Fourteen players from the 2008 Lott Trophy Watch, including winner James Laurinaitis of Ohio State and finalists Aaron Curry of Wake Forest and Brian Orakpo of Texas, were drafted by NFL Teams over the weekend.
Four players – Curry, Orakpo, Malcolm Jenkins of Ohio State and Brian Cushing of USC—were first round selections. Laurinaitis was chosen early in the second round.
The second round has proven to be a launching pad for Lott Trophy finalists as 2005 Winner DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) went on to become NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after being picked in the second round by the Houston Texans and 2006 finalist Paul Posluszny (Penn State) has also been an NFL starter with the Buffalo Bills after being chosen in the second round.
Fourteen players from the 2008 Watch List were underclassmen and are returning for another collegiate season. Additionally, finalist Myron Rolle (Florida State) will be attending classes in Oxford with a Rhodes Scholarship.
Here is a list of 2008 Lott Trophy Watch List players chosen in the annual NFL Draft:
Aaron Curry* (LB, Wake Forest), First Round, Seattle Seahawks
Brian Orakpo* (DE, Texas), First Round, Washington Redskins
Malcolm Jenkins (CB, Ohio State), First Round, New Orleans Saints
Brian Cushing (LB, USC), First Round, Houston Texans
James Laurinaitis# (LB, Ohio State), Second Round, St. Louis Rams
Asher Allen (CB, Georgia), Third Round, Minnesota Vikings
William Moore (S, Missouri), Third Round, Atlanta Falcons
Scott McKillop (LB, Pitt), Fifth Round, San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Hughes, (CB, Oregon State), Fifth Round, San Diego Chargers
Nick Reed (DE, Oregon), Seventh Round, San Francisco 49ers
Zack Follett (LB, Cal), Seventh Round, Detroit Lions
Troy Nolan (S, Arizona State), Seventh Round, Houston Texans
Darryl Richard (DT, Georgia Tech), Seventh Round, Seattle Seahawks
Courtney Greene (S, Rutgers), Seventh Round, Seattle Seahawks
#2008 Winner
*2008 Finalist
Pete Donovan
The Lott Trophy
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