A few quick notes on the NFL Draft
April 27th, 2009 by Will Stewart
Sure, VT Spring Football 2009 is the big story, and we’ll get to that this week with some features closing out the big stories of the spring. But I wanted to jot down some quick notes on the draft yesterday, both Hokie-related and non-Hokie-related. I’m not a draftnik, so don’t expect jaw-dropping revelations, but here’s a couple things that caught my attention.
The Hokies’ only draft choice, of course, was Macho Harris, who was selected in the fifth round by the Eagles (anti-Philly fans, insert your groans here). You’ve probably already heard that’s the lowest number of Hokie draft choices since 1993, when no Tech players were selected, but I prefer to think of it this way: It’s the lowest number of draft choices in the Beamer Bowl era of 1993 to the present.
The 1993 draft, with no Hokies selected, followed Tech’s dismal 1992 season, the 2-8-1 debacle that brought forth change and an era of prosperity that is now approaching two decades. (Wow, think about that.) In 1993, VT went 9-3 and won the Independence Bowl to kick off the Beamer Bowl era, which is now 16 straight bowls and counting. The following April, three Hokies were selected in the 1994 draft: Tryonne Drakeford, John Burke, and Jim Pyne.
From 1994 to 2008 (15 drafts), the Hokies had 63 players drafted, an average of 4.2 players per year. In four drafts — 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2003 — the Hokies only had two players selected, but as I noted above, this is the first time in the Beamer Bowl era that only one Hokie has been selected.
By the way, the Hokies won the ACC and the Orange Bowl last season, with almost no NFL-level senior talent. Let that settle in for a moment.
Another side note on the NFL Draft: The Cincinnati Bearcat team that the Hokies defeated in the Orange Bowl had a school-record six players selected, including four on the defensive side of the ball: DE Connor Barwin (2nd round) and cornerbacks (per ESPN.com) DeAngelo Smith, Brandon Underwood, and Mike Mickens (rounds 5, 6, and 7 respectively). Former All-American DT Terrill Byrd and talented DT Adam Hoppel were not selected.
My point is that the Hokies had arguably their best offensive game of the season against a defense that featured a good collection of experienced NFL-level talent.
Lastly, the best breakdown of draft choices by conference was produced by Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Check it out by clicking here.
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