THE LATEST LINE: `TEE' TEES OFF ABOUT NFL DRAFT

Want to get the lowdown on some of the players who might be taken in the upcoming National Football League draft?

A quick call to Dave "Tee" Thomas should do the trick. After a 15-minute telephone conversation with Thomas, you get the impression that the NFL draft guru could tell you something about virtually any college football player in America.

I reached Thomas at his New York City office last week to specifically ask him about the draft prospects of some locally connected players, including Southeast Missouri State University running back Kelvin "Earthquake" Anderson.

It doesn't take you long to draw the conclusion that Thomas must eat, breathe and sleep football. How else would he, off the top of his head, know so much about so many players?

Now, I'm not talking about the stars, the elite performers who will be high picks when the draft is held April 22-23. I'm talking about players who even ardent college football fans probably have never heard off. But Thomas has the book on all of them -- and most times he doesn't even have to look into the book.

"We have to know something about just about every player if he has any type of ability at all," explained Thomas.

It doesn't take you long to realize that Thomas believes Anderson has more than his share of ability. Thomas figures SEMO's career rushing leader probably won't be selected very high for a variety of reasons, although he should be picked some time from about the fourth round on.

But Thomas also said that he believes Anderson will be the steal of the entire draft as far as running backs go. And he said a whole bunch of NFL teams will some day regret not selecting the "Quake" from New Madrid County Central High School.

"What do you need to know about Kelvin?" asked Thomas. "I can tell you anything you need to know."

Thomas then proved it, giving me virtually an entire athletic history of Anderson since he began to play for SEMO. He talked about his explosiveness, his athletic ability, his size, his strength, his injury history, the performance he had at last month's National Scouting Combine when he and the nation's other top prospects were inspected.

"Will Kelvin be playing on Sundays next year? Definitely," Thomas said.

Thomas was less glowing about the draft prospects of Doug Berg, SEMO's standout defensive tackle, and Lamont Frazier, Missouri's talented tight end out of Charleston High. Thomas listed off their strengths and weaknesses, their pros and cons. He said he doubted whether they would be drafted, although he said both should get a shot in some team's camp.

Starting next weekend with the draft and leading up to the 1995 NFL season, we'll see just how accurate Thomas was in his assessments.

If an impressive telephone conversation is any indication, my guess is "Tee" will grade out well.

Marty Mishow is the sports editor of the Southeast Missourian