How They Rate : Nation’s Only Self-Employed, Full-Time Scout Gives His View of NFL’s Top 450

A specialist in NFL personnel set out the other day to do the nearly impossible: Publicly rank the game’s top 450 players. And surprising a few people in Denver and Buffalo, he named Joe Montana of San Francisco, Dan Marino of Miami and Warren Moon of Houston 1-2-3 at quarterback.

“I think it’s self-evident that Montana and (49er receiver) Jerry Rice are the NFL’s two superstars,” Joel Buchsbaum, the nation’s only self-employed, full-time scout, said of his personnel review in the current issue of Pro Football Weekly.

Among 35 quarterbacks reviewed, Jim Kelly of Buffalo placed fourth and John Elway of Denver fifth. But is Ram Jim Everett only ninth?

“Yes, Everett is a fine quarterback who regressed mechanically in adversity last year,” Buchsbaum said from his Brooklyn office, where he has devoted the last 20 years to a single subject, evaluating college and pro football players in detail on film and in tapes.

In Buchsbaum’s rating system, 2.0 is average, 3.0 means quality starter, 4.0 Pro Bowl-caliber and 5.0 superstar. Although Montana and Rice alone rate 5.0, Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith gets a 4.9.

Everett’s rating is 3.0.

Raider Jay Schroeder, at 2.8, is the 14th-ranked quarterback, coming in behind Jeff George of Indianapolis and ahead of Chris Miller of Atlanta, who are also 2.8. A 2.4 quarterback, Raider Steve Beuerlein, stands 31st.

Behind Montana’s 5.0, Marino and Moon are at 4.5, followed by three 4.0 quarterbacks--Kelly, Elway and Boomer Esiason of Cincinnati.

Another specialist, Mike Giddings of a Newport Beach firm, Proscout, Inc., said: “We have Everett a bit lower than ninth, based on (1990) performance. A year ago, we had him much higher, but I think Jim would agree that he fell off last year.”

Giddings, considered by many the game’s leading personnel expert, doesn’t report to media sources, reserving his evaluations for the private attention of 12 clients--two clubs in each NFL division.

“I don’t know any (public) player analysis that’s better than Buchsbaum’s,” Giddings said. “My conclusions, of course, are a little different from his, but he is always worth listening to.”

In the following summary, the ratings are by Buchsbaum, who reports regularly in Pro Football Weekly, as are the comments made in a recent interview:

RUNNING BACKS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Barry Sanders, Detroit 4.7 2. Neal Anderson, Chicago 4.7 3. Thurman Thomas, Buffalo 4.4 OTHERS 13. Marcus Allen, Raiders 3.0 25. Cleveland Gary, Rams 2.9 30. Roger Craig, Raiders 2.6 31. Greg Bell, Raiders 2.6

Buchsbaum on Allen: “Last year was another good year for Marcus, and (along with Neal Anderson) he’s still one of the two most complete backs in the league. But at (age 31), he’s at the crossroads.”

On Gary: “His concentration isn’t what it should be.”

On Craig and Bell: “The question is what they can do this year.”

FULLBACKS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. John L. Williams, Seattle 3.6 2. Kevin Mack, Cleveland 3.0 3. Tom Rathman, San Francisco 3.0 4. Brad Muster, Chicago 3.0 5. Steve Smith, Raiders 2.9 ALSO 15. Buford McGee, Rams 2.6

On Smith and McGee: “Along with Allen, Gary and Craig, they’re effective receivers.”

WIDE RECEIVERS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Jerry Rice, San Francisco 5.0 2. Andre Rison, Atlanta 4.5 3. Sterling Sharpe, Green Bay 4.5 4. Anthony Miller, San Diego 4.0 5. Anthony Carter, Minnesota 4.0 6. Henry Ellard, Rams 4.0 OTHERS 16. Willie Anderson, Rams 3.0 22. Willie Gault, Raiders 3.0 23. Mervyn Fernandez, Raiders 3.0 25. Tim Brown, Raiders 3.0 40. Aaron Cox, Rams 3.0

On Ellard and Anderson: “No team has a more dangerous pair of receivers. Both guys are touchdowns waiting to happen. Ellard has been underrated his entire career.”

On Gault, Fernandez and Brown: “(The Raiders) don’t have a great receiver, but Gault is the fastest receiver in football.”

CENTERS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Don Mosebar, Raiders 3.5 2. Kent Hull, Buffalo 3.3 3. Jay Hilgenberg, Chicago 3.0

On Mosebar, who is one of three Raider guards and centers rating in the top eight: “Mosebar is big, strong and aware, and he can often handle the nose tackle by himself.”

GUARDS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Bruce Matthews, Houston 4.3 2. Randall McDaniel, Minnesota 4.3 3. Mike Munchak, Houston 4.0 4. Steve Wisniewski, Raiders 4.0 5. Tom Newberry, Rams 4.0 6. Harris Barton, San Francisco 3.9 7. Bill Roberts, N.Y. Giants 3.5 8. Max Montoya, Raiders 3.5

After rating 36 players at this position, Buchsbaum said: “Wisniewski is everything you could want in an offensive guard, and Montoya is one of the league’s smartest players. He also uses his size well.”

On Newberry: “He’s the NFL’s fastest guard, even after his knee trouble. But he hasn’t been playing as well as he can.”

TACKLES

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Anthony Munoz, Cincinnati 4.7 2. Jim Lachey, Washington 4.0 3. Gary Zimmerman, Minnesota 4.0 OTHERS 18. Jackie Slater, Rams 3.0 21. Gerald Perry, Rams 2.9 33. Irv Pankey, Rams 2.5

On Slater, Pankey and unranked center Doug Smith: “They aren’t what they used to be.”

On Perry: “The question is his stability.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Ray Childress, Houston 4.0 2. Michael Dean Perry, Cle. 4.0 3. Keith Millard, Minnesota 4.5* *--No. 1 if healthy OTHERS 13. Alvin Wright, Rams 3.0 16. Scott Davis, Raiders 2.9

On Wright: “He’s a natural nose tackle on a team that’s changed to a four-man front.”

On Davis: “Flashy performer needs more consistency.”

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Bruce Smith, Buffalo 4.9 2. Reggie White, Philadelphia 4.5 3. Richard Dent, Chicago 4.0 4. Chris Doleman, Minnesota 4.0 5. Howie Long, Raiders 3.5 6. Lee Williams, San Diego 3.5 7. Pierce Holt, San Francisco 3.5 8. Greg Townsend, Raiders 3.5

On the Raider pair: “Townsend is the better rusher and a flashier player, but Long is still a force against the run.”

END/LINEBACKERS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Charles Haley, San Francisco 4.2 2. Leslie O’Neal, San Diego 3.7 3. Kevin Greene, Rams 3.5 ALSO 7. Aaron Wallace, Raiders 2.8

On Greene: “This guy’s a great pass rusher.”

On Wallace: “A one-dimensional pass rusher.”

LINEBACKERS

(Inside-Middle)

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Mike Singletary, Chicago 4.0 2. Vaughn Johnson, New Orleans 4.0 3. Pepper Johnson, N.Y. Giants 4.0 4. John Offerdahl, Miami 4.0 Outside 1. Lawrence Taylor, N.Y. Giants 4.3 2. Tim Harris, Green Bay 4.1 3. Derrick Thomas, Kansas City 4.0 4. Mike Merriweather, Minn. 3.9 OTHERS 28. Winston Moss, Raiders 2.9 33. Mike Wilcher, Rams 2.7 39. Thomas Benson, Raiders 2.7 40. Jerry Robinson, Raiders 2.7

On the three Raiders: “This team is weak at linebacker and tries to disguise it. Benson is mean and motivated but has to be grooved, and Robinson is 34 years old.”

On Wilcher: “He has leveled off but is still adequate.”

CORNERBACKS

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Rod Woodson, Pittsburgh 4.0 2. Albert Lewis, Kansas City 4.0 3. Mark Collins, N.Y. Giants 3.8 4. Darrell Green, Washington 3.8 OTHERS 6. Jerry Gray, Rams 3.5 8. Terry McDaniel, Raiders 3.2 28. Lionel Washington, Raiders 2.9

On Gray: “Can come all the way back from the kind of knee injury he had.”

On the Raider corners: “McDaniel is a good little cover guy, and Washington is adequate.”

SAFETIES

Rank Player,Team Rating 1. Joey Browner, Minnesota 4.5 2. Steve Atwater, Denver 3.6 3. Tim McDonald, Phoenix 3.6 ALSO 10. Ronnie Lott, Raiders 3.0

On Lott, who for years was the No. 1 at 5.0: “Declining but still offers all those intangibles. Great leader.”

COMERS

Quarterbacks: 1. Troy Taylor, N.Y. Jets. 2. Peter Tom Willis, Chicago.

Wide receivers: 1. Alexander Wright, Dallas. 2. Tony Jones, Houston.

Guards: 1. Joe Wolf, St. Louis. 2. Bern Brostek, Rams. On Brostek: “Strong, aggressive, good balance.”

Tackles: 1. Bruce Wilkerson, Raiders. 2. Tom Ricketts, Pittsburgh. On Wilkerson: “Most gifted Raider tackle, light on his feet.”

Defensive ends: 1. Keith McCants, Tampa. 2. Renaldo Turnbull, New Orleans. 3. Anthony Smith, Raiders. 12. Bill Hawkins, Rams. On Smith: “Phenomenal last year before he was hurt; in college, he had a history of injuries at Alabama and Arizona.” On Hawkins: “He’s better suited to the new Ram defense.”

Defensive tackles: 1. Cortez Kennedy, Seattle. 2. Dennis Brown, San Francisco.

Cornerbacks: 1 J.D. Williams, Buffalo. 2 Vince Buck, New Orleans. 9. Garry Lewis, Raiders. On Lewis: “Possibility.”

Safeties: 1. Pat Terrell, Rams. 10. Torin Dorn, Raiders. On Terrell: “A big, fast defensive back who will hit.” On Dorn: “He’s shown us that he’s a good athlete.”

No Los Angeles-area tight ends, punters, or kickers or prospective running backs, wide receivers or linebackers were rated.