COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NFL’s growing talent search reaches UB
By Rodney McKissic
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 05/03/08 6:41 AM
When prospects from outposts such as Coastal Carolina, Grand Valley State, Wheaton College, Gardner-Webb and St. Augustine’s are being selected in the NFL Draft, it’s evidence the league is looking far beyond the traditional powers for talent.
For the first time in the program’s history, the University at Buffalo had two players — defensive end Trevor Scott and center Jamey Richard — selected in the NFL Draft. Syracuse University, Alabama and Washington didn’t have any players drafted and for the Orange, the last time that happened was 1975.
UB had the same amount of players drafted as Colorado, Florida and Penn State, and one fewer than Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Ohio State and Tennessee.
“There’s talent everywhere,” said UB coach Turner Gill. “In every single Division I school, Division I-AA and even Division II.”
And the NFL is looking everywhere — even places like Furman, Richmond and Nicholls State — to find it. On Saturday, Troy cornerback Leodis McKelvin was drafted with the 11th pick overall by the Buffalo Bills and Boise State tackle Ryan Clady was selected by the Denver Broncos one pick later. The Bills also selected Reggie Corner from Akron, Xavier Omon from Division II Northwest Missouri State and Demetrius Bell from Division I-AA Northwestern State.
When Arizona used its 16th pick on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, he became the first Tennessee State player picked in the first round since 1974 when Ed “Too Tall” Jones was picked No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys. He also became the first Division I-AA player selected in the first round since Jackson State’s Sylvester Morris and Rashard Anderson were picked in 2000.
Two picks after Rodgers-Cromartie, Delaware’s Joe Flacco became the quarterback of the future for the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFL is looking outside the BCS programs more than ever before. Twenty years ago only two players — Northwestern State’s John Stephens and Eastern Kentucky defensive end Aaron Jones — were selected in the first round. Stephens earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors but had trouble duplicating his productive rookie season for the remainder of his six-year career. Jones played nine years but finished with just 18 sacks.
Ten years ago, Marshall’s Randy Moss was the only player selected in the first round from outside a BCS conference, although Moss made stops at Notre Dame and Florida State before settling at Marshall. While some players are often overlooked by college recruiters while in high school, the NCAA’s 85 scholarship limit means powerhouse programs can’t load up on talent as in the past.
“It’s spread all around,” Gill said. “There’s more players going all over the country. It used to be when you had 100-plus scholarships, you could stockpile your team. They were pretty good football players and they all went to the traditional schools. Now, everyone has a chance to have a good football player.”
When Gill played at Nebraska in the early 1980s, there were unlimited scholarships. The freshman team had more than 80 players and the varsity had 120. UB defensive coordinator Jimmy Williams walked on at Nebraska as a linebacker and became a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1982.
“You had 200 players at the University of Nebraska,” Gill said. “A lot them were walk-ons, but you had quite a few players who were on the second team or a third team who were good football players. Now you go to 85 scholarships and that’s why it is the way it is now.”
Hilaire drafted by CFL
UB defensive lineman Ronald Hilaire, who will be a senior this fall, was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in Wednesday’s Canadian Football League draft. Hilaire is a native of Laval, Quebec. The 6-foot, 288-pounder had 45 tackles in starting 11 games last season. CFL teams keep a player’s rights for one year.
