Two early, three later in NFL Draft
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Players from every conference and from three league champions were among five black college prospects selected in last weekend's NFL Draft.
Three-time MEAC Defensive Player of
the Year, linebacker Justin Durant of
three-time defending league champion
Hampton, was the first to go off the boards in Saturday's
second round. The 6-1, 230-pound tackling machine
was selected by Jacksonville with the 16th pick of
the round, the 48th overall in the Draft.
Durant was one of four defensive stars to be selected but the only one taken on Saturdays' first day, when the first three rounds were conducted.
The only offensive player selected, Lane wide receiver/kick returner Jacoby Jones who led all black college players in all-purpose yards (189.9 ypg.) this season, joined Durant as a first-day selection going to Houston with the ninth pick of the third round. Jones, a 6-3, 210-pound speedster who was selected as the SIAC's offensive player of the year and most valuable player, was the 73rd player selected.
The remaining three defensive players went off the boards in Sunday's fifth round.
Two-time CIAA champion North Carolina Central's all-conference defensive tackle Greg Peterson was the first, taken by Tampa Bay with the fourth pick of the round, 141st overall.
Standout linebacker Johnny Baldwin from SWAC champion Alabama A&M went next to Detroit with the 21st selection of the round, 156th overall. And finally, Alabama State defensive back Michael Coe was the last, going with the 36th and next-to-last pick of the round to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. Coe was the 173rd overall pick.
Durant, Baldwin and Peterson had monster seasons while leading their teams to conference titles.
Durant had an MEAC-best tying 98 tackles, including 65 solo stops, 13 behind the line,
while averaging 8.9 tackles per game. Baldwin had
99 tackles, nine per game, with three sacks and
one interception for the defensive-minded
Bulldogs. Of his 48 total tackles, Peterson had 19.5
tackles for losses, two fumble recoveries and 7.5
sacks while anchoring the Eagles' defense.
Coe had 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and led the SWAC with 16 passes defended while posting 14 pass break-ups.
Ironically, Durant 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. The last Hampton player drafted was speedy wide receiver/kick returner Jerome Mathis in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.
"He's a really talented guy," said Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio of Durant. "He's fast. He hits. He plays with great passion. He's going to be a great fit here in Jacksonville."
Durant will join former Bethune-Cookman DB Rashean Mathis, who was taken by the Jaguars in the second round (seventh selection, 39th overall) of the 2003 draft. Mathis was an NFL all-pro last season.
Jones became the first Lane player drafted since Ernest Bonwell was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in 1971. 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."
Peterson is the first NCCU player selected since DB Robert Massey was the 46th player taken in the 1989 draft. He was not even watching the television coverage of the Draft when he got a phone call from Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden while visiting his grandmother at her home in Techey, N.C.
"It doesn't matter where you play," Peterson said. "I gave everything I had on the field and stayed out of trouble. I wasn't looking to get drafted, I just wanted a chance. Now I have that chance."
Baldwin got word of his selection while spending the weekend at home in Bessemer, Al., surrounded by family and close friends. He is the first AAMU player drafted since DE/LB Robert Mathis was chosen in 2003 by the Indianapolis Colts. Mathis was a key member of the defense in the Colts' Super Bowl win this year.
Baldwin is being counted on to bolster Detroit's linebacking corps.
"I'm a seek-and-destroy linebacker," Baldwin said. "My instincts and athleticism are a big part of the package that I bring. I can go sideline-to-sideline. I think I'm a pretty smart player, too."
Baldwin thinks that he'll be a good fit for the Lions.
"Coach (Phil) Snow was telling me that they wanted their 'mike' to be an athletic linebacker, so I think I fit the bill perfectly," Baldwin said.
Coe was the Colts' eighth pick of the Draft and the only cornerback taken by Indianapolis. He ended his collegiate career as a first team All-SWAC cornerback. Prior to his senior season, Coe transferred to ASU from the University of Arkansas to play for his father, then ASU head coach Charles Coe. The elder Coe has since left to become wide receivers coach for the Oakland Raiders.
Among players that did not get drafted were six from Hampton that signed rookie free agent contracts (See STAT CORNER). This year's draft continued a trend of black college players not reaching double-figures since 13 were taken in 2000. The five matches the number drafted in 2002.
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