Battle for the Bodies

While the New York Stock Exchange was whirling toward a record volume last week, an equally hectic scene of wheeling and dealing was going on at a Manhattan hotel. There, representatives from the 26 teams of the National Football League were bidding for blue-chip college players in an annual conflict known as the professional-football draft. Once a relatively simple affair, the draft has become an increasingly complex struggle involving months of research, computer readouts, secret deals and more triple reverses than are ever seen on the gridiron.

This year's battle for the bodies began routinely enough. By finishing last in the N.F.L., the Boston Patriots won the right to choose first. As expected, they picked Heisman Trophy Winner Jim Plunkett, the strapping Stanford quarterback who was everybody's all-everything. Not to be denied in the Year of the Quarterback, the New Orleans Saints then snapped up Archie Manning from Ole Miss, while the Houston Oilers opted for Dan Pastorini of Santa Clara College, a bullet thrower who also excels at punting and place-kicking. Then came the surprises. After a brilliant season, Notre Dame Quarterback Joe Theismann languished until the fourth round before going to the Miami Dolphins; at 6 ft., 170 lbs., he may seem a mite slight to the pros. Far ahead of him were a dozen or more "sleepers"--little-known players from little-known schools that the scouts have been keeping a secret eye on. The St. Louis Cardinals bypassed several more-established stars to grab Norm Thompson as their first-round choice; a defensive back from Utah, Thompson is an aggressive ball hawk who intercepted seven passes last season. The New York Giants did likewise by plucking out another unsung Thompson, Ralph "Rocky" Thompson, a swift running back from West Texas State whom Giant Coach Alex Webster plans to turn into a wide receiver.

That was just for openers. In one of the wildest trading sprees in pro football history, nine teams exchanged a total of 17 players and 23 draft choices in the first day. Some big names were involved. Among them was Quarterback Norm Snead, who went to the Minnesota Vikings from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a lineman and three choices. Also seeking help in the passing department, the Denver Broncos traded Defensive End Alden Roche and one choice to the Green Bay Packers for Quarterback Don Horn and one pick, while the Eagles swapped three choices to the Detroit Lions for Quarterback Greg Barton. But the biggest deal of all was pulled off by George Allen, late of the Los Angeles Rams and presently head coach of the Washington Redskins. In one swoop, he transferred a good part of his old squad to his new city. In return for one player and seven draft choices, he got six players from the Rams, including all three of their veteran starting linebackers. Allen was following his usual pattern of choosing experience over youth. "None of this building business," he said. "The future is now. We want to win in 1971."

Considering the extraordinary shifts and shakeups in last week's draft, almost any team could win it all--even the newly revamped Redskins. That at least was the belief of one rabid Washington fan. After sending a new budget to Congress last week with predictions of a strong economic gain, Richard Nixon sent another prediction to Coach Allen. Read the President's telegram: "Great trade. I am betting on the Skins for the championship in '71 or '72."

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