G.S.Green
April 29th, 2007, 08:38 AM
Who was leading that debate about who would go first in the I-AA ranks? Talk to me now. HU may have at least three by the end of the Day 2xbowx !!!!!
Jaguars snag HU's Durant in Round 2
Jacksonville picks linebacker Justin Durant higher than any previous Hampton University player in NFL draft history.
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
[email protected] | 247-4963
April 28, 2007, 10:19 PM EDT
About 10 minutes before 8 o'clock Saturday night, Justin Durant's cell phone rang at his home in Florence, S.C. He was unfamiliar with the number that appeared on the display screen, so it hit him that this was THE CALL: the one he'd dreamed about for years.
He was right. The man on the other end was from the Jacksonville Jaguars. He informed Durant, a middle linebacker at Hampton University, that the Jags were selecting him in the second round of the NFL draft with the No. 48 pick overall.
Don't ask Durant who the guy was. He says he was too happy to process the name, but he'll never forget his words.
"He asked, 'Are you ready to come to camp and ready to become a Jaguar?' " said Durant, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior. "I said, 'I am.' Man, this is gratifying. Now I know that all of the hard work and dedication of the past four years has paid off.
"I'm glad (Jacksonville's) staff and coaches were able to look at the film and decide that I can be an asset to them."
Durant heads to Florida as the highest draft pick in Hampton University history. Only one other Hampton player ever had been picked on the first day (rounds 1-3) of the draft. Jacksonville also made that selection, picking cornerback Cordell Taylor in the second round in 1998 with the No. 57 pick.
Durant is the highest non-Division I-A player drafted this year. The Jaguars have experience with that. They made Pro Bowl defensive back Rashean Mathis, from Hampton's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Bethune-Cookman, the top small-school pick of the 2003 draft.
"I think (Mathis) showed them that if you come from a small school, it doesn't mean you lack talent," Durant said.
Adisa Bakari, Durant's agent, agreed, but added: "James Harris (the Jaguars' vice president of player personnel) played quarterback at I-AA Grambling State and knows talent. But the bottom line is that they picked him because they feel he can be productive.
"They looked at him as the best player available."
Durant earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors the past three seasons, leading the Pirates to three conference titles. He was voted to the Associated Press I-AA All-American first team last season.
Durant made a huge impression at the NFL combine in February by posting some of the top numbers for linebackers in the 40-yard dash, bench press and vertical leap. By Saturday, his stock had risen so high that Yahoo! Sports projected him as the No. 35 pick, while NFL Draft Countdown predicted he'd go in the top 45.
He was surprised to learn that the NFL picked him higher than the previous 17 Hampton players drafted. Pirates coach Joe Taylor also was pleased.
"Justin is a trailblazer," Taylor said. "We're very proud of him. We hope things go well for our other players on Sunday."
Five other Hampton players are considered draft possibilities: cornerback Travarous Bain, tailback Alonzo Coleman, cornerback Calvin Bannister and wide receivers Marquay McDaniel and Onrea Jones. They'll find out their fates today, when rounds 4-7 are conducted.
Jaguars snag HU's Durant in Round 2
Jacksonville picks linebacker Justin Durant higher than any previous Hampton University player in NFL draft history.
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
[email protected] | 247-4963
April 28, 2007, 10:19 PM EDT
About 10 minutes before 8 o'clock Saturday night, Justin Durant's cell phone rang at his home in Florence, S.C. He was unfamiliar with the number that appeared on the display screen, so it hit him that this was THE CALL: the one he'd dreamed about for years.
He was right. The man on the other end was from the Jacksonville Jaguars. He informed Durant, a middle linebacker at Hampton University, that the Jags were selecting him in the second round of the NFL draft with the No. 48 pick overall.
Don't ask Durant who the guy was. He says he was too happy to process the name, but he'll never forget his words.
"He asked, 'Are you ready to come to camp and ready to become a Jaguar?' " said Durant, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior. "I said, 'I am.' Man, this is gratifying. Now I know that all of the hard work and dedication of the past four years has paid off.
"I'm glad (Jacksonville's) staff and coaches were able to look at the film and decide that I can be an asset to them."
Durant heads to Florida as the highest draft pick in Hampton University history. Only one other Hampton player ever had been picked on the first day (rounds 1-3) of the draft. Jacksonville also made that selection, picking cornerback Cordell Taylor in the second round in 1998 with the No. 57 pick.
Durant is the highest non-Division I-A player drafted this year. The Jaguars have experience with that. They made Pro Bowl defensive back Rashean Mathis, from Hampton's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Bethune-Cookman, the top small-school pick of the 2003 draft.
"I think (Mathis) showed them that if you come from a small school, it doesn't mean you lack talent," Durant said.
Adisa Bakari, Durant's agent, agreed, but added: "James Harris (the Jaguars' vice president of player personnel) played quarterback at I-AA Grambling State and knows talent. But the bottom line is that they picked him because they feel he can be productive.
"They looked at him as the best player available."
Durant earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors the past three seasons, leading the Pirates to three conference titles. He was voted to the Associated Press I-AA All-American first team last season.
Durant made a huge impression at the NFL combine in February by posting some of the top numbers for linebackers in the 40-yard dash, bench press and vertical leap. By Saturday, his stock had risen so high that Yahoo! Sports projected him as the No. 35 pick, while NFL Draft Countdown predicted he'd go in the top 45.
He was surprised to learn that the NFL picked him higher than the previous 17 Hampton players drafted. Pirates coach Joe Taylor also was pleased.
"Justin is a trailblazer," Taylor said. "We're very proud of him. We hope things go well for our other players on Sunday."
Five other Hampton players are considered draft possibilities: cornerback Travarous Bain, tailback Alonzo Coleman, cornerback Calvin Bannister and wide receivers Marquay McDaniel and Onrea Jones. They'll find out their fates today, when rounds 4-7 are conducted.