This One Quickly Became a Big Draft for Defense : Overview: Miami’s Maryland, UCLA’s Turner go one-two. First round takes record 4 hours 55 minutes.

As college juniors 12 months ago, nine of the best football players in America quit school to dominate the class of 1990 in the NFL draft.

Then in Los Angeles Saturday night, the apparent leader of the 1991 class, Raghib (Rocket) Ismail of Notre Dame, jumped to the Canadian Football League, signing a four-year contract with the Toronto Argonauts for an unprecedented, guaranteed $4.5 million a year.

That ruined the 1991 draft--yes or no?

In a 10-hour workday Sunday, the 28 clubs, gearing up to make the best of it, voted no.

With their 10 top prospects gone, they made it an unexpectedly lively day.

--Defensive tackle Russell Maryland, a squat overachiever from Miami, and safety Eric Turner, a hard hitter from UCLA, were chosen one-two, Maryland by the Dallas Cowboys and Turner by the Cleveland Browns. The first six picks were defensive players.

--Dan McGwire of San Diego State, whose brother is Oakland A’s slugger Mark McGwire, was the 16th player and first quarterback taken, landing in Seattle with Chuck Knox’s Seahawks. McGwire, Maryland and Turner are all represented by Newport Beach lawyer Leigh Steinberg, who also represented the NFL’s last two No. 1 picks, Troy Aikman and Jeff George.

--UCLA’s Turner was the first of six aggressive defensive backs selected in the first round. Four of them were in the top nine, and three in the top five, including the Rams’ No. 1, Todd Lyght of Notre Dame.

--Todd Marinovich, the Raiders’ No. 1, was the first USC quarterback to go in the first round since 1964, when Pete Beathard was picked by both the Detroit Lions and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

--The sixth player drafted, Eric Swann, is a 300-pound defensive lineman who, some coaches say, is the most talented player to turn pro without the benefit of a college background since Gene (Big Daddy) Lipscomb. Also a defensive lineman, Lipscomb was a Ram sleeper in the 1950s. Swann moves from a North Carolina high school to the Phoenix Cardinals after only one season of minor league football.

--The first offensive players picked were Tennessee tackles Charles McRae and Antone Davis, who went seventh and eighth to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.

Tennessee led the day with three first-round players, including the Cowboys’ second selection, wide receiver Alvin Harper.

Another offensive tackle, Pat Harlow, was the first USC player drafted, No. 11 by the New England Patriots.

Role Model: The defection of Ismail to Canada made a comparatively unknown defensive lineman, Maryland, the top pick in the NFL’s 56th draft.

Weighing 275 pounds, Maryland stands a shade under 6 feet 1, leading some scouts to wonder if he is tall enough for a tough job.

“Ideally, you’d want a taller guy,” Seattle President Tom Flores said. “But the thing to remember about this draft is that after Ismail, everyone on the board is flawed in one respect or another. Lack of height isn’t the worst thing.”

Maryland, the eighth defensive lineman drafted first in the last quarter century--in a series from Bubba Smith to Bruce Smith--immediately pledged $10,000 to the Miami football program and another $10,000 to his high school team in Illinois.

“Our (clients) are all into the concept of being a role model,” Steinberg said.

Framed: The nation’s perennial second-division champion, North Dakota State, got into it as early as the second round when Buffalo picked defensive lineman Phil Hansen, who stands 6-6 but weighs only 258.

“He’s a fast one with the frame to grow into a big one,” Buffalo Coach Marv Levy said of Hansen, who has been timed in 4.8 for 40 yards.

Multiples: Including Tennessee and USC, six college teams placed two or more players in the first round.

The five schools with two apiece:

USC--Harlow (11) and Marinovich (24).

Nebraska--Defensive back Bruce Pickens (3), Falcons, and linebacker Mike Croel (4), Broncos.

Miami--Maryland (1) and tackle Randal Hill (23), Dolphins.

Colorado--Wide receiver Mike Pritchard (13), Falcons, and linebacker Alfred Williams (18), Bengals.

Texas--Defensive back Stanley Richard (9), Chargers, and tackle Stan Thomas (22), Bears.

Shakeup: The Ismail move to Canada, shaking up the decisions of every NFL coach Sunday, led to these developments:

--The first round dragged on for 4 hours and 55 minutes, the longest in league history. Last year’s first round had lasted only 3:24.

--Raider owner Al Davis, who in 1986 drafted Bo Jackson in the seventh round, plucked Ismail in the fourth round and prepared to wait for him until 1995, when the Rocket will be an old man of 25.

--Bruce McNall, owner of the Kings and Argonauts, confirmed that he has guaranteed $18.2 million of the Rocket’s four-year, $26.2 million contract.

“Fourteen million is his guaranteed (salary),” McNall said. “(On top of that) $4.2 million in endorsements and for promotional work is guaranteed.”

Ismail attorney Jon Edwards, asked how a Canadian team can get back that kind of money, said: “They expect, and we expect, the franchise to appreciate--and the league to appreciate.”

Said Ismail: “It’s a risk. Anything worth something is worth a risk.”

All-Draft All-Pro: One Trojan and two Bruins made the season’s last All-American team, which includes the players drafted first at their positions Sunday:

OFFENSE WR--Herman Moore (10) Virginia, Lions. WR--Alvin Harper (12) Tennessee, Cowboys. TE--Reggie Johnson (30) Florida State, Broncos. OL--Charles McRae (7) Tennessee, Buccaneers. OL--Antone Davis (8) Tennessee, Eagles. OL--Pat Harlow (11) USC, Patriots. OL--Stan Thomas (22) Texas, Bears. OL--Ed King (29) Auburn, Browns. QB--Dan McGwire (16) San Diego State, Seahawks. RB--Leonard Russell (14) Arizona State, Patriots. RB--Harvey Williams (21) LSU, Chiefs.

DEFENSE DL--Russell Maryland (1) Miami, Cowboys. DL--Eric Swann (6) no college, Cardinals. DL--Huey Richardson (15) Florida, Steelers. DL--Bobby Wilson (17) Michigan State, Redskins. LB--Mike Croel (4) Nebraska, Broncos. LB--Alfred Williams (18) Colorado, Bengals. LB--Roman Phifer (31) UCLA, Rams. LB--Dixon Edwards (37) Michigan State, Cowboys. DB--Eric Turner (2) UCLA, Browns. DB--Bruce Pickens (3) Nebraska, Falcons. DB--Todd Lyght (5) Notre Dame, Rams. DB--Stanley Richard (9) Texas, Chargers

NFL 1991 DRAFT

FIRST ROUND SELECTIONS

NO. TEAM PLAYER POSITION COLLEGE 1 Dallas Cowboys Russell Maryland Defensive Lineman Miami, Fla. 2 Cleveland Browns Eric Turner Defensive Back UCLA 3 Atlanta Falcons Bruce Pickens Defensive Back Nebraska 4 Denver Broncos Mike Croel Linebacker Nebraska 5 Rams Todd Lyght Defensive Back Notre Dame 6 Phoenix Cardinals Eric Swann Defensive Lineman no college 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Charles McRae Offensive lineman Tennessee 8 Philadelphia Eagles Antone Davis Offensive lineman Tennessee 9 San Diego Chargers Stanley Richard Defensive Back Texas 10 Detroit Lions Herman Moore Wide Receiver Virginia 11 New England Patriots Pat Harlow Offensive Lineman USC 12 Dallas Cowboys Alvin Harper Wide Receiver Tennessee 13 Atlanta Falcons Mike Pritchard Wide Receiver Colorado 14 New England Patriots Leonard Russell Running Back Arizona State 15 Pittsburgh Steelers Huey Richardson Linebacker Florida 16 Seattle Seahawks Dan McGwire Quarterback San Diego St 17 Washington Redskins Bobby Wilson Defensive Lineman Michigan St 18 Cincinnati Bengals Alfred Williams linebacker Colorado 19 Green Bay Packers Vincent Clark Defensive Back Ohio State 20 Dallas Cowboys Kelvin Pritchett*Defensive Lineman Mississippi 21 Kansas City Chiefs Harvey Williams Running Back LSU 22 Chicago Bears Stan Thomas Offensive Lineman Texas 23 Miami Dolphins Randal Hill Wide Receiver Miami, Fla 24 Raiders Todd Marinovich Quarterback USC 25 San Francisco 49ers Ted Washington Defensive Lineman Louisville 26 Buffalo Bills Henry Jones Defensive Back Illinois 27 New York Giants Jarrod Bunch Running Back Michigan

* Traded rights to the Detroit Lions for a second and third-round pick plus the ourth-round pick they had received from the Miami Dolphins. NOTE: The New York Jets use their first-round pick to select Rob Moore in the 1990 supplemental draft.

RAIDER PICKS

Round Player Position College 1 Todd Marinovich Quarterback USC 2 Nick Bell Running Back Iowa 3 Traded pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 Raghib Ismail Wide Receiver Notre Dame

RAM PICKS

Round Player Position College 1 Todd Lyght Defensive Back Notre Dame 2 Roman Phifer Linebacker UCLA 3 Traded pick to the Detroit Lions 4 Robert Bailey Defensive Back Miami, Fla.

* NFL DRAFT LIST: C15