Six County Players Finally Get the Call on NFL Draft’s Final Day : Football: Garten, Bryant, Gibson, Weatherspoon, Miller and Ross follow Marinovich, who was a first-day selection.

Joe Garten sat in his Boulder, Colo., apartment Sunday morning and watched as Miami defensive lineman Russell Maryland was selected first overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft.

Garten, the Colorado offensive lineman who finished second to Maryland in the Outland Trophy voting last season, figured he wouldn’t be too far behind.

But Garten, a two-time consensus All-American, kept waiting for an early-round call that never came.

“It was a rough day,” said Garten, a 6-foot-3, 283-pound offensive guard out of Valencia High School. “But that’s just the way it goes.”

Garten finally got a call Monday morning. He was drafted in the sixth round, the 164th pick overall, by the Green Bay Packers.

“I’m glad I just bought an engine-block heater for my car,” Garten said. “It’s going to come in handy in Green Bay.”

Garten was one of six Orange County players taken Monday, the second and final day of the NFL draft. Former USC and Capistrano Valley High quarterback Todd Marinovich was taken Sunday in the first round (24th overall) by the Raiders.

Also taken in the sixth round was Iowa State running back Blaise Bryant, a former standout at Cypress High School and Golden West College, by the New York Jets.

“I guess maybe the sixth round was the Orange County round,” Garten said.

So was the ninth round, where three county players were taken:

--Former El Modena High and USC nose tackle Don Gibson went to the Denver Broncos (227th overall).

--Former La Habra High and University of Houston running back Chuck Weatherspoon went to the Philadelphia Eagles (242nd overall).

--Scott Miller, a former UCLA, El Toro and Saddleback College receiver and kick-returner, went to the Miami Dolphins (246th overall).

Former USC and El Toro linebacker Scott Ross was drafted in the 11th round (293rd overall) by the New Orleans Saints.

Garten and his brother, John, from Placentia, were watching the draft on TV Monday when the phone rang. Green Bay officials, who acquired the sixth-round pick in a trade with Miami, told him he was their selection.

The Packers told Garten they were surprised he was still available. Most pre-draft analysts had him going in one of the first three rounds.

“I never put a limit on what round I might be picked,” Garten said. “I didn’t want it to be too high or low, so I wouldn’t get down. The sixth round is fine. I just want an opportunity to play in the NFL.”

Garten was used mainly as a run blocker during his four seasons at Colorado. He allowed only one sack and was called for one penalty last season as the Buffaloes (11-1-1) were voted national champions by The Associated Press.

His transition to the NFL will require him to develop more pass-blocking skills. He said the Packers might move him to center.

“I’m really excited about it,” Garten said. “I just wanted to get my foot in the door somewhere.

“I’m in the best shape I can possibly be. I’m going to go into training camp and fight like hell.”

Garten wasn’t the only player whose patience was tested Monday.

Bryant, slowed with shoulder and rib injuries last season after a record-breaking junior year, was the 148th player taken overall.

Bryant, 6-1 and 200 pounds, rushed for 753 yards in only nine games last season. He missed a game with a shoulder injury he suffered against Minnesota and another game with sore ribs against Oklahoma. Still, Bryant averaged 83 yards a game and scored 12 touchdowns.

Bryant had considered entering the draft after his junior season, when he set school records by running for 1,516 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns. He was a third-team All-American.

Weatherspoon’s pass-catching ability caught Philadelphia’s eye.

Playing in Houston’s single-back, run-and-shoot offense, Weatherspoon, had 3,247 yards rushing and 1,375 yards receiving in his four-year career. His 5,715 career all-purpose yards is a Southwest Conference record.

Philadelphia running backs Keith Byars and Anthony Toney have been favorite targets of quarterback Randall Cunningham. Weatherspoon, 5-7 and 220 pounds, said he’ll fit perfectly into the Eagles’ offense.

“This is one of the best situations I could have asked for because they pass so much, and I’m used to that,” Weatherspoon said. “I’m excited about working with Randall and Keith. I think they can teach me a lot.

“I was a little surprised that I was around in the ninth round. I kept hearing that I was going to go between (rounds) three and six.”

UCLA’s Miller was one of two receivers Miami drafted. The Dolphins also took University of Miami’s Randal Hill in the first round.

“Miami has a great quarterback in Dan Marino and excellent receivers in Mark Clayton and Mark Duper,” said Miller, who caught 38 passes, including nine for touchdowns, last season. “And Hill is a great receiver too.”

Gibson, a first-team all-Pac 10 selection last season with the Trojans, was one of only nine nose tackles in the 373 players taken in the draft. He was one of only two defensive players picked by the Broncos.

“I’m excited about going up there,” Gibson said of Denver. “I kept telling myself during the draft that I would go in the ninth round to Green Bay. I wanted to go any place but Green Bay. I heard it isn’t much fun up there in the winter. But I’m happy with Denver.”

Gibson, 6-2 and 266 pounds, sat out his junior season with torn ligaments in his left knee, but rebounded last season with 59 tackles and 10 pass deflections.

Ross, USC’s outspoken linebacker, was somewhat disappointed with his 11th-round selection. He said his lack of speed--4.8 in the 40-yard dash--hurt his standing in the 12-round draft.

“I’m sure it was a factor,” said Ross, a four-year starter who had 81 tackles last season. “Everyone tells me I’m slow. But it’s not always how much speed you have, but what you do with it.”

Pre-draft analysts had projected Ross, 6-1 and 235 pounds, as a sixth- to eighth-round pick.

“I thought the draft was pretty much over and I was going to be a free agent,” Ross said. “My agent (Ed Groves) told me he hoped I didn’t get drafted this late, that I was better off as a free agent.”

NFL DRAFTEES WITH COUNTY CONNECTIONS

Where Picked Name School P Rd. 1, Raiders Todd Marinovich USC QB Rd. 6, N.Y. Jets Blaise Bryant Iowa St. RB Rd. 6, Green Bay Joe Garten Colorado OL Rd. 9, Denver Don Gibson USC DL Rd. 9, Philadelphia Chuck Weatherspoon Houston RB Rd. 9, Miami Scott Miller UCLA WR Rd. 11, New Orleans Scott Ross USC LB

Where Picked County Connection Rd. 1, Raiders Capistrano Valley High School Rd. 6, N.Y. Jets Cypress High, Golden West Rd. 6, Green Bay Valencia High Rd. 9, Denver El Modena High Rd. 9, Philadelphia La Habra High Rd. 9, Miami El Toro High, Saddleback College Rd. 11, New Orleans El Toro High