Hampton's Durant and Lane's Jones first day NFL Draftees
April 28, 2007
Hampton University's Justin Durant and Lane College's Jacoby Jones were the first HBCU players picked on opening day of the 2007 National Football League (NFL) Draft.
 Durant was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 16th pick of the second round and the 48th overall, becoming the highest selection in Pirate history. Ironically, he was selected by the same team that drafted former Pirate cornerback Cordell Taylor in the second round of the 1998 draft. Durant’s selection marks the sixth Hampton player drafted since 2000 and the 11th since head coach Joe Taylor took over the program in 1992.
He's a really talented guy," said Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio. "He's fast. He hits. He plays with great passion. He's going to be a great fit here in Jacksonville."
Jones became the first Lane player drafted since Ernest Bonwell was picked by the Dallal Cowboys in 1971. Jones was selected by the Houston Texans as the ninth pick of the third round and 73rd player overall. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Dragon Fred Lane who had a brief but successful career for the Carolina Panthers after signing as a free agent in 1997.
“The third-round pick of Jacoby Jones is good for us for a lot of reasons,” Texans general manager Rick Smith said of the selection.. “He’s a young player with great size and speed and some range in his body and natural hands.”
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