Stallworth

But when it comes time for teams to make their picks in the NFL draft, they might want to remember the legacy of the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, who put together the greatest draft class.

In the fall of 1973, Art Rooney Jr. made the short drive from Pittsburgh to Ohio's Kent State University. Rooney, the Steelers' player personnel chief at the time, wanted to check out a middle linebacker named Jack Lambert.

"Lambert was this skinny guy, about 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds," Rooney recalled. "There were a lot of questions about whether he was big enough to play linebacker in the NFL, but I wanted to see for myself."

On that fateful day, Kent State was forced to practice in a parking lot because rain had turned the field into a quagmire.

"I'm watching Lambert in practice, and he makes this full-out dive for the running back," Rooney said with a laugh. "He came to his feet all torn up, pulling cinders out of his skin. I thought he was a little bit crazy, but I knew he was a football player."

His gut told him so. It also told him Southern California wide receiver Lynn Swann, despite a relatively slow 40-yard dash time of 4.65 seconds, was something special. Rooney also believed a sticky-fingered, unknown wide receiver from Alabama A&M was the steal of the draft. His name was John Stallworth.

When Rooney saw a squat, beefy center from Wisconsin named Mike Webster knock defensive linemen on their backsides, Rooney was sold.

The next spring, when the NFL draft rolled around, Rooney and coach Chuck Noll put their heads together and selected their famous foursome. The Steelers took Swann in the first round, Lambert in the second, Stallworth in the fourth and Webster in the fifth. Swann, Lambert and Webster are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Stallworth will join them in Canton, Ohio, this summer when he's officially inducted.

Swann

To put in perspective just how good that draft was, only nine times since 1936, according to Hall of Fame records, has an entire NFL draft sent more than four players toCanton. No other team has had a draft that produced more than two.

In the case of the 1974 Steelers, good, old-fashioned football knowledge was the key. This was before the NFL combine, mock drafts, Mel Kiper Jr. and other full-time draftniks.

"I'm not knocking today's scouts or teams," Rooney said. "But nowadays, I think teams get so much information, it's paralysis by analysis."

Stallworth was the product of a different era. In 1974, teams shared the film they had on many players. When one team was finished reviewing film, it was passed to another team.

"Stallworth was phenomenal in this one game for Alabama A&M," Rooney said. "He wasn't acrobatic like Swann, but he caughtevery single ball that came to him. We had that tape, and I told our guys to pass it on. Three weeks later, they still had it. I hate to give the impression we were underhanded, but we knew Stallworth was a great find and I knew nobody else knew about him like we did."

Scout Bill Nunn was the Steelers' secret weapon. He traveled throughout the South, where he evaluated players at small, predominantly black schools.

"I know the Steelers had this tape of me against Tennessee State," Stallworth recalled. "I caught 11 passes for 200 yards. But some of the scouts had bad times on me. They had me running 4.7 in the 40. But Bill came back and timed me by myself. I ran better than 4.6, and I know Mr. Nunn didn't tell anybody else."

For Rooney, the draft "remains an art form." Bill Walsh, the former coach andgeneral manager of the San Francisco 49ers, often said the same thing.

Lambert

Walsh was renowned for his ability to spot talent where others were blinded by facts and figures. In 1979, many teams were complaining that a Notre Dame quarterback was too small, skinny and inconsistent. Walsh focused on the player's knack for making plays and the quick feet that reminded him of Joe Namath's. The quarterback was a third-round pick named Joe Montana.

It's doubtful any draft ever will match the Steelers' class of 1974. For one thing, there were 17 rounds in those days, and the Steelers had 21 total picks that year. There are seven rounds now. The Steelers also struck gold before free agency and the salary cap forever altered the NFL. Back then, players such as Webster and Lambert played in the same system for many seasons. As rookies, rather than being forced into action in their first or second seasons, they were allowed to learn and grow.

Another secret to the Steelers' success - and Walsh's, too - was making sure the player matched the system.

"We had a very cerebral defense," Rooney said. "We knew it would take time to learn, but we knew that Lambert was smart. I'm talking about football smarts. That's what we looked for."

Fab five

Here are five of the greatest draft classes in NFL history. What they have in common is not just great players, but players who helped build championship teams.

1. 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers

This draft class was critical to the Steelers winning four Super Bowls in six seasons. Four of the first five players the Steelers drafted are Hall of Famers:

First round - WR Lynn Swann (Southern California). The acrobatic wide receiver came up huge in big games.

Second round - LB Jack Lambert (Kent State). Undersized, but mean, intimidating and relentless.

Third round - No pick.

Fourth round - WR John Stallworth (Alabama A&M). As consistent as Swann was flashy. Voted to Hall of Fame this year. (UCLA defensive back Jim Allen was Pittsburgh's second fourth-round pick.)

Fifth round - C Mike Webster (Wisconsin). The beefy-armed center was the anchor of Terry Bradshaw's offense.

Note: The Steelers, who had a total of 21 picks in 1974, also signed two free-agent rookies who would star for them. Strong safety Donnie Shell (South Carolina State) became a five-time Pro Bowler who made this year's final list of 15 candidates for the Hall of Fame. Tight end Randy Grossman (Temple) earned four Super Bowl title rings.

2. 1986 San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers, led by master drafter Bill Walsh, traded down twice out of the first round and ended up without a first-round pick. But they came away with these eight starters who helped them win two Super Bowls:

First round - Pick traded.

Second round - DT/DE Larry Roberts (Alabama). Solid lineman who played eight seasons for San Francisco.

Third round - FB Tom Rathman (Nebraska). Put the guts in the Niners' offense.

Third round - CB Tim McKyer (Texas-Arlington). Played four solid seasons for the Niners.

Third round - WR John Taylor (Delaware State). Two-time Pro Bowler caught game-winning pass in Super Bowl XXIII.

Fourth round - DE Charles Haley (James Madison). Came out of college as a 6-foot-5, 230-pound linebacker who never rushed the passer. Ended up with 1001/2 career sacks and five Super Bowl title rings.

Fourth round - OT Steve Wallace (Auburn). A fixture on San Francisco's athletic line.

Fourth round - DT Kevin Fagan (Miami). Played by the Bay for seven seasons.

Sixth round - CB Don Griffin (Middle Tennessee State). Solid player for eight seasons.

Note: In Walsh's 13 years in control of the 49ers (coach from 1979-88, general manager from 1999-2001), he made 52 trades involving draft picks.

3. 1991 Dallas Cowboys

Coach Jimmy Johnson was a great judge of talent and made the most of his early picks. The 1991 draft helped Dallas become the only team to win three Super Bowls in four years.

First round - DT Russell Maryland (Miami). Made the NFC's all-rookie team and one Pro Bowl.

First round - WR Alvin Harper (Tennessee). Cowboys' second pick of the first round became a major weapon.

Second round - LB Dixon Edwards (Michigan State). Stalwart on three champ-ionship teams.

Third round - OT Erik Williams (Central State of Ohio). Small-school gem came up big, playing 10 years for Dallas.

Seventh round - DT Leon Lett (Emporia State of Kansas). Cowboys got this pick from the Broncos in exchange for lineman Dave Widell. Lett made two Pro Bowls.

12th round - CB Larry Brown (Texas Christian). Made the all-rookie team, and his two interceptions clinched Super Bowl XXX for Dallas over Pittsburgh.

Note: Few coaches loved to wheel and deal as much as Johnson. But he also could spot significant talent. He proved that by finding players from major football factories as well as small colleges.

4. 1983 Chicago Bears

The Bears made the steal of the 1983 draft when they picked defensive end Richard Dent in the eighth round. The draft yielded seven starters who helped Chicago win Super Bowl XX with a 46-10 rout of New England.

First round - OT Jimbo Covert (Pittsburgh). Two-time Pro Bowl lineman.

First round - WR Willie Gault (Tennessee). Put speed in the offense for fiveseasons.

Second round - CB Mike Richardson (Arizona State). Steady presence on Bears' famed defense.

Third round - SS Dave Duerson (Notre Dame). Big hitter in the secondary for seven seasons.

Fourth round - G Tom Thayer (Notre Dame). Played 14 seasons. Enough said.

Eighth round - DE Richard Dent (Tennessee State). Four-time Pro Bowler and mainstay on one of the NFL's great defenses.

Eighth round - G Mark Bortz (Iowa). Two-time Pro Bowler.

Note: The 1985 Bears are remembered for their terrific defense, but this draft alsostocked a solid offensive line.

5. 1975 Dallas Cowboys

This draft propelled the Cowboys to three Super Bowls and one championship - their 27-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XII.

First round - DT/DE Randy White (Maryland). Nine-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Famer was co-MVP (along with Harvey Martin) in Super Bowl XII.

Second round - LB Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson (Langston of Oklahoma). Sure, he talked, but for a couple years he played, too.

Second round - G Burt Lawless (Florida). Big-time blocker for five seasons.

Third round - LB Bob Breunig (Arizona State). His 10 seasons produced three trips to the Pro Bowl.

Fourth round - OT Pat Donovan (Stanford). An unsung Cowboys stalwart.

14th round - FB Scott Laidlaw (Stanford). Did everything the Cowboys asked, for five seasons.

Note: The Cowboys traded quarterback Craig Morton to the New York Giants for the first-round pick they used to draft White. Morton later led the Broncos to Super Bowl XII, but White helped make that game a nightmare for Morton and Denver.