Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 28, 1993                   TAG: 9307280023
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: CARLISLE, PA.                                 LENGTH: Medium

REDSKINS HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR HIGH DRAFT PICKS

The Redskins' success has been built on trades, the defunct Plan B free agency and finding steals like guard Mark Schlereth, running back Brian Mitchell and linebacker Kurt Gouveia late in college drafts.

Yes, Washington dealt or signed away seven consecutive first-round picks between cornerback Darrell Green in 1983 and defensive tackle Bobby Wilson in 1991. However, other high picks have gone flat for the Redskins, and even the top picks of recent years have yet to prove their star potential.

This year's top two selections - a Notre Dame duo of cornerback Tom Carter and running back Reggie Brooks - may just change that tradition of diminished returns.

It was hardly good news when Carter - he of the 44-inch vertical leap projected as the top backup at both corners to start the season - left Saturday's scrimmage with two cracked bones in his back. He will miss at least two preseason games.

The 1992 No. 1 pick, Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, held out and then played fewer downs than Joe Montana last season. He hasn't been hit in training camp at Dickinson College yet because of a hamstring pull.

Shane Collins, last year's No. 2 pick, figures to be a backup at defensive end.

Wilson, for whom greatness was predicted when he was a rookie in 1991, still isn't starting. The Redskins' next pick that year, running back Ricky Ervins, is holding out after disappointing last season. While the Redskins' highest picks in 1988 and '90, kicker Chip Lohmiller and linebacker Andre Collins, are very productive starters, they also are exceptions.

Remember Mo Elewonibi, Tracy Rocker, Jeff Graham, Mike Oliphant, Brian Davis, Marcus Koch, Wally Kleine, Walter Murray, Tory Nixon, Bob Slater and Steve Hamilton?

Carter and Brooks appear, however, to have the right stuff. With Ervins ridiculously seeking more than $1 million per season, Brooks is the backup to Mitchell, who is very impressed.

"Reggie's spin move is hell," Mitchell said.

The '93 draft appears to be the Redskins' best in years. Besides Carter and Brooks, the early days of camp have shown promise from linebacker Rick Hamilton, punter Ed Bunn, defensive end Sterling Palmer, center Greg Huntington and tight end Frank Wycheck.

The Redskins were stunned to get Carter, whom they figured would be long gone when they selected 17th in the first round. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder left after his junior season at Notre Dame, where he was majoring in finance. He will learn more about that subject with a four-year, $2.9 million contract that included a $1.2 million signing bonus and a $437,000 base salary this year.

"It was a tough decision whether to move on or stay in school, but it was the right decision," Carter said one day last week after practice. "The opportunity was there, and money was a consideration."

Carter's mother was laid off from her bank teller's job a few months ago. However, Carter doesn't have to see his pay stub to realize he's in a different world. The defensive playbook he was carrying in his right hand spoke volumes.

"We have 50 percent more stuff to learn here than at Notre Dame," Carter said. "There are so many more different formations. It's still a bunch of big guys in pads, but mentally it's so demanding. The physical part isn't that much different."

Carter, 20, has been getting tips regularly from Green and another veteran starter, A.J. Johnson, but he already understands where the line between friendship and competition exists.

"They can tell you how to handle the play, but they can't go out and do it for you," Carter said. "No matter who you are or where you were drafted, you have to execute."

Precisely. Carter's leaping ability makes him very valuable in the NFC East, where taller receivers like Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper of the Dallas Cowboys and Fred Barnett of the Philadelphia Eagles have been tough assignments for the 5-8 trio of Green, Johnson and Martin Mayhew, who left for Tampa Bay as a free agent.

First, however, the Redskins asked Carter that he sing for his dinner the first night of training camp, in the dining hall.

"They told me I could choose pop or R&B," Carter said. "They didn't want to hear the Notre Dame fight song."

They'd rather hear the Notre Dame rookies called on the RFK Stadium public address system later this season.

Keywords:
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