The NFL Draft didn’t go quite the way a lot of WVU fans expected, but the offensive group that set many conference and school records still shone brighter than ever.
During the draft, the Mountaineers heard three of their most prolific players’ names called. Tavon Austin, the most dynamic player in the draft, went 8th overall to the St Louis Rams, Geno Smith, rated one of the top quarterbacks, went 39th overall in the 2nd round to the New York Jets, and Stedman Bailey, the nation’s leader in touchdown catches, went 92nd overall in the 3rd round to the St Louis Rams.
All three of these players are in prime positions to compete for starting roster spots. The spotlight was on Austin and Smith for much of the night Thursday when the first round kicked off. Bailey and Austin joined each other on the same team, which seemed to be a recurring theme in this year’s draft, while Smith has the task of turning around one of the most historic and publicized NFL franchises.
But day three of the draft showed no excitement in terms of rounds four through seven for the Mountaineers. But after the draft, five former WVU players, all on the offensive side, found themselves a new home.
The first to break the news was center Jeff Braun. Braun tweeted moments after the 7th round ended that he would be joining the Baltimore Ravens. Braun was a utility guy for the WVU offensive line. He played several positions but eventually found a home at center.
Just after that, offensive lineman Joey Madsen and receiver JD Woods both announced that they would be signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Madsen, much like Braun, filled in several spots on the offensive line. Woods was overshadowed for most of his career behind Austin and Bailey, but was still a solid target for Smith.
Later in the night, running back Shawne Alston announced that he would be joining the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are always looking for offensive weapons and oftentimes use a number of running backs. Alston can come in and compete for a roster spot easily.
Last but not least, offensive tackle Josh Jenkins found out that he would be going to Seattle to join former WVU defensive end Bruce Irvin. Jenkins was one of the highly recruited offensive linemen coming out of high school and as long as he can overcome injuries, he can compete on their offensive line.
All eight players that have announced their new teams have been on the offensive side. These players will take part in their teams’ rookie mini-camp next weekend to compete for roster spots.
Players on the defensive like Terrence Garvin, Jorge Wright, Josh Francis and kicker/punter Corey Smith can still sign with teams in the near future.
