Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990 TAG: 9004240263
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY and SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"He's on his way back to Virginia," said Wilson's mother, Hazel, from the family home in Rochester, N.Y. "Everybody knows about it but Marcus."
Wilson, who passed up his final season of eligibility at Virginia after rushing for 1,098 yards, was selected in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Raiders.
Wilson, the first of three UVa players to be drafted, was joined by linebacker Ray Savage and offensive tackle Tim O'Connor. Savage was selected in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Rams and O'Connor went to Cincinnati in the 11th round.
Two Virginia Tech players were picked in the eighth round: linebacker Jock Jones by Cleveland and cornerback Roger Brown by Green Bay.
Other players from Virginia colleges chosen on the second day of the NFL draft were cornerback Arthur Jimerson of Norfolk State by the Raiders in the eighth round, defensive back Donald Smith of Liberty by Minnesota in the 10th round and defensive end Steve Bates of James Madison by the Rams in the 10th round.
The only state players selected Sunday were Liberty tight end Eric Green by Pittsburgh in the first round and Ferrum running back and return specialist Chris Warren by Seattle in the fourth round.
The late-round selections were a delight to some and a disappointment to others. Put Tech's Jones in the first category.
"I'm ecstatic, happy, nervous," said Jones, who said he expected to be a free agent. "I was quite shocked. I thought one of [my teammates] was playing with me [on the phone]. I said, `Let me let these guys play it out.' Then I said, `Wait a minute. I really got picked by these guys.' "
Jones leaves Sunday for Cleveland's minicamp after getting an attitude boost from Browns coach Bud Carson. Jones, the only linebacker drafted by Cleveland, said Carson told him the Browns are looking for a mobile linebacker. With Tech, Jones' duties included containing outside running plays, blitzing the quarterback and occasionally dropping into deep pass coverage.
NFL scouts consider deep coverage Brown's biggest question mark. But the Packers apparently will use Brown, Florida State's LeRoy Butler (one of the team's two second-round picks) and Western Kentucky's Jerome Martin to push an aging group of defensive backs. The Packers' starting cornerbacks, Dave Brown and Mark Lee, are 37 and 32 years old, respectively.
"Need we say more?" asked Brown, who said he and Butler are good friends. "We're trying to get the old guys out."
Brown said he will leave Sunday for Green Bay's minicamp. He said he thought he might be taken earlier in the draft but wasn't discouraged about going in the eighth round.
"I'm not mad. I'm happy because I'm going with a good team [where] I know I can play," he said. "[And] maybe the eighth round brings my head down a little bit."
The surprise among the Virginia players was O'Connor, a 6-foot-6, 271-pounder who played nose guard, offensive guard and tackle during his career. It was thought that, if any UVa lineman were drafted, it would be two-time All-ACC offensive guard Roy Brown.
Virginia's Savage, a Kodak All-America selection, had hoped to be drafted somewhere between Rounds 2 and 5.
"Nothing but positives will come out of this," Savage said. "I think [Los Angeles] got me cheap. The general manager, in our phone interview, said he didn't think I'd still be around.
"The Giants called me yesterday in the fourth round, and Detroit and Cincinnati both said they were about to take me, but both shied away in the end. That was a little discouraging."
Of the 38 juniors who made themselves available for the draft, Wilson was the 16th of 18 selected.
Tech offensive lineman Skip Pavlik said he had signed a conditional free-agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and will take part in their minicamp.
Several other Hokies spent Monday afternoon arranging free-agent tryouts.
Linebacker Sean Lucas said he will work out for Tampa Bay today and has a tentative invitation to the Buccaneer's minicamp. Defensive tackle Scott Hill will work out for the New York Giants tomorrow in East Rutherford, N.J., in hopes of earning an invitation to their minicamp. And linebacker Randy Cockrell said he expected to have a tryout with Phoenix.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB