Rams ’88 PREVIEW SECTION : Relying On the Promise of Youth : Dickerson Trade Brings a Wealth of Newcomers, This Year and Next

The Rams think that youth will be served this season. They hope it’s not on a platter.

The danger in trading away your best player for a truckload of prized rookies is that any money saved on shaving cream and hair-loss ointment might be lost elsewhere--in playoff bonuses, for example.

It’s the risk the Rams took when they dealt Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis last season for three No. 1 draft picks, three second-rounders and tailback Greg Bell.

The Rams used two first-round picks this year and took UCLA tailback Gaston Green, the fastest man on the draft board, and Arizona State wide receiver Aaron Cox, who will step right in and replace the retired Ron Brown.

With three second-round choices, they selected Oregon cornerback Anthony Newman, UCLA receiver Willie (Flipper) Anderson and Purdue linebacker Fred Strickland.

What the Rams are doing this year and next might be unprecedented in National Football League history. And remember, they’ve only just begun. Next year, in the second installment of life after Dickerson, the Rams have two more first-round picks and three seconds.

In a span of two years, the Rams will have been almost completely overhauled. Gone already from last year are such names as Nolan Cromwell, Hugh Millen, Steve Dils, Reggie Doss, David Hill, Kevin House and Dennis Harrah. Next year, more veterans will disappear.

It’s not very often that 10 of a team’s 14 draft choices make the roster in one form or another. Seven Ram draft choices made the final 47-man roster. Running back Keith Jones (sixth round, ankle), defensive end Mike Piel (third round, neck) and tackle R.C. Mullin (10th round, back) have been stashed on injured reserve for future consideration.

Someone asked Coach John Robinson this summer if having too many rookies on one team is dangerous.

“Not if they’re good,” Robinson said.

It was a point well taken. These are more than just your average rookies. The Rams drafted 5 of the first 47 players taken in the draft. They’ll have drafted 10 of the top 112 after next season.

Quarterback Jim Everett already has seen the quality difference in his rookie wide receivers. Anderson and Cox. “These guys come from football systems, UCLA and Arizona State, that have complex pass offenses for the college level,” Everett said. “They came in here as proven players and have all the ability. All they’re doing is learning the system. They know what a glitz is, how to read a secondary. It’s not like they came from Oklahoma and ran the wishbone, and maybe caught one ball for a touchdown every game. These guys are experienced college players who can come in and compete. Sure, it takes a while to get the timing and techniques, but other than that, these guys are players.”

This, of course, comes from that grizzled veteran Everett, age 25.

Still, there is often a price to be paid for youth. What it will cost the Rams in terms of wins and losses remains to be seen. The Rams haven’t played out their hand yet, but are recoiling from a disastrous 6-9 season. Patience may be a virtue elsewhere. It’s not in football.

The demands placed on the Class of 1988 will be great. But will it be enough until next year’s graduates arrive?

Here’s a closer look at the student body:

FIRST ROUND

GASTON GREEN (running back, 5-10, 189, UCLA). It would be easy to call Green’s first summer a disappointment. He sat out the first game at Canton, Ohio, with a thigh injury, raising long-held doubts about his durability. Still, after a strong finish (73 yards rushing against San Diego), Green was the team’s second-leading rusher in the exhibition season with 188 yards, one behind Greg Bell. The advantage Green had was not being held personally responsible for replacing Dickerson. Green was given time to grow, making it easier to overlook his slow start. Robinson used the summer to teach Green his theories on power-running. In the meantime, Charles White and Bell raced ahead. White, the reigning NFL rushing champion, was the starter to begin with. Bell, on the other hand, was the most impressive back of the summer, dispelling rumors of his impending trade or release.

Look for Green to be slowly worked into the offense this season. The Rams want to pick their spots with him, hoping to use his great speed to catch tired and unexpecting defenses on their heels. The Rams figure there’s plenty of time for Green, 22, to carve his own legacy.

AARON COX (wide receiver, 5-9, 174, Arizona State). In the span of a few months, Cox jumps from the Sun Devils to the starting lineup of the Rams. He’ll replace Ron Brown as the starter opposite Henry Ellard. Cox lacks Brown’s speed, but is much more the instinctive receiver. He already has proven he can make the tough catches, having done a toe-dance to keep both feet inbounds on a touchdown reception against Houston on Aug. 20. Later in the same game, Cox made a clutch, 26-yard catch with two seconds left to get his team in field goal range for the possible winning score, an opportunity blown when Mike Lansford missed a 44-yard attempt. Cox had only 8 catches for 83 yards during the exhibition season, but no one seemed concerned by the lack of numbers.

SECOND ROUND

ANTHONY NEWMAN (safety, 6-0, 199, Oregon). If there were a disappointment in camp, it was Newman, who was slowed all summer by a shin injury. “He’s just now getting started,” Robinson said after the team’s fourth exhibition game.

The Rams had to put on hold such lofty plans as moving Newman to cornerback to replace a two-time Pro Bowl player in Jerry Gray, whose future still might be at free safety. For now, though, those plans have been scrapped. Newman didn’t get enough work at corner this summer to risk such a move, but with corner Cliff Hicks out for at least another month or so with a broken left leg, Newman will have to step in quickly.

WILLIE ANDERSON (wide receiver, 6-0, 169, UCLA). He’s the one they call Flipper, and he already has proven that some mammals really can fly. Anderson had touchdown receptions of 70 and 54 yards in the exhibition season and figures to replace Ron Brown as the team’s deep threat and designated defense stretcher. Anderson has shown poise and skills beyond his years, especially on the nifty one-handed, 34-yard catch he made against Houston. Maybe it was all the work Anderson got at UCLA, where last year he tied the school reception mark with 48 and set a record for yardage with 903.

FRED STRICKLAND (inside linebacker, 6-2, 244, Purdue). If nothing else, Strickland is tough. He broke an index finger in the team’s first scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys in mid-July and played the rest of the summer with a cast on the hand. But Strickland is more than tough to the Rams, who can’t wait to get him into the lineup. With age and arthritis creeping into starter Jim Collins’ knee, Strickland might get in sooner than expected. He’s used to tackling, having broken Ron Woodson’s career mark at Purdue with 321.

THIRD ROUND

MIKE PIEL (defensive tackle, 6-4, 263, Illinois). Not many people know it, but Piel was named Illinois’ most valuable player on defense last year, beating out Raiders’ first-round choice, Scott Davis. Still, Piel’s summer was a real mixed bag. He got a long look from coaches because of the month-long holdouts of defensive starters Shawn Miller, Doug Reed and Greg Meisner. Yet, when those players returned, Piel went down with a pinched nerve in his neck, a condition similar but not as severe as the damage that washed out Jim Collins’ 1986 season. Piel started the season on injured reserve.

FIFTH ROUND

ROBERT DELPINO (running back, 6-0, 198, Missouri). Delpino, it turns out, is a lot better fullback than he is a navigator. He showed up a day late for rookie camp after a cross-country car journey from parts unknown to Anaheim. Blunders such as these mean little when the head coach’s voice quivers every time he mentions your name. Robinson absolutely loves Delpino, an attacking runner with good speed. With Mike Guman’s tender knees always a concern, Delpino could be a starter before the end of the season. Not bad for a fifth-round pick. This choice could make up for past draft disasters.

JAMES WASHINGTON (safety, 6-1, 191, UCLA). A knee injury during his senior year probably kept Washington from being taken higher in the draft. So far with the Rams, so good. Washington has remained healthy enough. The coaches love his football instincts, though Washington tends to gamble on plays more than he should.

SIXTH ROUND

KEITH JONES (running back, 5-9, 179, Nebraska). Jones is a great open-field runner, which is why the Rams thought he could be the man to replace Ron Brown on kickoff returns this year. Jones showed flashes of talent in the summer, but was also prone to fumbling. He opened the season on injured reserve with an ankle injury, his future still unclear.

10TH ROUND

R.C. MULLIN (offensive tackle, 6-6, 315, Southwestern Louisiana). He could be another one of line coach Hudson Houck’s long-term projects. Remember, starting right guard Duval Love was a 10th-round pick in 1985. Mullin executed about one of every two blocks he tried this summer, which is fine unless you’re trying to throw a pass with Mullin in the lineup. Ask Steve Dils. Mullin will probably spend the year on injured reserve to allow him room to grow (technically, not physically).