Warner was the real deal. Slippery and tough. He came on the heels of Franco Harris' career, along with Lydell Mitchell, and would have deflected the subsequent doubts about Penn State running backs if he had remained healthy.
I'm not sure about Greg Cook. I remember that rookie year but I was very young. Kind of a Mark Fidrych situation. I want to believe the hype but not enough evidence.
Easley was a mega legend in college. Ronnie Lott was well known but nobody in Los Angeles compared him to Easley, well not until late during Lott's senior year. Even then, it was reluctant. Even Trojan fans had utmost respect for Easley. He was tough, rangy, instinctive and smart.
I was following the draft more closely in that era than before or since. When one of my favorites went to the wrong team, I was sick. As soon as O.J. Anderson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, I knew he'd never fully live up to his potential fame, and same with Easley to Seattle.
BTW, in my earlier post I wasn't suggesting Jamar Taylor should leave football. Hardly. Make the kidney treatment an immediate priority, above football, and get multiple opinions. In my mom's case it always frustrated me that some doctors were so sparing with words. They'd say something, like a medical term, and we'd have to look it up to fill in the details.
I know exactly what you mean. Last year my mother was diagnosed with a rare and serious but treatable heart condition and it was a similar situation. You never know whether the doctor with no social skills is really the guy you need -- substance over style -- or just sort of an *******.