Extra Points

NFL player personnel directors are disappointed in the 1987 college crop. Says Dick Steinberg of the Patriots: "It's a four-person draft."

The first-round lineup: Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde, Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth (if he passes up his final year), Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett and Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan. And after that?

"There is a big dropoff," says Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard. "This year, teams are going to be drafting guys in the first round—and paying them first-round salaries—and they shouldn't be in that category. A lot of teams laughed at us last year for trading away our first-round pick, but I'm not so sure that wasn't a smart thing to do. Draft a kid in the round he belongs in and then pay him for his production."

Linebacker seems to be the position with the most candidates; defensive back is thin. As for running backs, Auburn's Brent Fullwood tops many NFL lists. But if you're looking for a quarterback, well, you're out of luck. This is the Year of the Backup QB. Listen to these ratings from player personnel types, who prefer to remain anonymous:

? Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: "He's a third-or fourth-round pick. He doesn't have a very strong arm."

?John Paye, Stanford: "Has a very unusual throwing motion; it's elongated. He doesn't get the ball off quick enough. When you've got defenses with six, seven and eight defensive backs, that's a must."

? Mike Shula, Alabama: "He doesn't have anything you want in a quarterback. Can't run. Can't throw. But he has the intangibles, and his name is Shula."

Who could blame Don Coryell for resigning last week as head coach of the Chargers? He was in an impossible situation in San Diego—and everyone in the NFL knew it.

The Chargers' problems started when Alex Spanos became the team's owner in August of 1984. Spanos, who has made hundreds of millions in the apartment construction business, is a demanding, no-nonsense guy. He now also has the reputation of being one of the most impulsive owners in the NFL.

Says Raider linebacker Linden King, an ex-Charger, "Players speak in whispers in the locker room." Says one Charger, "We better watch out what we say or we'll wind up in the dumpster."