Draft History: 1993

IRVING – Their Super Bowl victory forced them to start late, so for three months Cowboys coaches and scouts played catch-up in preparing for Sunday's NFL draft.

Then Jimmy Johnson went out and picked players he has known since they were in high school.

After trading out of the first round, the Cowboys used two second-round picks obtained from Green Bay to acquire Miami wide receiver-kick returner Kevin Williams and Miami linebacker Darrin Smith, a pair of players Johnson recruited personally as coach of the Hurricanes.

"Both players are individuals we know extremely well who can make immediate contributions," said Johnson. "Kevin Williams is as exciting a kick returner I've ever been around, the fastest player on Miami's team. Darrin Smith is an outstanding special teams player, as fast as any linebacker I've been around."

Although Johnson had said he wasn't looking for instant starters, he believes both will be major contributors in 1993. Both Miami players also agreed to four-year contracts for average salaries between $400,000 and $500,000, eliminating any chance of summer holdouts.

The Cowboys concluded the first day of the draft by selecting Indiana safety Mike Middleton, Alabama running back Derrick Lassic and Boston College tackle Ron Stone.

Williams, the Dallas Roosevelt product who almost had to recruit Miami to gain the school's attention four years ago, replaces Kelvin Martin as the team's kick and punt return specialist. He scored three touchdowns on punt returns in 1991.

"It's a privilege to be coming here," said Williams, who watched the draft from the Loews Anatole. "(Johnson) came and got me from high school and now he got me from college. I appreciate him making my dream come true."

He left Miami with a year's eligibility remaining, a move questioned by some since an ankle injury reduced his production as a junior. His punt return average fell from 15.6 yards as a sophomore to 7.0 in 1992. But the Cowboys were aware of the ankle injury that had hampered him and did not hesitate to select Williams in the middle of the second round.

The Cowboys got Williams with the 46th pick of the draft after trading their first-round pick (29th) along with a fourth-round pick to the Packers for the two seconds, a higher fourth and an eighth-round pick.

Williams' experience as a wide receiver is limited, but Johnson likes his ability to line up anywhere. He should apply pressure to Jimmy Smith, last year's second-round pick from Jackson State who failed to catch a pass as a rookie. And Williams' return skills are exceptional.

"As far as replacing Kelvin, I love Kelvin Martin," special teams coach Joe Avezzano said. "The system worked for Kelvin Martin (who signed with Seattle), and now Jimmy's gone out and found a good young football player who can return kicks. Now he's got to do what Kelvin Martin did the last couple of years, and that's be one of the best."

The Cowboys think highly enough of Darrin Smith that the immediate plan is to move Ken Norton from the weak side position to strong side, allowing the 6-1, 237-pound Smith to use his speed on the weak side.

"Darrin Smith fits our system," said Johnson. "With the flexibility of Ken Norton and with Godfrey Myles' injury, linebacker was an area we needed to address."

The drafting of Williams and Smith raises the total of Hurricanes on Dallas' roster to six as they join Michael Irvin, Alfredo Roberts, Russell Maryland and Jimmie Jones. Johnson has drafted seven Hurricanes in five years, and the pipeline of Miami players has one more year to run.

"We've still got some fifth-year seniors down there that we recruited," said defensive coordinator Butch Davis.

The Cowboys did not figure to be a major presence in Sunday's draft as a result of their Super Bowl victory and the Charles Haley trade that cost them a second-round pick. And for more than 6 1/2 hours Sunday, the Cowboys failed to make a pick. ESPN had exhausted its draft coverage by the time Dallas got on the board with Williams.

Johnson said the Cowboys never considered trading up Sunday and that they had several scenarios for moving down before working out the deal with Green Bay.

"We tried lots of things that it's probably best not to even get into," Johnson said. "But we had earmarked Kevin and Darrin as players we wanted before the draft ever started."

Dallas finished the third round by selecting Middleton, who will work at both safety spots. Then in the fourth round they were happy to find running back Lassic available. He was the Sugar Bowl MVP after rushing for 143 yards in the Crimson Tide's 34-13 victory over Miami.

Johnson thinks Lassic will be a valuable return man, and with the possibility of a prolonged holdout by Emmitt Smith, he should get considerable experience in the backfield during the pre-season.

The Cowboys gambled with their final pick of the fourth round, taking Stone, a converted offensive lineman from Boston College. He played defense before switching as a senior.

Dallas has four picks remaining in Monday's final four rounds and Johnson said the team will continue to search for special teams players. "We have three players targeted, and two of those are special-teamers," he said. "We'll just have to see how they fall."