1979 Rookie Profiles: Tom Cousineau and Jerry Butler

TOM COUSINEAU
Linebacker
1st Round
Ohio State
"In 1977 and 1978 the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers, respectively, drafted instant success in the form of running backs Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell. Dorsett helped the Cowpokes win Super Bowl XII and Campbell led an Oiler rush to the playoffs and a quarterfinal playoff win.
The scenario was different last May at the 44th annual NFL draft held in New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, however, when this season's first choice, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, was selected by the Buffalo Bills. Cousineau is properly rated as the number one pro prospect in the country, but neither he nor his teammates are playoff bound.
'All we know,' said Buffalo head coach Chuck Knox, 'is that Cousineau can become an All-Pro.'
Cousineau is only the second linebacker ever honored as number one in the lottery, the other being Tommy Nobis, the Atlanta Falcons' 1966 selection, who more than made the pick stand up.
'My idol has always been Dick Butkus,' said Cousineau, who wears a diamond in his left earlobe, a leather scapular medal around his neck and a shark tattoo on his right calf. 'Buffalo seemed to need defense last year. I expect to start and I feel I will contribute.' Cousineau hopes to follow in the footsteps of the NFL's best inside linebacker- Denver's Randy Gradishar, another Ohio State grad and Woody Hayes player.
Cousineau is 6'3" and 230 pounds of filet mignon on the hoof, but like most draft picks his selection cannot be assessed for several years. The Bills needed defense and he was the best athlete available."

-Norm MacLean, Football Forecast 1979


JERRY BUTLER
Wide Receiver
1st Round
Clemson
A first-team All-American last year, his statistics were the most impressive of any pass-catcher in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His 58 receptions and 908 yards both topped the conference and his 15.7 average was good for second, as were his three receiving touchdowns. This followed a 1977 season in which Jerry topped the ACC both with 824 yards and a 17.7 average, and a '76 season which earned him the most Heisman votes of any underclassman in the country.
In 1977, Jerry set the Clemson record for most receiving yards in one game (163) against Georgia Tech. In his best game of the '78 season, against North Carolina, he caught six passes for 124 yards.