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Heisman Trophy winner White goes undrafted
A Heisman Trophy on Jason White's resume wasn't enough to get him drafted.
Oklahoma had 11 players drafted, but the Sooners quarterback was not one of them.
After having six players taken in the first three rounds, five more Sooners were selected Sunday in Rounds 4-7, including cornerback Antonio Perkins, linebacker Lance Mitchell and safety Donte Nicholson.
White rebounded from two major knee injuries to win the Heisman two years ago, throwing for 3,946 yards and 40 touchdowns.
He received a waiver from the NCAA to return for a sixth season at Oklahoma last year and made another run at the Heisman. He passed for 35 TDs and 3,205 yards, and finished third in the Heisman voting behind quarterback Matt Leinart of Southern California and Sooners freshman tailback Adrian Peterson.
But White, with sketchy arm strength and a history of injuries that have cut into his quickness and mobility, was projected to be a late-round selection at best.
Instead, he'll look to latch on as a free agent.
Fourteen quarterbacks were taken in the seven-round draft, including Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick and James Killian of Tulsa.
The last Heisman Trophy winner to not be drafted was Charlie Ward, who won the award with Florida State in 1993, but he made it known he was going to play basketball instead. Ward was a first-round pick in the NBA for the New York Knicks.
Among the other prominent players to go undrafted were Tennessee tackle Michael Munoz, the son of Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, and Michigan safety Ernest Shazor, who left school after his junior season. Munoz and Shazor were All-Americans last season.
Another Tigers tailback
A day after Ronnie Brown of Auburn was picked second in the NFL draft and his teammate, Carnell Williams, went fifth, another former Tigers running back was selected in the fourth round.
Brandon Jacobs spent a year playing behind Williams and Brown before transferring to Southern Illinois.
Jacobs, 267 pounds, arrived at Auburn in 2003 as one of the most heralded and sought-after junior college players in the country. He ran for 446 yards playing third string to Williams, who was picked by Tampa Bay, and Brown, taken by Miami.
"I'm just glad those guys were picked really high so people can see why I really left," Jacobs said.
When both Williams and Brown decided to return for their senior seasons, a surprising and fortunate event for the Tigers, Jacobs gave some thought to moving to linebacker.
Eventually, he switched schools instead of positions, transferring to I-AA Southern Illinois so he could play immediately. He would have had to sit out a season had he transferred to another I-A school.
Jacobs ran for 992 yards, a 6.2 yard average per carry and scored 19 touchdowns for the Salukis last season.
Jacobs will get a shot to replace Ron Dayne, who left as a free agent, as the Giants' short-yardage back and power complement to Tiki Barber.
"I am there for short yardage, I am there for long yardage and whatever the situation may be," Jacobs said in a telephone interview. "I just want to get the job done. The Giants haven't been able to get a third-and-1 in a long time, so this will stop finally. I will not be denied on one yard."
Jumping from JC
Larry Brackins jumped from junior college to the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4 wide receiver was taken in the fifth round by the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Brackins was a basketball and football star in high school at Dothan, Ala. He went to a junior college in California to play basketball out of high school, before transferring to Pearl River CC to be closer to home.
He was an all-conference basketball player in his first season at Pearl River, averaging 15 points per game.
But football is where he really excelled.
He caught 45 passes for 772 yards and nine touchdowns in 2003, then upped his numbers to 56 for 1,114 and 11 touchdowns in 2004. He also returned three punts for touchdowns and made an interception.
He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash at the combine, and showed inconsistent hands and technique, not surprising for a guy who didn't play major college ball. But his size and athleticism were top-notch.
With the Rams, he'll have time to learn behind one of the league's top receiver corps with veterans Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Rams also have two promising young receivers in Shaun McDonald and Kevin Curtis.
Badger pipeline
Wisconsin's entire starting defensive line was drafted, three on the second day. End Erasmus James went in the first round to Minnesota with the 18th pick. End Jonathan Welsh was next, going to Indianapolis in the fifth round. Tackles Anttaj Hawthorne and Jason Jefferson were picked in the sixth round. Hawthorne went to the Raiders with pick No. 175 and Jefferson to the Saints with pick No. 193.
Source: AP
Oklahoma had 11 players drafted, but the Sooners quarterback was not one of them.
After having six players taken in the first three rounds, five more Sooners were selected Sunday in Rounds 4-7, including cornerback Antonio Perkins, linebacker Lance Mitchell and safety Donte Nicholson.
White rebounded from two major knee injuries to win the Heisman two years ago, throwing for 3,946 yards and 40 touchdowns.
He received a waiver from the NCAA to return for a sixth season at Oklahoma last year and made another run at the Heisman. He passed for 35 TDs and 3,205 yards, and finished third in the Heisman voting behind quarterback Matt Leinart of Southern California and Sooners freshman tailback Adrian Peterson.
But White, with sketchy arm strength and a history of injuries that have cut into his quickness and mobility, was projected to be a late-round selection at best.
Instead, he'll look to latch on as a free agent.
Fourteen quarterbacks were taken in the seven-round draft, including Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick and James Killian of Tulsa.
The last Heisman Trophy winner to not be drafted was Charlie Ward, who won the award with Florida State in 1993, but he made it known he was going to play basketball instead. Ward was a first-round pick in the NBA for the New York Knicks.
Among the other prominent players to go undrafted were Tennessee tackle Michael Munoz, the son of Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, and Michigan safety Ernest Shazor, who left school after his junior season. Munoz and Shazor were All-Americans last season.
Another Tigers tailback
A day after Ronnie Brown of Auburn was picked second in the NFL draft and his teammate, Carnell Williams, went fifth, another former Tigers running back was selected in the fourth round.
Brandon Jacobs spent a year playing behind Williams and Brown before transferring to Southern Illinois.
Jacobs, 267 pounds, arrived at Auburn in 2003 as one of the most heralded and sought-after junior college players in the country. He ran for 446 yards playing third string to Williams, who was picked by Tampa Bay, and Brown, taken by Miami.
"I'm just glad those guys were picked really high so people can see why I really left," Jacobs said.
When both Williams and Brown decided to return for their senior seasons, a surprising and fortunate event for the Tigers, Jacobs gave some thought to moving to linebacker.
Eventually, he switched schools instead of positions, transferring to I-AA Southern Illinois so he could play immediately. He would have had to sit out a season had he transferred to another I-A school.
Jacobs ran for 992 yards, a 6.2 yard average per carry and scored 19 touchdowns for the Salukis last season.
Jacobs will get a shot to replace Ron Dayne, who left as a free agent, as the Giants' short-yardage back and power complement to Tiki Barber.
"I am there for short yardage, I am there for long yardage and whatever the situation may be," Jacobs said in a telephone interview. "I just want to get the job done. The Giants haven't been able to get a third-and-1 in a long time, so this will stop finally. I will not be denied on one yard."
Jumping from JC
Larry Brackins jumped from junior college to the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4 wide receiver was taken in the fifth round by the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Brackins was a basketball and football star in high school at Dothan, Ala. He went to a junior college in California to play basketball out of high school, before transferring to Pearl River CC to be closer to home.
He was an all-conference basketball player in his first season at Pearl River, averaging 15 points per game.
But football is where he really excelled.
He caught 45 passes for 772 yards and nine touchdowns in 2003, then upped his numbers to 56 for 1,114 and 11 touchdowns in 2004. He also returned three punts for touchdowns and made an interception.
He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash at the combine, and showed inconsistent hands and technique, not surprising for a guy who didn't play major college ball. But his size and athleticism were top-notch.
With the Rams, he'll have time to learn behind one of the league's top receiver corps with veterans Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Rams also have two promising young receivers in Shaun McDonald and Kevin Curtis.
Badger pipeline
Wisconsin's entire starting defensive line was drafted, three on the second day. End Erasmus James went in the first round to Minnesota with the 18th pick. End Jonathan Welsh was next, going to Indianapolis in the fifth round. Tackles Anttaj Hawthorne and Jason Jefferson were picked in the sixth round. Hawthorne went to the Raiders with pick No. 175 and Jefferson to the Saints with pick No. 193.
Source: AP
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