West Virginia's Tavon Austin was the first Offense-Defense alumnus taken. A two-time First-Team All-American selection, he went 8th-overall to the St. Louis Rams and should provide a ton of speed and athleticism to the Rams' roster.
The University of Georgia's Jarvis Jones was the next O-D All-American to join the professional ranks. Going 17th-overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, this two-time Consensus NCAA All-American will be a welcome addition to the Steel Curtain's linebacking corps.
Rounding out the 1st-round of O-D selections was Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins who went 27th-overall to the Houston Texans. Leading Clemson's receivers with 52 catches for 637 yards and four scores as early as his freshman year, Hopkins blossomed and was a key cog in the Tigers' passing attack by his Junior year after which he declared for the NFL Draft.
Up next - another West Virginia alum, this time one of the most electric passers in the draft, QB Geno Smith, a 2nd-round pick of the New York Jets. Smith performed incredibly at the collegiate level, setting records previously held by accomplished NFL QB's like Marc Bulger and Tom Brady.
The Rams returned to the O-D well once again in the 3rd round of the Draft as ANOTHER WVU alumnus came off the board - wide receiver Stedman Bailey. Bailey set the West Virginia single-season receiving yards record in 2012 - on the same squad featuring #8 pick Tavon Austin - when he caught 114 passes for 1,622 yards.
In the 5th round, the New Orleans Saints stepped up to the plate and selected Oklahoma wide receiver Kenny Stills. Can O-D pick and develop receiver talent or what?! Stills is a second-generation NFL athlete - his father Ken enjoyed a 6-year career with the Packers and Vikings from 1985 to 1990. The younger Stills has taken that pedigree and run (and catched) with it, setting freshman receiving records with the Sooners and looking to bolster the Saints offense.
Ohio State Buckeye Reid Fragel stayed in-state as he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round. Fragel was a force on the Buckeyes Offensive Line and looks to provide the same rock-solid dependability to the tackle position with the Bengals in the pros.
The Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens got an injection of Offense-Defense talent by selecting Cal's Marc Anthony in the 7th round of the Draft. Anthony joins an incredibly prestigious and legendary defensive group as the Ravens look to replenish after the losses of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, a tall task we feel Marc is more than ready for!
Congratulations to the draftees! We look forward to their continued success!
