THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604220129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
The Washington Redskins opened the second day of the NFL draft Sunday by receiving what they consider one of the largest windfall profits in recent team history.
Auburn running back Stephen Davis, a sure-fire first-round pick and strong contender for the Heisman Trophy before the 1995 season, a victim of a variety of circumstances during the season and all-but-forgotten by the NFL after the season, was snapped up by general manager Charley Casserly with the team's fourth-round pick.
``He was by far the best player we had on the board,'' Casserly said. ``I said our plan was not to take a running back, but this guy stuck out so much we had to. And it was a classic case of drafting a guy, then finding out later that almost every team behind you was planning to take him if you didn't.''
In the fifth round, Washington selected Clemson safety Leomont Evans, a superb special-teams player whose college career nearly ended due to hyperglycemia, or high-blood sugar, caused by a near-addiction to chocolate.
As has become traditional during the Norv Turner era, the Redskins used a late-round pick, the sixth, for a defensive line project. Kelvin Kinney of Virginia State follows in the footsteps of Dexter Nottage and Rich Owens as raw athletes with enough attributes necessary to make the pros.
Washington finished the draft with two seventh-round picks - linebacker Jeremy Asher of Oregon (Turner's alma mater) and receiver DeAndre Maxwell of San Diego State. Asher appears slated for special teams, at least for his rookie season. Maxwell's claim to fame is that he is Redskins receiver Henry Ellard's nephew.
The trade Saturday for offensive tackle Andre Johnson cost the Redskins their third-round pick and an opportunity to address weaknesses at defensive end and fullback.
``You can't have too many defensive ends,'' Casserly said. ``And we've got another project in Kinney. We'll look at a veteran defensive end, although it won't be somebody we can spend a lot of money on.
``Somewhere, we'd like to get another fullback. We may yet get that in the next day or so.''
Despite seeing reduced action in 1995, Davis finished his career at Auburn as the school's fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,811 yards. Only former NFL stars Joe Cribbs, James Brooks and Bo Jackson were more productive.
In his junior season, Davis led the Eagles with 221 carries for 1,263 yards - fourth-best season totals in school history after Brooks, Brent Fullwood and Jackson.
Last season, however, coach Terry Bowden changed the Auburn attack, incorporating more four-receiver sets similar to those used at Flordia and Florida State. Davis consequently spent less time on the field and his carries dropped to 180 and his yardage to 1,068. In the Outback Bowl against Penn State, Davis carried just 12 times, but gained 119 yards.
In addition, Davis had mild arthroscopic knee surgery early in the offseason.
``He was a first-round rated guy, but there were a lot of junior running backs who came out and were rated pretty good,'' Casserly said. ``That pushed guys down. Then there was the change of offense. Then there was the knee surgery. All those were factors.''
Redskins running backs coach Bobby Jackson thinks Davis has a chance to qualify as a draft ``steal.''
``He has the ability and had the production in a great league,'' Jackson said. ``It's not like he played for some school you never heard of. He has a lot of ability.''
Davis sounded thrilled to be with the Redskins, and familiar enough with the organization to know that his main backfield competition will come from still-unsigned veteran Terry Allen.
``I've watched him play at Clemson and in the NFL,'' Davis said. ``I've got the ability to play in this league. I'm looking forward to going to Washington and showing them what I can do.''
Casserly made a point of saying the Redskins still will do all within their power to sign Allen, a 1,300-yard rusher last season. Heading to training camp in July, the former Minnesota Viking is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition at running back.
According to Redskins secondary coach Tom Hayes, the 6-1, 200-pound Evans is capable of playing either safety position. However, the primary reason for drafting him is James Washington's age (31) and a plan to move Darryl Morrison from strong to free safety.
``He's the prototype safety - big, tall, rangy, something I've always believed in,'' Hayes said. ``He worked out extremely well. He has good instincts and he played a lot of football against very good opponents. He's tough against the run and he has good range against the pass.''
Like many college students, Evans' diet fell apart when he arrived on campus. In addition to consuming as many as six candy bars a day - Snickers was his favorite brand - Evans developed a daily fondness for chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate syrup, often washed down by a hefty glass of chocolate milk.
Twenty minutes into the first practice of his junior season, Evans collapsed. When doctors reached him, he had no control of his body, couldn't talk and couldn't see.
``It was very scary,'' he said. ``I just prayed because I didn't think I was going to make it.''
Evans said it took one year for doctors to diagnose the cause of his problems. During that time, his speech was slurred, he often fell asleep in class, his vision was cloudy and he frequently battled migraine headaches. He was forced to quit the football team when he became academically ineligible.
``A week and a half after I stopped eating chocolate, everything came together,'' said Evans, who now won't even drink a carbonated beverage.
Healthy last season, he led the Tigers with three interceptions, all in a 43-22 victory over N.C. State. The following week against Georgia, Evans set a single-game record with 18 tackles and tied a school record with two of his team-high three blocked kicks.
Kinney, a football and basketball starter at Virginia State, is 6-feet-6, 254 pounds and growing. He finished football season in January at 229 pounds. Anticipating he might get a look from the NFL after a season in which he had seven sacks in 17 tackles, Kinney's agent hired a personal trainer and nutritionist to work with him.
Eating seven meals a day - including a nightly bedtime snack of a chunky peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich - he has gained 25 pounds since the first of the year. The Redskins think he can effectively carry 280 or 285 pounds.
During a workout 10 days ago at Virginia State, he impressed defensive line coach Bob Karmelowicz by jumping 10-feet, 3-inches.
``This guy doesn't have the athletic ability Dexter and Rich have,'' Karmelowicz said. ``He'll be more of a power player, another experiment with a tall kid. I told (his fellow coaches) that this guy will be on our 53. He'll make our team. He'll be on our depth chart as a left defensive end (behind Sterling Palmer).''
Asher, first team All PAC-10, is a 6-footer with speed who will see action mostly on special teams this season, but will be groomed to replace outside linebacker Marvcus Patton when the 29-year-old Patton's career is through.
Maxwell, 6-1, and close to 200 pounds, came highly recommended by former NFL assistant coach and former Southern Cal head coach Ted Tollner, now San Diego State's head coach. In addition, Redskins receivers coach Terry Robiskie liked him more than several receivers other teams had rated higher. by CNB