Monday, April 20, 1998

Dallas goes for 'best athlete available' on draft's second day

IRVING (AP) - The Dallas Cowboys, who filled offensive and defensive line needs the first day of the NFL Draft, reversed field Sunday and went for the best athletes available.

As a result, Dallas finished its draft without addressing the need for a receiver to take pressure off Michael Irvin.

"Obviously we needed a defensive end and we wanted to bolster the offensive line and we did that with the first two picks," said Cowboys coach Chan Gailey. "After that, we were going to take the best player available. Whether that helps the offense or the defense more didn't matter, we were going to take him."

Dallas took North Carolina defensive end Greg Ellis with the eighth overall pick Saturday and then selected Michigan State tackle Flozell Adams in the second round to help an offensive line that was battered last year.

The philosophy changed Sunday.

With the 100th overall pick in the fourth round, Dallas was pleased to find Alabama's Michael Myers still available, even with his checkered past.

Myers, a 6-foot-2, 286-pound defensive lineman, was an All-American in 1996 but played only one game last year after being suspended for contact with an agent. Myers' past was a concern for the image conscious Cowboys, but his speed and agility were too much to pass up.

"We are very pleased to be able to get him at this level," said owner Jerry Jones. "We've looked into the cirumstances and investigated them and, as an example, I know he won't have those circumstances again."

In the fifth round, with the 130th overall pick, Dallas again went for a player who didn't play much last season.

South Carolina linebacker Darren Hambrick missed seven games with a fractured fibula in his left ankle, but did return in time to play in the Senior Bowl.

The 6-2, 216-pound Hambrick fit right into Dallas' mold of quick linebackers.

"He did have an injury to his leg, but he looks to be fully recovered," Gailey said. "He's not big, but the speed factor really makes you stand up and look. He fits right into our trademark of linebackers here."

The Cowboys traded their sixth- and seventh-round picks (162nd and 197th overall) to Seattle for a fifth-round pick they used on Iowa State offensive lineman Oliver Ross.

Gailey said speed - under 5 seconds in the 40 - and ability to play more than one position were the key factors in drafting the 6-4, 300-pound Ross.

With their final four picks, all compensatory picks, the Cowboys went searching for "something special."

"When you get in the late rounds, you look for that one quality that separates a guy from all the other guys hanging around," Gailey said. "Late in the draft, you're looking for that guy with something special."

With Alabama-Briminham's Izell Reese in the sixth round (188th overall), the Cowboys got a big safety (6-2, 193 pounds) with speed.

At the 223rd pick overall in the seventh round, Dallas selected Cal running back Tarik Smith for his potential. Smith, (5-10, 200 pounds) missed eight games in 1996 due to a knee surgery.

Georgia guard Antonio Fleming was taken in the seventh round (227th overall) because he is 6-3, 309 pounds and was clocked at 4.9 in the 40.

Dallas took Cincinnati tight end Rod Monroe with its last pick (237th overall) because of his athletic ability. The 6-4, 244-pound Monroe played football for just one year after playing for the Cincinnati basketball team.