Picked by the Pros

Which of Saturday's heroes will be worth a Sunday paycheck? All season long, professional football's talent scouts study college games and run down tips, searching with an unsentimental eye for boys who can play the man's game in the pros. Last week, as they prepared to back their judgment with cash in the annual player draft, the scouts from both pro leagues took time out to compile a dream team of the nation's top prospects. TIME'S pro-picked All-America:

ENDS: Dave Robinson, 21, Penn State; 6 ft. 3 in., 220 lbs. Pat Richter, 21, Wisconsin; 6 ft. 5 in., 229 lbs. Says a scouting report on Robinson: "The best end in the college ranks--and maybe the best football player." On Richter: "He has height, weight, agility, tremendous hands, all the moves. But is he fast enough?" Another high choice: Southern Cal Junior Hal Bedsole, 20, who stands 6 ft. 5 in., weighs 225 lbs., and runs the 100-yd. dash in 10 sec. flat. Says one scout: "There's 'can't miss' written all over his 27-acre body."

TACKLES: Jim Dunaway, 21, Mississippi; 6 ft. 4 in., 260 lbs. Bobby Bell, 22, Minnesota; 6 ft. 4 in., 214 lbs. Cornerstone of a defense that has allowed its opponents only 131 yds. per game this season, Dunaway is the nation's No. 1 college lineman in the scouts' book, a nimble giant whose hardnosed play has earned him the nickname, "the monster of Ole Miss." Too light to stay at tackle as a pro, Minnesota's Bell will probably be shifted to guard or defensive end. Also ranked high on the scouts' list are three small-college tackles. A junior at Mississippi's Negro Jackson State College, Ben McGee, Jr., 24 (6 ft. 4 in., 233 lbs.), "already has the instincts" of a pro. Miami of Ohio's Tom Nomina, 20 (6 ft. 3 in., 272 lbs.), is an outstanding defensive prospect, as is Junious Buchanan, 22 (6 ft. 6 in., 270 lbs.), of Louisiana's Grambling College. "Buchanan," says one scout, "is the most amazing big athlete I've ever seen. He ran the 220-yd. dash in 22.5 sec. when he weighed 257 lbs."

GUARDS: Jack Cvercko, 21, Northwestern; 6 ft. 1 in., 235 lbs. Ed Budde, 22, Michigan State; 6 ft. 4 in., 247 lbs. Both Cvercko and Budde are fast and maneuverable, equally adept at dropping back to protect a passer or pulling out to run interference for end sweeps. Unlike most college guards, they also have the size to make the pros. "We don't pay much attention to college guards," admits one scout. "Usually, we take tackles and make guards out of them."

CENTER: Lee Roy Jordan, 21, Alabama; 6 ft. 2 in., 207 lbs. One rave notice: "Has good lateral movement, covers a lot of ground on running plays, cuts deep on passes. He's a hitter. This boy loves contact." Best on defense, Jordan would play linebacker as a pro. On offense, the scouts like Michigan State's Dave Behrman, 21 (6 ft. 4 in., 263 lbs.). The report on Behrman: "A real horse."

QUARTERBACK: Terry Baker, 21, Oregon State; 6 ft. 3 in., 191 lbs. An engineering student and all-round athlete. Baker is ambidextrous, sinks push shots for Oregon State's basketball team in the winter, slings lefthanded passes in the fall. A dangerous runner and a superb punter, Baker is on every pro club's shopping list. "It's self-protection," explains a scout. "If he's playing against you, he can kill you." Detroit's Jerry Gross, 23 (5 ft. 10 in., 175 lbs.), is prized for his pinpoint passing; Northwestern's Tom Myers, 19 (6 ft.. 183 lbs.), is only a sophomore, but he already has pro scouts drooling. Says one: "Without question, Myers is the best pro prospect in the country."

HALFBACKS: Jerry Stovall, 21, Louisiana State; 6 ft. 2 in., 200 lbs. Mel Renfro, 20, Oregon; 6 ft., 190 lbs. "Stovall is the complete football player." reads a scouting report. "Runner, receiver, defensive player, kicker. Comes up with the big play when it's needed." Oregon's Renfro can sprint 100 yds. in 9.6 sec., change direction in a flash; he still has a year of college to go, but the scouts consider him the best running back in the country: "No senior can run as well." U.C.L.A.'s Kermit Alexander, 21 (5 ft. n in., 187 lbs.), is a top-rated defensive halfback, and New Mexico State's James ("Preacher") Pilot, 21 (5 ft. 10 in., 200 lbs.), is highly touted as a bruising broken-field runner--"a big Buddy Young who can really fly."

FULLBACK: Ray Poage, 22, Texas; 6 ft. 4 in., 205 lbs. Best of a lackluster lot of college fullbacks, Poage probably will be shifted to slotback in the pros: he is too light to run the tackles. Michigan State's George Saimes, 21(5 ft. 10 in., 186 lbs.), is also underweight, but his fierce blocking and tackling will earn him a pro tryout. "Saimes may not have size," says one scout, "but by God he's got guts."

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