocked Coakley in 4.4 for the 40. Dallas has several openings at linebacker with the free agent defections of Darrin Smith, Jim Schwantz and Godfrey Myles.

"Those are the kind of guys we've always looked for," scouting director Larry Lacewell said of Coakley. "In our scheme, that is a speed position and this guy has tremendous speed."