NFL/COLLEGE DRAFT

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VOLS LAND FIVE NFL DRAFT FIRST-DAY PICKS TO LEAD ALL SCHOOLS
Six Vols drafted and four sign free agent deals

April 30, 2007

Tennessee's Complete Draft Coverage

The five Tennessee players selected on the first day of the 2007 NFL Draft led all of college football and highlighted a weekend in which 10 former Vols now are preparing to embark on a career in the professional ranks.

Justin Harrell, who appeared in only three games last season because of a bicep muscle injury, was the first Vol taken and his selection came at the first round's midway point. The defensive tackle from Martin went to Green Bay with the 16th overall pick, matching Jason Allen's draft position one year ago to Miami.

Tennessee's second first-rounder of 2007 was wide receiver Robert Meachem, the Tulsa, Okla., product going to New Orleans with the 27th overall choice. It marked the eighth time Tennessee has had multiple first-round selections and the first since 2002 when John Henderson, Donte' Stallworth and Albert Haynesworth were chosen among the first 15 picks.

A pair of Vols also were taken in Round 2. Offensive lineman Arron Sears of Russellville, Ala., went to Tampa Bay on the third pick of the second round, while defensive lineman Turk McBride of Camden, N.J., was the choice of Kansas City with the 22nd selection of the round. Defensive back Jonathan Wade, a Shreveport, La., product, made it five Vols on Saturday when St. Louis called his name with the 21st pick of the third round.


"I am very excited about the guys who were drafted and the guys who are going the free-agent route," head coach Phillip Fulmer said. "I think all of them have a chance to make significant contributions to their teams. Five drafted on the first day is a compliment to our football program and to the work ethic of those young men."

Linebacker Marvin Mitchell rounded out Tennessee's draft board when New Orleans tabbed the Norfolk, Va., native with the 10th choice of the seventh round.

Four other Vols, fullback Cory Anderson (Houston), wide receiver Jayson Swain (Chicago), placekicker James Wilhoit (Baltimore) and defensive lineman Matt McGlothlin (Kansas City), signed free-agent contracts Monday.

Tennessee's six draft selections ranked sixth nationally, trailing only Florida with nine, Ohio State with eight and Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas with seven apiece. Other SEC schools with draft selections were Auburn (five), LSU (five), Arkansas (four), Georgia (four), Alabama (three), Mississippi (two), South Carolina (two) and Mississippi State (one).

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Gator exodus - 6 more drafted, 8 sign as free agents

Chris Leak signed with Florida four years ago looking forward to the opportunity to work under and learn from veteran starting quarterback Rex Grossman.

After going undrafted in the NFL draft on Sunday, Leak is finally going to have the opportunity.

Less than an hour getting no love in the draft, Leak signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears, making him one happy quarterback at the end of long and disappointing weekend.

"I'm looking forward to learning from Rex and especially going to a Super Bowl team with a great coach like Lovie Smith," said Leak, who watched the draft at his parents house in Charlotte, N.C. "So, that's a great situation.

"As far as being able to learn under a veteran quarterback and getting into a great system, you kind of think things happen for a reason. I really believe that."

Leak said going undrafted was a disappointing experience, but he's thankful he had a chance to find a team and a situation that's right for him.

"Every college athlete aspires to be drafted and drafted high," Leak said. "It's just extra motivation going into camp."

Leak's father Curtis said Chicago is a good fit for his son, the all-time leading passer in UF history and the most valuable player in January's national championship game victory over Ohio State.

"It's a perfect situation for him," Curtis said. "They want to bring him in and develop him. I really like that. I'm sold on it. It's a situation that you feel good about."

Seven other undrafted Gators also signed free-agent contracts Sunday night. Fullback Billy Latsko signed with Carolina, center Steve Rissler with Dallas, wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius with Buffalo, cornerback Reggie Lewis with Buffalo, defensive tackle Steven Harris with Denver, linebacker Brian Crum with Kansas City and punter Eric Wilbur with the Houston Texans. Linebacker Earl Everett was weighing offers and was expected to sign with a team on Sunday night.

While those undrafted UF players didn't hear their names called this weekend at the draft, eight of their UF teammates (and one former teammate) did.

After three players were taken on the first day — defensive end Jarvis Moss, safety Reggie Nelson and defensive tackle Ray McDonald — six followed on the second day (rounds four through seven).

UF, which won with defense this past season, had seven defensive players selected overall. Defensive tackles Marcus Thomas (Denver) and Joe Cohen (San Francisco) were taken in the fourth round Sunday, while cornerback Ryan Smith went to Tennessee in the sixth round and linebacker Brandon Siler went to San Diego late in the seventh.

Two UF offensive players were taken back-to-back in the seventh round. Wide receiver Dallas Baker was selected by Pittsburgh with the 227th overall pick, with tailback DeShawn Wynn going to the Green Bay Packers with the next selection.

The nine Gators drafted tied for the second most in school history, one less than the record of 10 set in 1978.

One of the biggest surprises in the second day of the draft came early Sunday, when the Broncos traded away two draft picks to move up and select Thomas in the fourth round with the 121 overall pick.

In a draft where character became a major theme, Thomas' off-the-field record at UF had to raise many red flags. He failed three drug tests dating back to this past summer and was booted off the team by UF coach Urban Meyer after playing only five games in 2006.

Thomas apparently has convinced the Broncos he has changed his ways enough that he was not a high-risk pick in the fourth round.

"That's something we talked to him in detail," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said in an interview with ESPN. "To get him in the middle of the fourth round after the research we did, we thought he was at least a first round of early second round draft choice. We felt very good.

"We feel like he has had a second chance. He's the type of guy that we feel in the long run will help our football team win and do the things that the National Football League expects relative to conduct policy."

Thomas will join former UF teammate Jarvis Moss in Denver. Moss, taken in the first round Saturday, also had a character issue stemming from a one-game suspension late in the 2006 season for violating a team and university rule. Moss told the media in Denver that the suspension was the result of testing positive for marijuana.

"If we didn't think (Moss and Thomas) were quality people, they would not be on our football team," Shanahan said. "Obviously, we did a lot of research on both players. We feel very good about the players and very good about the decision.

"Moss has addressed (his issue) on a number of occasions. You take a look at his background, that's probably the only blemish."

Not too long after Thomas was selected by the Broncos, Cohen was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round with the 135th pick. He will join friend and former UF teammate Ray McDonald, the defensive tackle who was drafted by the 49ers in the third round Saturday night.

"It's great. He's one of my best friends," Cohen said in a teleconference with the San Francisco media. "Me and Ray spent a lot of time together, on and off the field. He's taught me a lot and he's the one who helped put me in this situation I'm in today and I'm very thankful that I'm on the same team he's on. I believe he's going to coach me up at the next level.

"I just talked to him. He was one of the first people I called. It's a blessing to be on this team."

The next Florida player didn't go in the draft until late in the sixth round, when Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans.

"It feels great," said Smith, who watched the draft with his family in California. "Tennessee is definitely a good fit for me. They have a need at cornerback. I'm glad to be a Tennessee Titan now. I'm just glad somebody picked me."

Smith had one year of eligibility remaining at UF, but made the decision to leave early saying he'd accomplished all he could at Florida after winning the national title and leading the SEC in interceptions.

"I definitely feel the same way now," he said.

Three Gators then were taken in the seventh and final round — Baker, Wynn and Siler with the overall 240th pick.

Siler's decision to forgo his senior season seems a little mystifying. Although he said the information he received from the NFL indicated he likely would go in the second or third round, the consensus among the draft analysts was he would be a late-round pick, which he turned out to be.

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South Carolina NFL Draft Tracker; Rice To Minnesota In Second Round


4/24/2007
South Carolina wide receiver Sidney Rice was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 12th pick of the second round (44th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. Rice joins fellow former Gamecock wide receiver Troy Williamson with the Vikings. Along with Williamson and current Detroit Lions wideout Marcus Robinson, Rice becomes the third Gamecock receiver currently in the NFL.

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ALABAMA


Le'Ron McClain, Kenneth Darby and Ramzee Robinson were all drafted on Sunday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Three Alabama football players were selected on the second day of the 2007 NFL Draft in New York City.

Fullback Le'Ron McClain from Northport was the first Crimson Tide player taken in this year’s draft and was the 100th Alabama player selected since 1982. He was drafted in the fourth round with the 137th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens.

McClain started all 13 games in his senior season with the Crimson Tide. He carried the ball 11 times for 64 yards while also leading the way for the other running backs as one of the top blocking fullbacks in the country. He was also an effective pass receiver with 20 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He had the game-winning two-yard touchdown catch in overtime against Ole Miss.

Two players were drafted in the seventh round. Kenneth Darby, a running back from Huntsville, was the 246th overall pick and 36th choice in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the final pick in the draft, Ramzee Robinson, a cornerback back Huntsville, was selected by the Detroit Lions as this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” a name given to the last player selected in each year’s draft. He will be invited to a week long list of activities as part of Irrelevant Week.

Darby was the starting running back in all 13 games this past season. He ran for 835 yards on 210 carries as a senior. He also was third on the team with 23 receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown. He finished his career third on the all-time rushing yards list at Alabama with 3,329 career yards. He is also fifth all-time with 3,663 career all-purpose yards.

Robinson was sixth on the team last season with 46 tackles in 13 starts at the left cornerback spot. He recorded two interceptions with one returned for a 34-yard touchdown against Florida International. He led the team with seven pass breakups. He finished his career with 146 tackles, four interceptions and 22 pass breakups.

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ATHENS, Ga. --- Two University of Georgia defensive ends were chosen on the first day of the annual NFL draft Saturday which included the first three rounds of selections.
Senior Quentin Moses was selected by the Oakland Raiders as the first pick of the third round (65the overall). Junior Charles Johnson was also chosen in the third round (83rd pick overall) by the Carolina Panthers.

Georgia also had only two players selected on the first day three other times in recent NFL drafts: 2006 (CB Tim Jennings, 2nd round, Indianapolis Colts) and TE Leonard Pope, 3rd round, Arizona Cardinals); 2004 (TE Ben Watson, 1st round, New England Patriots) and Rov Sean Jones (2nd round, Cleveland Browns); and 2002 (DE Charles Grant, 1st round, New Orleans Saints) and OLB Will Witherspoon, 3rd round, Carolina Panthers).

Four more rounds of the draft are scheduled for Sunday.

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OK all you football fans, how did your college do???

Evidently not as well as UT,

oh well,

I guess not everybody can be a member of the chosen few.