TIME'S All-America Team: Pick of the Pros

Vince Lombardi would have loved the football class of '74. The college players concluding their undergraduate grid careers this winter are an uncommonly rugged group. TIME'S annual poll of professional scouts to determine the athletes who will be most sought after in the N.F.L. draft has turned up an abundance of intimidating talent. The way the pros saw the season, the best players were linemen and linebackers--big rough performers schooled in the grunt-and-groan tradition that Lombardi refined to savage perfection at Green Bay.

The scouts' selections:

Defense Ends: (1) ED JONES, Tennessee State, 6 ft. 9 in., 268 Ibs., and (2) JOHN DUTTON, Nebraska, 6 ft. 7 in., 248 Ibs. Viewed as the second coming of Bubba Smith, the huge Oakland Raiders (former Baltimore Colts) defensive end who crunches quarterbacks like crackerjacks, Jones figures to be the pros' No. 1 draft choice this year. With 4.7 sec. speed in the 40-yd. dash, he is "frighteningly intense," say the scouts--a "real door jam" against the offense. He led Tennessee State to an undefeated season this year (TIME, Nov. 12). Button is the man "who takes the play out of the play action pass." Deceptively agile for his size and "very tough to fake or trap on a rollout," he has been a standout for Nebraska for three years. Tackles: (3) DAVE GALLAGHER, Michigan, 6 ft. 4 in., 245 Ibs., and (4) BILL KOLLAR, Montana State, 6 ft. 3 in., 251 Ibs. The scouts do not know whether Gallagher, a pre-med student, will be a doctor or a football player. If he picks shoulder pads, at least temporarily, the quick aggressive Michigan star is expected to be a formidable pass rusher. "You may pass around him, but you won't pass over him," says one scout. The wonder about Kollar is that Woody Hayes ever let this native Ohioan get away. Another top pass rusher, he is described as "quick as a mountain lion and strong as an ox." The scouts also like (5) CARL BARZILAUSKAS, 6 ft. 6 in., 270 Ibs., from Indiana, known as a killer against the run.

Linebackers: (6) RANDY GRADISHAR, Ohio State University, 6 ft. 3 in., 236 Ibs., (7) WAYMOND BRYANT, Tennessee State, 6 ft. 3 in., 236 Ibs., and (8) ED O'NEIL, Penn State, 6 ft. 3 in., 220 Ibs. Grad-ishar is one Ohioan who did not escape Hayes. The "best Big Ten linebacker in three years," Gradishar is a punishing tackier capable of penetrating any block, and, say the scouts, "he has that great pro quality--the ability to cover somebody else's mistake." This year he made 71 unassisted tackles. Bryant rates as the top prospect for middle linebacker. "Look for him and you'll find the ball," say the scouts. "He might be better than a bunch of middle linebackers who are already regulars in the pros." O'Neil, who roams the field from sideline to sideline, is a superb pass rusher. When he is not blitzing the quarterback, O'Neil can contain the sweep and cover against passes. He had a hand in 72 tackles this year.

Cornerbacks: (9) KENITH POPE, Oklahoma, 6 ft., 206 Ibs., and (10) JERIS WHITE, Hawaii, 6 ft., 185 Ibs. In a field of "suspect" cornerbacks (there are no acknowledged stars this year), Pope has what the pros like best--a penchant for hard hitting. "He has those receivers listening for footsteps all the way," say the scouts. Though White is not exceptionally fast, he "has great anticipation" and has a reputation as a sure tackier. "We'll grab him," says one personnel man, "if he's half as good as our man in Hawaii says."

Safeties: (11) ARTIMUS PARKER, Southern Cal, 6 ft. 3 in., 215 Ibs., and (12) MIKE TOWNSEND, Notre Dame, 6 ft. 3 in., 183 Ibs. Parker, who gave U.C.L.A. fits this year when Southern Cal won the Rose Bowl berth, is a natural free safety. With "great range and marvelous hands," plus an ability "to jump like a kangaroo," Parker will help fill the holes in any pro secondary. He intercepted eight passes this year alone. Townsend has the height that pros are looking for in pass defenders these days: "He's always there at the right time and place."

Offense

Quarterback: (13) DAVID JAYNES, Kansas, 6 ft. 2 in., 212 Ibs. In what is most certainly not the year of the college quarterback, Jaynes is the best of a mediocre group. Respected for his passing--he throws the short square-out as well as the long bomb with equal skill --Jaynes is most admired for the way he drops back and stays in the pocket. A former ball boy at the Kansas City Chiefs' summer training camp, he has patterned his style after the Chiefs' veteran quarterback, Len Dawson. At Kansas, Jaynes has hit for 35 touchdown passes and completed 51.6% of his throws. The next best bet as signal caller is Stanford's (14) MIKE BORYLA, 6 ft. 4 in., 200 Ibs., who has passed for 4,082 yds. in 30 games, or (15) DANNY WHITE, 6 ft. 3 in., 182 Ibs., at Arizona State.

Running Backs: (16) WOODY GREEN, Arizona State, 6 ft. 1 in., 202 Ibs., and (17) WILLIAM ("BO") MATTHEWS, Colorado, 6 ft. 2 in., 219 Ibs. The scouts' eyes are popping over Green. "He's the type who can make a weaker pro franchise into a contending club," they say. Blasting out of the backfield as if he were fired from a bazooka, Green has darted through defenders for 1,182 yds. this season. Matthews is a big powerful runner who rolls over rather than around tacklers. But his greatest attraction to the pros is his blocking prowess: "This man dominates a game whether he's carrying the ball or blocking for someone else." (18) JOHN CAPPELLETTI, Penn State, 6 ft. 1 in., 210 Ibs., who won the Heisman Trophy last week, is a hard-running tailback who appeals to the pro scouts. In two seasons, Cappelletti gained 2,639 yds. and led the team to 21 wins. He promises to be another Larry Csonka, the Miami Dolphins' bruising running back. Another top rusher this year is (19) JIM McALISTER, 6 ft. 1 in., 202 Ibs., a classic breakaway threat from U.C.L.A.

Wide Receivers: (20) LYNN SWANN, Southern Cal, 6 ft. 1 in., 180 Ibs., and (21) JOHN HOLLAND, Tennessee State, 6 ft. 1 in., 188 Ibs. Swann will "beat one-on-one coverage every time," say the scouts. This year at U.S.C. he broke loose to catch 37 passes for 667 yds. Swann doubles as a punt-and kick-return threat with his flashy speed. Holland caught 53 passes this season, and knows how to hold the ball even when hit with a jarring tackle. Say the scouts: "He pays his dues after he gets the ball." The scouts also like (22) ROGER CARR, 6 ft. 3 in., 200 Ibs., from Louisiana Tech. Marvels one: "I don't know how he does it, but Carr is always in the clear."

Tight End: (23) J.v. CAIN, Colorado, 6 ft. 4 in., 226 Ibs. In recent years the pros have favored basketball-tall tight ends, and Cain will go early in the draft. Fast and fluid, he dwarfs pass defenders, throws shivering blocks along the line, and can run deep patterns that leave covering linebackers 20 yds. behind.

Tackles: (24) HENRY LAWRENCE, Florida A. & M., 6 ft. 4 in., 243 Ibs., and (25) STEVE RILEY, U.S.C., 6 ft. 5 in., 255 Ibs. Lawrence, goes the prediction, "is going to be the father-protector of quarterbacks. With his 4.8 speed in the 40-yd. dash, he is also a superb leader for running backs." Riley has astonishing mobility and balance for a big man. Says one expert: "It's a cliche to say he's big, fast, and strong, but let's face it, he's big, fast, and strong." Another top tackle is (26) BILLY CORBETT, 6 ft. 5 in., 270 Ibs., from Johnson C. Smith College in North Carolina. "He's so strong," says one scout, "that he must have been lifting automobile axles all his life."

Guards: (27) BOOKER BROWN, U.S.C., 6 ft. 3 in., 270 Ibs., and (28) JOHN HICKS, Ohio State, 6 ft. 3 in., 253 Ibs. These two behemoths both played tackle in college, but the pros plan to place them at guard. They describe Brown as "270 Ibs. of mean man." One scout reports, "Our quarterback has seen him and says 'get him.' " Another says, "Brown likes to bounce tacklers around so hard they don't get up and tackle again." Hicks, who scored second in the Heisman voting, is considered to be nothing less than "the best lineman in the draft." He explodes off the line of scrimmage and runs the 40 in less than five seconds--not bad at 253 Ibs. He held together Woody Hayes' offensive line for three years during which the team lost only two regular-season games.

Center: (29) SCOTT ANDERSON, Missouri, 6 ft. 4 in., 235 Ibs. Anderson has played tackle and guard as well as center at Missouri, but the scouts like his size at center, plus his reliability on the snap. "He makes sure the snap is good and then he worries about the block." (30) STEVE CORBETT, 6 ft. 4 in., 240 Ibs., from Boston College, is considered another good prospect at center, as is (31) BILL WYMAN, 6 ft. 3 in., 235 Ibs., from Texas.

Specialists: (32) CHUCK RAMSEY, Wake Forest, 6 ft. 2 in., 190 Ibs. With an average of 45 yds. per punt, and a good field-goal kicking record, Ramsey will be a double threat in the N.F.L. "There's no shortage of whip in this lad's leg," says one scout. For teams looking solely for a place kicker, the experts say that this is a poor year, but at least two players have a chance to make the pros: (33) ROD GARCIA, Stanford, 5 ft. 9 in., 165 Ibs., who broke the N.C.A.A. field-goal record with 42 career three-pointers, and (34) EFREN HERRERA, U.C.L.A., 5 ft. 10 in., 185 Ibs.

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