Rebuilding the 'Boys
Dallas faces critical decision with No. 8 pick
Posted: Fri April 10, 1998 at 6:46 PM ET
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Moss' breakaway speed could help recharge the offense in Dallas that ranked 22nd in NFL scoring last season
(David Gonzales/NCAA photos/Allsport)
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DALLAS (CNN/SI) -- Not since 1991, when they took Russell Maryland with the No. 1 pick, have the Dallas Cowboys picked as high as they will in next Saturday's NFL Draft.
Thanks to Barry Switzer's abysmal final season as coach, the Cowboys own the No. 8 pick in the draft. It's a huge choice for the Cowboys with important implications, and one they're not taking lightly.
Last Friday, the Cowboys ran 13 draft prospects through their training facility, the first time they've done that since 1993. All the players under consideration carried their own baggage -- but none more than Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss.
His drawbacks include issues of character related to an incident of domestic violence and a positive marijuana test that cost him a college scholarship.
Moss warns any team passing on him will regret it.
"They see what kind of player and what kind of guy I really am," Moss said, "see what I can do on the field, then, yeah, they will regret it because we will meet up on the field.
"They've got a chance to sit down, eat with me, take me out to dinner, things like that. So I think they know what kind of guy I really am."
New Cowboys coach Chan Gailey is not tipping the club's hand. But with Troy Aikman struggling in an offense that ranked a dismal 22nd in scoring during last season, the Cowboys need a game-breaking threat like Moss.
"I think we would be interested in a receiver," Gailey admits. "I think we would be interested in two or three positions. I think we're not discounting anything."
Kevin Dyson, who had 60 catches for Utah last season and is listed behind only Moss on most draft boards, is also someone the Cowboys like.
The attraction is mutual.
Dyson hauled in 60 catches for Utah last season and is considerd a top draft prospect
(Andy Lyons/Allsport)
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"Dallas would be a nice place to go," Dyson said. "They've still got Michael Irvin here, and they still got a great team, probably be in the Super Bowl in the next couple of years, so it would be a great opportunity for one of us."
But the once-great Cowboys have other glaring weaknesses. No Cowboys defender had more than six sacks last season, so an outside pass-rusher is a priority.
"It's a big change between college and the NFL, but I really think I can still get to the passer," said North Carolina defensive end Greg Ellis, who had 32.5 sacks as a Tar Heel. "I know there are a lot of different techniques and different kind of stuff I need to learn."
Nebraska's Grant Wistrom also made his pitch in his whirlwind visit.
"It would be tough for a rookie to come in and become a leader, but yet I feel that's something that's one of my assets," said Wistrom, who had 26.5 career sacks. "I feel I am a fairly adequate leader and hopefully, playing at Nebraska, we've gotten pretty used to winning and I don't accept losing very well."
One of the players the Cowboys would love to land is Florida State defensive end Andre Wadsworth, rated by many teams as the best athlete in the draft. Yet Wadsworth, who had 16 sacks last season for the Seminoles, is expected to be long gone by the time pick No. 8 rolls around.
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The Cowboys may bolster the defensive line with Ellis who made 32.5 sacks as a Tar Heel
(Doug Pensinger/Allsport)
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"You know, there's only two teams you can say that everybody knows in the whole nation -- not just the nation, the whole world -- and it's the Cowboys and the Raiders," Wadsworth said. "Silver-and-Black and the All-American team, which is the Dallas Cowboys. So who doesn't want to play for those teams, especially this one?"
With millions of dollars at stake, Moss has been trying to convince teams with Top 10 picks that he's matured and won't repeat the bad behavior of his past.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is insisting that character and integrity are being emphasized in the organization. Those claims will be seriously tested if Moss is available when the Cowboys make their first pick.
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